Aston Martin Vantage

Aston Martin Vantage Overview

If you have been following the 2021 Formula One season, the Aston Martin name is now back in Gran Prix racing after a 60 year absence to the sport, with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel at the helm of the control. Also making its debut is the new FIA official safety car, the Aston Martin Vantage dressed in the iconic British racing green, joining alongside the red Mercedes-Benz AMG GT R sharing safety car duties and appearances.

The Aston Martin Vantage or sometimes referred to as the baby Aston, is the smallest Aston Martin model in the British Marque’s lineup (apart from the Aston Martin Cygnet). Based on the same bonded aluminium structure that also underpins the Aston Martin DB11, the second generation two-door coupé’s design draws inspiration from the bespoke purpose-built Aston Martin DB10 developed specifically for the James Bond film, Spectre.

Powered by a 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8 engine from Mercedes-AMG, the sports coupé hailed from Gaydon, UK is priced from RM 1.6 million (without options) and rivals competition in the likes of the Porsche 911, Mercedes AMG GT and the Lexus LC500.

Aston Martin Vantage Exterior

Aston Martin’s principles of purity and beautiful proportion is perfectly demonstrated in the Vantage’s design. The beautifully sculpted form is exemplified by its clean body lines, pronounced wheel arches, broad shoulder haunches and short front and rear overhangs, giving the coupé an athletic stance.

Up front, the nose of the clamshell bonnet is pitched towards the ground, and the three-dimensional S curve surrounding the massive Aston martin mash grille gives the car its distinctive look. While jury may still be out on the squinty LED headlights design, the signature ultra-slim rear light graphic that illuminates the full width of the tailgate, accentuated by the flick in the Vantage’s tail certainly turn heads.

No ostentatious aerodynamic bits here on the Vantage. The front splitter and rear diffuser sits very low to the ground, visually ‘hidden’ when viewed from standing height so to preserve the clean exterior body lines while managing airflow around and under the car.

Aston Martin Vantage Dimension

 Based on the same bonded aluminium chassis, the Aston Martin Vantage is nearly a foot (285 mm) shorter than the Aston Martin DB11 and 33 mm shorter than the Porsche 911. Barring the Aston Martin Cygnet, the Vantage is the smallest car Aston Martin makes and hence the nickname baby Aston.

Aston Martin Vantage Interior

The interior is the usual Aston Martin affair with posh leather and alcantara wrapped cabin that reeks of quality. The cabin is fully carpeted and upholstered in black smooth leather accented with satin graphite trim inlays and satin silver/gloss black trims. Driving position is spot on and the sports seats are embossed with Aston Martin wings logo. Behind the oddly shaped sports steering wheel is a 12-inch fully digital instrument display. 

The central console is where things get a little busy. While I am all for tactile physical buttons as opposed to fiddly touch screen controls, Aston Martin may have gone slightly overboard with the ‘spaceship-like’ control panel featuring the new triangular layout.Aston Martin is sticking to the design of using buttons for the transmission control but unfortunately it is just not as intuitive compared to the conventional analog shifters. 

The Mercedes based infotainment system is seamlessly integrated and the centrally mounted 8-inch LCD screen is controlled via a rotary dial and touchpad similar to other Mercedes-Benz models. It is strictly a two-seater with space behind the back seat for extra luggage. There is no glove box, but the generous 350-litre boot space more than makes up for the lack of interior storage.

Aston Martin Vantage Features

Standard features include an 8-way adjustable sport seats with memory function, Mercedes based 8-inch infotainment system with Aston Martin audio, sport-oriented column-mounted paddle shifters, automatic parking, automatic steering adjust and cruise control. Standard exterior features include graphite lower body package, titanium silver mesh front grille, quad black tailpipe finisher, silver underbonnet cross brace, dark anodized brake calipers and a 20-inch 10-spoke silver cast wheels. 

On the more technical side of things, the baby Aston also comes equipped with Adaptive Damping with Skyhook technology for 3 different modes (Sport, Sport +, Track), Electronic differential (E-Diff), Positive Torque Control (PTC) and Dynamic Torque Vectoring (DTV). Safety features include Dynamic Stability Control, Traction Control, Hydraulic Brake Assist, Blind Spot detection and 360 camera.

Aston Martin Vantage Driving Performance

Engine

The Aston Martin Vantage is powered by a Mercedes-AMG sourced 4.0 litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine delivering 510 PS at 6,000 RPM and 685 Nm of torque from 2,000 RPM. Century sprint is completed in a mighty impressive 3.6 seconds with a maximum speed of 314 km/h.

The front mid-mounted engine is positioned low and further back in the chassis, thanks to the new engine mounts and a lower-profile wet sump to improve weight distribution and driving dynamics, The soundtrack from the engine is commendable despite the forced induction layout. 

It burbles along quietly on highway drives but also provide a muscular V8 rumble during spirited driving. Keep it in the Sport or Track modes and it pops and bangs during gear changes.

Transmission

Aston Martin Vantage Ride Comfort

Both on the road and on the track, the Vantage is an agile performer that is responsive to the driver’s inputs and is constantly modulating based on the selected driving modes. The rear suspension subframe is bolted directly to the chassis like in racing cars, without any rubber bushings in between for that unadulterated road feel.

Aston Martin Vantage Fuel Consumption

Aston Martin Vantage Conclusion

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage sounds glorious, looks incredible, goes like stink and to top it all off, it is based on a chassis that is both forgiving to amateur drivers and rewarding for the pros. It may not be as extreme as a mid-engined Ferrari, Audi or MacLaren, and in terms of raw performance, the Mercedes C 63 AMG is more than capable of keeping it honest. But when it comes to exclusivity, very few carmakers can deliver on the same level pedigree and theatrical experience as Aston Martin does. Your car awaits, Mr. Bond.