Aston Martin is going after the Porsche 911 Turbo S with a comprehensively overhauled version of the Vantage, which arrives as part of a wide-reaching revamp of the British firm’s sports car line-up.
Touting substantially more power and higher performance than its predecesso r, the new Vantage is described by Aston Martin as “the most driver-focused and fastest Vantage in the famous nameplate’s 74-year history”.
Arriving first in fixed-head form with a drop-top Volante expected to follow, Aston’s revamped coupé has not been extensively restyled on the surface. Howeve r, it has been comprehensively re-engineered inside and underneath, in line with Aston’s strategy to bolster its sports cars’ dynamic and technological credentials.
Headlining this round of important updates is a massive power increase
for the Vantage’s MercedesAMG-derived V8.
Still 4.0 litres in capacity and blown by a pair of turbos, but with output hiked to 656bhp and 590lb ft, the revised eight-pot now makes the standard Vantage as quick as the outgoing V12 Vantage: 0-62mph is dispatched in just 3.5sec and top speed is rated at 202mph.
For reference, the previous V8 car produced 503bhp and 505lb ft, needed half a second more for the 0-62mph sprint and topped out at 195mph.
The hikes are the result of an “extensive” tuning programme that has given the motor new cam profiles, tweaked compression ratios, improved cooling (courtesy of a new lower radiator and two extra auxiliary coolers) and, crucially, bigger turbochargers.
An added benefit of all these changes is that the engine now has a “more visceral and more vocal character”.
Ad justments to the ratios
and calibration of the eightspeed automatic gearbox also mean the Vantage is claimed to have “punchier” in-gear acceleration and snappier shifts – as well as more distinct characteristics in each of the drive modes.
The aluminium chassis has been extensively revised as well, in the name of improved rigidity and engagement. The front cross-member has been moved rearwards to make the front suspension mounting points more rigid, for example, and the new engine bay brace is both lighter and stiffe r.
Aston also claims the rear end is up to 29% stiffer under load, courtesy of added reinforcements and new under trays, and says that overall the improvements will boost handling balance, driver feedback and refinement.
Just as significant are the new adaptive dampers, which have a much greater ability to distribute force across the chassis and thus provide “an immense range of control
ASTON CAN GIVE V8 ITS HEAD MATT SAUNDERS
Consigning the old V12 Vantage to the history books seems to have freed the hands of Aston Martin with the new Vantage.
They needn’t worry now about encroaching onto territory that ought to be left free for a 12-cylinder range-topping model that’s coming at an as-yetunconfirmed time. They needn’t stop and think: ‘Hold on. Isn’t this a bit too much?’ They can just turn the volume up and let the V8 explore all of its potential. And, since this one’s got a fair bit more torque than the last V12 Vantage had anyway, it’s pretty clear that’s precisely what they’re doing.
They’ve also clearly corrected whatever hardware problems
prevented the use of the old Vantage’s electronic locking differential on the last V12 (which caused that car’s slightly scruffy limit handling). The new Vantage’s e-diff, managed by the vehicle’s next-level ‘chassis brain’, should allow the car to put down its torque in a way that the V12 Vantage simply couldn’t. And, for a powerful front-engined, rear-drive sports ca r, that should make a transformative difference.
The old V8 Vantage’s rear axle was always just a shade too unruly on track for my liking. If I could have changed one thing about it, that would have been it, so here’s hoping that someone at Aston Martin felt the same.
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With output hiked to 656bhp and 590lb ft, the standard V8 car is as fast as the outgoing V12 Vantage
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Revised Vantage is 30mm wider and its grille is 38% bigger
14 FEBRUARY 2024 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 5
