Category: Exotic Sports 
Price Range: No data available
Great performance, nimble handling, excellent brakes and superb looks.
Standard equipment is less than comprehensive and fuel economy not terribly impressive.
Shoehorning the V12 into the Vantage has created a superb driving machine, but's not cheap to run.
If the road you happen to be on is a derestricted German autobahn, then you are in for a thrill, for at 100mph the V12 Vantage feels like it is just beginning to get into its stride. And Aston Martin claims that the acceleration will continue right up to 190mph.
With 510bhp and 420lb-ft of torque on offer the performance is effortless, although there's nothing lazy about the way this Aston delivers its power as a 0-60mph time of 4.1 seconds testifies.
While the conventional six-speed gearbox is not perfect - the gearshift has quite a long throw and the lever is mounted further forward in the transmission tunnel than is ideal - the change itself is smooth and precise and it really does make it feel as though you are engaging directly with the car.
The bellow the V12 makes under hard acceleration makes the whole experience even more intense still. A Sport button sharpens up the throttle response even further, to the point where it'll fling your neck back against the headrest, however it doesn't always make for the smoothest getaways out of junctions.
Aston Martin has equipped the car with racing-developed carbon ceramic brakes. Such brakes have a reputation for sometimes feeling less than smooth on road car applications, but that is certainly not the case here. And in addition to their refined feel, the brakes provide immense stopping power, time and time again.
If all this depicts an image of a car more than capable of thundering down the straights but one that requires you to tip toe carefully around corners then that does the V12 a great injustice.
While the V12 engine adds an extra 100kg to the weight to the Vantage, Aston's weight reduction programme - which even includes fitting lightweight carpets - reduces that penalty to just 50kg.
Admittedly the car's weight distribution has altered from the V8 model's 51/49 front/rear split to a still impressive 49/51 distribution. There's an eager and perhaps surprisingly nimble feel to the V12's Vantage and it is as enjoyable to drive along a twisting mountain road as it is along an autobahn.
In tight hairpin bends the nose of the car displays no desire to run its nose wide and the car quickly and willingly changes direction. True, the steering could arguably benefit from a little more feel, but there's no questioning its precision or accuracy.
The ride from the conventionally sprung suspension is firm, but never unduly uncomfortable even over town potholes or on poorly surfaced country roads.
