● V8 gets 153bhp power boost● Coupé gets aggressive looks
Jordan Katsianis Jordan_Katsianis@autovia.co.uk
THIS is the new Aston Martin Vantage, a very heavily updated take on the two-seat sports model that’s taken a considerable step up in power, price and performance. It’s due to cost from around £165,000, with the first customer cars arriving in the second quarter of 2024.
The big news is the huge power increase, with Aston liberating an extra 153bhp from a heavily revised version of the AMG-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8. Peak figures are now 656bhp and 800Nm of torque, thanks to larger turbos with higher boost pressures, reprofiled camshafts and a compression ratio optimised to suit.
The manufacturer’s director of vehicle performance, Simon Newton, told us: “We were essentially able to specify exactly what we wanted with the engine; it’s now a bespoke engine to Vantage.”
Drive is sent to the car’s rear wheels via a beefed-up eight-speed automatic transmission, which is mounted on the rear axle, along with an electronically controlled limited-slip differential.
Aston is quoting a 0-62mph time of 3.5 seconds when using the new launch-control function. That’s 0.2 seconds faster than before and identical to the limited-run V12 Vantage S. Despite the shorter final drive ratio, the car’s top speed of 202mph is an increase of 7mph over the previous model.
To help contain all this new-found grunt, the British car maker has developed a fresh Adjustable Traction Control system (ATC) that allows drivers to finely tune the amount of intervention. As well as basic On and Off settings, the intermediate Track mode can be adjusted through eight different stages via a physical rotary switch on the Vantage’s centre console.
There have also been some substantial updates to the chassis, starting with the adoption of a 30mm-wider body borrowed from the previous V12 S. The front end has also been fundamentally redesigned, with the clamshell-style bonnet be
