TCC test drive: 2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
09-07-05, 08:40 PM
#1
Speaks French in Russian
Thread Starter
J. Clarkson,Autoweek, & TCC test drive: 2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Is this Britain’s answer to the Porsche 911?
by Paul A. Eisenstein (2005-09-05)
Few automakers have ridden a rougher roller coaster than Aston Martin. The venerable British brand has been insolvent seven separate times during its 91-year history, and at one point, back in 1977, its very survival hinged on the sale of a single car to a wealthy Londoner whose taste for good wine an Aston salesman skillfully exploited.
A decade later, almost on a whim, the struggling company was purchased by Henry Ford II, but even then, the company's fate was uncertain. By 1992, Aston's global sales had plunged to just 42 cars, and due to quality problems, the factory was forced to buy half of them back.
By all rights, Aston should have long ago been banished to the rust heap along with so many other British nameplates. Yet somehow, the brand has managed to pull though every crisis, much like super-sleuth, 007, the secret agent with whom the brand has long been associated.
Indeed, Aston Martin's recent revival might seem the stuff of a Hollywood fable. With the assistance of its American parent, Aston has posted a profit for the first time in its entire history. Sales soared to a stunning 2500 in 2004, and if Ulrich Bez, Aston's energetic chairman, has his way, the numbers will double again within the next year or two. At that level, Aston would actually push past that most successful of ultra-luxury brands, Ferrari.
The key to the turnaround is, of course, product, starting with last year's launch of the DB9 sports car. Now comes what is arguably the most important new model in Aston's nine-decade history, the V8 Vantage. Sharing platforms with the DB9, the new two-seater takes the Ford subsidiary into entirely new territory. At $110,000, the Vantage challenges the king of the hill, Porsche's 911.
To see how the new Aston compared, we headed over to Italy, for three days driving through the verdant hills of Tuscany. The narrow roads, with challenging turns and fast straights, provided a tough trial for the new sports car, yet as we grudgingly handed back the keys, we had to conclude that Aston had designed one of the best sports cars ever to hit the road.
Pulling into the courtyard of a small villa outside Sienna, we got our first look at the new V8 Vantage. There was an immediate sense of déjà vu, and for good reason. Aston faithfully stuck with the shape of the striking concept car it first rolled out on the auto show circuit in 2003.
The wheel arches bulge out, front and back, accentuating the muscular nature of this sports couple. But the Vantage is no bulldog, the lines flow gracefully, front to back, a study in perpetual motion. Get a good look at the yawning Aston grille as the V8 charges towards you. You won't get to look at it long. Soaring past, the sweeping hatchback flows into a high deck lid, with an integrated spoiler designed to maximize downforce at high speed.
Under the sexy skin, the Vantage has much in common with the DB9, though with a wheelbase of 102.4 inches, the platform has been shortened a bit and there've been very minor changes made to the overall layout. But both share the same bonded aluminum structure. To put the benefits into perspective, the approach helped Aston double the structural rigidity compared to the old DB7, while cutting the weight of the chassis in half. Add a mix of steel, aluminum, and composite body panels, and weight is held to a modest 3461 pounds, or nearly a ton less than Bentley's Continental GT.
Lift the hood and you'll under the aluminum crossbraces, Aston has jammed in an all-alloy, quad-overhead-cam, 32-valve 4.3-liter V-8 with variable inlet cam timing. Dry sump lubrication helps lower the engine and the overall center of gravity. The beast pumps out an impressive 383 brake horsepower and 302 pound-feet of torque. That's enough to launch the coupe from 0-60 in an impressive, if not benchmark 5.0 seconds. (And stay tuned, the ever-restless Bez hints that a track-tuned "R" edition may follow, pushing output up to the range of 100 to 120 hp per liter - normally aspirated.)
We couldn't resist the temptation to fire up that big V-8. Getting into the Vantage, you discover one of the more subtle but intriguing design elements carried over from the show car. Since the handles lay flush with the exterior panel, it takes a moment to figure out how to open the door. Once you get the hang of it, though, it's elegantly simple.
Unlike the DB9, Aston chose to make no pretense of a back seat with Vantage. Instead, there's a small but quite useful storage area complimenting the car's modest but useful cargo compartment - which is large enough to contain a long weekend's needs, or a pair of golf bags.
The interior of our car was a gray-black monotone, elegantly laid out but a bit more sparse than we'd have expected. The headliner was a slick suede, the standard navigation system tucked away when not in use at the top of the center stack. But the feel of the instrument panel was just not quite as sophisticated as in the DB9, with its intriguing selection of materials, such as bamboo.
A minor quibble, of course, but some room for improvement. And while we niggle, there are other slight shortfalls for a car of this price tag, such as the lack of power-up windows. Launching out of a tollbooth, with our accelerator foot flat to the floor, we want both hands on the steering wheel, not the window button.
That said, we found the seats comfortable yet extraordinarily supportive, even under the most aggressive driving. And the overall layout of the cockpit seemed both more intuitive and comfortable than the DB9's.
We slipped the key into the ignition and pressed the "start" button that dominates the center console. Our reward was immediate, a deep roar as the big V-8 came to life. Aston's carefully tuned powertrain delivers a resonant baritone that has more in common with the classic American muscle car than the high-tech whine of a Porsche or Ferrari.
The 6-speed manual transmission - the only gearbox offered on the Vantage - slipped smoothly into first, launching us out the villa's long driveway and onto the sweeping back road towards Sienna. The shifter proved silky sweet, with extraordinarily short throws and a clutch that felt absolutely intuitive.
As we wandered through Tuscany, during our three-day sojourn, we had the chance to test the Vantage in virtually every possible condition, from busy urban driving to open highways.
Under hard acceleration, we found power came on a little bit slower than with a 911 Turbo, perhaps no surprise comparing the normally aspirated Aston with Porsche's blower. But it would be hard to complain about performance unless you're comparing the two cars at a stoplight. Once the Vantage got going, it didn't want to stop, power coming on smoothly until we reached our own limits - well over 125 mph during one smooth and open stretch of back road.
Under most conditions, the independent double wishbone suspension delivered as promised, with assistance from the rear spoiler, planting the Vantage down hard onto the tarmac. But on a few stretches of particularly rough and undulating pavement, it did seem to loosen up a bit at speeds in excess of 100 mph. Even then there was never a sense of losing control.
Steering was as good as it gets, turn-in quick and precise, the Vantage comparing favorably to the Ferrari F430 we had driven just a week prior. Blasting along the narrow roads of Tuscany requires a high degree of faith in the car you're driving. You often need to skitter out of the way of oncoming traffic, and the best way to describe the Vantage is intuitive.
Braking proved equally impressive, the oversized rotors and discs firmly and confidently scrubbing off speed in an instant.
Our co-pilot, photographer/writer Winston Goodfellow, is convinced the new V8 Vantage is the best sports car on the road today. Considering the range of options, we're reluctant to assign that superlative, but it is a tempting description that would be difficult to debate against.
Whether Aston will be able to convert loyal Porsche owners remains to be seen, but there are plenty of other aspirants who've got the money and are ready to move up. For them, the new Vantage is going to be a tempting attraction. The car is strikingly attractive, reasonably roomy and incredibly fun to drive. At $110,000, it is - in this class - a bargain. Add the allure of the Aston name and we wouldn't be surprised if the British maker achieves its admittedly aggressive sales goals.
This is the car we expect to firmly plant Aston Martin's flag in the competitive supercar segment. For decades, the automaker was a quirky alternative. With the debut of the V8 Vantage, it is a serious challenger to the established order - and certain to ensure Aston's long-term survival.
2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Base price: $110,000
Engine: Quad overhead, 32-valve 4.3-liter V-8 with variable inlet cam timing, 383 hp/302 lb-ft
Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Length x width x height: 172.5 x 73.5 x 49.4 in
Wheelbase: 102.4 in
Curb weight: 3461 lb
Fuel economy (EPA city/hwy): 12/18 mpg
Safety equipment: Dual front and side airbags; four wheel anti-lock brakes, alarm and immobilizer
Major standard features: Power windows, doors and mirrors, power seats, 160-watt audio system with CD player, trip computer, and navigation system
Warranty: Four year/50,000 miles
Is this Britain’s answer to the Porsche 911?
by Paul A. Eisenstein (2005-09-05)
Few automakers have ridden a rougher roller coaster than Aston Martin. The venerable British brand has been insolvent seven separate times during its 91-year history, and at one point, back in 1977, its very survival hinged on the sale of a single car to a wealthy Londoner whose taste for good wine an Aston salesman skillfully exploited.
A decade later, almost on a whim, the struggling company was purchased by Henry Ford II, but even then, the company's fate was uncertain. By 1992, Aston's global sales had plunged to just 42 cars, and due to quality problems, the factory was forced to buy half of them back.
By all rights, Aston should have long ago been banished to the rust heap along with so many other British nameplates. Yet somehow, the brand has managed to pull though every crisis, much like super-sleuth, 007, the secret agent with whom the brand has long been associated.
Indeed, Aston Martin's recent revival might seem the stuff of a Hollywood fable. With the assistance of its American parent, Aston has posted a profit for the first time in its entire history. Sales soared to a stunning 2500 in 2004, and if Ulrich Bez, Aston's energetic chairman, has his way, the numbers will double again within the next year or two. At that level, Aston would actually push past that most successful of ultra-luxury brands, Ferrari.
