Aston Martin V12 Vantage S 2016 Review

Aston Martin V12 Vantage S manual
First Drive
Gaydon, UK

The big news here is the addition of a stick and three pedals, which seems an anachronism -- a vinyl LP in a digital, cloud-streaming world. That's apt, as the Aston Martin Vantage itself is ancient. Its rivals are on their second and third generations since the Vantage was introduced back in 2005 in V8 form. Aston Martin shoehorned its V12 under the bonnet in 2009, but mere dates no longer matter. The V12 Vantage S still looks sensational with its classical Aston curves mixing with a pugilist’s pout and confident strut. The Vantage has always been a physical car, and Aston has just made it more so.

Let’s get something out of the way from the start. There are faster, more accomplished sports cars out there. Much faster and far more accomplished.

Indeed, we’ve always had to make excuses for the Aston Martin Vantage, but that’s always been part of the model’s (and some would say, brand’s) enormous appeal. It’s far from perfect.

For starters, its instruments have been all but unreadable since the car was introduced in 2005. And the satnav, despite Aston’s constant fiddling, never works with the ease you’d expect – even in a mainstream hatchback. But there’s a huge naturally-aspirated V12 engine squeezed under its bonnet by way of compensation, and it allows you to forgive it a lot.

It used to be enough to overlook the V12 Vantage S’s biggest failing: its transmission. The Graziano-made seven-speed paddle-shifted auto is ponderous. Even after three iterations, its yawning shifts punctuate the V12’s performance so much it needs a hell of a lot of input and commitment to make it work properly.

Don’t even think about driving it in automatic mode.

Aston Martin has done a sensible thing here then, binning the arthritic robotics and adding a third pedal and a proper gearstick. No push-button, paddle-shifting automated transmission here: just a clutch, your leg and the need for your hand to be in constant use.

There’s a button you can press, labelled AMSHIFT, allowing rev-matching throttle blips on downshifts and flat upshifts if you want, but it’s difficult to see the point of it when rolling your foot off the brake to flare that V12 yourself is so easy and so damned enjoyable.

That’s the point of a manual, after all, and Aston’s boss Andy Palmer recently announced that manual transmissions will be included in Aston’s future models. It's not alone in a seemingly backwards technological step, as Porsche has just created a manual-only 911R, the car that many hoped the GT3 would be.

There clearly is a market out there for old school interaction, even if it’s at the expense of outright speed.

Not that the V12 Vantage S manual could be accused in any way of being slow. It’ll reach 100km/h in 3.9sec on the way to a 330km/h maximum. That makes it Aston Martin’s fastest series production car, which is hardly surprising given that 6.0-litre V12’s ample 421kW and 620Nm of torque.

That engine has always dominated the V12 Vantage S. The big, naturally-aspirated 12-cylinder gives the relatively compact Aston a peculiarly ‘over engined’ feel.

This is an Aston Martin that’s more punk than its polished relations. The V12 requires bonnet piercings to help vent the heat it generates. Its lines are further bastardised when optioned with contrasting highlights around its jutting sills, front and rear bumpers, grille surround and mirror caps.

Yes, the V12 Vantage S wears its potency with wanton pride, which, given the plethora of models that have preceded it, and the familiarity that brings, is no bad thing. If you’re dropping all those extra dollars on it over its mere V8 relation, you might as well shout about it.

And shout that engine does. Push the glass key (we refuse to call it ‘Emotional Control Unit’ as Aston Martin does) into the dashboard and the V12 rouses after a quick, shrill whir of its starter, the 12 cylinders settling quickly.

Just try and resist the temptation to prod the accelerator, but it’s an exercise in futility, especially once you’ve done it once and you appreciate the response. As soon as more than 2000rpm are on the dial that V12’s mechanical chatter is accompanied by the metallic rasp of the exhaust. The combination is intoxicating, and more than a little bit naughty.

With that soundtrack you’ll forgive it the blocky graphics in its instruments, ignore the needlessly fiddly complex stereo as a result and, thank the heavens above, be given complete control to orchestrate that big V12 due to the stick that sits in the transmission tunnel - and the third pedal that occupies the foot well.

It's a throwback, for sure, and one that inevitably hampers performance, even if Aston’s figures are identical for this old-school, traditionalist manual car as they are for the clumsy automated Sportshift III.

In fairness to that transmission, it’s quick on upshifts if you’re absolutely pinned -- it’s just everywhere else it frustrates.

The manual uses the same seven-speed Graziano gearbox but trashes the robotic element. And as if being a manual wasn’t traditional and retro enough for some, Aston squeezes the extra ratio in by having first as a dog-leg (the other six stacked in a conventional double H pattern).

Use first if you like, but with 620Nm it’s never a necessity, so you could drive the V12 Vantage S without ever having the lever over at its furthest point and pulled back -- though it’s worth the effort, as it adds a unique element to the Aston’s character.

The clutch weighting is fine, the bite easily judged, while the shift of that seven-speeder is mechanical in its action. Weighty, without being obstructive… But we’d be lying if we said it was the best shifting manual out there, it requires practice to shift quickly and accurately down the gearbox from five to four in particular.

It’s entirely down to you though; if you’re not smooth you can’t blame the robots. The pleasure of getting it right, as you’ll do more often than not, is so core to the V12 Vantage S’s appeal. You can skip ratios at will, driving it lazily is so adeptly facilitated by the V12’s massive grunt, but it’s worth the effort to ask more from it, and yourself.

The V12 Vantage S has never disappointed in how it handles. The steering is quick and light, its accuracy excellent, backed up by feel that’s absent in many of its rivals.

The S also turns in with real conviction and it's an easy car to place, plus its power steering assistance is linked to the adaptive damper system. The stiffer Track settings are a bit much for road use, adding unwanted frequency to the otherwise composed, assured ride. Sport is a nice balance between that more extreme choice and the Normal one.

Even on the challenging British country roads around Aston Martin’s Gaydon headquarters, still damp in the shade from an earlier Spring shower, the V12 Vantage S rides with a suppleness that’s at odds with its clear focus. If it works here, it should work everywhere else. And it does; the V12’s poise is sensational, its grip and traction high, the brakes mighty.

Despite the slightly unhinged muscle car feel there’s still a delicacy to how the V12 Vantage S goes about its business. Only now that’s possible without the frustration of its paddle-shift – at least in some markets.

Yes, it’s a better car for the fitment of the manual, but it’s also potentially a nosier and ‘dirtier’ car. Hence the manual version of the S will not be offered with local compliance. It’s not coming Down Under – least not to Australia.

That’s a shame because we love it, and everything it represents and requires from you. It adds even more character, charm and commitment to what’s already arguably Aston’s most appealing car.

2016 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S pricing and specifications:
Price: Not to be sold in Australia
Engine: 5.9-litre quad cam, 48-valve atmo petrol V12
Output: 421kW/620Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed manual.
Fuel: 17.0L/100km (NEDC)
CO2: 395g/km (NEDC)
Safety rating: Not tested

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