Top 6 Safety features in Aston’s Vantage

Aston Martin’s latest generation of the Vantage V8 Coupe was launched in the UK late in 2017, and introduced here just a few months later. The car features an all new chassis largely comprised of aluminium, and a new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine that is sourced from Mercedes-AMG!

Related: New Aston Martin Vantage lands in SA

At present there is just one Vantage model in the Aston Martin range here, and it is also the entry-level model for the brand at a "mere" R2 799 000... The German-sourced engine provides the baby Aston with 375 kW, and makes it good for a 0-100 km/h time of 3,6 seconds and a 314 km/h top speed.

With those kind of performance credentials, the Vantage V8 needs some serious hardware (and software) to keep that power in check. We had a look at the car’s specification list and came up with our Top 6 safety features.

Related: For a family with Aston Martin-level money at hand, there's a new SUV model on offer. Read more about the new DBX here.

Top 6 Aston Martin Vantage safety features

1. Brakes. The new "baby" Aston has bigger and more efficient brakes. Disc diameters have increased to 400 mm at the front and 360 mm at the rear. Calipers are six-piston at the front and four-piston at the rear. Naturally, ABS anti-lock braking is included with Electronic Brake Assist and Electronic Brake Distribution.  At a dry weight of over 1 500 kg, a car with this kind of speed needs excellent brakes!
2. Electronic driving aids. Apart from braking electronics, the Vantage comes with Electronic Torque Vectoring and an all-new electronic differential that actively distributes the torque between the left or right rear wheel according to sensors that monitor individual wheel slip. Aston Martin says this has not only improved cornering ability, but also straight-line stability.
3. Rigid chassis and bespoke Pirelli Zero tyres. The all-new chassis features an architecture consisting predominantly of aluminium for lightness, with steel in the appropriate safety-related places. The engine is mounted far back in its bay for 50-50 weight distribution, and the engine bay itself is heavily braced for suspension mounting-point rigidity. Pirelli developed special P Zero tyres in 255/40 R20 sizing (front) and 295/35 R20 sizing (rear), to suit the particular handling characteristics of the new Vantage.
4. LED lighting. For a car his fast, top quality lighting systems are paramount, for the driver to see where the car is heading, and for the car to be seen by other road users. The Aston’s headlight clusters are particularly impressive, likely thanks to Aston Martin's technology-sharing agreement with AMG.
5. Touch screen controls backed up by toggle switches. We often feel some controls on an infotainment system should be backed up by rotary- or toggle switches for quick intuitive operation. Keeping your attention on the road ahead in a high-powered sports car is far more important than catering to some sort of minimalist design brief.
6. Four airbags. We are pleased to see that Aston has installed side airbags to go with the driver and passenger airbags in the car.

Related: One step up from the Vantage lives the DB11. We tell you 3 things you probably didn't know about this beauty.

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