Aston Martin Vantage Review & Prices

This is the new Aston Martin Vantage, and it’s a bit of a breath of fresh air. Aston’s resisted the temptation to give it a hybrid engine, a raft of extra complexity and totally spoil the spirit of the thing. Instead, it’s just been improved in every measurable way - a new interior, a stiffer body shell for better handling, and even more power from its beefy 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine.

Just like getting a pair of posh shoes re-soled, it goes to show that sometimes just taking a quality product and sorting its imperfections can be better than tearing up the rule book and going for something brand-new. That’s certainly the tactic used by the Vantage’s two main alternatives, the Porsche 911 Turbo S and the Ferrari Roma.

The new Vantage gets a serious facelift especially up front, where the grille and headlights look much more similar to its DB12 and DBS siblings. The previous Vantage had a minimalist front grille, which some compared to a bottom-feeding fish but others loved. The new face is a little less distinctive, but also less divisive.

Other changes include a wider rear and extended side skirts, plus bigger exhausts and a huge rear diffuser. There are also new headlights and a series of mean-looking air vents - all functional. It looks extremely purposeful and, especially in a bright colour, you’re unlikely to miss it in a car park.

Inside you’ll find even bigger changes from the previous car. Where the old Vantage had a pretty awkward-looking interior stuffed with last-generation tech borrowed from Mercedes, this model has a high-quality and good-looking dashboard that uses Aston Martin’s own software and fixtures. There are comfortable sports seats and there’s plenty of space, too - you don’t need to be a whippet-like racing driver to get comfortable in the Aston Martin Vantage.

You might feel like a racing driver when you put your foot down, though. The Vantage’s 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine puts out a massive 665hp - more than either the Porsche 911 Turbo S or the Ferrari Roma - and that results in huge performance, with 0-62mph achieved in just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 202mph.

With a stiffer bodyshell and more aggressive rear differential, it really puts that power to the road too - but it’s not so much of a focused racing car that you can’t enjoy it at sensible speeds, either. It’s also a little less precise than its German or Italian competition, with a bit more of a blunt-instrument-muscle-car feel to it - which you might love or hate.

If you’re intrigued, you might want to check out our other sports and supercar reviews on Carwow. You could also browse for a used Aston Martin, and remember that whether it’s a Fiat or a Ferrari Carwow can help you sell your car online too.

All the Vantage’s improvements come at a cost, and that means it’ll run you around £35,000 more than the old car - a starting price of around £165,000. That can increase significantly if you peruse the options list, too, though unlike a Porsche 911 Turbo S you won’t need to venture into optional extras to find equipment you’d get as standard on a family hatchback.

Feels like a muscle car, performs like a supercar and cruises like a GT - but a Porsche 911 feels more precise and focused

In town

There are some difficulties to driving the Aston Martin Vantage around town that are inherent to any performance car of this nature. Firstly, it’s quite big and you sit very low down - this means it can be tricky to judge the corners of the car unless you jack your seat up higher.

You will also be permanently wincing going through tight spaces, as the expensive alloy wheels aren’t particularly fond of kerbs. And of course, you’re positioned so much lower than other drivers in their SUVs that you can feel a little hemmed in in traffic. 

However, it’s nowhere near as bad as it could be. A 360-degree camera system is fitted as standard, which makes squeezing through tight spaces much more reassuring. And visibility isn’t bad, other than a significant blindspot over your shoulder. Better still, the throttle response, automatic gearbox and suspension are all extremely forgiving of poor road surfaces and low speeds, 

On the motorway

The Vantage makes for a very comfortable motorway cruiser, too. Obviously the power is ample - the only people who could outpace you down a sliproad are those in other supercars - but more importantly the suspension and seats are both soft enough to make long-distance driving effortless. Of course, you’ll need to fill up fairly often, but if you can afford a Vantage you can probably afford the petrol too.

