Your pictures are so much better resolution than mine, my phone camera sucks.

You have just experienced the "it really does look better in person" effect. Tastes are always going to be different, some will hate, some will love, some will be ambivalent, but almost all will say it looks better in person than it does in 2D

Want to be impressed, take it for a 30 minute drive. I can't wait to torture a 6MT on a test drive whenever they roll in. I'm not planning on trading in, but there's no way I'm not going to enjoy testing one thoroughly

 

I still prefer the previous version, It's just better looking IMHO. I get that the new one is much faster, but if I wanted a car better suited for the track I'd get a Porsche.

 

I'm not sure about the 'much faster' for everyday driving who cares? My V12S feels a whole lot quicker than the new Vantage and is more involving. I found the new Vantage to be more isolating. But again, driving in everyday traffic who really cares? When I pulled up in my V8's and now my V12S to a meeting, the Aston gives the impression of elegance and respect, this new Vantage would not have the same mystique - if anything quite the opposite like - when is that guy going to grow up?, or 'he spent how much for that car - you gotta be kidding?

 

 

For sure.

But it's not just in everyday traffic. Even on empty backroads in the middle of nowhere, cars have been way more than fast enough for well over a decade, now, not just in terms of straight line acceleration, but also in terms of cornering ability (the latter largely due to tire technology advances, I suspect). In the process of getting faster and faster, they have generally gotten heavier, larger and a lot less fun to drive due to less feedback and limits that cannot be approached by sane people on a public road. In the event that those limits are actually reached, the transition window from grip to slip is so narrow that mere mortals can quickly get into trouble.

The rub is that most of these cars which now are too fast for the public road are also out of their element on a track, again due to excessive mass. Even something like a GT3, which is one of the few road cars that can really shine on a track, is now quite heavy and will really chew up consumables like tires and brakes.

I haven't driven a new Vantage, but I found a thorough drive of a friend's 991 GT3 a little while ago, back to back with my V12VS very illuminating. The GT3 felt so ridiculously composed, even at stupid speeds, that it left me thinking it really wasn't a good road car. I mean, don't get me wrong, the engine is a masterpiece even compared to the Aston's V12, but I just could not engage with the car the same way, and couldn't help but think that if I had one, I'd be tempted to push beyond the boundaries of good judgment before long.

 

Driving the 991 GT3 on the street really is limiting its potential. It brilliant on the track and trust me it will make you a better driver.

I love my V12 vantage. Though I have to admit, having driven/tracked the new Vantage, the handling is sharper than the old Vantage. So much easier to rotate thru the corners. Not quite the GT3 killer yet but I reckon Matt Becker is working hard to close up the gap.

 

I think you entirely missed the point of my comments. I thought it was pretty clear that I'm talking about the increasing irrelevance of these newer vehicles as road cars. That includes the GT3, which is sold as a road car, and I would imagine is bought primarily by people who will never take it to a track (including my friend whose 991 version I drove).

But you did refer to its track potential, so I'll address that, too.

I am not sure how much the GT3 would make me a better driver on a track. Certainly it would not on the road.

Why do I say that? For the past 10 years my track car has been an Exige S240. I have no hesitation in stating that it compares favourably to the GT3 in just about every area except outright speed and handling stability, and it certainly is almost peerless in playing the dual roles of road and track car. It is far lighter than the GT3. This has myriad benefits including far cheaper running costs on track. It gives you feedback through seat and steering that the GT3 or just about any other car, for that matter, could only dream of, and that certainly makes it a superior road car in my view. And as for making me a better driver, I will take the Exige every time. Why? It has a manual transmission with no computer rev matching, comparatively little power, a short wheelbase and mid engined layout, no stability control, and relatively small tires, meaning it has to be driven properly. You can't rely (as you can, relatively speaking in the GT3) on a preponderance of mechanical grip, decades of engineered-in, stable handling, and oodles of power to mask any driver shortcomings.

To get back to the thread topic, I'm just trying to draw a parallel between the above examples and the new Vantage having higher performance limits. Sure it will go faster but in doing so, like the GT3, it is losing appeal as a road car. And it will probably be more forgiving of sh*tty driving, too, so like the GT3 I'm not sure it would be the best choice for me to improve my skills. I'm not saying the old Vantages are are raw as a Lotus, but they are certainly closer to one than the current version.

 

I'm one of the few that likes the new vantage, not sure if I like it better than the outgoing one... its just very different... definitely more comfortable for daily driving for sure... I'd rather have the new vantage than a ferrari or lambo or porsche or what have you but I also like the AMG GT, which may or may not be my next car, maybe I'll get the new vantage... we shall see

I like those rims in the picture on the DB11 but not the vantage for some reason

 

 

Aston Martin made a serious mistake by botching the interior and exterior of the Vantage. They should have followed the Porsche 911 - which has very slow change over a very long time. Had Porsche did to the 911 what Aston did to the Vantage - there might not be a Porsche today.

 

The move from the 993 to the 996 is a pretty close comparison to this change to the Vantage and DB. It certainly didn't sink the company, quite the opposite, but it definitely turned off alot of traditionalists. But every new 911 does that.

 

oh jeez could you be any more dramatic?

 

All too familiar with Lotus and glad that the S240 is your choice for track. No one can ever fault its unique visceral qualities both on and off track. I have a S260 though quite frankly, as much as I love that bugger, I stopped using it for track duty ever since acquiring the GT3.

IMO, as a factory setup, the Exige is too fragile for track, from its fiber-glass body, weak rear toe links to its rather flimsy gear shift assembly. The somewhat dismal support from dealer and factory isn’t helping either, especially if you track your Lotus. Not to mention, waiting months for replacement parts etc and the lengthy wait for them to admit the oil cooler lines needed to be recalled. Prior to the mandatory recall, every time I tracked mine, I wondered if that was the day the lines would go bust at the track and if the dealer would fault it due to track.

If we had lived closer to each other, I would invite you to take my GT3 out on the track. I am that confident you will enjoy a good portion of the session. You won’t hurt my feelings if you don’t.

 

Interesting. I must be lucky...knock on wood. I have found mine to be very durable and reliable, with no undue delays when parts were needed (supercharger replaced under warranty 9 years ago, one week at dealership; leaking rear shock replaced out of warranty a few years ago, four days at dealership, and that's it). It's relatively easy on tires, really easy on brake pads, and doesn't feel fragile to me (happy to ride the turtles on every corner). In fact, my V12VS has been less reliable and feels more fragile than the Lotus.

I have no doubt the GT3 would be a blast on the track; that's where it belongs if you have the pocketbook to renew the consumables, which it would appear you do, from your newly revised sig ;-)

 

to me the soul of Aston Martin is the grill and old wins hands down. The styling of my '09 is elegant. After almost two years of owning and driving this car, what I find most pleasing about my AM is that it's a gorgeous looking car with refined elements and touches and yet can perform with most exotics.

The rear end of the new one is OK, but the front end is not pleasing to my eye. I'm sure the designers are in proverbial catch 22 of how to improve on a timeless look and deliver something new. They have to justify new models and their ever increasing prices.