Aston Martin V8 Vantage (2005-) Review

On the road

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Astons have seldom struggled for straight-line speed, but this talent has rarely if ever been matched by a similar enthusiasm for corners. No longer. Use the Vantage as a point-and-squirt machine and youll be missing out on at least half the fun. Here, despite using the same double wishbone suspension as the DB9, the Vantage has a massive advantage over its more powerful sister.

Not only is the Vantage the thick end of 200kg lighter than the DB9 (meaning that the all-important power-to-weight ratio is almost identical), it also has a considerably shorter wheelbase, which makes it an inherently more nimble car. In addition, the V8 is so short it fits under the bonnet entirely behind the front axle line, making the car effectively mid-engined, unlike the DB9. Finally, the Vantages suspension has been given a much more sports-oriented tune, while its light weight means Aston does not need to use the speed-sensitive power steering employed on the DB9, giving better response at the helm, too.

The result is a car with exquisite handling. Grip levels are predictably prodigious but its real talent is in tackling really difficult B-roads without ever being upset by their undulations, bumps, camber and surface changes. And even if you turn off its stability control and really throw it around, it remains doggedly faithful and fun to drive.

Only the brakes are a mite disappointing. Theres no doubting their awesome strength but theres a slightly dead feeling at the top of the pedals travel that harms the feel of the pedal. Aston is aware of the issue and working on it.

The V8 Vantage is powered by a 4.3-litre V8 engine developing 380bhp and capable of catapulting its exquisite rump down the road at 175mph. On the way it will hit 60mph in 4.8sec and run the risk of inducing heart failure in its driver, so thrilling is the manner in which this performance is delivered.

The engine is actually loosely based on the V8 unit used by Jaguar but by the time Aston Martins engineers were finished with it, it retained no more than its basic architecture. When you start the car  by pushing a button of course  it sounds pleasant enough but gives no hint of whats to come. But when you nail the throttle and watch the backwards-sweeping rev-counter swing past 4000rpm, something quite extraordinary happens. In an instant, it appears as if youve been rear-ended by a thoroughbred race car, for not only does the Vantage suddenly bolt for the horizon, it does so accompanied by a howl so sharp and sweet its only possible rival for the best sounding engine on earth award is the V8 used by Ferraris considerably more expensive F430.

Aston has chosen to fit the Vantage with a conventional six-speed manual gearbox and those lamenting the steering-wheel paddles available in either the DB9 or Vanquish should drive the Vantage first before ripping up their order papers. It would be hard to imagine a more sweet-shifting change or how the car could be improved by any other kind of transmission.