The key to the turnaround is, of course, product, starting with last year's launch of the DB9 sports car. Now comes what is arguably the most important new model in Aston's nine-decade history, the V8 Vantage. Sharing platforms with the DB9, the new two-seater takes the Ford subsidiary into entirely new territory. At $110,000, the Vantage challenges the king of the hill, Porsche's 911.
To see how the new Aston compared, we headed over to Italy, for three days driving through the verdant hills of Tuscany. The narrow roads, with challenging turns and fast straights, provided a tough trial for the new sports car, yet as we grudgingly handed back the keys, we had to conclude that Aston had designed one of the best sports cars ever to hit the road.
Pulling into the courtyard of a small villa outside Sienna, we got our first look at the new V8 Vantage. There was an immediate sense of déjà vu, and for good reason. Aston faithfully stuck with the shape of the striking concept car it first rolled out on the auto show circuit in 2003.
The wheel arches bulge out, front and back, accentuating the muscular nature of this sports couple. But the Vantage is no bulldog, the lines flow gracefully, front to back, a study in perpetual motion. Get a good look at the yawning Aston grille as the V8 charges towards you. You won't get to look at it long. Soaring past, the sweeping hatchback flows into a high deck lid, with an integrated spoiler designed to maximize downforce at high speed.
Under the sexy skin, the Vantage has much in common with the DB9, though with a wheelbase of 102.4 inches, the platform has been shortened a bit and there've been very minor changes made to the overall layout. But both share the same bonded aluminum structure. To put the benefits into perspective, the approach helped Aston double the structural rigidity compared to the old DB7, while cutting the weight of the chassis in half. Add a mix of steel, aluminum, and composite body panels, and weight is held to a modest 3461 pounds, or nearly a ton less than Bentley's Continental GT.
Lift the hood and you'll under the aluminum crossbraces, Aston has jammed in an all-alloy, quad-overhead-cam, 32-valve 4.3-liter V-8 with variable inlet cam timing. Dry sump lubrication helps lower the engine and the overall center of gravity. The beast pumps out an impressive 383 brake horsepower and 302 pound-feet of torque. That's enough to launch the coupe from 0-60 in an impressive, if not benchmark 5.0 seconds. (And stay tuned, the ever-restless Bez hints that a track-tuned "R" edition may follow, pushing output up to the range of 100 to 120 hp per liter - normally aspirated.)
We couldn't resist the temptation to fire up that big V-8. Getting into the Vantage, you discover one of the more subtle but intriguing design elements carried over from the show car. Since the handles lay flush with the exterior panel, it takes a moment to figure out how to open the door. Once you get the hang of it, though, it's elegantly simple.
Unlike the DB9, Aston chose to make no pretense of a back seat with Vantage. Instead, there's a small but quite useful storage area complimenting the car's modest but useful cargo compartment - which is large enough to contain a long weekend's needs, or a pair of golf bags.
The interior of our car was a gray-black monotone, elegantly laid out but a bit more sparse than we'd have expected. The headliner was a slick suede, the standard navigation system tucked away when not in use at the top of the center stack. But the feel of the instrument panel was just not quite as sophisticated as in the DB9, with its intriguing selection of materials, such as bamboo.
A minor quibble, of course, but some room for improvement. And while we niggle, there are other slight shortfalls for a car of this price tag, such as the lack of power-up windows. Launching out of a tollbooth, with our accelerator foot flat to the floor, we want both hands on the steering wheel, not the window button.
That said, we found the seats comfortable yet extraordinarily supportive, even under the most aggressive driving. And the overall layout of the cockpit seemed both more intuitive and comfortable than the DB9's.
We slipped the key into the ignition and pressed the "start" button that dominates the center console. Our reward was immediate, a deep roar as the big V-8 came to life. Aston's carefully tuned powertrain delivers a resonant baritone that has more in common with the classic American muscle car than the high-tech whine of a Porsche or Ferrari.
The 6-speed manual transmission - the only gearbox offered on the Vantage - slipped smoothly into first, launching us out the villa's long driveway and onto the sweeping back road towards Sienna. The shifter proved silky sweet, with extraordinarily short throws and a clutch that felt absolutely intuitive.
As we wandered through Tuscany, during our three-day sojourn, we had the chance to test the Vantage in virtually every possible condition, from busy urban driving to open highways.
Under hard acceleration, we found power came on a little bit slower than with a 911 Turbo, perhaps no surprise comparing the normally aspirated Aston with Porsche's blower. But it would be hard to complain about performance unless you're comparing the two cars at a stoplight. Once the Vantage got going, it didn't want to stop, power coming on smoothly until we reached our own limits - well over 125 mph during one smooth and open stretch of back road.
Under most conditions, the independent double wishbone suspension delivered as promised, with assistance from the rear spoiler, planting the Vantage down hard onto the tarmac. But on a few stretches of particularly rough and undulating pavement, it did seem to loosen up a bit at speeds in excess of 100 mph. Even then there was never a sense of losing control.
Steering was as good as it gets, turn-in quick and precise, the Vantage comparing favorably to the Ferrari F430 we had driven just a week prior. Blasting along the narrow roads of Tuscany requires a high degree of faith in the car you're driving. You often need to skitter out of the way of oncoming traffic, and the best way to describe the Vantage is intuitive.
Braking proved equally impressive, the oversized rotors and discs firmly and confidently scrubbing off speed in an instant.
Our co-pilot, photographer/writer Winston Goodfellow, is convinced the new V8 Vantage is the best sports car on the road today. Considering the range of options, we're reluctant to assign that superlative, but it is a tempting description that would be difficult to debate against.
Whether Aston will be able to convert loyal Porsche owners remains to be seen, but there are plenty of other aspirants who've got the money and are ready to move up. For them, the new Vantage is going to be a tempting attraction. The car is strikingly attractive, reasonably roomy and incredibly fun to drive. At $110,000, it is - in this class - a bargain. Add the allure of the Aston name and we wouldn't be surprised if the British maker achieves its admittedly aggressive sales goals.
This is the car we expect to firmly plant Aston Martin's flag in the competitive supercar segment. For decades, the automaker was a quirky alternative. With the debut of the V8 Vantage, it is a serious challenger to the established order - and certain to ensure Aston's long-term survival.
2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Base price: $110,000
Engine: Quad overhead, 32-valve 4.3-liter V-8 with variable inlet cam timing, 383 hp/302 lb-ft
Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Length x width x height: 172.5 x 73.5 x 49.4 in
Wheelbase: 102.4 in
Curb weight: 3461 lb
Fuel economy (EPA city/hwy): 12/18 mpg
Safety equipment: Dual front and side airbags; four wheel anti-lock brakes, alarm and immobilizer
Major standard features: Power windows, doors and mirrors, power seats, 160-watt audio system with CD player, trip computer, and navigation system
Warranty: Four year/50,000 miles
Last edited by magneto112; 09-19-05 at 10:33 AM.
09-08-05, 11:08 PM
#3
Speaks French in Russian
Thread Starter
160-watt audio system with CD player
Everything else looks pretty damn sweet though, even the price. Plus it doesnt look that much smaller than the new DB9.
09-19-05, 08:53 AM
#4
Speaks French in Russian
Thread Starter
Auto week: 2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Aston Mainstream: The gorgeous V8 Vantage has the 911 in its crosshairs
J.P. VETTRAINO
Published Date: 9/19/05
2006 ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE
ON SALE: January 2006
BASE PRICE: $110,000
POWERTRAIN: 4.3-liter, 380-hp, 302-lb-ft V8; rwd, six-speed manual
CURB WEIGHT: 3461 pounds
0 TO 60 MPH: 4.9 seconds (mfr.)
FUEL MILEAGE (EPA COMBINED): 16.0 mpg (est.)
Gwynedd County, Wales, on the fringe of the Cambrian Mountains: Blame it on a curious photographer, or the locked gate across a narrow dirt road—a path, really—bisecting pastures full of sheep. Here was an Aston Martin, 18-inch wheels and fat Z-rated Potenzas scratching for grip, emasculated by the low friction coefficient, flinging dirt, rocks and bits of sod up and around the rear wheel wells, side mirrors a foot from the adjacent hedges, backing uphill through bends for the better part of a click in search of space wide enough to turn around in, awash in the acrid scent of vaporizing clutch pad.
The typical, well-adjusted automobile enthusiast would cringe. The Aston-Martin Owners Club would petition the Queen to have the perpetrators banished from the realm. Not a typical sports car test, this, but demanding nonetheless, and perhaps in some inadvertent fashion, appropriate.
The 2006 V8 Vantage is not the familiar Aston Martin, if we’re to believe the folks at AM HQ in Gaydon, Warwickshire. If it’s not exactly the Aston Martin for Everyman, it’s the one for everyday. The new Vantage mixes Aston Martin’s unique brand of performance with a talent for squeezing into little parking spaces in London or Beverly Hills. It melds proper British design, finish and club-room ambience with the wash-and-wear dependability Porsche 911 owners have enjoyed for decades.
