Up to date V8 Vantage is healthier than ever and all for a lower cost Aston Martin V8 Vantage entrance tracking. The Aston Martin V8 Vantage Coupe has come down in value by £5,900, but that doesn't mean you get less in your money.
Fairly the opposite. To coincide with the value cut the Vantage has obtained its most thorough spherical of updates since 2008
– a technique that's more akin to Alfa than Aston. To look at it, you wouldn't know this Vantage has been around for seven years: it still blends magnificence and aggression, and makes the brand new Porsche 911 look plain.
A lower entrance splitter than before and a brand new rear diffuser are taken from the 430bhp Vantage S and completed in matt black as normal (they can be ordered in carbon fibre, too). The side sills are additionally extra sculpted, although not as pronounced as on the Vantage S. In addition to purple stitching on the seats, to match the new Crimson Lion paint colour – the cabin has been left alone. So it's testomony to the unique design that it still feels so special when you get in.
The leather-wrapped sprint, suede headliner and chunky steel switchgear are all prime-high quality, but when it comes to performance the pop-up sat-nav screen and fiddly audio controls are a era behind the new 911's.
Aston hasn't tinkered with the potent 420bhp 4.7-litre V8, so acceleration is as brisk as ever, however the steering ratio, brakes, suspension settings and tyres have all been tweaked. There's additionally the choice of a seven-speed Sportshift automated manual box (£4,999), instead of the outdated six-speeder, although our base-spec check car was fitted with the snappy six-pace manual.
The first thing you notice is the quicker steering ratio, down to fifteen:1 from 17:1, which takes a few corners to get used to. Whereas the nose darts in with a flick of the wrists and the entire car feels extra alert, there's not one of the excessive-velocity nervousness that can sometimes affect quick-ratio steering racks.
The best way the wheel masses up in fast turns lets you place the car precisely on the street, nevertheless it could do with a lighter really feel at low speeds. All four tyres are 10mm wider, so you can carry more speed in corners earlier than they lose their buy on the road.
But there's a downside. While the engine sounds as glorious as ever to passers by, the bigger rubber means extra tyre roar in the cabin. Add this to the transmission whine, and whilst you can hear the V8 bellow above 4,000rpm, it by no means sounds as epic from the driving force's seat as you'd expect.
Instead of firming up the suspension to match the faster steering and larger brakes, Aston has softened the springs and dampers. The distinction is refined, but the way in which it offers with actually unhealthy surfaces is extra polished and there's no great improve in physique roll – proof that you just don't want rock-hard suspension for a sporty drive.
The identical adjustments have additionally been utilized to the Roadster, and its worth is reduce by £5,000 to £ninety two,995. Should you're prepared to sacrifice consolation for handling the Vantage S is still the pinnacle of the vary, and it's also cheaper, by £2,205, at £99,995.