ASSOCIATIONS have a very strong influence on the way we perceive things. Think of Ferrari, and you’ll automatically think about racing, history and passion. Or – for better or worse – about Michael Schumacher. Simply talking about Jaguar makes most people nostalgic about the “swinging sixties” and, especially, the sexy E-Type. However, your mind may also wander to Austin Powers and his crooked teeth… and that’s not necessarily a good thing.
And Aston Martin? That’s simple – martinis, sophistication, exotic girls with unprintable names, and Bond… James Bond. There surely can’t be many cooler brands than this, if any at all.
Aston Martin is an almost universally admired marque, but the interesting thing is that not many people have seen one in real life. That makes it a bit like a Hollywood celebrity – you may idolise a specific actor/actress, but meeting your idol frequently ends in disappointment. Would our first ever test of an Aston Martin shatter our fantasy? How would we emerge from the experience? Shaken… or stirred?
Well, based on first impressions, the V8 Vantage is certainly off to a good start. Viewed in the metal, this Aston Martin is one of those rare cars that manages to look right from every angle. Proportionally, the design is probably perfect – it is less than 1,3 metres high, yet quite long (4 380 mm) and wide (1 865 mm). The big wheels (optional 19-inchers on our test car) are pushed out to the corners, and the nose is long and flowing, as sportscar noses are supposed to be. The result is a squat, muscular looking junior supercar that is also instantly recognisable as an Aston Martin because of its grille design. It really oozes sex appeal. And the beauty is more than skin deep, too. The grille, for example, is not some flimsy plastic moulding, but made of real metal, as are the “silver streaks” on the side air outlets.
Inside, we were in for an initial shock. Our test unit had done about 6 500 km of hard mileage as a demonstrator. The result was a fairly tatty looking cabin with some parts, most notably the shiny trim around the gearlever and the white leather upholstery, looking decidedly the worse for wear. The test team also disliked the look of the inside door handles, as well as the way the deep facia top reflected onto the front window.
Generally, however, the cabin is a good place to be. The electrically adjustable seats are supportive and comfortable, even on longer trips, and the cabin is spacious enough to allow for plenty of rearwards adjustment, while still allowing for a storage shelf behind the seats. Headroom is good, too, and unlike most supercars, it is actually possible to see out of the Vantage.
The highlight of the interior is the beautifully crafted (from aluminium) instrumentation. Featuring a chronograph look with digital read-out insets, they light up in a spectacularly attractive fashion at night time. Oh, and the rev counter spins anti-clockwise, which took some time to get used to. We also particularly liked the glass starter button, which changes colour from blue to red when pressed.
The standard features list is comprehensive: dual front and side airbags, radio/CD, climate control, electric windows and mirrors, height/reach adjustable steering wheel, and rear parking sensors.
But enough about the luxury trimmings. It is when you get immersed in the technical details of this car that it quickly becomes obvious that the Vantage is a rather serious, virtually race-ready junior supercar. It features a unique-to-Aston Martin all-alloy VH (vertical horizontal) structure, comprising bonded aluminium extrusions and castings, which provide a very rigid platform to build upon. The bonnet and roof are made of a lightweight alloy, and the front wings, tailgate and sills are from advanced composites.
Fully independent double wishbone suspension is used all-round and made of aluminium, as are the dampers to save even more weight. As is commonly the case on track racing cars, but rarely on road cars, the V8 Vantage’s steering rack is solidly mounted forward of the front wheels. The advantages of this, according to Aston Martin, are better control and improved feedback.
In the quest for the optimum weight distribution, the 4,3-litre V8 engine is mounted in what is said to be a front-mid position, and the six-speed manual gearbox is located at the rear. Hand-built in Aston Martin’s new engine facility in Cologne, Germany, the all-alloy 4,3-litre engine delivers 283 kW at 7 000 r/min and 410 N.m of torque at 5 000. Aston Martin says 75 per cent of this torque figure is available from as low as 1 500 r/min.
Each bank of cylinders features a four-into-one manifold, which is said to improve breathing. It also features special bypass valves, tuned to deliver quiet noise levels at low engine speed. But when the engine reaches 4 000 r/min, those bypass valves open, reducing pressure in the exhaust system, raising the power and, most gloriously of all, emitting the most addictive snarl.
Interestingly, despite all the weight-saving measures, the V8 Vantage remains a fairly heavy vehicle, tipping our scales at just under 1,7 tons. As a result, it is not as fast a sprinter as its looks and specification would lead you to suspect. We achieved a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 5,85 seconds, significantly slower than the claimed 5,0 seconds. Admittedly, our usedand- abused test unit was suffering from a slipping clutch after only three runs.
In terms of overtaking acceleration, a car such as the Audi RS4 will in most instances show the Vantage a clean pair of heels. But don’t think of the V8 Vantage as a slouch – it achieved its 282 km/h top speed with almost disdainful ease.
Braking-wise, the V8 Vantage put in one of the best efforts we’ve ever recorded – notching up a best 100 km/h-to-zero time of 2,57 seconds, and a brilliant average of 2,6, indicating excellent consistency and zero fade. Massive, 355 mm ventilated discs are used in front, and 330 mm grooved ventilated discs do duty at the rear. Grooved discs are said to be better than conventional cross-drilled items because they don’t fill up with brake dust.
Away from our test strip, the Aston Martin was arguably even more impressive. It is an absurdly easy supercar to drive. Sure, the controls are slightly heavier than you’d find in a normal passenger vehicle, but it’s never a car that intimidates.
Not that it’s exactly a docile, purring pussycat either… Slot that ugly gearlever into second, plant your right foot and wait for the needle to climb to 4 000 r/min… smile… and enjoy one of the very best engine sounds on the planet. It’s also round about this time that the Vantage really starts to haul. It’s not exactly a thumper of an engine – there’s no noticeable punch in the back. Rather, you’ll experience a relentless surge of power, in every gear.
Come the twisties and the news gets even better. The steering is not particularly quick (three turns lock-to-lock), but it is certainly precise, a combination that makes the Vantage easier to place accurately upon corner entry. And there’s generous feedback – this is one of those rare modern cars that keeps you informed all the time through the palms of your hands. Another impressive aspect is the lack of body roll. In fact, it’s really hard to fault any aspect of the Vantage’s dynamics. Perhaps the best way to describe it is by comparing it with Alain Prost. This legendary French F1 champion always “looked” like the slowest driver on the track when, in fact, he was the fastest. This illusion of slowness was a result of his smoothness. It is the same with the V8 Vantage. It rarely feels on the edge, or near the limit. It is so beautifully balanced, that it feels slow… So you can drive it faster… and faster… with confidence.
Test summary
The danger with testing as iconic a car as this, is that expectations often exceed reality, leading to huge disappointment. It’s happened to us before. This made us rather sceptical when the Aston Martin rolled into our parking area for the first time… Thankfully, the V8 Vantage then proceeded to, if anything, exceed our expectations. Besides its drop-dead gorgeous “I-don’t-know who- you-are, but-take-me-home-with-you-tonight” styling, the Vantage’s best attribute is its superb dynamics. It is simply one of the best handling cars to have ever passed through our hands. And then there is the sound of the thing…
So then, shaken or stirred? Is it possible to be both?