That’s the shtick, anyway. If the sheep could talk, they’d say, “So far, so good.”
THE NEW V8 VANTAGE RUNS BACK- ward to Aston Martin’s 91-year history, at least to the predecessors sharing its name. The 170-mph V8 Vantage Series One was the world’s fastest road car when launched in 1977, and left its mark as Britain’s first “supercar.” The V8 Vantage of the late ’90s had a supercharged engine that generated up to 600 hp, and remains the most powerful Aston Martin ever built.
In contrast, the 2006 V8 Vantage is the least powerful, least expensive car in the AM line. At $110,000, it will be—if such a concept is not completely ludicrous—the entry-level Aston Martin. The new Vantage is the pure sports car in an Aston Martin scheme that closely replicates Ferrari’s in concept: It is to the flagship Vanquish S and the V12 DB9 2+2 as the F430 ($180,785) is to the 575M Maranello and 612 Scaglietti.
The 380-hp V8 Vantage is the product of a different Aston Martin than the one that created its namesakes. This AM is fully integrated into Ford Motor Co.’s global blueprint and is expected to generate some unspecified return on Ford’s 18-year investment. AM execs say Ford requires them to meet three basic objectives, which they will not identify. If they achieve those goals, Aston Martin gets keys to Ford’s global array of advanced engineering, design and materials research, wind tunnels, dynos, Crays, etc., with full autonomy and no oversight. The company’s small production volume allows it to apply technology that Ford’s advanced research might learn about—things Fomoco can’t risk when tooling vehicles for production in the hundreds of thousands.
The other side of that coin: Within two years, AM expects to increase annual production to 5000, up from roughly 1200 in 2005, already 24 times as many as it built in ’92 (50). The V8 Vantage will account for 60 percent of the projected volume. It’s a plan full of promise and risk, but no one in Gaydon sounds anything less than confident.
“We are in a great place,” says Jeremy Main, development director. “We are expanding, but not too quickly. We understand our customers and can capture select new ones without alienating the old ones.”
NEARLY ALL OF ASTON MARTIN’S operations are now centralized on a campus shared with Jaguar and Range Rover at Britain’s Heritage Motor Center in Gaydon, which also hosts V8 Vantage production. The new facilities are crucial to a new process at AM.
Shown as a concept at the 2003 North American International Auto Show, the V8 Vantage went from approval to production in 34 months. That may not be the industry’s benchmark development time, but it’s lightning fast by Aston standards, and Main expects it to get shorter. With engineering, finance, production and marketing in one location, answers are never more than a walk away. Decisions can be made on the spot. More computer resources allow more math-modeling before prototypes are built.
“Aston Martin owners are devoted, but a DB9 is a fourth or fifth car that only occasionally goes out, and never in the rain,” Main says. “The Vantage is meant to be parked on the street with everything else. Put simply, it was built to be a daily driver, whether it actually becomes one or not.”
To that end, Main’s crew set some development hard points. The V8 Vantage had to be easy to drive, and linear in all its responses. It had to be easy to climb in and out of, with excellent visibility from the driver’s seat and a low intimidation factor. It needed space for a briefcase and other accoutrements behind the seats, with room for at least a couple of decent-sized suitcases. It had to be “safe,” measured by first-rate crash protection and advanced electronic driving aids. Finally, it had to be reliable.
Beyond the 911 and F430, Aston Martin benchmarked sedans like the Audi A8, and undertook an unprecedented development program. It built 78 prototypes (more than twice the production run for the ’77 Series One). It ran the 4.3-liter V8 three times longer on the dyno than the DB9’s V12, and accumulated more than a million development miles. Venues included the Nord-schleife in Germany, Nardo in Italy and the Arctic Circle in Sweden. Main’s favorite test was 12,000 miles near terminal velocity (published at 174 mph) on a public highway traversing Dubai, air conditioner running full-bore. Ambient temperature routinely approached 120 degrees, he says, while the V8 Vantage’s body surfaces cooked at 190.
ONLY ASTON MARTIN’S CLASSIC front-longitudinal engine allowed both the long hood proportions and the center of inertia that engineers wanted, according to Main. With all its cylinder bores behind the front axle, the V8 Vantage is by definition a mid-engine car. The transaxle is in the rear, connected to the V8 by a carbon fiber driveshaft in an aluminum torque tube. This creates 49/51 front/rear weight distribution, so engineers can tune for the ride/handling balance, rather than to compensate for an inherent imbalance.
At 172.5 inches, the V8 Vantage is three inches shorter than a 911 on a wheelbase 10 inches longer (102.4) and a track three inches wider. Its frame is a mix of extruded aluminum box sections, stamped floorpans and precision castings at key points like suspension attachments. The windshield header is a single aluminum casting, the door frames are magnesium. Everything is hot- or cold-bonded, aerospace style, with minimal application of self-piercing rivets and no conventional structural welds. Glue, the company says, allows cleaner production processes and better vibration-dampening properties than conventional welding.
The shape was penned by Henrik Fisker (best known for his BMW Z8), who has since left AM and gone independent. The panels are a mix of aluminum (doors and hood), steel (side panels and rear fenders) and resin composite (front fenders and rear hatch), all cold-bonded to the frame. The rear hatch allows easy access to storage behind the rear seats, and the cargo hold measures an impressive 10.6 cubic feet (compare with 4.76 cubic feet in the 911’s front compartment). For all the mass-trimming design in its frame and body, the V8 Vantage weighs 3461 pounds, or 330 pounds more than a Carrera S. That gives the 911 the better power-to-weight ratio and inspires a new appreciation for what Porsche does entirely with steel. That said, with 20,000 lb-ft of torque required to generate one degree of flex in the V8 Vantage frame, Main claims his car is far more rigid than anything in its class, including the F430.
The V8 Vantage is suspended with aluminum double wishbones and coil-over shocks front and rear. Even the shock casings are aluminum. The steering rack is solid-mounted and facing forward, race car style, and in imitable AM fashion, the brake rotors are grooved rather than cross-drilled. The grooves cool and clear water as well as holes do, according to Main, and more effectively clear brake dust.
Gaydon is a bit sensitive when it comes to the origin of the V8. Main concedes that it starts with a Jaguar (corporate) block and bore centers, but says the casting is slightly different and the machining entirely so. Every other part, including the heads, pistons and con rods, is unique to Aston Martin, and the company has its own engine assembly plant in Cologne, Germany.
AM’s 4.3-liter V8 features dry-sump lubrication, improving oiling under high g loads and lowering the engine’s mass such that the crank balancers rotate four inches above the ground (a thought lost on us on dirt roads in Wales). The 380 hp peaks at 7300 rpm. Peak torque (305 lb-ft) comes at 5000 rpm, but variable intake valve timing broadens the curve nicely. Main says 85 percent is available from 1500 rpm. The V8 Vantage will be launched with only one transmission: a conventional six-speed manual.
GIVE THE PEOPLE IN GAYDON credit. Manufacturers tend to introduce high-performance cars to the press in as controlled a fashion as they can manage. That can mean a limited number of laps on a racetrack, a prescribed road route or even convoys. Aston Martin had enough faith in its work to hand over the keys to a left-drive V8 Vantage and say, “See you in 48 hours.” Naturally, good sense and decorum demanded some close pre-drive inspection.
From its sneering, bull-nose grille back, the V8 Vantage shows absolutely no equivocation as to what it is. The bright red brake calipers are trick, as are the cantilevered side mirrors, though we can’t fathom why the thin struts aren’t painted to match the car. The V8 Vantage has a more obvious handcrafted quality than a 911, seen in the details: the complexity of curves in the front fenders, the wire mesh screens behind the front wheel wells, or the way the hood stretches all the way to the top of the grille, with no filler in between.
The same applies inside, only more so. The cockpit impresses, not necessarily for its ergonomic perfection (it’s not bad that way, either), but for the feeling it inspires. It surrounds you with a sense of achievement, well-being, even wealth, and there’s not a shred of carbon fiber anywhere. The headliner is Alcantara; the balance of the soft panels, including the dash, is in hand-stitched leather. The seatbelt buckles are sheathed in leather, and the three climate-control ***** are machined from solid aluminum. Main claims the polished aluminum ring around the shifter costs more to make than the full instrument panel in a typical compact car.
The glass start button resembles the face of a good watch, right in the middle of the V8 Vantage’s center stack. It glows red when ignition is switched on, and blue-green when the V8 fires. The burbling idle sounds pleasant enough from the cockpit, much better from outside.
So it began. It continued through two 20.2-gallon tanks of petrol ($5-plus per gallon), over heck and half of Wales: on the motorway and tracing some of the most amazing two-lanes, often deserted, narrower than some driveways and glass-smooth.
And yes, there were off-road excursions in search of the mythical perfect photo backdrop—through weedy fields and up farm trails. Add long periods of idling, repeated starts and stops, reverse, forward, reverse, forward, inches at a time, positioning between boulders. It was treatment no owner is likely to subject a car to, and the V8 Vantage never missed a beat. The temperature gauge never moved past center, idle speed never wavered and the clutch never overheated. Another wash-and-wear hi-po sports car? So far, so good.
