Aston Martin will shake up the sports car market early in 2024 with its new Vantage model. The Vantage is said to be developed for the driver as the performance and handling will both thrill and inspire confidence. Without a doubt, the new model certainly hit the nail on the head with its styling, but will the new model live up to the famed Vantage heritage?
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Before you sell your car quickly and easily here, and start your search for new or used Aston Martin Vantage models on AutoTrader. Let us get into the details and find out why the new Vantage could be the best one yet.
Exterior
In terms of styling, the new Vantage is quite the departure from the previous Vantage. While at the rear, there remain some similarities, upfront is where the dramatic changes take place. In fact, there is a 38% larger veined grille providing more airflow and, as a result, more cooling for the engine and other components.
The new grille is flanked by intakes, which results in a sharper look with the integrated front splitter and 30mm wider stance. This is not just for aesthetics but also for added stability and less lift at higher speeds. Another big design difference is the all-new Matrix LED headlamp design with integrated daytime running lights, which also incorporate Aston Martin's new light signature.
The sides feature 21-inch forged alloy wheels that fill the wider arches. The doors also now offer presenting door handles and frameless mirrors, new additions to the Vantage range. To finish it off, Aston Martin included side vents in the rear bumper as well as larger diameter quad exhaust pipes for added drama and to continue the muscular and aggressive design choices at the front and sides of the Vantage.
To set it apart, owners can specify one of the three available livery designs, which adds a pinstripe, a pinstripe and lipstick design or lipstick and infill at the rear. These liveries are available in 21 colours. If this is not enough for the discerning owner, the Vantage can be further customised through the Q by Aston Martin personalisation service.
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Interior
But the new Vantage doesn't just offer a new exterior design but also a revised interior. The British automaker says that even though the Vantage is a hardcore sports car, they didn't sacrifice any comfort or equipment levels, quite the contrary to the latter. New and strong horizontal lines feature across the cabin, with the dashboard, seats, and door trim finished with fine and premium materials.
While the driver benefits from a digital instrument cluster, it centrally features a new 10.25-inch, Pure Black touchscreen infotainment system connected to a 390w, 11-speaker audio system. Customers can also opt for a 1 170w, 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system. The latter features Aluminium Double Dome tweeters, Continuum midrange speakers, dedicated 3D headline speakers and a powerful subwoofer.
Physical switches remain for gear selection, drive selection, heating and ventilation settings, as well as chassis, ESP and exhaust, lane assist and park distance control override. The bespoke infotainment system was developed in-house and offers a connectivity app for both iOS and Android devices. With this system, occupants can access their favourite navigation and entertainment applications.
However, customers can also utilise the Aston Martin app to find a destination, read reviews and send it to the on-board system, which now offers 3D mapping and real-time traffic overlays and a satellite view feature which helps the driver visualise the surrounding area to name a few.
Performance
Under the sculpted bonnet of the new Vantage is a heavily reworked version of the hand-built 4.0-litre, Twin-Turbo, V8 petrol engine. The unit sends 489 kW and 800 Nm of torque to the rear wheels via an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. That's an increase of around 114 kW and 115 Nm, equating to gains of 30% and 15%, respectively. Those figures achieved by modifying cam profiles, optimising compression ratios and installing larger turbochargers with better cooling will result in a 0-100 km/h sprint time of just 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 325 km/h. But for the British automaker, it's not just about straight-line performance.
Instead, Aston Martin says that they focussed on building a car for the driving enthusiast. And with the evolved aluminium structure, 50:50 weight distribution and the latest in suspension technology, it sure seems that they might have achieved this goal. But that can only be confirmed when AutoTrader gets a chance to sample the newcomer.
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Price and availability
At the time of writing this article, Aston Martin says that production of the new Vantage is due to commence in the first quarter of 2024, with first deliveries to happen as soon as the second quarter of 2024. The local pricing and arrival date are yet to be confirmed. You can contact Aston Martin South Africa here, or you can search for new or used Aston Martin models on AutoTrader here.