It’s not quite as relaxed on a long trip as a Porsche 911 Turbo S simply because it’s not as refined. Though the engine is pretty quiet at a cruise, there’s a little bit of wind noise from around the door mirrors, and quite a bit of road noise from those wide tyres. It’s far from unbearable, though.

On a twisty road

A dynamic country road is where the Aston Martin Vantage comes alive. Even at slow speeds, the engine response and the weight and accuracy of the steering make it feel special - but just one prod of the accelerator (with the ‘loud’ mode on the exhaust engaged, of course) and you’re catapulted forward with fantastic speed and drama.

The Vantage feels very balanced, and you have a great connection to the car with natural-feeling steering and a good level of feedback through the brake pedal. The traction control can be adjusted from Level 1 (where it keeps you very well in check) right up to Level 9 (where it’s totally turned off) so drivers of all confidence levels can find a setting that allows them to have a bit of fun.

If you do switch the traction control off, you’ll find the Vantage has quite a lively rear end that can easily be encouraged into a powerslide. It’s this more than anything that gives it something of an old-school muscle-car feel, as opposed to the controlled precision you get with something like a Porsche 911 Turbo S.

Comfortable seats and a useful boot, though interior storage could be better

The Aston Martin Vantage does only seat two people. This is in contrast to the Ferrari Roma and Porsche 911, both of which have space for four with two extra seats in the rear - which, while they’re not much good for adults, are useful for slinging luggage or even taking a child seat. No such luck in the Aston.

That being said, the Vantage’s seats are capacious and comfortable. The standard sports seats are supportive without being needlessly confining for those with a bigger frame, and they’re easy to get in and out of too. If you want more support, you can get optional carbon fibre racing seats, though these are a lot more limiting and can make ingress and egress trickier.

Interior storage is a bit limited, as it is with most cars of this type. The glovebox is quite cramped and the door bins can’t hold a bottle unless you lay it down. There’s also a small storage area underneath the armrest with a couple of USB-C port and a 12V socket, plus a pair of cupholders.

Boot space

A boot space of 235 litres is a little smaller than a Ferrari Roma’s 272 litres, but it’s more spacious than the 132 litres of space you’ll find under the nose of a Porsche 911. By removing the parcel shelf and packing bags right up to the rear window you can liberate a little extra space.

Much improved over the previous Vantage, though not quite as straightforward or well-built as a 911

The interior was a weak point of the previous Aston Martin Vantage - it borrowed technology from Mercedes, and didn’t hide it very well. This model is a far nicer place to sit in, and feels much more authentically Aston Martin - especially now that it uses one of the firm’s own infotainment screens and software. 

The wide centre console holds a fair bit of physical switchgear to compliment the 10.3-inch infotainment display - we particularly like the little rollers that adjust the climate control and the volume. Almost everything feels high quality, right down to the door pulls - though the indicator stalks are the one area that betray Aston’s partnership with Mercedes. 

An official fuel economy figure of 23.3mpg is to be expected from a car with this much performance - what’s also to be expected is that you’re not often going to see this number. On a long, gentle cruise you might see over 20mpg, but in spirited driving you’re more likely to see a figure in the mid-teens.

CO2 emissions of 274g/km are par for the course as well, though they’re a little higher than the 254 and 255g/km of the Porsche 911 Turbo S and Ferrari Roma - not that it makes much difference to the running costs.

The Aston Martin Vantage isn’t likely to ever be tested by Euro NCAP, but safety equipment is plentiful - and the car’s grip levels, manoeuvrability and braking power do help you avoid an accident if your reactions are fast enough.

Low-volume manufacturers like Aston Martin don’t often feature in reliability surveys, so it’s no surprise that the Vantage doesn’t make an appearance in the 2023 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey. Aston’s reputation isn’t the greatest, but many supercars are known for being fairly delicate creations - regular servicing is necessary to keep it operating at its best.

The fact that the Vantage shares its 4.0-litre V8 engine and eight-speed transmission with Mercedes-AMG models is a good sign, though - they’re both known for their durability. Aston Martin’s warranty is just three years in length, but unlimited mileage.