New Aston Martin Vantage gets fresh look and massive power hike
Aston Martin has given the Vantage a mid-life makeover, with aggressive new styling, a sharper chassis, improved infotainment and a generous dollop of extra power.
Headline numbers from the uprated 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 are 665hp and 590lb ft of torque: good for 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 202mph.
Squaring up to the McLaren Artura, Porsche 911 Turbo S and Lamborghini Huracan, Aston Martin’s entry-level supercar also gains a host of adaptive chassis technology. The British company promises ‘an authentic, unadulterated celebration of pure performance, engineered to deliver maximum thrills with maximum confidence’.
Read on for everything we know about the new Aston Martin Vantage, due on sale in early summer 2024.
The laws of physique
Broader and brawnier, the Vantage should possess the road presence to match its potent performance. Design chief Marek Reichman says “some inspiration” came from the One-77 hypercar of 2008, but elements of the new Aston Martin DB12 are clearly visible as well, particularly in the 30mm wider stance and 38 percent larger front grille.
Aston Martin has also reintroduced its classic side strake, which bisects the vents cut into the car’s flanks. Standard 21-inch alloys fill out the muscular wheelarches and the shapely rear bumper now incorporates side vents and fatter exhaust tailpipes (all four of ’em).
As ever, Aston Martin’s Q division offers plenty of scope for personalisation, starting with a choice of three core liveries – including a ‘Lipstick’ finish for that hungrier grille. You could even request an homage to the new Vantage GT3 racer (see bottom of page).
Old-school cool
Unlike an increasing number of its rivals, there’s no sign of plug-in hybrid assistance for the Vantage’s Mercedes-AMG V8 engine.
Instead, the hand-built motor gains larger turbochargers, modified cam profiles, improved cooling and revised compression ratios. The result is 30 percent more power and 15 percent more torque – 665hp at 6,000rpm and 590lb ft at 2,750rpm respectively – the biggest gains between model updates in Vantage history.
All that oomph goes to the rear wheels via an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox with paddles behind the steering wheel. A shortened final drive ratio offers improved acceleration, while a new driver-adjustable launch control system helps you cheat at the traffic lights.
New touchscreen tech
The previous Vantage’s dated media system also came from Mercedes, but the new car inherits Aston Martin’s latest tech from the DB12 (also coming soon to the DBX SUV). The 10.25-inch touchscreen has wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity, What3Words navigation and a connected smartphone app.
An 11-speaker, 390-watt audio system is standard, or buyers can upgrade to a 15-speaker, 1,170-watt Bowers & Wilkins setup that has been ‘acoustically engineered’ to suit the car’s interior.
The Vantage’s interior is trimmed in upmarket Bridge of Weir leather. Unlike a Porsche 911, there are no rear seats, but the 350-litre boot offers enough luggage space for a week away.
Rubber on the road
So, what will the new Vantage be like to drive? Aston Martin looks to have the basics right, with a stiffer bonded aluminium body and perfect 50:50 front:rear weight distribution. The quoted dry weight is 1,605kg, so reckon on a not-too-chunky 1,700kg with fluids added.
New ‘intelligent’ dampers should boost the car’s sense of agility and its ride and handling greater bandwidth. Combined with recalibrated power steering, an electronic rear differential and multi-mode stability control, Aston Martin says the Vantage can ‘adapt from the demands of a challenging alpine road to wide-open race track at the push of a button and twist of a switch’.
Cast-iron brakes are standard, with carbon-ceramic discs as an option (saving 27kg in unsprung mass). Like the DB12, the Vantage also has its own bespoke tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport 5 S measuring 275/35 R21 at the front and 325/30 R21 at the rear. How much of that rubber you leave on the road is partly dependent on the new Active Vehicle Dynamics control system… but mostly dependent on your right foot.
GT3 racer revealed
Aston Martin has also published the first photos of the Vantage GT3, coinciding with the reveal of the road car. An evolution of the existing Vantage GTE and GT3 racers, it boasts a new aerodynamic package – including an enormous swan-neck rear wing – revised suspension and cleverer electronics.
Built to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship (IMSA), Fanatec GT World Challenge, European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie (NLS), the 2024 Vantage should be easier to drive too.
Aston Martin says ‘upgrades centred upon addressing some of the old car’s more challenging handling characteristics, with the aim of making the new GT3 as driveable as possible for both professional and amateur drivers alike’.Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research