Aston Martin revealed the new generation Vantage. The baby Aston looks like a production version of the James Bond’s DB10 Concept. It is more powerful, light, fast and also more expensive than the outgoing model.
Although it retains the characteristic Aston Martin stance, the fascia is all-new with sleeker headlamps and now trademark gaping grille. The grille is scrounged from the Vulcan hypercar and probably will make its way to all future Astons. The bulging clamshell bonnet is pure muscle. The front fender is in a typical Aston Martin fashion as seen on the DB11. Although there are no active aerodynamics, the Vantage produces downforce with the help of its low-slung nose, tight rear boot lip, flat underbody and massive rear diffuser. The new platform is made especially for forthcoming Astons. The Vantage tips the scale at 1,530kg. At 4465mm, the car is 284mm shorter than the DB11 and 34mm shorter than a Porsche 911.
The rear is equally stunning with a stout tail decorated with sleek tail lights running across the posterior. But what catches the most attention are those massive diffusers with integrated exhaust tips. This is new to Aston but looks clean and aggressive at the same time. The fastback silhouette is very attractive and the car sits on 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tyres.
The cabin is wrapped in the most exotic materials you can imagine. The driver-focused dashboard flaunts many buttons and a digital screen. The overall layout is very fancy and is in a league of its own. Everything about the Vantage’s cockpit is modern.
Now under the hood is the same 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 sourced from Mercedes-AMG that power the DB11 V8. Set as far behind from the front axle as possible, the motor produces 503bhp at 6000rpm and 685Nm from 2000-5000rpm. All this firepower is sent to the rear wheels via ZF eight-speed paddle shifting transmission. The new Vantage is the first Aston Martin to be fitted with an e-differential. The ton is dispatched in 3.5 seconds while the two-seater can hit a top whack of 315kmph.
Aston Martin has priced the all-new Vantage at 120,900 pounds (Rs 1.03 crores) in the UK. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2018. We expect Aston Martin to bring the new-gen Vantage to India as well once it goes on sale internationally. The Vantage continues its fray against the Porsche 911, Mercedes-AMG GT, Jaguar F-Type and Nissan GTR.