Visibility from the driver’s seat is good. The A-pillars are turned in a fashion that lets the driver see past their narrowest section. The rear glass is large, with no obstruction. The only blind spots lie through the rear roof pillars, and large side mirrors compensate well. The seats are firm and supportive, with all the bolster you’ll need, and comfortable for the long haul. Interior noise levels will not disturb at triple-digit speeds.
Oh, yeah. The go. Even with the seatback nearly bolt upright, none of Vantage’s long bonnet is visible from the wheel. On narrow Welsh roads it can feel pretty wide, and that’s a double-edged sword. It never feels less than planted, but at least through a significant learning period, placing the front tires demands some degree of faith.
The V8 Vantage exhilarates when given the spurs. Similarities to a 911 include an impressively tractable engine. While the V8 spins happily to nearly 8000 rpm, torque spurts freely almost from idle, to the point where gear selection during lazy drives is almost inconsequential. Yet AM’s V8 likes it best at the high end, where it delivers a more pronounced kick in the seat than the 911’s boxer six. It’s perceptibly smoother bouncing around near the rev limiter.
Aston Martin did nicely with its traction- and skid-control electronics. There are two modes: on or all the way off (handy when backing uphill on dirt roads). With the electronics engaged, there’s enough latitude to snap the tail a bit and countersteer before the engine throttles back.
The ride is hardly stiff—in our estimation, quite comfortable. Its steering is also exceptionally communicative. The Aston Martin may actually turn in more crisply than a 911, and its steering feels more linear, in that wheel angle remains more consistent to the amount of input lock-to-lock. It is inherently more neutral, too, less prone to tail-wagging. The V8 Vantage is sweetly balanced in the broadest sense. It’s not likely to blow anyone’s knickers off in any particular way (except, perhaps, with its looks), as a Vanquish S or even a Viper might. Nor is it likely to disappoint in any way, and a driver’s appreciation for its symmetry will grow as miles accumulate.
IN A PARKING LOT IN DOLGELLAU, Wales, an English tourist approached the car and bubbled: It’s gorgeous! Her husband has always aspired to an Aston Martin. Maybe some day… and how much is it? About £80,000. Oh. This must not be the one.
There is that, even if it’s hard to imagine how a $110,000 automobile might devalue a brand. And in the States, that price makes the V8 Vantage a relative bargain. At today’s exchange rates, the British retail price actually converts to $143,000, and U.S. cars could come with more standard equipment. Base content and option prices remain to be sorted, but the V8 Vantage will be available with a full complement of stuff, including heated seats, reverse sensors, HID headlights and nav system. The first European cars will be delivered in October; U.S. sales begin after the first of the year.
The Aston Martin V8 Vantage will play at least as well with well-heeled sports car enthusiasts as it does with sheep.
http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=103179
J.P. VETTRAINO
Published Date: 9/19/05
2006 ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE
ON SALE: January 2006
BASE PRICE: $110,000
POWERTRAIN: 4.3-liter, 380-hp, 302-lb-ft V8; rwd, six-speed manual
CURB WEIGHT: 3461 pounds
0 TO 60 MPH: 4.9 seconds (mfr.)
FUEL MILEAGE (EPA COMBINED): 16.0 mpg (est.)
Gwynedd County, Wales, on the fringe of the Cambrian Mountains: Blame it on a curious photographer, or the locked gate across a narrow dirt road—a path, really—bisecting pastures full of sheep. Here was an Aston Martin, 18-inch wheels and fat Z-rated Potenzas scratching for grip, emasculated by the low friction coefficient, flinging dirt, rocks and bits of sod up and around the rear wheel wells, side mirrors a foot from the adjacent hedges, backing uphill through bends for the better part of a click in search of space wide enough to turn around in, awash in the acrid scent of vaporizing clutch pad.
The typical, well-adjusted automobile enthusiast would cringe. The Aston-Martin Owners Club would petition the Queen to have the perpetrators banished from the realm. Not a typical sports car test, this, but demanding nonetheless, and perhaps in some inadvertent fashion, appropriate.
The 2006 V8 Vantage is not the familiar Aston Martin, if we’re to believe the folks at AM HQ in Gaydon, Warwickshire. If it’s not exactly the Aston Martin for Everyman, it’s the one for everyday. The new Vantage mixes Aston Martin’s unique brand of performance with a talent for squeezing into little parking spaces in London or Beverly Hills. It melds proper British design, finish and club-room ambience with the wash-and-wear dependability Porsche 911 owners have enjoyed for decades.
That’s the shtick, anyway. If the sheep could talk, they’d say, “So far, so good.”
THE NEW V8 VANTAGE RUNS BACK- ward to Aston Martin’s 91-year history, at least to the predecessors sharing its name. The 170-mph V8 Vantage Series One was the world’s fastest road car when launched in 1977, and left its mark as Britain’s first “supercar.” The V8 Vantage of the late ’90s had a supercharged engine that generated up to 600 hp, and remains the most powerful Aston Martin ever built.
In contrast, the 2006 V8 Vantage is the least powerful, least expensive car in the AM line. At $110,000, it will be—if such a concept is not completely ludicrous—the entry-level Aston Martin. The new Vantage is the pure sports car in an Aston Martin scheme that closely replicates Ferrari’s in concept: It is to the flagship Vanquish S and the V12 DB9 2+2 as the F430 ($180,785) is to the 575M Maranello and 612 Scaglietti.
The 380-hp V8 Vantage is the product of a different Aston Martin than the one that created its namesakes. This AM is fully integrated into Ford Motor Co.’s global blueprint and is expected to generate some unspecified return on Ford’s 18-year investment. AM execs say Ford requires them to meet three basic objectives, which they will not identify. If they achieve those goals, Aston Martin gets keys to Ford’s global array of advanced engineering, design and materials research, wind tunnels, dynos, Crays, etc., with full autonomy and no oversight. The company’s small production volume allows it to apply technology that Ford’s advanced research might learn about—things Fomoco can’t risk when tooling vehicles for production in the hundreds of thousands.
The other side of that coin: Within two years, AM expects to increase annual production to 5000, up from roughly 1200 in 2005, already 24 times as many as it built in ’92 (50). The V8 Vantage will account for 60 percent of the projected volume. It’s a plan full of promise and risk, but no one in Gaydon sounds anything less than confident.
“We are in a great place,” says Jeremy Main, development director. “We are expanding, but not too quickly. We understand our customers and can capture select new ones without alienating the old ones.”
NEARLY ALL OF ASTON MARTIN’S operations are now centralized on a campus shared with Jaguar and Range Rover at Britain’s Heritage Motor Center in Gaydon, which also hosts V8 Vantage production. The new facilities are crucial to a new process at AM.
Shown as a concept at the 2003 North American International Auto Show, the V8 Vantage went from approval to production in 34 months. That may not be the industry’s benchmark development time, but it’s lightning fast by Aston standards, and Main expects it to get shorter. With engineering, finance, production and marketing in one location, answers are never more than a walk away. Decisions can be made on the spot. More computer resources allow more math-modeling before prototypes are built.
“Aston Martin owners are devoted, but a DB9 is a fourth or fifth car that only occasionally goes out, and never in the rain,” Main says. “The Vantage is meant to be parked on the street with everything else. Put simply, it was built to be a daily driver, whether it actually becomes one or not.”
To that end, Main’s crew set some development hard points. The V8 Vantage had to be easy to drive, and linear in all its responses. It had to be easy to climb in and out of, with excellent visibility from the driver’s seat and a low intimidation factor. It needed space for a briefcase and other accoutrements behind the seats, with room for at least a couple of decent-sized suitcases. It had to be “safe,” measured by first-rate crash protection and advanced electronic driving aids. Finally, it had to be reliable.
Beyond the 911 and F430, Aston Martin benchmarked sedans like the Audi A8, and undertook an unprecedented development program. It built 78 prototypes (more than twice the production run for the ’77 Series One). It ran the 4.3-liter V8 three times longer on the dyno than the DB9’s V12, and accumulated more than a million development miles. Venues included the Nord-schleife in Germany, Nardo in Italy and the Arctic Circle in Sweden. Main’s favorite test was 12,000 miles near terminal velocity (published at 174 mph) on a public highway traversing Dubai, air conditioner running full-bore. Ambient temperature routinely approached 120 degrees, he says, while the V8 Vantage’s body surfaces cooked at 190.
ONLY ASTON MARTIN’S CLASSIC front-longitudinal engine allowed both the long hood proportions and the center of inertia that engineers wanted, according to Main. With all its cylinder bores behind the front axle, the V8 Vantage is by definition a mid-engine car. The transaxle is in the rear, connected to the V8 by a carbon fiber driveshaft in an aluminum torque tube. This creates 49/51 front/rear weight distribution, so engineers can tune for the ride/handling balance, rather than to compensate for an inherent imbalance.
At 172.5 inches, the V8 Vantage is three inches shorter than a 911 on a wheelbase 10 inches longer (102.4) and a track three inches wider. Its frame is a mix of extruded aluminum box sections, stamped floorpans and precision castings at key points like suspension attachments. The windshield header is a single aluminum casting, the door frames are magnesium. Everything is hot- or cold-bonded, aerospace style, with minimal application of self-piercing rivets and no conventional structural welds. Glue, the company says, allows cleaner production processes and better vibration-dampening properties than conventional welding.
