Aston Martin V8 Vantage (2008-) Review

Overview

• Next: Reliability and Quality

It's hard to believe that it's been fully three years since our jaws all simultaneously fell to floor on first sight of Aston Martin's new V8 Vantage baby. In that time it has become the outstanding sales success in Aston Martin's somewhat chequered 90-year history, offering a British alternative to the likes of the Porsche 911 that was not just fast, beautiful and rare, but also came with a pair of wings on the bonnet, the symbol of one of the most coveted brands on earth.

But the V8 Vantage was not perfect. For all its beauty and scarcity, there was no avoiding the uncomfortable fact that the uglier and ubiquitous 911 was nevertheless both quicker in a straight line and more satisfying in the corners. Aston Martin was to be praised for its efforts, but while the result undoubtedly looked the part, on the road it failed - just - to live up to the promise of that appearance.

Which is precisely what this new V8 Vantage is here to change. New? It may appear to be a new 19" wheel design away from identical to the outgoing Vantage but underneath that oh-so-pretty skin, Aston's engineers have been working feverishly to address the mainly minor gripes of its customers about its attitude to the open road.

Most attention has been lavished on the engine which, while still derived from the V8 motor first used by Jaguar in the mid-90s, has evolved so far from even its most recent iteration (in the outgoing Vantage), it deserves to be thought of as new. All major components inside the engine have been modified or changed, and its capacity expanded from 4.3-litres to 4.7-litres. This has brought a useful increase in power from 380bhp to 420bhp but, perhaps more importantly, the new motor has been tuned to provide much more mid-range torque to make its power delivery more effortless.

Downstream of the engine, the transmission has been modified to reduce clutch and gearshift weight, while at each corner the suspension has been carefully tuned to provide a greater degree of wheel control and therefore handling response without, says Aston Martin, having a detrimental effect on ride quality. For those wanting an even more extreme experience, Aston Martin offer a Sport Pack for £2,500 which comprises a yet more sporting setting for the suspension and a set of very light and unusually gorgeous wheels.

The other main change can be found inside the cabin, where the centre console now found in both the DBS and DB9 has found its way into the V8 Vantage. It's a very attractive inclusion but, as we shall see, one that is not without its drawbacks.

These modifications apply to all V8 Vantages, be they Roadster or Coupe and equipped with the standard manual or optional Sportshift paddle transmissions. Prices start at £85,000 for a manual coupe, rising to £96,000 for a Sportshift roadster, an increase of just £2,000 over the outgoing model.