New Aston Martin Vantage has Porsche’s 911 Turbo in its sights

Phase two of Aston Martin’s new product offence has started. Following the launch of the new DB12 in summer 2023, it’s now the turn of the Vantage to benefit from Lawrence Stroll’s reinvention of the British marque. As with its DB11 replacement, the new Vantage receives a new exterior and interior, comprehensive chassis upgrades and a power output to concern even thoroughbred supercars. With an expected price in the region of £165,000, first deliveries will commence in Q2 of this year.

Revealed alongside its race-bred GT3 sibling, the Aston Martin’s latest Porsche 911-rival adopts both performance and design elements from the marque’s new DB12 super GT. Under its bonnet is the same AMG-derived 4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 as before, but it’s now been reworked to match the DB12 with modified cam profiles, tweaked compression ratios, larger turbos and improved cooling for an output of 656bhp and 590lb ft of torque – that’s just 17bhp less than the DB12, and more than the likes of the Porsche 911 Turbo S and Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica. Power is sent through the same eight-speed ZF automatic transmission as before to a set of a 21-inch wheels wearing bespoke Michelin tyres.

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Despite a drastic 153bhp increase in output over its predecessor, the new Vantage is only a tenth quicker from standstill to 62mph at 3.5sec – top speed comes at 202mph, 7mph higher than the previous car. Put the barely noticeable acceleration improvement down to the wish to preserve the gearbox when managing all that power and torque. In an effort to manage its newfound performance, Aston Martin has developed a new, nine-stage traction and stability control system allowing for finer control over system intervention.

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While the Vantage retains its trademark front-engined, rear-drive formula, a lot has changed under its skin. Built using Aston Martin’s latest bonded aluminium construction method, everything from the A-pillar forward is entirely new, from the chassis to the bodywork – the front body cross member has been reworked and repositioned for improved steering feel, with a stiffer engine cross brace and uprated power steering system also said to contribute to sharper dynamics. Those wider sills are also now structural and span the full width of the car for improved rigidity, with new rear arches (30mm wider than before) lifted from the previous V12 Vantage. 

Suspension is independent double wishbone at the front and multi link at the rear, with one of the Vantage’s real tricks being its Bilstein DTX adaptive dampers, first offered in the DB12. Said to offer much greater bandwidth of force distribution, these dampers allow for finer control over ride than before, making changes in dynamic behaviour between drive modes more dramatic than before, in theory.

The new Vantage ditches the minimalist design approach of its predecessor in favour of a more aggressive, purposeful aesthetic. Like the DB12, it features taller, vertical LED headlight units as opposed to the slim horizontal kind of the old car. That dramatic, full-width front grille is now 38 per cent larger than before and flanked by a pair of additional intakes to feed the two new auxiliary coolers. Surfacing is more dramatic throughout, with the bonnet now ridged in a similar fashion to the V12-powered One-77, with an enlarged splitter and the DB12’s frameless door mirrors also making an appearance.

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All cars will come as standard with 21-inch wheels wrapped in Vantage-specific Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tyres, 275-section front and 325-section rear – Aston Martin-developed Pilot Alpin 5 rubber is also an option. A set of 400mm front, 360mm rear steel brakes will come as standard, with an optional carbon ceramic setup (410mm front, 360mm rear) saving an impressive 27kg in unsprung mass overall.

Step inside and the Vantage has received the same design and tech overhaul as the DB12, with new architecture bringing a much more modern infotainment system to the table. A fresh three-spoke steering wheel has also been carried across, and while the new 10.25-inch infotainment display allows for greater control of vital functions, there are plenty of physical buttons throughout. Hand stitched Bridge of Weir leather is available, as is an optional 15-speaker, 1170w Bowers and Wilkins sound system. Customers looking for something a little more bespoke can also order the new Vantage through Q by Aston Martin, allowing for virtually any specification you could imagine.

The new 2024 Aston Martin Vantage will enter production imminently, with first examples set to hit the road in Q2 of this year. To read more on what has gone into creating the new Vantage, pick up the new copy of evo here.

2024 Aston Martin Vantage specs