Gentlemen,

I had the pleasure of driving the 2019 V8 Vantage this past thursday. Aston Martin of Washington DC was kind enough to let me take it out alone for about 30 minutes even though it was raining. Huge thanks to the Aston Martin team working there for trusting me with this vehicle before it was officially available. Several members here also drove that same car. I will break up this review with pics along the way.

Driving:

The new Vantage is a thrill to drive. It can be quiet and reserved but it begs to be driven and it will willingly do so easily. Although it was raining I was able to put the vehicle through its paces on straights and in some curves. It felt tight, in control, smooth (even on Sport + and Track modes), and the power was there. I do not know the HP of the vehicle at this time, but it felt easily upper 400's. Found out it has right around 500hp on this model. While there was a small bit of turbo lag, it was only noticeable on a dead stop start with the go pedal mashed to the floor. The nanny system kicked in nicely, retarted the throttle with very minimal wheel spin. It tracked straight, and not once felt anywhere near the edge of control. I did not run it up through third gear or higher due to wet weather and I value my license and privilege of driving cars that are not my own. But I did test it out within reason. I took the tight turns quickly, but not over aggressively and the Vantage handled them smoothly, and in total control. The seats held you firmly and you dont feel like your sliding around. Playing with the paddles in this automatic made it a joy to drive. No clutch to worry about, same ZF transmission in most all European cars. 8 gears to play with, providing plenty of power in any gear and most likely some reasonable gas mileage for the long trips. The Vantage can be civilized when desired and drive fairly quiet, smooth, and no jiggles were felt. I drove it in a bit of traffic and felt very comfortable, where my DB9 manual can be a bit of a chore. Overall, the engine and drivability is a plus to the new Vantage, and it will no doubt handle much more power, which I am sure is on tap in the future.

Exterior:

The exterior seems well thought out. I love the side view, view of the rear, and the front grille area. Bit of a design change from the small grills of the past, but the larger one down lower which incorporates the front lip is really nice in person. I am not totally on board with the headlight design, or the front hood area. Seems like something is missing. It is very large looking and aerodynamically smooth. Perhaps with some vents applied it would look a bit more aggressive and cool looking. But, maybe this is the bit that tones down a bit of the overall increase in aggressiveness of the vehicle. I took a picture besides a DB11 to show some similarities. The Vantage looks somewhat like a miniature DB11 for the front view when you compare the pics below. From what I have read was that the DB10 was modeled after the Vantage but they had to make things different so to not release what would be the new Vantage. But, a whole lot of this Vantage looks like the DB10.








Looking at the Vantage away from other vehicles, it most definitely looks modern, forward looking, and aggressive when viewed from the side and rear. The front CF grille lip combo looks beautiful sticking out a bit from the bumper hood lines. The greatest part is the side strake vent area doesn't flow out of the wheel well like the DB11 does and has some aerodynamic functions to boot.








The rear end of the Vantage is absolutely beautiful, functional, and very aggressive looking. Whomever purchases one, please remove the two black bumps on the sides of the license plates. They greatly detract from the clean look. The CF diffuser is very aggressive and it sticking out helps to increase that aggressiveness greatly. I originally did not like how the taillights went all the way across, but seeing it in person it becomes appealing. Its not traditional AM design, but it has its original queue's, and will keep the Vantage modern looking for the next 10 years likely. Not that the old one isn't beautiful, this is just beautiful in a different way.








Front Engine and Hood Discussion:

I know the hood is somewhat disliked by many. But in the next pictures you will see what is in store for new versions. The new Vantage hood will be the same for all models of the Vantage for many years to come. There are a total of 9 places for hood cutouts or variants thereof. Like I said above, if the hood had some neat vents similar to the V12 Vantage of old, that might change the front end quite alot. I circled all the hole cutouts in a pic below. Also, you will see on the bottom of the hood an air scoop that runs the length of the hood and dumps air out the back end. This as you can see near the radiator shroud, has an inlet coming up from under the front end. The scoop shuffles air past the turbos to help keep them cooler and dumps the air out the back of the engine. All of the above I have on very good authority that it will all happen over the new few years and exciting things are planned for this Vantage.

Oh, and all the plastic shown in the engine compartment can be done in CF and plans are already working for that. Also there is several engine compartment finishes coming out sometime in the next year or so such as 24k Gold plating on bits, and several other finishes. So, things appear that AM have big plans to attract new buyers and change some of the older owners also.

 

Continued.......

Interior:

Well the interior IMHO looks very modern and very up to date. I am sure there is better out there, and maybe AM could have done some things different. I wasn't sold on the digital dash on the DB11 so wasn't prepared to actually like the one in the Vantage. I enjoy my analog dash and silver trim pieces on my DB9 immensely and this actually made me appreciate what I have; however, for a new modern car, this is the way to move it forward. Everything was easy to learn and operate. I figured out most of it within 5 min or so. Yes, alot is taken from AMG parts bins, but is tailored to AM in most aspects. You have ultimate control of the environmental systems, air cooled and heated seats, and nice touch buttons on the dash. All buttons are laid out within easy reach, and within a few times driving the vehicle you would learn quickly where everything is located without looking. The touch pad, and rotator dial was almost natural to use. The metal trim was most likely aluminum but the vents and trim were nice to feel and gave it a special feeling. Overall I would give it a 8.5 out of 10, only because some of the buttons and nav units you can find on a sub-50k Merc. I bet in time, they improve a bit, or give choices of finishes to use. The Nav unit felt up to date with great graphics and awesome camera system. You get the 360 top views, and side views and front and rear. Felt great to be in a AM which had all current type functions. The squarish steering wheel was nice also, similar to the Vanquish one that I also enjoy driving with. I tested the radio and phone system, which was very easy to operate and pair my iPhone. Talking on the phone was clear and easy to hear both parties. The radio system seemed very nice, with options to move sound to each area of the vehicle. The sound was clear crisp and full. Not sure if this is a standard or optional system. Might be the only one available in the vehicle.