The shape was penned by Henrik Fisker (best known for his BMW Z8), who has since left AM and gone independent. The panels are a mix of aluminum (doors and hood), steel (side panels and rear fenders) and resin composite (front fenders and rear hatch), all cold-bonded to the frame. The rear hatch allows easy access to storage behind the rear seats, and the cargo hold measures an impressive 10.6 cubic feet (compare with 4.76 cubic feet in the 911’s front compartment). For all the mass-trimming design in its frame and body, the V8 Vantage weighs 3461 pounds, or 330 pounds more than a Carrera S. That gives the 911 the better power-to-weight ratio and inspires a new appreciation for what Porsche does entirely with steel. That said, with 20,000 lb-ft of torque required to generate one degree of flex in the V8 Vantage frame, Main claims his car is far more rigid than anything in its class, including the F430.
The V8 Vantage is suspended with aluminum double wishbones and coil-over shocks front and rear. Even the shock casings are aluminum. The steering rack is solid-mounted and facing forward, race car style, and in imitable AM fashion, the brake rotors are grooved rather than cross-drilled. The grooves cool and clear water as well as holes do, according to Main, and more effectively clear brake dust.
Gaydon is a bit sensitive when it comes to the origin of the V8. Main concedes that it starts with a Jaguar (corporate) block and bore centers, but says the casting is slightly different and the machining entirely so. Every other part, including the heads, pistons and con rods, is unique to Aston Martin, and the company has its own engine assembly plant in Cologne, Germany.
AM’s 4.3-liter V8 features dry-sump lubrication, improving oiling under high g loads and lowering the engine’s mass such that the crank balancers rotate four inches above the ground (a thought lost on us on dirt roads in Wales). The 380 hp peaks at 7300 rpm. Peak torque (305 lb-ft) comes at 5000 rpm, but variable intake valve timing broadens the curve nicely. Main says 85 percent is available from 1500 rpm. The V8 Vantage will be launched with only one transmission: a conventional six-speed manual.
GIVE THE PEOPLE IN GAYDON credit. Manufacturers tend to introduce high-performance cars to the press in as controlled a fashion as they can manage. That can mean a limited number of laps on a racetrack, a prescribed road route or even convoys. Aston Martin had enough faith in its work to hand over the keys to a left-drive V8 Vantage and say, “See you in 48 hours.” Naturally, good sense and decorum demanded some close pre-drive inspection.
From its sneering, bull-nose grille back, the V8 Vantage shows absolutely no equivocation as to what it is. The bright red brake calipers are trick, as are the cantilevered side mirrors, though we can’t fathom why the thin struts aren’t painted to match the car. The V8 Vantage has a more obvious handcrafted quality than a 911, seen in the details: the complexity of curves in the front fenders, the wire mesh screens behind the front wheel wells, or the way the hood stretches all the way to the top of the grille, with no filler in between.
The same applies inside, only more so. The cockpit impresses, not necessarily for its ergonomic perfection (it’s not bad that way, either), but for the feeling it inspires. It surrounds you with a sense of achievement, well-being, even wealth, and there’s not a shred of carbon fiber anywhere. The headliner is Alcantara; the balance of the soft panels, including the dash, is in hand-stitched leather. The seatbelt buckles are sheathed in leather, and the three climate-control ***** are machined from solid aluminum. Main claims the polished aluminum ring around the shifter costs more to make than the full instrument panel in a typical compact car.
The glass start button resembles the face of a good watch, right in the middle of the V8 Vantage’s center stack. It glows red when ignition is switched on, and blue-green when the V8 fires. The burbling idle sounds pleasant enough from the cockpit, much better from outside.
So it began. It continued through two 20.2-gallon tanks of petrol ($5-plus per gallon), over heck and half of Wales: on the motorway and tracing some of the most amazing two-lanes, often deserted, narrower than some driveways and glass-smooth.
And yes, there were off-road excursions in search of the mythical perfect photo backdrop—through weedy fields and up farm trails. Add long periods of idling, repeated starts and stops, reverse, forward, reverse, forward, inches at a time, positioning between boulders. It was treatment no owner is likely to subject a car to, and the V8 Vantage never missed a beat. The temperature gauge never moved past center, idle speed never wavered and the clutch never overheated. Another wash-and-wear hi-po sports car? So far, so good.
Visibility from the driver’s seat is good. The A-pillars are turned in a fashion that lets the driver see past their narrowest section. The rear glass is large, with no obstruction. The only blind spots lie through the rear roof pillars, and large side mirrors compensate well. The seats are firm and supportive, with all the bolster you’ll need, and comfortable for the long haul. Interior noise levels will not disturb at triple-digit speeds.
Oh, yeah. The go. Even with the seatback nearly bolt upright, none of Vantage’s long bonnet is visible from the wheel. On narrow Welsh roads it can feel pretty wide, and that’s a double-edged sword. It never feels less than planted, but at least through a significant learning period, placing the front tires demands some degree of faith.
The V8 Vantage exhilarates when given the spurs. Similarities to a 911 include an impressively tractable engine. While the V8 spins happily to nearly 8000 rpm, torque spurts freely almost from idle, to the point where gear selection during lazy drives is almost inconsequential. Yet AM’s V8 likes it best at the high end, where it delivers a more pronounced kick in the seat than the 911’s boxer six. It’s perceptibly smoother bouncing around near the rev limiter.
Aston Martin did nicely with its traction- and skid-control electronics. There are two modes: on or all the way off (handy when backing uphill on dirt roads). With the electronics engaged, there’s enough latitude to snap the tail a bit and countersteer before the engine throttles back.
The ride is hardly stiff—in our estimation, quite comfortable. Its steering is also exceptionally communicative. The Aston Martin may actually turn in more crisply than a 911, and its steering feels more linear, in that wheel angle remains more consistent to the amount of input lock-to-lock. It is inherently more neutral, too, less prone to tail-wagging. The V8 Vantage is sweetly balanced in the broadest sense. It’s not likely to blow anyone’s knickers off in any particular way (except, perhaps, with its looks), as a Vanquish S or even a Viper might. Nor is it likely to disappoint in any way, and a driver’s appreciation for its symmetry will grow as miles accumulate.
IN A PARKING LOT IN DOLGELLAU, Wales, an English tourist approached the car and bubbled: It’s gorgeous! Her husband has always aspired to an Aston Martin. Maybe some day… and how much is it? About £80,000. Oh. This must not be the one.
There is that, even if it’s hard to imagine how a $110,000 automobile might devalue a brand. And in the States, that price makes the V8 Vantage a relative bargain. At today’s exchange rates, the British retail price actually converts to $143,000, and U.S. cars could come with more standard equipment. Base content and option prices remain to be sorted, but the V8 Vantage will be available with a full complement of stuff, including heated seats, reverse sensors, HID headlights and nav system. The first European cars will be delivered in October; U.S. sales begin after the first of the year.
The Aston Martin V8 Vantage will play at least as well with well-heeled sports car enthusiasts as it does with sheep.
http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=103179
but still not as good as the DB9 & Vanquish S .
09-19-05, 10:32 AM
#7
Speaks French in Russian
Thread Starter
Jeremy Clarkson Review
And from your favorite reviewer of all time JEREMY CLARKSON!!!
Aston Martin V8 Vantage
What with the bombs and everything, we haven’t really learnt much about Britain’s big Olympic sports day. It’s almost as though the whole thing has simply gone away.
But don’t worry. Behind the headlines, the organisers are hard at work and have already made one important decision. These will be a low-carbon, sustainable, public transport Games with no provision for any car parking whatsoever at any of the major sites.
Can you believe that? No, really. Can you honestly believe that with all the things that need to be achieved in the next seven years, the powers that be have decided that global warming is somehow the most important issue.
“Right. We need to compulsorily purchase half of east London, we need to bulldoze it, we need to get some stadiums designed, we need to find some steel that isn’t on its way to Shanghai, we need to build a whole village for the athletes and we need to ensure nobody explodes. But first things first, comrades. Are we all agreed that these Games should be car-free?” Don’t these idiots remember the Millennium Dome? Over the years, many inquiring minds have speculated on why this billion-pound umbrella failed. But there’s only one reason, really. Even if you wanted to see the multi-faith exhibits and learn how a turd was made, you couldn’t get there. Because there was no car park.
Of course, those in charge of the Olympics will say that the Games give us a chance to show the world that London is a shining beacon of environmental responsibility . . . in the same way that London was a shining beacon of multiculturalism, right up to the moment when a small group of deranged Muslims started blowing themselves up on Tube trains.
The Olympics are a test designed to quantify and celebrate human physical achievement. They are not an opportunity for a bunch of stupid, left-wing, weird-beard failures to make political points.
I make this prediction now. The woolly-pully brigade will be so busy over the next seven years ensuring that the Games are eco-friendly that they’ll forget to build a running track. And the health and safety department will outlaw the swimming pool on the basis that someone might drown.
This will make Britain a laughing stock in the eyes of the whole world, so consequently we must quickly find something else to crow about. And that brings me neatly on to the Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
In the past few weeks this new car has been subjected to a torrent of crowing as various motoring correspondents have vomited eulogies onto the page. But I’m afraid that I must be the voice of reason here.
