Circumstance retains stacking components towards me. I’m in a short-wheelbase, 656-hp, right-hand-drive sports activities automotive on the moist floor of an unfamiliar racetrack, and resulting from a communication breakdown, the soundness management is off. My trepidation runs excessive behind the wheel of the 2025 Aston Martin Vantage.
Observe session 1: Aston Martin Vantage Adjustable Traction Management
A well-meaning however momentarily misinformed Aston Martin technician tells me activating the Adjustable Traction Management system with a protracted press of the soundness management button on the middle console offers various ranges of not solely traction management but in addition stability management. I’ve chosen degree 3 considering it could add a bit extra stability intervention than the bottom degree 5. That’s fallacious. The system impacts the traction management by means of eight ranges however it turns off stability management.
I’d actually fairly have lively digital nannies on this slick course at Circuito Monteblanco outdoors of Seville, Spain.
In any other case, the automotive is within the default Sport mode that places the powertrain, steering, engine sound, and suspension of their mildest settings.
2025 Aston Martin Vantage
My apprehension shortly turns prescient. Heading out on the monitor, I instantly misjudge the grip, brake too late, and overcook the very first flip, placing two wheels off on a paved runoff space. Oops.
Time to train higher management as a result of this two-seat sports activities automotive has taken a large leap ahead in efficiency.
It begins with the engine, a well-known Mercedes-Benz AMG-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8. It spun up 503 hp within the outgoing Vantage, however right here it rumbles to the tune of 656 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. Aston Martin engineers have wrought extra energy out of the Mercedes engine by teaming greater turbos with a decrease compression ratio, new cam profiles, and higher cooling. The modifications produce 30% extra hp and 15% extra torque.
The engine sends its energy to a ZF 8-speed computerized rear transaxle that’s been up to date with shorter shift occasions, and all of it flows by means of a shorter 3.08:1 ultimate drive ratio to enhance throttle response. An digital limited-slip differential apportions the facility between the rear wheels.
Harnessing all that energy proves troublesome within the moist, however I handle to maintain the automotive between the strains for the remainder of the run. It requires a fragile throttle pedal as a result of the facility comes on pretty early, with peak torque arriving at 2,750 rpm. From there, it builds shortly to the 7,000 rpm redline. This automotive rockets from 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds, in keeping with Aston Martin, so I can’t get to full throttle wherever however within the lengthy straight of this roughly 2.1-mile monitor. Even easing into the throttle within the moist, the engine has sufficient gusto to get the automotive as much as 156 mph within the 0.6-mile straight.
Between the facility and slick traction, I slip and slide by means of this session. The ability creates sufficient velocity to make braking an journey find grip and sustaining stability. Braking resistance comes on shortly within the pedal journey however with out a commensurate quantity of stopping energy. It feels picket at first, however from that first resistance it’s simple to modulate the chew in small increments. It’s seemingly why I missed that first nook, however I quickly get used to it and I’ve no additional issues.
I not solely slide the automotive by means of the corners but in addition battle a bent for the rear finish to come back round—simply as I suspected. I am going simple sufficient on it to forestall a spin, however just a few spins amongst my fellow journalists present the Vantage desires to oversteer on the restrict, and that restrict is fairly simple to achieve within the moist. Aston Martin says the brand new Vantage has 12% much less understeer (as measured on a skidpad) than the final mannequin. Perhaps that’s why it desires to oversteer. I’m trying ahead to dry circumstances to see if it nonetheless desires to spin.
2025 Aston Martin Vantage
2025 Aston Martin Vantage
2025 Aston Martin Vantage
Observe session 2: Aston Martin Vantage Sport mode
Intermittent cloud bursts have made numerous areas of the monitor moist once more, so this time I’m going with the relative safety of the default Sport mode with full traction and stability management.
A few of areas of the monitor are dry this time round, and I begin to get a really feel for the Vantage’s fairly adept dealing with.
The Vantage isn’t new for 2025, however it’s considerably up to date from the redesigned 2019 Vantage. Its front-mid-engine structure carries over with a rear transaxle and rear-wheel drive to provide the automotive an ideal 50:50 front-to-rear weight steadiness.
The bonded aluminum structure additionally carries over, however Aston Martin’s engineers have strengthened it each general and in key areas. They moved the entrance physique crossmember rearward to extend the stiffness for the mounting factors of the double-wishbone entrance suspension. Additionally they added a stiffer and lighter entrance suspension cross brace and reworked the shear panel beneath the engine. Chief engineer Simon Newton instructed Motor Authority that the modifications enhance lateral stiffness by 100% on the entrance crossmember and suspension mounting factors, and general stiffness is up by about 5%.
Aston Martin additionally units the automotive on a lot wider wheels and tires. It now rides on 275/35R21 entrance and 325/30R21 rear tires mounted on 9.5-inch huge entrance and 11.5-inch huge tires. Aston Martin labored with Michelin to create a bespoke set of Pilot Sport S 5 summer season tires. The entrance tires are 20 mm wider and the rears get 30 mm wider. Aston offsets the additional weight of all that rubber by making the wheels from solid aluminum.
The Vantage feels notably stiffer than the final mannequin, with a trip high quality that claims sports activities automotive greater than grand tourer. A stiffer steering column, firmer bushings, faster-acting adaptive dampers with larger efficiency functionality, and a fast 12.8:1 steering ratio contribute to sharp turn-in response. The steering additionally sports activities some welcome heft and a steady on-center really feel.
Nonetheless, this monitor isn’t dry sufficient, and Sport mode doesn’t maximize efficiency sufficient to permit me to strategy the automotive’s velocity and dealing with limits.
