Aston Martin Vantage V8 Roadster 2021 Review

No car that costs almost $315,000 before on-road costs can be called affordable, but with a price tag just five per cent higher than the coupe on which it’s based, the new 2021 Aston Martin Vantage V8 Roadster remains one of the most accessible Astons Martins you can get your hands on.

For reference, the Aston Martin DB11 with which the Vantage shares its front/mid-engined rear-wheel drive platform starts at $382K and tips over $400K for the DB11 Volante drop-top.

And the Vantage’s Mercedes-AMG sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 is a dream fit for this two-seat roadster. More about that gem later.

The fresh-air joy of a folding soft-top adds 60kg to the coupe’s to kerb weight due in part to additional body reinforcements, while the removal of the metal roof and resulting lower centre of gravity is joined by tweaked chassis components.

Carrying over from the coupe are adaptive damping and an electronic rear differential – both with a bespoke tune for the Roadster – plus dynamic torque vectoring and dynamic stability control.

Standard equipment levels are good but not infinite, so at this price we’re left a bit wanting.

The exterior features LED lighting front and rear, a graphite-painted body kit including rear diffuser and blades, quad matt-black exhaust outlets, titanium mesh grille, dark anodised brake callipers (gripping 400mm rotors up front and 360mm at the rear) and 20-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels wrapped in top-notch Pirelli P Zero rubber.

The Vantage’s classic sports car proportions, sensuous body sculpting and sheer exclusivity on the road make this a sophisticated take on performance car brawn.

Inside, our test vehicle features a black leather interior with contrast blue stitching, optional heated and ventilated 16-way electric-adjust seats with three-position memory, sports steering wheel, leather and Alcantara trim, satin graphite inlays, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and ignition, front and rear parking sensors, 360-degree camera, alarm, roll hoops and wind deflector.

Multimedia technology inside the 2021 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster come to life through an 8.0-inch LCD infotainment screen that feels last-generation.

Its size and functionality (there’s no touch-screen) are leagues behind the tech-savvy tablet-style user interface we’ve come to expect and enjoy (once mastered), even in many of the most affordable models available today.

We know, however, that there are many who would take buttons and dials over a touch-screen any day.

Despite these gripes, the interface works well. Large and clearly labelled buttons and dials make for an intuitive and easy to master experience that will appeal to buyers young and old. Trust us.

Satellite-navigation, AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio as well as Bluetooth audio and phone streaming do a satisfactory job. There’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

Safety tech is well sorted and includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane keep assist, active cruise control and blind spot warning, allowing the Vantage to accelerate, brake and steer all by itself.

But while there’s no rear cross-traffic alert, a retractable roof does help.

In addition to the aforementioned seats, there’s a spicy list of options should you wish to pay for added drama, with extras like a carbon pack ($17,370), carbon treadplates ($5790), embroidered head restraint logos ($1440) and premium audio ($4340).

Want to dig deeper? Then tip the scales well over with a prestige paint colour like Satin Solar Bronze for a cool $31,900.

Despite some disappointing omissions on the tech front, it quickly becomes clear that the new Vantage Roadster is less about the requisite glitz and glamour and more about the driving experience.

Central to the 2021 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster’s potent performance is Mercedes-AMG’s widely employed 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, which produces a hefty 375kW of power and 685Nm of torque.

We’ve said before and we’ll say it again: this engine is a show-stopper – the German jewel in the British crown. While the numbers are strong, it’s the way the rear-drive Roadster delivers its power that’s most rewarding.

Matched exclusively to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, the Aston absolutely barrels effortlessly along, revving long and hard before changing gear.

Punch the accelerator hard and the brutal Brit is fast to drop a gear or two for optimum response. There is no down time, as evidenced by the claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of just 3.7sec and the 306km/h top speed – numbers that are well in the ballpark for major-league V8 convertibles.

The only thing overshadowing the Roadster’s straight-line performance is its cornering competence. Despite a porky 1745kg of kerb weight in play here (shrinking to 1628kg with lightweight options), the beautifully balanced (49/51% front/rear) rear-drive Vantage tackles corners with spirited conviction.

Carbon ceramic brakes bring the sports car to an immediate halt – option a bespoke calliper colour if you’ve got the cash. From docile to dramatic, the Aston Martin Vantage V8 Roadster’s repertoire is broad and accessible to all types of drivers.

With high levels of comfort and great ergonomics, it also proves itself a realistic everyday drive, with the bulk of this driver’s time spent cruising Melbourne’s bayside suburbs – ostentatiously so.

Inside the leather-laden cockpit the driver and passenger sit snug in low-slung sports seats that are begging for a long haul. Comfort is great for drivers of all shapes and sizes.

Powerful V8 performance and agile dynamics outshine the V8 Vantage Roadster’s other ostensibly lesser qualities – looks, legacy, lustre. But that handling also proves as a good distraction from the areas that lack finesse throughout the cabin.

It’s beautiful and the craftsmanship is without question. It’s just the parts that eluded said craftsman that disappoint – drab plastics on the centre console, a plain steering wheel, plastic stalks and flat surfaces devoid of detail. It feels like sometimes, actually, you don’t get what you pay for.

Still allowing for 200 litres of boot capacity, that show-stopper fabric roof can retract in a super-quick 6.7sec and be raised in 6.8sec at speeds of up to 50km/h. Aston says that’s the fastest full operating cycle of any automatic automotive convertible system. Handy given Melbourne’s appetite for four seasons in one day.

The folding fabric will never suppress noise quite like a folding hard-top, as on the Portofino, but the only thing you can really hear behind the wheel of this car is the unmistakable burble of that German V8. And unless it’s raining, quite frankly, that roof should be down.

Beautiful British bones and a stonking German V8 is a fetching combination, but is the 2021 Aston Martin Vantage V8 Roadster the best bang for your (big) bucks? No.

Is it unique, dynamically thrilling and emotionally fulfilling? Yes.

The 2021 Aston Martin Vantage V8 Roadster is more about the driving than you might expect. It is, in a word, fabulous.

How much does the 2021 Aston Martin Vantage V8 Roadster cost?
Price: $314,635 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8
Output: 375kW/685Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 11.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 263g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested