ROAD TEST: Aston Martin V8 Vantage

OVERSTEER ROAD TEST: Aston Martin V8 Vantage

While Bond is back in his DB5 for Skyfall, we got to experience the new look 2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Sportshift. Given we here at OVERSTEER are car obsessed James Bond fans, you could say we enjoyed that…

While the Vantage hasn’t exactly had any real James Bond love – apart form the confusing is-it-a-convertible-or-coupe appearance in The Living Daylights back in the late 80s – it is still an Aston Martin, so, of course everybody says “Is that James Bond’s car?”

No, it’s not. But such is the power of marketing. Well, that and the fact that all Aston Martins DO look very similar…

Now, if you walked into an Aston Martin dealership and referred to the V8 Vantage as an entry-level model, you may not get thumped, but you would probably come as close as it would be possible to getting thumped in an Aston dealership. But it would still be true, and this, as much as anything else, is why Mr. Bond doesn’t drive one. Still, for the rest of us who AREN’T super-spies, a V8 Aston is still pretty awesome…

Outside

On the face of it, the style of the new V8 Vantage looks pretty much unchanged. However take a second look and you start to take in more and more stylistic alterations. Round the front, it has experienced a bit of automotive nip tuck in the chin department, with a new front spoiler made of carbon fibre. New-look wheels and wider tyres add a more aggressive stance and around the back there is a new flick up rear spoiler and heavily redesigned rear bumper/exhaust arrangement.

Everything flows and descends nicely while showing plenty of aggression and poise. Those classic Aston Martin side vents, flared wheel arches, swooping roofline and boomerang-like tail lights are nothing short of divine.

Inside

Where Aston excel at making the exterior of their cars beautiful, they do exactly the same with the interior. Everything you gaze upon round the cockpit is so nicely arranged and laid out. All the switches combine fashion and function really well.

Having said that I did wish the buttons which you use to select the satellite navigation, phone, radio and menu for the flip up screen were a bit bigger. Being a guy with smaller hands this didn’t really affect me, but I couldn’t help thinking that anyone with bigger mitts may end up pushing two of these at the same time. The dials are pretty much exactly what you find on every other car in Aston’s range. The backwards rev counter and sports watch like speedometer are all lovely but can be a bit difficult to read at times.

Getting comfortable in the Vantage isn’t terribly difficult as the seats are very supportive and buttock hugging. The driving position is pretty good with the elegant steering wheel feeling firm in your hands.

Under the bonnet

One of the best parts of any Aston Martin is firing it up for the first time. Inserting the car’s key, (or as Aston call it, the Emotion Control Unit) into a slot in centre console and the whole car erupts in a torrent of symphonic bliss. It’s a real meaty sort of noise ranging from thunderclaps right up to the shouts of old school NASCAR. It’s the sort of noise that suits a car like this to a tee.

The source of this sound as an updated 4.7-litre V8 producing 313kW of power and 470Nm of torque. This will allow the 1630kg Brit bruiser to propel itself from zero to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds and reach a pretty decent top speed of 290km/h. In return it will do 13.2l/100km.

On the road

Moving off and heading around town in the V8 Vantage is easier than you might imagine. It doesn’t feel terribly intimidating and pretty soon you get the hang of your surroundings. The V8 Vantage comes with a choice of two gearboxes, a classic six-speed manual or a six-speed single-clutch automated manual transmission with steering wheel paddles.

Our test car was the automated manual – that Aston calls “Sportshift” – and it can be quite jerky between changes in automatic mode. After a while this could become annoying and it’s a much better idea to shift with the paddles, throttling off when shifting.

On the motorway at cruising speed the extra torque of the bigger engine becomes apparent as you charge along, at a steady 100km/h of course. The seats ensure you sit low and far back without restricting your forward visibility.

Hit the “Sport” button and instantly the chassis stiffens, the revs increas, gear changes became quicker and a little valve in the exhaust opens up which, as Spinal Tap would say, turns the noise up to 11.

In the corners, short straights and hairpins the Aston is a surging wild animal. It devoured every bit of road surface with ease. The smile on my face grew more as I flicked down to second for the upcoming right hander, the engine growled as the car shot out of the bend and surged up the next incline, with that glorious noise on full song.

Verdict

Not only is the Aston Martin V8 Vantage a gorgeous thing to behold, but it delivers proper thrills, signifying it is a credible alternative to people who want a stylish and powerful car that differs from anything a bit too cliché. It has its niggles but overall I loved my time “Bonding” with this remarkable beast. Sorry, couldn’t help that…

Aston Martin V8 Vantage Specifications

Price: $197,000
Body type: 2-door coupe
Drive: Rear-wheel drive
Engine Type: V8 petrol
Engine Capacity: 4735cc
Max power: 313kW @ 7300rpm
Max torque: 470Nm @ 5000rpm
Fuel Consumption: 13.2L/100km
C02 emission: 328g/km
0 to 100kph: 4.7 seconds
Front suspension: Independent double wishbone
Rear suspension: Independent double wishbone
ABS Brakes: Yes
Air Bags: 4
ESP: Yes
Air Conditioning: Dual zone climate
Lap/diagonal belts: 2
Satellite Navigation: Yes
Electric seats: Yes
Burglar Alarm: Yes
Panic Button: No
Wheel type: 19-inch alloy