Aston Martin's 'budget' car: V8 Vantage

While the start-up sequence is interesting, it highlights an unfortunate tendency. When it comes to things like starter buttons, door handles and parking brakes, Aston Martin often seems to value fancy design over straightforward simplicity.

For example, the car's parking brake design seems goofy. It's located on the left side of the driver. That means you'll have to make sure you clear it when you get out of the car. Plus, it's difficult to engage. Why would Aston Martin design it like that? Another annoyance: The car's firm driver's seat made for sore spots and lots of stops during hours of test driving. No amount of adjustment seemed to help, either.

NEXT: Faster! Faster!