First of all, Aston Martin is owned by the Americans and run by a German whose most recent decision saw engine production being moved from Newport Pagnell to Cologne. So it’s about as British as Budweiser.
And then there’s the price. At £80,000, the Vantage is £20,000 more than was originally suggested and, crucially, £20,000 more than the car with which it was designed to compete: the Porsche 911.
Of course, with a three-year waiting list, the Aston is unlikely to depreciate much, so that makes the premium more palatable. And that leaves us with the next problem. A lack of power.
Eventually there will be a faster version called the Vantage Vantage probably, or the Vantage Squared, but for now, when you change down and pull out to overtake, the baby Aston accelerates briskly but with none of the savagery you might have been expecting. It’s fast. But it’s not blistering.
The engine starts out in life as a 4.2 litre Jaguar V8 but is then extensively reworked to become a 4.3 that churns out 380bhp and 302 torques. This isn’t enough. It’s less torque than you get from a Mercedes SLK, less bhp and torque than you get from a Vauxhall Monaro. And more worryingly it’s less bhp and torque than you’ll get from the next Jaguar XK, which will be cheaper as well. And just as beautiful.
Annoyingly, with a 4.3 litre V8 allied to a chassis made from air and a body fashioned from the froth on a cappuccino, the Vantage could have been really quick, cartoon quick, fast enough to fan a forest fire with its wake. But if they’d done that, why would anyone have spent about £20,000 more on a DB9? It’s not like the Vantage is different in any other way. Apart from the lack of back seats, the new V8 has exactly the same Volvo sat nav system as the DB9, exactly the same hard-to-read dash as the DB9 and exactly the same Ford trim as the DB9.
In other words, like the DB9, the Vantage was built using whatever the Aston engineers could get their hands on cheaply. As opposed to the 911, which was built using whatever took the Porsche engineers’ fancy.
I’m sorry if this all sounds negative but I’m being realistic here. And I’m also being realistic when I tell you that in a straight fight, on any road or track, the 911 will be faster. Not just because of its superior grunt but also because it brakes better, steers better and corners more confidently.
But, and this is what makes cars such fun to write about, given the choice of a Porsche 911 or a V8 Vantage, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment. I’d buy the Aston.
While it may not be as nippy or as thrilling as the 911, it has a he-man feel on the road that I like. Thanks to heavy steering, heavy brakes and a heavy six-speed manual gearbox, they’ve made the syllabub-light body feel like a meat pie. The 911 is for nancy boy racing drivers. The Aston’s for gentleman thugs.
That said, it’s by no means uncomfortable. Be in no doubt that it’s a firm car, designed for the bends, but the suspension never gets panicked by ridges and potholes in the same way that it does in, say, a Mercedes SL. It’s always controlled. Down. Up. Stop.
And then there’s the noise. Oh my God. What a soundtrack. From inside, all is quiet and serene. At normal speed, when the European Union testing people are listening, all is quiet and serene.
But put your foot down and a little valve in the exhaust system changes everything. Under full-bore acceleration, this car doesn’t rumble or howl. It sounds like all the most exciting bits of the Bible. It sounds like Revelation.
And it’s just so loud. When my wife went for a spin on a balmy summer’s evening, I heard her change from fourth to fifth a full two miles away.
A Porsche may well have the power and agility to get past, but stuck in the sonic boom from those exhausts, I suspect the German car would probably disintegrate before it ever got the chance.
The way it sounds is a good enough reason to buy the Vantage but there’s more: the way it looks.
This, of course, is the Aston party trick. A Vanquish is so pretty you overlook the fact its flappy paddle gearbox is useless. A DB9 is so pretty you overlook the fact it goes wrong quite a lot. And now we have the V8, which is so pretty you overlook the fact it’s not quite as good as a 911.
In the same way you’d overlook the undoubted charms of Cherie Blair with her law degree and her international connections for a chance to spend the night with — I was going to say Jordan, but I think Keira Knightley is a bit nearer the mark somehow.
Oh and one more thing. The amount of global-warming carbon dioxide produced by the Aston’s big V8 is roughly equivalent to the amount produced by a dozen sprinters in a 100m race. Just thought I’d mention it.
VITAL STATISTICS
Model Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Engine 4300cc, eight cylinders
Power 380bhp @ 7300rpm
Torque 302 lb ft @ 5000rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel 16.2mpg
CO2 406g/km
Acceleration 0-60mph: 4.9sec
Top speed 175mph
Price £79,995
Rating 4/5
Verdict Looks better than it drives
Aston Martin V8 Vantage
What with the bombs and everything, we haven’t really learnt much about Britain’s big Olympic sports day. It’s almost as though the whole thing has simply gone away.
But don’t worry. Behind the headlines, the organisers are hard at work and have already made one important decision. These will be a low-carbon, sustainable, public transport Games with no provision for any car parking whatsoever at any of the major sites.
Can you believe that? No, really. Can you honestly believe that with all the things that need to be achieved in the next seven years, the powers that be have decided that global warming is somehow the most important issue.
“Right. We need to compulsorily purchase half of east London, we need to bulldoze it, we need to get some stadiums designed, we need to find some steel that isn’t on its way to Shanghai, we need to build a whole village for the athletes and we need to ensure nobody explodes. But first things first, comrades. Are we all agreed that these Games should be car-free?” Don’t these idiots remember the Millennium Dome? Over the years, many inquiring minds have speculated on why this billion-pound umbrella failed. But there’s only one reason, really. Even if you wanted to see the multi-faith exhibits and learn how a turd was made, you couldn’t get there. Because there was no car park.
Of course, those in charge of the Olympics will say that the Games give us a chance to show the world that London is a shining beacon of environmental responsibility . . . in the same way that London was a shining beacon of multiculturalism, right up to the moment when a small group of deranged Muslims started blowing themselves up on Tube trains.
The Olympics are a test designed to quantify and celebrate human physical achievement. They are not an opportunity for a bunch of stupid, left-wing, weird-beard failures to make political points.
I make this prediction now. The woolly-pully brigade will be so busy over the next seven years ensuring that the Games are eco-friendly that they’ll forget to build a running track. And the health and safety department will outlaw the swimming pool on the basis that someone might drown.
This will make Britain a laughing stock in the eyes of the whole world, so consequently we must quickly find something else to crow about. And that brings me neatly on to the Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
In the past few weeks this new car has been subjected to a torrent of crowing as various motoring correspondents have vomited eulogies onto the page. But I’m afraid that I must be the voice of reason here.
First of all, Aston Martin is owned by the Americans and run by a German whose most recent decision saw engine production being moved from Newport Pagnell to Cologne. So it’s about as British as Budweiser.
And then there’s the price. At £80,000, the Vantage is £20,000 more than was originally suggested and, crucially, £20,000 more than the car with which it was designed to compete: the Porsche 911.
Of course, with a three-year waiting list, the Aston is unlikely to depreciate much, so that makes the premium more palatable. And that leaves us with the next problem. A lack of power.
Eventually there will be a faster version called the Vantage Vantage probably, or the Vantage Squared, but for now, when you change down and pull out to overtake, the baby Aston accelerates briskly but with none of the savagery you might have been expecting. It’s fast. But it’s not blistering.
The engine starts out in life as a 4.2 litre Jaguar V8 but is then extensively reworked to become a 4.3 that churns out 380bhp and 302 torques. This isn’t enough. It’s less torque than you get from a Mercedes SLK, less bhp and torque than you get from a Vauxhall Monaro. And more worryingly it’s less bhp and torque than you’ll get from the next Jaguar XK, which will be cheaper as well. And just as beautiful.
Annoyingly, with a 4.3 litre V8 allied to a chassis made from air and a body fashioned from the froth on a cappuccino, the Vantage could have been really quick, cartoon quick, fast enough to fan a forest fire with its wake. But if they’d done that, why would anyone have spent about £20,000 more on a DB9? It’s not like the Vantage is different in any other way. Apart from the lack of back seats, the new V8 has exactly the same Volvo sat nav system as the DB9, exactly the same hard-to-read dash as the DB9 and exactly the same Ford trim as the DB9.
In other words, like the DB9, the Vantage was built using whatever the Aston engineers could get their hands on cheaply. As opposed to the 911, which was built using whatever took the Porsche engineers’ fancy.
I’m sorry if this all sounds negative but I’m being realistic here. And I’m also being realistic when I tell you that in a straight fight, on any road or track, the 911 will be faster. Not just because of its superior grunt but also because it brakes better, steers better and corners more confidently.
But, and this is what makes cars such fun to write about, given the choice of a Porsche 911 or a V8 Vantage, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment. I’d buy the Aston.
While it may not be as nippy or as thrilling as the 911, it has a he-man feel on the road that I like. Thanks to heavy steering, heavy brakes and a heavy six-speed manual gearbox, they’ve made the syllabub-light body feel like a meat pie. The 911 is for nancy boy racing drivers. The Aston’s for gentleman thugs.
That said, it’s by no means uncomfortable. Be in no doubt that it’s a firm car, designed for the bends, but the suspension never gets panicked by ridges and potholes in the same way that it does in, say, a Mercedes SL. It’s always controlled. Down. Up. Stop.
