Junior sports car always had the looks to die for but kind of lacked exploitable power. The new one has fixed that.
The Thai sports car market, particularly in the 10-15 million baht bracket, has become a little more varied now in terms of the number of players and what is being offered.
In simpler words, there’s more choice for Porsche 911 money in this decade. Luxurious 2+2 coupes that have some sporty pretensions include the BMW 8 Series, Maserati GranTurismo and now-defunct Jaguar XK.
Closer rivals for the 911 with a focus on driving pleasure rather than cruising ability include Aston Martin Vantage, Jaguar F-Type and Mercedes-AMG GT. Coincidentally, and unsurprisingly, this trio are based around two-seat, front-engine coupes.
And it was only recently that Aston launched a new generation of the Vantage after allowing its predecessor to soldier on for more than a decade.
Many will remember the previous model for its elegant and timeless design.
But because the landscape in this particular corner of the market has slightly changed, the new Vantage is trying to make a genuinely sporty statement.
After all, it’s the sportiest Aston, aside all those multi-million baht special edition models like Vulcan, Valkyrie and so forth.
The Vantage has kept that lovely profile of yore and continues to be one of the shapeliest around.
But it’s the details that could stir some controversy such as the headlights that feel too small in size to really give the Vantage some kind of presence on the road.
What compensates, though, is the racy air diffuser at the rear housing two bare-looking tail pipes.
Some say it takes away that elegance of the past, while others argue (especially among new-gen buyers) that the Vantage needs to look masculine.
Yes, the Vantage looks very racy from the rear (with additional thanks going to those accentuated wheel arches) but arguably too meek up front to make the overall design balanced. Be your own judge.
The same goes for the Vantage’s interior. Of course, cars of this price and genre can usually be customised with trimmings the buyers want. But our test car has further underscored the Vantage’s sporty mission with some flashy colours.
The fascia and console design marks an even more radical departure than the exterior. There’s a plethora of buttons strewn here and there, plus the steering wheel isn’t circular and feels somehow strange.
Despite some messy ergonomics, you’ll eventually get used to where the basic functions are. The most sensible thing in this particular facet, though, is the positioning of the buttons for the adjustable suspension and driving mode on the steering. Many other sports cars still place them on the centre console.
Due to a technical agreement between Aston Martin and Mercedes-AMG, the Vantage uses an electrical architecture shared with Benzes. The two most immediate evidence are the infotainment system and column stalk. Other than that, the Vantage has the brand’s proprietary design elements.
The Anglo-German relationship doesn’t stop here. Replacing the previous naturally aspirated V8 is a twin-turbo version sourced from AMG’s GT, a rival for the Vantage. But that’s all for the better because forced induction greatly helps for real-world tractability; the old Vantage had natural aspiration making it only ideal in the open.
And it really shows in this new Vantage. It never feels breathless at any rate and always feel eager to rev and punch with authority when you want it to, just like in that AMG. With 510hp of power to play around with, the Vantage easily has the pace to make itself feel faster than other comparable rivals.
In the typical fashion of Aston, the three-step drive selector in the Vantage has been nicely programmed to ensure a layered transition in throttle response, exhaust noise and intervention of stability control.
The suspension can also be adjusted at three levels, but the softest setting is best for Thai road even when driving the Vantage fast.
Although the Vantage has gained that fabulous engine from AMG, it hasn’t received the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Instead, the Vantage gets the eight-speed torque-converter as used in other new Astons like the DB11 and DBS Superleggera.
Even so, the eight-speeder works well by operating smoothly at city speeds and shifting swiftly through the cogs when driven enthusiastically on demanding roads. This auto ’box certainly handles those 500-plus horses well and makes the Vantage’s acceleration relentless.
You’ll know that the Vantage can hit its claimed top speed under the right conditions. But the tyre harshness and wind noise, seemingly generated by those sexy-looking side mirrors, start to irritate at some point when driven flat out. Worse, a windshield wiper popped up in our test car at extra-fast pace. Sure, it could be a case by case thing, but it happened, to the fright of the driver.
Glitches aside, the Vantage is fun to drive. Apart from a storming performance, the Vantage has a nicely tailored steering weight and some really feelsome brakes. As well, it handles neatly in corners by having good front end bite and a small degree of rear-end chuckability.
The Vantage is a proper sports car, unlike those pretentious coupes mentioned earlier. Whether it’s going to beat Porsche’s new 911 is another thing, but the Vantage has a nicely cohesive driving experience when called for.
And just because it manages to entertain well doesn’t mean that everyday comfort has been sacrificed. The Vantage’s a doddle to drive around town and the suspension doesn’t feel stiff in default setting. The seats are nice to sit in, too, and there’s cool air ventilation fitted into them.
Having just two seats with some boot space behind in a sports car might not be an issue for some enthusiasts. But there’s no glove compartment nor a sizeable storage box between the seats to really compensate.
Spec-wise, there’s all the necessary features you can come to think of. But there are hardly any driving aids, with the most being parking sensors. Thankfully, though, the Vantage has decent all-round view and begs you to drive and enjoy the car fully on your own.
Priced at 17 million baht, the Vantage costs more than its intended opposition. But in return, you get a sensual-looking, powerful and entertaining car to drive wherever you need to go.
Best it may not be, but it’s certainly desirable amid a more colourful sports car arena.
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