Aston Martin Vantage 2019 Review

The hills are alive with the sound of Affalterbach.

Interrupting the serene, Austrian-like visage of the NSW South Coast on this particularly crisp winter morning is your correspondent’s ham-fisted attempt to keep time. Or rather, make up time. And noise.

I’m running late. Plans for an 8:00am-sharp starting time with videographer Ian Dyk in the nearby town of Jamberoo hang in the balance.

We’re filming the new Aston Martin Vantage on this pleasant Friday morning, and though the fog hasn’t yet lifted to reveal a spectacular blue sky, there’s urgency to get where I’m headed. We’ve got a busy day ahead.

The reason for my tardiness is roadside chatter. Driving the new Vantage simply encourages it; its beguiling, silk-like sheet metal, long bonnet and short rear proportions and gaping front grille instantly drawing eyes and whipping up a frenzy of smartphones among the latte-sipping tradies convening at nearby cafes.

Stopping earlier for the day’s first caffeine intake, I strike up a conversation with Dale, a local plumber. His interest isn’t so much in the Aston’s appearance, but its sound.

“I thought most Astons ran V12s, but hearing you emerge from the fog, this sounds different,” the astute-sounding Dale comments. “Good, but different.”

He’s right. The 2019 Aston Martin Vantage trades the traditional naturally-aspirated V12 for a Mercedes-AMG sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.

The German alliance might appear like sacrilege to British faithful but the numbers behind the twin-turbo petrol are not: 375kW and 685Nm, commanding a 0-100km/h time of 3.6 seconds.

The engine is technically front mid-mounted, positioned far back in the engine bay to sit aft of the front axle. It is mated with a rear-mounted eight-speed automatic gearbox to create a true point of difference from its fitment in many Affalterbach-derived Mercedes-AMG products: the C 63, E 63, GT, GLC 63 and G 63, to name a handful.

Elsewhere, the engine is the recipient of several Aston Martin-specific tweaks including a new software tune, inlet and exhaust systems.

The Vantage is built on a shortened platform of the DB11, though this car is much more driver focussed, with a 1530kg kerb weight, stubby 4.4-metre proportions and 50:50 weight distribution.

Compared with the more GT-focussed DB11, the rear suspension is solidly mounted, and there are 70 per cent new parts.

At 4465mm, the Vantage is some 80mm longer than its long-serving predecessor, while its wheelbase (2704mm) is 103mm longer and width is extended 76mm (1942mm v 1866mm).

Losing track of time in explaining all this to my newfound acquaintance, the clock is ticking. I have 20 minutes to get to Jamberoo via the stunning Illawarra escarpment. Better not be late.

The Vantage’s German input isn’t without precedent. Aston Martin has made use of a tie-up with Mercedes’ parent company Daimler for years, utilising Benz switchgear, infotainment and interior fitments to save costs, among other parts.

The new Vantage’s beautiful, leather-lined internals continue the Mercedes-Benz theme inside – the steering wheel mounted stalks, window switchgear, instrument cluster graphics and infotainment systems are all aligned with products from the Stuttgart car-maker.

But unlike the latest A-Class or C-Class, the Benz switchgear in the Vantage is a generation behind. It feels tired in a brand-new sports car and, combined with myriad buttons and switchgear inside the cabin, a little off the pace especially considering the car’s $299,950 (plus on-road costs) price tag.

The Aston Martin Vantage misses out on the latest driver aids including adaptive cruise control and automated emergency braking, but given the increasingly alarmist big brother attitude to road safety, we’re going to declare those as moot points for this application.

Leather-lined furnishings at the contact points look, feel and smell special, there is comfort and long journey potential in the broad bucket seats and central cup holders, and the cabin adequately suppresses road and tyre noise against segment expectations.

The Vantage sounds terrific, too, and not just when wringing its neck. Cold start-ups are enough to altogether warm your own senses and pique your neighbours on a brisk morning, such is the sound and drama of the V8 engine.

Aston’s own tweaks have elicited a distinctly British rasp that ensures a familial soundtrack, with crackle on the overrun and a terrific, almost ignorant belch between aggressive upshifts. It’s a true highlight.

In regular conveyance, the Aston feels docile and largely easy to live with: the engine and gearbox work seamlessly to develop accessible, low-down grunt and relative efficiency, while the steering and controls are lightly weighted, to the point where you can conceive the Vantage as a daily driver of sorts.

That everyday amenity is supported by adequate storage inside the cabin, from two central cup-holders and USB ports through to useable front and rear vision, usually afterthought elements in traditional supercars. The doors are hydraulically assisted too, to help with ingress and egress.

The two exceptions to all this convenience and refinement are a sticky driver’s door that continually requires a firm (often secondary) slam to close properly, and a minor paint overrun on the car’s rear diffuser – it could have been a patch/repair job, but it looks unsightly.

In the softest setting, the Aston’s adaptive dampers soak up B-grade road imperfections admirably, shaking off pitter-patter bumps with a natural firmness yet exercising control and restraint over larger, more aggressive obstacles.

There’s never any crashing to speak of and the suspension is quick to recover from larger washouts.

Turning the drive mode to a sportier setting and firming the dampers in pursuit of the 8:00am deadline, the Vantage takes on more purpose.

The steering imparts excellent feel and feedback, navigating the varying ribbon of tarmac with articulate precision and weighting, while the body hunkers down nicely through the corners.

There’s lightness in the Vantage that has been sorely missing in Aston’s most recent offerings, the DB11 included. It feels truly agile in directional changes and confident in negotiating off-camber turns.

Credit is due to the Vantage’s rubber here, too: sticky Pirelli P Zero tyres (255/40 front, 295/35 rear) offering prodigious grip in tighter corners and high-speed bends alike.

The experience cultivates confidence, but not over-confidence. In one respect, the car’s shrink-wrapped layout supports immediate awareness of your positioning on the road but, on the other hand, the narrow windscreen line and seat and A-pillar positioning mean that faster corners tend to rush up on you. Especially on a tight mountain descent.

Then there’s the engine. In the right setting, it is a true firebrand, pulling long and hard in each gear, especially considering the installation of two turbos inside the vee.

The V8’s big 375kW/685Nm outputs are supported by terrific throttle response, generous reserves of torque and a penchant for high revs, with peak power reached at 6000rpm.

The Vantage is the first Aston to pair its eight-speed ZF transaxle-style auto with a BMW M-style electronically-controlled limited-slip differential for maximum agility.

The e-diff certainly plays its part by offering stability at high speeds, precision during turn-in and excellent power-down characteristics out of corners.

Ultimately, channelling 007’s driving exploits isn’t completely necessary: the Aston’s digital clock reads 7.57am as I roll into the car park meeting point.

The video shoot (see above) goes as planned and the rolling hills in and around Jamberoo bear witness to the chest-thumping, cathartic V8 soundtrack of the bent-eight.

All told, Aston Martin’s sports car gamble has paid off. The German input elevates the British super-coupe firmly into the company of some accomplished teutonic rivals for the first time.

How much does the 2019 Aston Martin Vantage cost?
Price: $299,950 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol
Output: 375kW/685Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 236g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested