
The Aston Martin Vanquish is a two-door coupe introduced in 2001 to succeed the Virage range. Originally designed by Ian Callum, the first-generation Vanquish was in production until 2007, churning out the V12 Vanquish and Vanquish S models. Production was halted though to make way for the DBS. The Vanquish name was resurrected when the second-generation model was introduced in 2012 to succeed the DBS. To commemorate the 100th year of Aston Martin in the industry, a special edition Vanquish called the Centenary Edition was made, alongside special editions for the Rapide, V8 Vantage, and DB9 as well. Only 100 Centenary Edition Vanquishes were made.
Pros
The new Aston Martin Vanquish started out the as the Project AM310 Concept. While the Vanquish was developed to replace the DBS, it was more of a representation of the evolution of the latter, taking many styling cues for the exterior and utilizing an improved version of the VH platform. The result is a car that is reminiscent of the DBS but so much better.
Inside, the evolution continues, with the centre stack featuring an upgraded infotainment system compared to what the DBS had. Inspired this time by the highly exclusive car Aston Martin One-77, standard interior for the Vanquish includes hand-stitched leather plus alcantara in a range of colours, while available equipment include a sat-nav system and a Bang & Olufsen sound system. Depending on what would suit you best too, you can choose to have the Vanquish use a two-seater or 2+2 layout in the cabin.
For boosted performance, the Vanquish received an upgraded version of the V12 engine, bumping up power output to 565bhp and using the upgraded touchtronic 2 transmission system as a complement. In addition, the Vanquish holds the distinction of being the first Aston Martin to use launch control. Top speed is set at 183 mph and the car can go from 0 to 62mph within 4.1 seconds.
As for steering, control is crisp and weighted well while being accurate. Strong grip and progressive, powerful brakes aid in handling, though the car is generally balanced to begin with. Even under normal mode, dampers are adaptive enough and the ride is refined on the overall. No rattles or squeaks whatsoever too and road and wind noise are very minimal.
The Vanquish is also a secure car with a lot of airbags and the usual driver-assistance programs are in place for guided driving when needed. The car also meets pedestrian protection rules because its engine is lowered to make room for more space on top of it. As with other Aston Martins, the Vanquish features a Tracker as standard.
Cons
The Aston Martin Vanquish is expensive and it has every right to be so. However, depreciation won’t be so kind on this vehicle since there are a lot of other Aston Martins in the market to compete with. If you’re not interested in resale values though then this should not be a concern. Don’t expect to save costs either on fuel economy because the Vanquish is only capable of 19.6mpg. CO2 emission levels won’t help lower tax charges either.
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