The Aston Martin Vantage

The Aston Martin Vantage is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The sweeping, elegant, flowing lines of the car are able to convey the highest level of class and prestige. The Vantage radiates luxury and performance from every angle. The new wide mouth grill establishes dominance over the previous generation while the duckbill spoiler and wide rear fenders flex the newfound performance. On the inside, the new Mercedes-inspired interior is an overwhelming and welcomed change. The center console and gear selector are wonderfully designed in a display similar to the Flying V geese use to travel. The ignition button throbs red like a pulsing heart upon startup. In previous models, Aston Martin used a key affectionately named the ECU or Emotional Control Unit. The name has changed, but even without the ECU it feels like waking up a monster. Aston Martin has chiseled and sculpted the Vantage into the new era.

Underneath the sheep’s hood lies a Mercedes-AMG 4.0L twin-turbocharged V8. Like the writers at MotorTrend, I had a hell of a time trying to figure out where the hood latch was. Search high and low and it’s still possible to miss it. I spent a grand total of 30 minutes near the base of Rainbow Mountain searching for the damn thing. No cell signal available, just a man and his $150,000 car. I never did find the latch, but I have no doubts the engine was there.

This Aston Martin tweaked engine produces 503 horsepower and shockingly 505 lb-ft of torque. With more torque than horsepower, the Vantage can achieve 60 mph in around 3.5 seconds. While I’m not the most knowledgeable, there are very few sports cars I’m aware of with higher torque than horsepower. Even cars like the Corvette C7 Z06 have “equal” horsepower and torque. That’s what the badge says at least. Maybe I need to get out more.

In any case, the Aston Martin is a beast. The Vantage brings about the perfect mix of luxury and performance. James Bond would be proud of such a clean and powerful vehicle at his disposal. Unlike Mr. Bond, my test vehicle didn’t some equipped with rockets and machine guns. Other than those, I did retain the other perks. Other drivers seemed to bow out of my way in the Vantage. It could have been the color of Lime Essence reflecting into their eyes at 12:00AM; or maybe it was just a courtesy of driving such an elegant vehicle.

This was my first test vehicle. For that reason it seems that I was very patient and maybe too-careful with the vehicle. While 500 horsepower is without a doubt very impressive, it seemed underwhelming. At 100+mph the car seems stable and missing theatrics. Even cycling through the cars modes such as Sport, Sport+, and Track, the power, suspension, nor steering was as impressive as I expected. However, steering in parking lots has never been more comfortable. The weight is comparable to a feather and felt like gliding on clouds.

Mentioning those, the sound was another aspect that I felt was missing. The Vantage is stunning from all angles, but after taking a closer look at the exhaust tips you realize that toilet paper rolls have a bigger diameter. Turbocharging will always result in a sound deficit, but I want my V8’s to roar! While stationary and backed into a canyon I let the revs reach the 7,000 redline. The sound was nothing to write home about.

While the car is great and I’d trade my Veloster N for one in a second, my favorite part of this vehicle was the pictures. From the hidden doorhandles to the mushroom shaped headlights and color matched rear diffuser, the car really is beautiful. The car draws attention from everyone, young and old. Unlike other cars, onlookers got abnormally close to this one. It’s possible they were looking for the machine guns.

The car was fantastic and there are several characteristics that would make it a great daily driver. The swan doors open not like a McLaren, but like a Subaru Impreza at an angle. The doors clear curbs easily and the 360° cameras make parallel parking a breeze. Sometimes, I want impractical. I don’t want my sports car to feel like it’s hiding behind a veil of luxury. I know that I don’t have the right mindset for the Vantage, but I wanted more.

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Review: Morgan Jacobsen, October 7, 2024

Video: Morgan Jacobsen, September 2, 2024

Photo: Morgan Jacobsen September 2, 2024