More Power and More Precision for Aston Martin's New Vantage S

Last year’s redesign of the Aston Martin Vantage was met with a collective nod of approval for its sharpened styling and rather generous power hike to 665hp, but if you wanted more than a grand touring hot rod, you might still have been left wanting.

Enter the Vantage S. This is the Aston for people (like myself) who fondly remember the V12 Vantage S snarling around with just enough traction to keep you out of a hedge. It’s not a full-blown AMR or GT3 rival. It’s something in between — Aston’s idea of a more focused, more visceral Vantage that still plays nice on the road.

Under the sculpted bonnet remains the same AMG-sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, but now breathing a bit more freely and with some recalibrated engine mapping. Peak power is up modestly to 680hp and torque remains the same, but response has been sharpened with recalibrated driving modes, and the exhaust tuned to let that V8 properly sing.

The gearbox is the same eight-speed ZF auto (no manual anymore, sadly), though Aston says it has been reprogrammed for faster shifts and more aggressive downshifts in Track mode. They’ve even chucked in a shorter final drive, just in case a rear-wheel drive and 680hp wasn’t already aggressive enough for you. 0–60mph still happens in 3.4 seconds, so this revision is more about what it feels like through the twisties. 

The real meat of the Vantage S story lies in the chassis revisions. The engineers have gone to town here with stiffer springs, new dampers, revised geometry, and fresh software for the adaptive damping system. The steering’s been retuned too, for more weight and feel in your palms, especially at the limit. There’s also a new ESC calibration with less intrusion in Sport+ and Track modes, and a more aggressive rear diff setup, so it’ll move around when you ask it to, and stay planted when you don’t.

Aston says this car is “track capable, road optimised”. They’ve tested it at Silverstone, the Nürburgring and the rollercoaster that is Portimão, but they know the state of our roads in the UK, and that those roads are where 99% of these cars will be driven 99% of the time, so in their pursuit of a sharper Vantage, for want of a better phrase, they haven’t ruined it.

Visually, subtle aggression is the order of the day. The Vantage S gets new 21-inch forged wheels, a larger front splitter, and actual functional vents. There's a bit more visual intent, without going full boy-racer or looking like you’ve got lost on your way to an endurance racing grid. Inside, the changes are subtle to give a slightly more focused interior feel, with loads of Alcantara trim and even the option of carbon bucket seats.

For me personally, I’m liking how the Vantage S seems less concerned about lap times and more about feel, and in an era where every new sports car is trying to out-nerd the other with active aero and hybrid gubbins, that feels pretty refreshing. Though in that same breath, 500hp would have been more than enough, but that ship has long since sailed!

The Vantage S is available off the bat in both Coupe and Roadster forms, with prices to be confirmed, though it’s safe to expect a sizeable jump from the £165,000 and £175,000 price tags of the standard Vantage Coupe and Roadster.