At the moment, the internet is exploding with news of the brand-new Aston Martin Vantage. Arguably more exciting than the stunning DB11, the new Vantage is the brand’s latest sports car, designed to get back to the spirit of driving. The idea is to bring back the motorsport heritage of Aston Martin, to create a car that’s both beautiful to look at and to drive. From the looks of it, and what lies underneath those looks, this is the car that the upcoming BMW M8 will have a difficult time competing with.
Yes we know that the Vantage is a bit smaller than the M8 will be. But the new Vantage’s price and performance are about on par with where the BMW M8 will be. Also, the M8 is going to be a driver’s car, much like the Vantage, while the bigger, heavier DB11 is more of a sporty GT car. At around $145,000, both the M8 and Vantage will occupy the same luxury sports car segment. What’s ironic about this little competition is that when we first saw the BMW M8 spy photos, we all said how it reminded us of an Aston Martin, in its styling.
If the BMW M8 ends up looking like the Aston Martin Vantage, I don’t think there will be a lot of unhappy BMW enthusiasts. The new Vantage looks very good. Admittedly, there are some bits about it that are a bit shocking, such as the tiny, squinty headlights and the massively agape grille. However, the rest of the car still looks great. I don’t know if it looks better than the outgoing Vantage, as that’s still stunning, but I have a feeling this will grow on everyone quite soon.
While the front looks a bit odd, it looks superb in profile. Although, the side vent looks a bit odd with its perforated grille and looks much better in body color. But its silhouette is near-perfect. It boasts a long hood, the same length as a DB11’s, a very short rear deck and a low, sweeping roofline. It’s gorgeous. Though, its best angle is anywhere from behind. The built-in ducktail spoiler, with integrated taillight, looks absolutely superb. It’s also far classier than any sort of active rear spoiler. I also really like the way the black trim around the rear body work sort of mirrors the taillight.
Under that long hood is an AMG-sourced 4.0 liter twin-turbocharged V8 that’s been tickled by Aston Martin. So it makes 503 hp and 505 lb-ft of torque. More importantly, though, it will make a more Aston Martin-like sound than an AMG sound. We know this as the new DB11 V8 uses a similar variant of the engine and it sounds incredibly but more Aston-like than AMG. Paired to that engine is a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic gearbox and a six-speed manual will come later. That drives the rear wheels through an electronically-controlled limited-slip rear differential. Aston claims it can get from 0-60 mph in about 3.5 seconds.
Aston Martin claims that this new Vantage will be a proper sports car. The Brits have really focused on making the new Vantage drive and handle like an Aston Martin should. So its rear subframe is bolted directly to the chassis, with no rubber bushings in between, so as to create a better sense of feel. It also gets new adjustable dampers, specially-tuned Pirelli P-Zero tires. “It speaks volumes for the outgoing Vantage that it is the single most successful model in Aston Martin’s history. Creating a worthy successor has been a challenge to relish and a huge source of motivation. I’m enormously excited by what we’ve created: a new Vantage that’s more explicit in looks and intent, wrapping heart-pounding performance and dazzling dynamics into an everyday usable package. A true sports car with a sharper look and a keener dynamic edge, the new Vantage is the Aston Martin pure driving machine enthusiasts have been waiting for.” said Aston Martin CEO, Dr Andy Palmer.
The new Aston Martin Vantage looks great, has impressive specs and is shaping up to be an absolute blast to drive. When it and the BMW M8 finally hit the road, they will be very exciting competitors. Both will have twin-turbocharged V8s, both will hit 60 mph in the low-to-mid 3-second range and both will have very sexy good looks. We can’t wait until both cars hit the road. Until then, though, we only know that the new Vantage looks very good.
