Ever since the Aston Martin Vantage nameplate was reincarnated back in 2005, it has been referred to as the baby Aston – the entry-level sports car with the least amount of power. But with this latest model, Gaydon has sharpened its smallest model to become its highest performer yet.
Still sharing its basic body structure and AMG-sourced 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8 as its 2018 predecessor, the Vantage is nevertheless far more potent, producing an astounding 665 PS and 800 Nm of torque – 155 PS and 115 Nm more than before. That’s still a little bit down on the DB12, but with less weight to cart around, it flings itself from zero to 100 km/h two tenths of a second quicker, at 3.4 seconds. Top speed is 325 km/h.
A comprehensive reworking of the Vantage’s chassis ensures it has enough cornering ability to match its stratospheric performance. Additional bracing has brought about a 29% increase in torsional rigidity, while adaptive Bilstein DTX dampers provide greater latitude for engineers to tune the car to suit its more sporting nature. The chassis and powertrain are controlled via a centralised advanced vehicle dynamics control system, and there’s also a motorsport-inspired eight-stage traction control system.
Despite being essentially a heavy facelift, the new Vantage is instantly recognisable through its wider body (+30 mm) and the fully-revamped front fascia, incorporating a larger grille for improved cooling and taller DB12-style headlights. It also gets a completely new interior that finally ditches the outdated Mercedes-Benz Comand-derived infotainment system with Aston’s own, in-house-developed unit.
All these upgrades sound incredibly tantalising – as it should, given that it costs RM2.37 million – but does the new Vantage actually impress out in the real world? Follow me as I put the car through its paces in Seville, Spain – both on road and track – in the video review below.
GALLERY: 2024 Aston Martin Vantage in Seville, Spain
GALLERY: 2024 Aston Martin Vantage in Malaysia
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