The Aston Martin Vantage is a name used on several vehicles from the British car manufacturer’s lineup, typically representing a high-performance variant of a GT model before. The Aston Martin V8 Vantage deviates from this norm by instead being the leanest, most agile vehicle in the current lineup. Hand-built, the V8 Vantage has been in production since 2005. Its concept car version was unveiled at the 2003 North American International Auto Show while the production version was showcased at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. This Vantage vehicle takes its name from its use of the V8 engine. A V12 Vantage then is a car that uses a V12 engine.
Pros
Like many of the newer Aston Martin vehicles, the V8 Vantage makes use of the VH platform. This platform is quite flexible and dynamic so it works well with the V8 Vantage in the same way that it was effective with more expensive models like the DB9 and Vanquish. The Vantage name has always been equated with compactness, driver focus, and aggression and the V8 variant was able to live up to this thanks to the VH platform.
Compared to the DB9, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage is a smaller vehicle. But because the V8 Vantage drew styling inspiration from the DB9, it was able to take advantage of styling cues that made the latter a success. It is well-proportioned and pretty, with overall details placed so effectively.
The V8 Vantage is a sight to behold on the outside and the same kind of pleasing aesthetics extends when you get inside the cabin. As you would expect of contemporary Aston Martins, seats are comfortable, dropped low enough into the car for ease during long trips. There are also options available for various trim and interior colour combinations so owners can freely decide how they want their V8 Vantage to turn out. Standard equipment include full leather trims, sat-nav, Bluetooth connectivity, and cruise control.
On print, Aston Martin claims that a manual V8 Vantage model can go from 0 to 60mph within 4.7 seconds. Get a Sportshift II automatic model and this should easily be matched. There’s also the Vantage S model available that is capable of 10bhp more of power and can reach 62mph from rest within 4.3 seconds.
Ride quality gets better as you progress to higher speeds so you don’t have to worry about jitters as you experience how fast the V8 Vantage can really ago. At the same time, the car ensures your safety by employing a braking system that can adequately handle stopping even at high speeds.
Cons
The Aston Martin V8 Vantage makes use of a capable braking system. Unfortunately, it is less cooperative when roads are slippery. This is ironic given that slippery road conditions are usually when you need the most traction and stopping power. This isn’t to say that the V8 Vantage can’t keep up with slippery roads though. Rather, you’ll just have to step a little harder on those brakes when precipitation is present.
If you’re not careful, having a lot of options can backfire on you because it could easily raise purchase price to more than £100,000. Add to that the fact that the V8 Vantage offers paltry fuel economy at 20mpg.
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