Rest of interior:

I thought the door pull handles were a nice touch and they are not flimsy. They actually have some sturdiness to them. The door cards as you can see are more intricate with additional bits of leather on them compared to more standard one or two stripes. The seats were very comfortable and hugged you nicely without feeling tight and crushing. The rear area behind the seats has an extra cubby area in addition to the normal shelf behind the seats. I didnt open the hatch, so couldn't say if it takes room out of the back. The leather headliners are a sporty or classy touch depending on what designs and colors that are chosen. I have given thought of taking out my diamond stitched alcantara headliner, and changing it over to leather with a design.

Overall the interior depending on colors chosen could be classy or very sporty and aggressive. I would say this vehicle in black, with silver wheels, and black or CF bits on the outside, and then a black w/ silver interior could look very classy. While a matte grey and orange or yellow looks totally sporty. Anyone choosing this next vehicle will be nicely surprised. Take a drive, see for yourself. Many opinions will differ from original design classiness owners that dont like the newer age designs and want something a bit more special, to owners wanting the aggressiveness and newness of the new vehicle. The Vantage is supposed to be sporty and aggressive in my opinion, if you want classy and more GT, get the DB11 or the Vanquish. All I know is that it was a pleasure to drive, and if I had a spare X amount of money, this would most likely be my choice in this price bracket.

 

Nice review. She’s grown on me immensely.

 

Thank you for your review, SheriffDep!

I was hoping the real-world/ non-press photos would impress, but quit the opposite in fact. I find it absolutely hideous, inside and out. It's only redeeming visual feature is the pinched waist in front of the rear wheel. Other than that it's a horror show to my eye. The headlights look like a Miata. The rear is a mess, almost like the Honda Civic Type R.

The phrase, "trying too hard" comes to mind.

Of course I have no trouble understanding that the new tech (including AMG engine) is a large improvement over the prior generation Vantage. And naturally the performance is where a 2018 Vantage ought to be.

But it makes me love my '11 V8VS even more.
CATTMAN

 

Wow, it's like the car your describing is not the one in the pictures. To my eye, the protrusion of the grill and diffuser are disjointed and really ugly. I see no beauty in the tail at all.

 

I think this is the best description.

 

I do fully understand some will love it, some will hate it. @Prefurbia wrote his feelings on it and said he preferred his V12S and after driving this his V12S felt more special to him.

Some views like a straight on one in the pics, yes, seems a bit off, but different angles change that view IMHO. I said, I dont prefer the hood and definitely the lights. I will keep my distain for them in reserve until the modified hoods come out. Then see if that changes it up. Is a 2012 V12S or even a 2015 one a better buy? Maybe it is financially and even overall, but the new one will gain its following.

I still love my 2005 DB9 very much, but am privileged to drive all the new ones and spend time going over them. So I develop a varied look at them all. Overall, this car will be a winner for AM, maybe not the purists though. We will see over the next 2-3 years when other new models come out and how they tweak them each year.

 

I really like this car, except for that piece of crap tablet screen stuffed on the center console... come on you couldn't find a way to make it disappear?



I look forward to the Manual transmission version




I don't get how people say the lights look like a Miata... have you seen a friggin Miata? Anyway, with the DRL's running, it appears to look much better than when off.


Thats like saying our prior generation looks like a Ford Focus... not even close

 

Didn't think about it, but the lights are very similar to the DB10 Spectre. In fact, most of the front hood are does look extremely similar. I think it even had the same motor as the DB10.

 

totally, put a vulcan mouth on it and there you have it
interesting that the hood holes are a lot like the ones found on the V600 Vantage
http://www.astonmartin.com/en/cars/db10

 

Yes, I have seen a "friggin Miata", and I stand even more resolutely by my comparison of the headlights. For your consideration I provide the following photographic evidence. Enjoy, and please tell me how they are different.
CATTMAN

 

well they are different shape, different quality, and have different features in each of them, but other than that, they are similar, and almost the same sort of shape at least, but hey if thats what you get out of looking at it, ok...

 

Wait, wait? Ah, never mind.

Regardless, tanks again for posting the pics, rep points to you, Sheriff. Do people even know that rep points are these days?
CATTMAN

 

Yanni or Laurel? We all see the same thing differently. (I hear Yanni, BTW)

 

New Vantage? An ugly little turd if there ever was one, in and out. With an AMG fart factory under its blob of a bonnet. Will result in the last gen cars increasing in value.

The one redeeming value? Zero temptation to buy one thus saving me lots of dinero.