And then there’s the noise. Oh my God. What a soundtrack. From inside, all is quiet and serene. At normal speed, when the European Union testing people are listening, all is quiet and serene.
But put your foot down and a little valve in the exhaust system changes everything. Under full-bore acceleration, this car doesn’t rumble or howl. It sounds like all the most exciting bits of the Bible. It sounds like Revelation.
And it’s just so loud. When my wife went for a spin on a balmy summer’s evening, I heard her change from fourth to fifth a full two miles away.
A Porsche may well have the power and agility to get past, but stuck in the sonic boom from those exhausts, I suspect the German car would probably disintegrate before it ever got the chance.
The way it sounds is a good enough reason to buy the Vantage but there’s more: the way it looks.
This, of course, is the Aston party trick. A Vanquish is so pretty you overlook the fact its flappy paddle gearbox is useless. A DB9 is so pretty you overlook the fact it goes wrong quite a lot. And now we have the V8, which is so pretty you overlook the fact it’s not quite as good as a 911.
In the same way you’d overlook the undoubted charms of Cherie Blair with her law degree and her international connections for a chance to spend the night with — I was going to say Jordan, but I think Keira Knightley is a bit nearer the mark somehow.
Oh and one more thing. The amount of global-warming carbon dioxide produced by the Aston’s big V8 is roughly equivalent to the amount produced by a dozen sprinters in a 100m race. Just thought I’d mention it.
VITAL STATISTICS
Model Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Engine 4300cc, eight cylinders
Power 380bhp @ 7300rpm
Torque 302 lb ft @ 5000rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel 16.2mpg
CO2 406g/km
Acceleration 0-60mph: 4.9sec
Top speed 175mph
Price £79,995
Rating 4/5
Verdict Looks better than it drives
Trending Topics
09-21-05, 05:27 PM
#8
Super Moderator
Edmunds :
Aston Martin Targets the Porsche 911 Carrera Headline
By Alistair Weaver
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Porsche must be feeling rather chuffed right now. Aston Martin, that eccentrically English marque, has just unleashed the V8 Vantage, a car that pays homage to the seminal 911. The engine is in the front, not the rear, but conceptually, this small, everyday sport coupe is a match for the Porsche.
The similarities are far from coincidental. Aston Martin's CEO, Dr. Ulrich Bez, used to work for Porsche and it was under his watch that the 993 was produced, the car that most 911 fanatics regard as the finest of the breed. Bez is therefore better placed than most to take on the latest incarnation, the mighty 997.
Designed to sit below the DB9 in the Aston lineup, the V8 Vantage will cost from $110,000, although the price could rise as high as $120,000 by the time desirable options such as a navigation system and full leather trim are added. That's about $20,000 more than a fully loaded 911 Carrera S, but Aston buyers will be assured of greater exclusivity.
Aston will build just 2,000 Vantages each year in its factory in Gaydon, England. For many, this alone will be enough to tempt them toward the winged badge, and Aston's order books are full for the next two years.
A Supermodel Supercar
And if the extreme exclusivity isn't enough, just look at the thing. The new Vantage is possibly the only car in the world that can make the gorgeous DB9 look less than perfect. The basic silhouette and most of the design details are shared between the two — this car couldn't be anything other than a contemporary Aston Martin — but the Vantage still manages to assert its own identity.
It's shorter, squarer and tauter than the DB9 and the basic proportions are even better. Aston likes to suggest that it has the looks of an athlete in Lycra and for once, the marketing mumbo jumbo is spot on. You could park this car on your driveway and call it an ornament.
A Volante (convertible) version of the Vantage is in development, but the hardtop's lines are so right we almost wish Aston wouldn't go there.
The V8 Heart of the Vantage
The Aston's firepower comes courtesy of a 4.3-liter V8 engine that's built in Germany. Don't even begin to suggest that this is a version of Jaguar's V8 unless you want to incur the CEO's wrath. Although a handful of components, such as the variable valve timing system, are shared between the two, Bez is adamant that this is a bespoke Aston design. And there is plenty of evidence to support his claims — even the block is different.
The V8's output is also way beyond that of any normally aspirated Jag. This motor troubles the dyno with 380 horsepower at 7,300 rpm and 302 pound-feet of torque at 5,000 rpm. These figures are impressive — a 911 Carrera S produces 355 hp and 295 lb-ft — but at a hefty 3,483 pounds, the Aston weighs 331 pounds more than the Porsche. The Vantage's all-important power-to-weight ratio is therefore marginally inferior to that of the German.
Bez was anxious that the Vantage should have a different character to the DB9 and Vanquish, and much of this is derived from the engine note. The V12s fitted to the larger cars produce deep, melodious symphonies. The V8, by contrast, is more highly strung and more urgent. The deep bass burble gives way to a baritone cry.
It sounds very different, but that's no bad thing. At cruising speeds, it's quiet enough to be civilized, but open the throttle at 4,000 rpm and the variable valve timing, coupled with the opening of an exhaust valve, turns up the volume by several hundred percent. On the open road, you will hear a V8 Vantage coming long before you see it. Inside the cabin, the noise doesn't sound quite as rich as a 911's, but it's certainly charismatic. No BMW ever sounded this good.
The Aston is a heavy car and at first acquaintance it doesn't feel as rapid as Aston's figures of zero to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and a 175-mph top speed suggest. You need to rev this engine hard to deliver its best, the instantaneous low-down thrust associated with the V12 is lacking. But to drive it hard is to discover the depth of its talent.
To do this, you must make violent use of the six-speed manual gearbox, which transfers the power through a carbon-fiber driveshaft to a limited-slip differential. The shifter is well located and although it's not super-quick, it's less notchy than a 911's. A light clutch is indicative of the Aston's everyday appeal.
If you're left-foot-challenged, Aston will introduce a clutchless manual version of the V8 next year.
Front-Midengined Purity
By introducing a dry sump oil system, Aston's engineers have been able to mount the engine low in the chassis. It also sits behind the front axle so this is very much a front-midengined car. The weight distribution is an encouraging 49-to-51 front to rear.
On the road, this makes a tremendous difference. While the DB9 always feels as though it's pivoting about its nose, the Vantage turns in much more crisply than its big brother and it's also much, much more agile. This car is pointy like no Aston before it, and this characteristic is enhanced by steering that's better weighted than a DB9's. A 911's steering is even more communicative and its chassis a little more responsive, but the Vantage is far from disgraced in its company.
Aston's engineers were stung by criticism of the DB9's ride quality and they've responded with a better setup for the V8. Although this is officially the most sporting interpretation of the brand, it actually rides better than the DB9. It never feels less than firm compared with, for example, a Jaguar XKR, but the high-speed body control is excellent.
Eighteen-inch wheels are standard, but our test car rode on optional 19-inch rims and Bridgestone rubber sized 235/40ZR19 front and 275/35ZR19 rear. The first production models will be highly specified and feature the 19-inch rims. Aston also expects most customers to opt for these in the future and much of the development work was focused on the 19-inch option.
The brakes, which consist of four four-piston calipers and four vented and grooved steel discs (14-inch diameter in front and 13-inch diameter in the rear), offer plenty of feel and although the pedal isn't as firm as some enthusiasts might like, it's easy to modulate the pressure. Ceramic brakes aren't even an option at present, although Aston is considering introducing such a system on the next-generation Vanquish.
A Bespoke Cabin of Beauty
Aston's contemporary cabins are a world away from those of yesteryear, which were a patchwork of parts pinched from Ford. The new Vantage shares its fascia architecture with the more expensive DB9. The exquisite instrument cluster remains and so does the crystal starter button that glows red when engaged. There are few obvious signs that the Vantage cabin has been detuned relative to that of the DB9. Fanatics might spot that the stereo is no longer made by Linn, but there's little else to complain about.
Indeed, some of the detailing in the Vantage is actually ahead of the early DB9. Aluminum heater controls, for example, have replaced the cheap-feeling plastic alternatives. The fit and finish of these early cars also suggests that Aston has learned some important lessons of late. A 911 might still feel marginally better built, but its Teutonic cabin lacks the charismatic appeal of the Aston's. This Vantage feels like an expensive, high-quality object.
There really is little to criticize. The center console is still packed with too many identical buttons that have been arranged without recourse to ergonomic theory. The switches for the interior lights, for example, reside alongside those for the (optional) satellite navigation system. Tall drivers might also find that the Recaro-sourced seats lack under-thigh support, but at least the wheel moves in four directions to help optimize the driving position.
The only real evidence of parts-bin plundering concerns the key, which mixes Volvo with Ford. Bez reckons that he'd rather "spend 1 million pounds on 10 more horsepower than a new key," but it's a shame that the most tactile element of the whole car is also its weakest link.
Whereas the DB9 has a couple of token rear seats suitable only for go-faster babies, the Vantage is a strict two-seater. The shelf behind the seats is reserved for bags and complements the well-shaped 10.6-cubic-foot trunk. Access to the latter is aided by the Vantage's hatchback rear door, but Aston's claim that it can accommodate two sets of golf clubs must be taken with more than a pinch of salt.
