Aston Martin V8 Vantage (September 2008)

Launched: Aston Martin Vantage V8

Wheels Magazine
August, 2008

Aston Martin's view is you don't meddle with aesthetic perfection. So for the upgrade of its entry-level car (and best seller) - the elegant Vantage V8 - the only detectable external change is new, lighter 19-inch forged alloy wheels.

Under that sexy shape, though, are a raft of technical mods, chief among which is the jump in engine capacity from 4.3 to 4.7-litres. Performance, as you'd expect, is greatly improved.

This sports tourer, available as a coupe or soft-top convertible, is now more purposeful than ever. Its muscular looks and a magnificent primal exhaust roar are complemented by a handy boost in performance.

To deal with the extra power and torque, the transmissions - a Sportshift auto manual and six-speed manual - have scored a modified clutch and flywheel, delivering lighter pedal feel and a reduction in weight by half a kilo. The suspension has also been tweaked, and there's a new sports setting.

Aston says the changes are reactions to customer comments - owners loved the 4.3 Vantage V8 but demanded a more refined Sportshift, and chunkier mid-range engine performance. Power and torque are up 11 and 13 percent respectively, meaning you don't need to drive it as hard as the old version.

Now with peak power of 313kW and maximum torque of 470Nm (up from 283kW/410Nm), the revised engine responds earlier and more obviously when the driver calls for some urge.

Claimed top speed is now 288km/h, but it's the more immediate urge off the line, and greater response between 3000-5000rpm, that enhances the Vantage's desirability. It's a grand tourer that covers challenging roads with disarming rapidity and comfort, pulling effortlessly from as low as 1000 revs and absolutely zinging and howling when it hits 4800rpm. And it bellows evocatively all the way up to the 7000rpm redline.

The now superseded 4.3-litre Vantage managed 5.7sec/13.8sec for the standing 100km/h and 400m in Wheels two-up testing. We look forward to seeing how much the extra 0.4-litres influence the stopwatch. Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions have dropped by about 13 percent.

Customers have been favouring the optional Sportshift with paddle gear shifting over the manual at a rate of about 70-75 percent, so it's not surprising that the engineers put a lot of effort into refining this transmission to make it easier to use and more sporting. Whereas in the outgoing Vantage, the engine dictated terms to the transmission, now the transmission is the master; the engine the slave. Revised software dictates a smooth getaway from rest, and the car will now trundle along happily on idle. There's dual throttle mapping to cover Comfort and Sports modes, the difference being significantly more aggressive changes when the driver wants to play. Sportshift also reacts to steering inputs, allowing the right gear to be held when firing through a corner. It also has hill descent detection, maximising engine braking by selecting and staying in a lower gear. But when the driver is, say reverse parking, there are pauses when you tap either the R for reverse button, or D for Drive.

When the Vantage is powering along in D, the upshifts are not as fast as some gearboxes, but the downshifts, with a beautifully vocal automated throttle blip, are sheer heaven. The H-pattern manual is still not a thing of joy, however. Its stumpy lever and rearward location mean the driver easily fouls his elbow on the console lid. Swift gear changing is not easy.

More positively, body control and low-speed ride are improved with Prodrive-created suspension revisions; the Vantage now has a very tidy engine/dynamic package. These changes, quietly introduced to the Roadster some time ago, are now carried over to the Coupe, and include stiffer spring rates, revised upper damper mountings and bump stops.

Steering geometry too has been refined to make the Vantage less sensitive, with a more linear build-up of feedback to the driver. Helping steering response and accuracy, front lower suspension arm compliance bushes are now 22 percent stiffer.

Now independent after being sold by Ford to private investors in 2007, the brand continues to steam along. Sales last year were around 7000, a figure that will be surpassed this year.

The Vantage V8, launched in 2005, is already the most successful car in the brand's 94-year history.

Overall, then, the relatively affordable Aston Vantage (if a quarter of a mill can be affordable) is now a more aggressive performer, more refined and more supple in a variety of driving conditions.

More research
Aston Martin V8 Vantage -- Wheels review: here
Wheels comparison: Aston Martin V8 Vantage v Jaguar XKR v Porsche 911 Carrera S: here

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