As far as I can remember, Aston Martin was the brand that started it for me. Watching old Bond films and seeing the elegant DB5 with those cool gadgets really did make me a huge fan of the brand.
Few car manufacturers can claim to have an image as strong as Aston Martin. It’s consistently voted one of the coolest brands in the world and, well, James Bond had 6 of them. Enough said. The Vantage is so much more than just the entry point to the Aston Martin range; and it really is a sensational sportscar, in its own right.
Thanks to a cash- and tech-infusion from Mercedes-AMG, this Aston exists. And thank goodness, because the world is a better place for it. Giving thrills is precisely what the Vantage was built for, and the recipe is simple: Take one part heart-stopping exhaust note, a splash of jaw-dropping lines, a dash of eye-popping yellow paint, and shake vigorously. Aston Martin has done this to perfection and charges Php15M for the privilege.
Exterior:
Aston uses words such as “aggressive” and “predatory” to describe the styling design of the Vantage and it overwhelmingly prefers to describe it as a sports car rather than any kind of front-engined sporting GT.
The fact is, of course, that the new Vantage retains the long bonnet, front-mounted engine, cabin-rear silhouette and driven rear wheels that, most would agree, continue to define modern GT coupés, but its styling is a marked departure from that of the almost delicately pretty V8 Vantage that preceded it.
Interior:
It’s no use for a car to handle well if you aren’t sitting comfortably enough to enjoy it. Fortunately, the Vantage has a very good driving position, with generous electric adjustment for the driver’s seat and a good range of manual steering wheel adjustment. Electric steering wheel adjustment is available as an option.
The Vantage’s relatively compact dimensions and low window line allow for reasonably good visibility, not only at roundabouts and junctions but also of the road ahead when you're driving quickly. Unsurprisingly, the view back over your shoulder isn’t as good, but the large door mirrors help with this and so do the standard rear parking sensors.
Like the DB11, Aston Martin has also borrowed Mercedes-Benz’s infotainment system for the Vantage, consisting of an 8.0in screen and a rotary controller between the seats. We prefer it to a touchscreen system (such as McLaren's) for ease of use on the move and the screen graphics are fairly good. However, the three-tier menu structure is more confusing than Audi’s MMI system that you'll find on the R8. Still, a DAB radio, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring and sat-nav are all included as standard (although Android Auto is not available).
Engine and Performance:
Aston Martin has sourced the Vantage’s engine from Mercedes-AMG. Under the car’s shapely bonnet you’ll find a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre AMG V8 that develops 503 HP and the Vantage retains a traditional rear-wheel-drive approach, unlike many of its rivals, which have all-wheel drive.
Aston’s engineers have tweaked the engine to give it a character more in line with what’s expected of the British brand, and it’s mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. There are three driving modes – Sport, Sport+ and Track – and these settings have a direct effect on the engine, gearbox, steering and adaptive dampers.
So, the new baby Aston has all the basic ingredients in its arsenal, but how does it drive? In short, very well, indeed. The default driving mode is Sport – the most comfort-orientated of the three – and this makes the Vantage remarkably cultured for a 500bhp sports car. The ride exhibits a welcome comfort even on pockmarked roads, while the slick eight-speed box shuffles through its ratios pretty seamlessly.
The Vantage really comes alive when you select Sport+ or Track mode, though, with a more strident tone from the engine and its responses more finely honed. The steering is well weighted and accurate and, while it might not give as much quite feel and feedback as a Porsche 911, it’s much better than most of its rivals. Despite only having rear-wheel drive the Vantage transmits its power to the road very effectively and rarely scrabbles for grip. Turn the traction control fully off and the Vantage will drift very effectively, with a beautifully composed action controlled by your right foot and the steering. Overall, the Vantage really is a superb driver’s car.
Space and Practicality:
The Vantage is a strict two-seater, but it has lots of space for two tall adults. They’ll have no complaints about the amount of head or leg room, while there’s no danger of even two generously sized blokes rubbing shoulders. Both front seats are fully electric as standard.
Elsewhere, storage is a little tight. There’s no glovebox and each door has only a fairly slim pocket. A small cubby is located behind the infotainment rotary dial and there’s a modest cubby beneath the central armrest, but that’s your lot.
The boot is located beneath a large hatch, so access is good and Aston Martin reckons you can fit two sets of golf clubs inside (although they'd have to be very small sets). However, the space is pretty flat, so it’s perhaps no surprise that you won’t be taking a large suitcase with you. At best, you’ll fit a couple of carry-on cases plus a soft bag.
Verdict:
My close friends and family know that Aston Martin is and always will be the car of my dreams. Years ago, I remember we had a family trip to Japan, I immediately planned a trip to the local Aston Martin dealer just so I could stare at one from the outside. That was the first time I got close to an actual Aston Martin.
(sorry for the low res photo but yep, that was me years ago)
It can be tough being a small, bespoke manufacturer in a world where ever-increasing development costs make bringing new models to market an eye-wateringly expensive business. And for many years Aston Martin struggled to launch new cars – the previous Vantage was in production for 13 years, which is almost unheard of these days, when mainstream manufacturers replace their core models far more frequently.
I'm sure some folks scoff at the tie-up, but they're wrong. Without the Mercedes money, this car and Aston Martin would not exist. Thanks to an infusion of German cash and hardware, not only is Aston building excellent sports cars again, but they're building ones that will probably keep on chugging for years to come.
The Vantage certainly isn’t a sports car for shy, retiring types – you can thank its thunderous V8 bellow and eye-popping styling for that. When you’ve finished having fun, the whole car settles down at the touch of a button and becomes a comfortable long-distance cruiser. It is quite wide, but the steering is light around town so it’s reasonably easy to manoeuvre.
To sum it all up, It's everything you'd expect from an Aston Martin: gorgeous as hell and with interior electronics from the last decade, but it generates smiles and thumbs up (and frantic waves from fans) like nothing else on the road. Like so many high-end sports cars, the Vantage is a happiness generator.
Change down a gear, soak up the V8 roar and point that Yellow Tang nose towards the open road. Then go wherever that road takes you. It really is a proper everyday sports car car then, but more than that – it’s a proper Aston Martin… Made possible with a little help from Mercedes, or course.
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