More pics HERE
By Alistair Weaver
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Porsche must be feeling rather chuffed right now. Aston Martin, that eccentrically English marque, has just unleashed the V8 Vantage, a car that pays homage to the seminal 911. The engine is in the front, not the rear, but conceptually, this small, everyday sport coupe is a match for the Porsche.
The similarities are far from coincidental. Aston Martin's CEO, Dr. Ulrich Bez, used to work for Porsche and it was under his watch that the 993 was produced, the car that most 911 fanatics regard as the finest of the breed. Bez is therefore better placed than most to take on the latest incarnation, the mighty 997.
Designed to sit below the DB9 in the Aston lineup, the V8 Vantage will cost from $110,000, although the price could rise as high as $120,000 by the time desirable options such as a navigation system and full leather trim are added. That's about $20,000 more than a fully loaded 911 Carrera S, but Aston buyers will be assured of greater exclusivity.
Aston will build just 2,000 Vantages each year in its factory in Gaydon, England. For many, this alone will be enough to tempt them toward the winged badge, and Aston's order books are full for the next two years.
A Supermodel Supercar
And if the extreme exclusivity isn't enough, just look at the thing. The new Vantage is possibly the only car in the world that can make the gorgeous DB9 look less than perfect. The basic silhouette and most of the design details are shared between the two — this car couldn't be anything other than a contemporary Aston Martin — but the Vantage still manages to assert its own identity.
It's shorter, squarer and tauter than the DB9 and the basic proportions are even better. Aston likes to suggest that it has the looks of an athlete in Lycra and for once, the marketing mumbo jumbo is spot on. You could park this car on your driveway and call it an ornament.
A Volante (convertible) version of the Vantage is in development, but the hardtop's lines are so right we almost wish Aston wouldn't go there.
The V8 Heart of the Vantage
The Aston's firepower comes courtesy of a 4.3-liter V8 engine that's built in Germany. Don't even begin to suggest that this is a version of Jaguar's V8 unless you want to incur the CEO's wrath. Although a handful of components, such as the variable valve timing system, are shared between the two, Bez is adamant that this is a bespoke Aston design. And there is plenty of evidence to support his claims — even the block is different.
The V8's output is also way beyond that of any normally aspirated Jag. This motor troubles the dyno with 380 horsepower at 7,300 rpm and 302 pound-feet of torque at 5,000 rpm. These figures are impressive — a 911 Carrera S produces 355 hp and 295 lb-ft — but at a hefty 3,483 pounds, the Aston weighs 331 pounds more than the Porsche. The Vantage's all-important power-to-weight ratio is therefore marginally inferior to that of the German.
Bez was anxious that the Vantage should have a different character to the DB9 and Vanquish, and much of this is derived from the engine note. The V12s fitted to the larger cars produce deep, melodious symphonies. The V8, by contrast, is more highly strung and more urgent. The deep bass burble gives way to a baritone cry.
It sounds very different, but that's no bad thing. At cruising speeds, it's quiet enough to be civilized, but open the throttle at 4,000 rpm and the variable valve timing, coupled with the opening of an exhaust valve, turns up the volume by several hundred percent. On the open road, you will hear a V8 Vantage coming long before you see it. Inside the cabin, the noise doesn't sound quite as rich as a 911's, but it's certainly charismatic. No BMW ever sounded this good.
The Aston is a heavy car and at first acquaintance it doesn't feel as rapid as Aston's figures of zero to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and a 175-mph top speed suggest. You need to rev this engine hard to deliver its best, the instantaneous low-down thrust associated with the V12 is lacking. But to drive it hard is to discover the depth of its talent.
To do this, you must make violent use of the six-speed manual gearbox, which transfers the power through a carbon-fiber driveshaft to a limited-slip differential. The shifter is well located and although it's not super-quick, it's less notchy than a 911's. A light clutch is indicative of the Aston's everyday appeal.
If you're left-foot-challenged, Aston will introduce a clutchless manual version of the V8 next year.
Front-Midengined Purity
By introducing a dry sump oil system, Aston's engineers have been able to mount the engine low in the chassis. It also sits behind the front axle so this is very much a front-midengined car. The weight distribution is an encouraging 49-to-51 front to rear.
On the road, this makes a tremendous difference. While the DB9 always feels as though it's pivoting about its nose, the Vantage turns in much more crisply than its big brother and it's also much, much more agile. This car is pointy like no Aston before it, and this characteristic is enhanced by steering that's better weighted than a DB9's. A 911's steering is even more communicative and its chassis a little more responsive, but the Vantage is far from disgraced in its company.
Aston's engineers were stung by criticism of the DB9's ride quality and they've responded with a better setup for the V8. Although this is officially the most sporting interpretation of the brand, it actually rides better than the DB9. It never feels less than firm compared with, for example, a Jaguar XKR, but the high-speed body control is excellent.
Eighteen-inch wheels are standard, but our test car rode on optional 19-inch rims and Bridgestone rubber sized 235/40ZR19 front and 275/35ZR19 rear. The first production models will be highly specified and feature the 19-inch rims. Aston also expects most customers to opt for these in the future and much of the development work was focused on the 19-inch option.
The brakes, which consist of four four-piston calipers and four vented and grooved steel discs (14-inch diameter in front and 13-inch diameter in the rear), offer plenty of feel and although the pedal isn't as firm as some enthusiasts might like, it's easy to modulate the pressure. Ceramic brakes aren't even an option at present, although Aston is considering introducing such a system on the next-generation Vanquish.
A Bespoke Cabin of Beauty
Aston's contemporary cabins are a world away from those of yesteryear, which were a patchwork of parts pinched from Ford. The new Vantage shares its fascia architecture with the more expensive DB9. The exquisite instrument cluster remains and so does the crystal starter button that glows red when engaged. There are few obvious signs that the Vantage cabin has been detuned relative to that of the DB9. Fanatics might spot that the stereo is no longer made by Linn, but there's little else to complain about.
Indeed, some of the detailing in the Vantage is actually ahead of the early DB9. Aluminum heater controls, for example, have replaced the cheap-feeling plastic alternatives. The fit and finish of these early cars also suggests that Aston has learned some important lessons of late. A 911 might still feel marginally better built, but its Teutonic cabin lacks the charismatic appeal of the Aston's. This Vantage feels like an expensive, high-quality object.
There really is little to criticize. The center console is still packed with too many identical buttons that have been arranged without recourse to ergonomic theory. The switches for the interior lights, for example, reside alongside those for the (optional) satellite navigation system. Tall drivers might also find that the Recaro-sourced seats lack under-thigh support, but at least the wheel moves in four directions to help optimize the driving position.
The only real evidence of parts-bin plundering concerns the key, which mixes Volvo with Ford. Bez reckons that he'd rather "spend 1 million pounds on 10 more horsepower than a new key," but it's a shame that the most tactile element of the whole car is also its weakest link.
Whereas the DB9 has a couple of token rear seats suitable only for go-faster babies, the Vantage is a strict two-seater. The shelf behind the seats is reserved for bags and complements the well-shaped 10.6-cubic-foot trunk. Access to the latter is aided by the Vantage's hatchback rear door, but Aston's claim that it can accommodate two sets of golf clubs must be taken with more than a pinch of salt.
More pics HERE
09-21-05, 07:33 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
I read the Autoweek story on the car they drove in Wales this morning, in the paper copy. One of the things the company stressed about this car was that unlike other A-M products (which the company knows are mostly garage queens except in nice weather) this one was purposely-designed as a daily driver.
Daily driver or not, I am still not sure that this car is worth tens of thousands of dollars more than the very similiar Jaguar XK-series, although the Aston grille is a lot nicer and doesn't have that open-mouth fish look the new Jag does. Both cars, in their respective traditions, have nice interiors....although the lack of wood in the new base-model Jag is inexplicable IMO.
Daily driver or not, I am still not sure that this car is worth tens of thousands of dollars more than the very similiar Jaguar XK-series, although the Aston grille is a lot nicer and doesn't have that open-mouth fish look the new Jag does. Both cars, in their respective traditions, have nice interiors....although the lack of wood in the new base-model Jag is inexplicable IMO.
09-22-05, 06:08 PM
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
Damn, so 911> this according to Clarkson and the Aston is tons more in price (its turbo price).
Thought, a 911 is too common, compared to this car. The 911 interior is so much improved, I am not blown away with the AStons in comparison. Its nice.
I dunno, what happened? I was really expecting to fall head over heels with this car.
Thought, a 911 is too common, compared to this car. The 911 interior is so much improved, I am not blown away with the AStons in comparison. Its nice.
I dunno, what happened? I was really expecting to fall head over heels with this car.
10-14-05, 12:22 AM
#15
Originally Posted by robshippy
Does anyone have a good contact at any Aston Martin dealership?
Does anyone know what it takes to get on a waiting list to get a Vantage V8?
Thanks,
Rob
Does anyone know what it takes to get on a waiting list to get a Vantage V8?
Thanks,
Rob
Personally, I'm in love with this car! Once I have the scratch to get myself one, you best believe i will! I'd be happily hand over 110K if I had it. I've always been a Porsche fan, but to me this is in a different league. I know the turbo has more hp, but the Vantage has waaaay more class, and enough stock hp to keep me content. If i want something that is retarded fast, I'll drop a 2JZ-GTE in my SC along with some other helpful modifications
