2025 Aston Martin Vantage review
Aston Martin took inspiration from James Bond when perfecting its latest supercar.
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Remember when James Bond films switched action heroes from Pierce Brosnan to Daniel Craig?
Replacing the sarcastic toff from GoldenEye for the musclebound and deadly-serious star of Casino Royale redefined the secret agent’s character.
The Aston Martin Vantage has completed a similar transformation.
Reinvigorated for 2025, the Vantage has a new look, way more muscle and an imposing presence worthy of a storeyed badge and intimidating price tag.
It’s the car it always should have been, though it is not without fault.
You might be surprised to know that not all supercars are stunning to drive – or particularly quick.
You could spend suburban house money on a V12-powered Aston Martin a decade ago and take home something that needed more than five seconds to hit 100km/h – performance bettered today by affordable hatchbacks.
I’ve been disappointed by Aston Martin in the past.
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But not today.
Just look at the new Vantage, a car that rights the wrongs of its pre-facelift cousin with broad bodywork stretched over wide wheels tucked perfectly within its dimensions. Aston nailed the stance of its smallest model, which looks toned and serious in all environments.
Attractive in photos, it looks immense in the metal, turning heads at every junction. The rear arches are particularly dramatic, with an expertly sculpted shape perfectly suited to the machine’s new attitude.
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The driver’s door swings outward – and ever so slightly upwards – to reveal a low-mounted racing seat and highset, compact steering wheel in a cabin trimmed with carbon fibre, leather and suede-like material.
A new dashboard with larger digital displays and simplified buttons is much easier to live with than before.
Priced from $410,000 plus options and on-road costs, the Vantage is the entry point to Aston Martin’s range. You couldn’t call it the cheapest or even the most affordable, not when similarly specified dealer demonstrators are advertised for $750,000 drive-away.
Expensive and exquisite, it gets even better when you prod the starter button and fire up a twin-turbocharged V8 motor borrowed from Mercedes-Benz.
While the luxury giant believes V8 motors are no longer appropriate for Aussie favourites such as the Mercedes-AMG C 63, Aston Martin engineers reckon they are a perfect fit for the Vantage. They’re right.
Tuned to make a whopping 489kW and 800Nm – some 85kW and 115Nm more than last year’s car – the hulking motor takes centre stage.
This entry-level Aston has almost 200kW more than Porsche’s 911 Carrera.
That’s staggering.
It’s an awesome thing to experience, with bottomless power reserves that send the compact coupe flying when opportunity calls.
That long bonnet raises toward the horizon as fat Michelin tyres bite into the tarmac, barely interrupted by sharp shifts from an eight-speed transmission.
The Vantage stops with confidence thanks to a wide and firm brake pedal mated to optional carbon ceramic brake discs that lend ferocious stopping power.
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Crisp steering connects you to a predictable chassis with minimal slack.
This is the most driver-focused Aston I’ve experienced. The thrust, grip and precision of the car fill you with confidence, and hope that the right road never ends.
We also experienced the car on the wrong road, which happened to be stop-start traffic on a hilly section of motorway brought to a halt by a serious accident.
The big V8 overheated without a steady supply of fresh air, and had to be parked for a few minutes before rejoining the road.
It was a frustrating delay that shouldn’t happen in a $20,000 hatchback, let alone a $500,000 supercar.
Then again, the Aston’s power station requires more cooling than regular cars.
And the pause allowed extra time to savour the car’s cinematic styling.
With with all that power, it’s not as though you can’t catch up to where you left off.
ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE
PRICE: About $500,000 drive-away
ENGINE: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, 489kW and 800Nm
SPEED: 0-100 in 3.5 seconds, 325km/h
SAFETY: Ejector seats by special request. Possibly.
CARGO: Pack lightly.
SPARE: Nope
Originally published as 2025 Aston Martin Vantage review
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