Vantage point

The baby of the Aston Martin range still packs a mighty punch

- Chris Pickering

There’s one feature that sums up the character of the Aston Martin Vantage rather well. It’s not the shark-like gills on the sides or even the outrageously muscular haunches. Strange as this may sound, it’s a small button on the left-hand side of the steering wheel.

Prodding this button allows you to cycle through the chassis modes, but unlike the identical button on its big brother, the DB11, there’s no comfort-orientated GT mode here. Instead, the Vantage jumps straight in at Sport and ramps up the aggression from there. In the softest of its three settings, the Vantage feels similar to the DB11 in its firmest. And then there’s the noise, a hard-edged growl that sounds like a thunderstorm trapped in a bass drum.

UNDER THE BONNET

The source of all this commotion is a 4-litre twin-turbocharged V8. Based on a Mercedes-AMG design, it has been thoroughly reworked by the Aston Martin engineers to give its own distinct character. Some of the AMG trademarks remain, however, including pin-sharp throttle response and a total absence of lag. Peak power is a very respectable 510PS, while top speed is 195mph.