2019 Aston Martin Vantage

The new entry-level

Few auto companies manage to produce such consistently good-looking cars as does Aston Martin. Barring the strange decision that was the Cygnet (a Scion iQ minicar with an Aston grille), it is becoming increasingly hard to remember the last time the British sports-car specialist turned out something that wasn’t either handsome or gorgeous. It’s a streak that the new Vantage, set to go on sale early next year, definitely isn’t going to break.

Mechanically, little about the new car will surprise anyone familiar with its predecessor, although there have been some notable changes—chief among them the arrival of a new, Mercedes-AMG–sourced, twin-turbocharged V-8. But the design and mission both follow the same path as its long-lived predecessor, a car that managed to look remarkably fresh even at the end of its 12-year life span. This Vantage will continue as Aston’s entry-level model, being both smaller than the DB11 coupe and pitched more as a sports car than a grand tourer.

The Vantage sits on Aston’s new architecture—which uses a combination of bonded aluminum panels and extrusions—and shares some of its nonvisible parts with the DB11, although Aston says that 70 percent of the structure is specific to this model. The suspension is similar, with control arms at each corner and a three-stage adaptive-damper system. The rear-mounted transaxle is connected to the engine by a torque tube.

Although the proportions are little changed, the new Vantage is a few inches longer and wider than the old model, and the design has evolved considerably under Aston’s chief designer, Miles Nurnberger. The small headlights are pushed farther out, and a clamshell hood carries a substantial power bulge but no air vents. The grille has Aston’s familiar shape, with its surround integrating into the sizable front splitter. At the rear are narrow LED light units connected by a central light bar, as well as a complex rear diffuser. As with the DB11, Aston’s engineers are proud of being able to make a car that can offer aerodynamic stability at high speeds without the need for any active wings. The interior dimensions are tight, and the Vantage remains a strict two-seater. An overall length of just 175.8 inches makes it 10.8 inches shorter than the DB11 and about an inch shorter than a Porsche 911.

The cabin has undergone a much more substantial upgrade over the previous car, which had been feeling short on both gadgets and connectivity in recent years. Aston’s switch to a Mercedes-Benz electronic architecture has allowed for both a significant increase in equipment and a far more intuitive user interface. Much has come straight from Mercedes and arrives undisguised. Like the DB11, the Vantage has the same combined wiper and turn-signal stalk that you’ll find in any Mercedes, while the touch-sensitive pad and rotary knob located on the center console and used to work the infotainment system are equally familiar.

Yet it’s still definitely an Aston, with a snug seating position, a high beltline, and well-finished trim that is heavy on leather and carbon fiber. The Vantage also sports the same digital instrument cluster as the DB11.

The powertrain is largely the same one found in the DB11 V-8, with the AMG-built 4.0-liter V-8 receiving Vantage-specific software and modifications to mechanical bits such as engine mounts and the exhaust system. Power is sent to the rear wheels, with the initial cars all using an eight-speed ZF automatic transaxle. (The outgoing Vantage’s lunge-prone automated single-clutch Speedtronic gearbox won’t be missed.) Automatic versions will stick with the separate P, R, N, and D buttons instead of a more conventional shift lever. Don’t worry, as Aston CEO Andy Palmer has been promising for several years that there also will be a manual transmission, one with seven speeds that is set to follow later.

Aston quotes the exact same 503 horsepower and 498 lb-ft of torque as in the DB11, although the Vantage’s weight advantage—the factory-stated dry weight is just 3373 pounds with all available weight-saving options—should give it a performance advantage. Aston says the Vantage will hit 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds and go on to a top speed of 195 mph. The engine’s compact size also allows it to be set farther back, giving the car a claimed 50:50 weight distribution.

But the Vantage has been designed to deliver more than just straight-line speed, being the first Aston Martin to get a new electronically controlled locking differential that is touted as being much faster acting than a conventional mechanical limited-slip diff. Torque vectoring also will be standard. While we’ll have to wait to confirm it, Aston promises that the Vantage will feel more responsive than the already keen DB11 V-8.

The Vantage offers potential Aston Martin buyers big savings over the DB11, with the $153,081 base price undercutting the DB11 V-8 by just under $50,000—more than enough to buy something nice with more seats if you need such a car, too. Of course, there will be many ways to inflate that figure. Factory options include a Tech pack that adds blind-spot monitoring, an active park-assist system, power adjustment for the steering column, and glass switchgear. A Comfort pack will bring 16-way seat adjustment and seat heaters. Then there are the nearly unlimited paint and trim options available via special order. Customer deliveries of the new Vantage will begin next spring.