2025 Aston Martin Vantage
2025 Aston Martin Vantage
2025 Aston Martin Vantage
Observe session 3: Aston Martin Vantage Particular person mode
This time I select the Particular person driving mode and the soundness management’s Observe setting, which requires a five-second press of the soundness management button (holding it longer, or a second lengthy press, prompts Adjustable Traction Management). Aston Martin has programmed Particular person for what I’d contemplate the best driving parameters (effectively, virtually): the powertrain at its most excessive Observe setting, the dampers at their softest Sport setting to maintain the tires on the monitor in bumpy areas, the exhaust to its loudest Sport+ setting, and the steering to the lighter Sport setting (I’d really selected the firmer Sport+ for extra mid-corner stability).
The tarmac has dried up for my third run, I’ve discovered the monitor structure, and I’m used to driving on the right-hand aspect. This time I wish to get probably the most out of the automotive, and I quickly discover it has lots to provide.
Aston Martin makes positive the virtually extreme quantity of rubber stays on the pavement by means of corners with -1.5 levels of entrance camber and -1.7 levels of rear camber. The bespoke tires boast great grip that raises the speeds the Vantage can handle by means of turns. The 50:50 weight steadiness offers usually impartial dealing with, however I’m nonetheless cautious to ease into the throttle at nook exit to forestall oversteer.
I am going exhausting, although, and it appears like I must attempt to kick out the tail with sudden inputs or extra throttle. It’s simple sufficient to handle because the steering offers wonderful suggestions about what these tires are doing, and the digital limited-slip differential types out the facility and traction steadiness to vault the Vantage from one nook to the subsequent.
Aston doesn’t must resort to superior applied sciences like lively anti-roll bars or rear-wheel steering to get probably the most out of the dealing with. The low-slung, agency suspension retains the automotive’s angle lots flat in turns and the brief wheelbase doesn’t have to get any shorter for fast reactions and crisp rotation.
Extra assured placing the facility down when exiting the final nook, I get a greater run by means of the entrance straight and take the highest velocity as much as 161 mph. The Mercedes V-8 actually makes this child cook dinner, and on an extended straight it could be able to reaching 202 mph, in keeping with Aston Martin.
I do run into one slight drawback, although. With 20 journalists working three 20-minute classes, every automotive has been on the monitor all day and seen maybe 50 laps, greater than 100 miles, of exhausting driving, so the brakes have taken fairly a beating. The monitor automobiles are outfitted with carbon-ceramic 16.1-inch entrance rotors with 6-piston calipers and 14.2-inch rear rotors with 4-piston calipers. The entrance rotors are barely greater than the usual 15.7-inch iron brakes, however they nonetheless can’t fairly deal with all that abuse.
Halfway by means of my final session the brake pedal goes gentle when braking from 160-plus mph to about 50 mph heading into flip 1. It nonetheless slows me down and the pedal quickly comes again, however I’m extra cautious for the remainder of the run and another drivers are having points as effectively. Carbon-ceramics dissipate warmth extremely effectively, however Aston’s chosen brake fluid merely can’t deal with this a lot monitor time. Most monitor days aren’t normally this lengthy with speeds this excessive, and a greater fluid would seemingly forestall the difficulty, so it’s not price worrying about.
2025 Aston Martin Vantage
2025 Aston Martin Vantage
2025 Aston Martin Vantage
Aston Martin Vantage street drive
Beneath CEO Lance Stoll Aston Martin goals to go even additional upmarket, with not solely efficiency on par with Ferrari and McLaren however luxurious within the vein of Rolls-Royce and Bentley. A street drive reveals that whereas the efficiency is on the mark, luxurious isn’t, and I don’t suppose it needs to be.
Rolls and Bentley hand-craft probably the most stunning automotive interiors on the planet, and the Vantage’s cockpit merely can’t measure up. It comes normal with comfy and supportive heated sport seats, implausible haircell leather-based upholstery (which exhibits the hair follicles), Alcantara instrument panel trim, and satin chrome inside jewellery. My check automotive switches out the Alcantara IP trim for carbon-fiber and provides Alcantara seat inserts. It’s all elegantly designed and effectively assembled, however it doesn’t attain Rolls and Bentley ranges.
2025 Aston Martin Vantage
2025 Aston Martin Vantage
2025 Aston Martin Vantage
Neither does the sound deadening. The Vantage permits a number of street noise from these huge rollers, which additionally doesn’t scream luxurious however is acceptable for a sports activities automotive. Apart from, I wish to hear the deep rumble of the V-8, in addition to the pops and crackles on overrun in Sport+ and Observe modes.
The cabin additionally contains a new infotainment system developed in-house and teamed with a ten.3-inch touchscreen. On condition that my drive consists of monitor time and twisty roads, I don’t pay a lot consideration to how effectively the system works, however I do discover that it has small app icons and it appears to take a beat to react to inputs. It’s seemingly an enchancment over the outdated Mercedes-based system, however it’s not as fast or seemingly as deep as at present’s finest methods.
2025 Aston Martin Vantage
However the Vantage isn’t about infotainment. It’s about driving leisure, and it delivers on that in spades. It takes a quantum leap during the last mannequin in energy, grip, and monitor prowess, and it seems to be higher, too. Priced from $191,000 earlier than vacation spot, the 2025 Aston Martin Vantage offers a well-balanced, front-engine various to the likes of the rear-engine Porsche 911 Turbo and mid-engine Chevy Corvette Z06, and it does so with an enthralling British magnificence. The brand new Vantage needs to be approached with respect, however it’s rattling enjoyable build up the boldness to harness its expanded efficiency envelope, even should you’re driving within the moist on the fallacious aspect of the automotive.
Aston Martin paid for journey, lodging, and monitor time for Motor Authority to have a blast sliding round within the new Vantage.
