Gorgeous Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Introduction

Entry-level Aston Martin hugely charismatic, beautiful and enjoyable, but it's bettered by some key rivals on the road.

What are its rivals?

Obvious rivals for Aston's V8 Vantage include the venerable Porsche 911 Carrera S, Jaguar's XKR and, more recently, Maserati's GranTurismo. To that you could add BMW's M6 and a handful of AMG Mercedes coupés, the price spectrum where the Aston Martin V8 Vantage fits being a remarkably well populated one. The V8 Vantage has several advantages over its competition, firstly its looks, the V8 Vantage arguably one of the best-looking cars you can buy today. Secondly is Aston Martin's brand cachet; Aston - with perhaps the exception of Maserati in this company - being a sophisticated, individual choice for people who enjoy the finer things in life.

How does it drive?

Get in, take the flimsy Ford-sourced key and turn it in the 'ignition' and nothing happens under the bonnet. You need to reach over to the big starter button on the centre console to fire up the 4.3-litre V8 engine. It's a real treat doing so, the whirr of the starter motor an enjoyable precursor to the main event when its V8 is roused and fires up. If the looks alone aren't enough to have you wanting a V8 Vantage, the note emanating from under the bonnet will seal the deal. Once on the move, the first thing that strikes you is how long the accelerator travel is. And you need to give it a good push to access the best of the V8's repertoire, both aurally and performance-wise.

The V8 isn't over-endowed in the torque department, its 302lb.ft arriving at a fairly lofty 5,000rpm, peak power of 380bhp at 7,000rpm. As if to ensure you keep the V8 spinning up in its upper reaches the exhaust and engine note are at their best above 4,500rpm, the quick and beautifully mechanical-feeling six-speed manual making finding those revs even more enjoyable. The steering is nicely weighted and delivers decent feel. The brakes are strong, but lacking confidence building bite in the upper area of the pedal movement. The Vantage rides well too, coping fantastically with the sort of awful surfaces that pass as roads in the UK today. Where it falls short dynamically though is its rear end, which is keen to step out even under moderate acceleration and cornering. In Aston's defence the roads we drove it on were covered in greasy winter scum, but the rear never gave us the confidence to really lean on it as we would have in its rivals.

What's impressive?

Just look at it. If you don't think the Aston Martin V8 Vantage is one of the most stunning looking cars on the road today then you should head off to the opticians to have your eyes tested. There's real muscularity to its lines, but it manages to achieve this without reverting to brutal addenda or brash detailing. The interior is similarly impressive, the leather covered dashboard and wonderful cockpit feel you get behind the wheel making the driving environment very pleasing indeed. Add that glorious sounding V8 engine and exhaust and remarkable ride quality and there's a great deal to love about the Aston. It's even reasonably practical with a useable boot and additional storage space on a shelf behind the driver and passenger.

What's not?

Impressive overall as the interior is there are a few areas where the quality feel is let down. Firstly the key is an old Ford one - and a cheap feeling one at that - and there are a good few other parts-bin trim pieces evident in the cabin. The Volvo vents are forgivable, but the optional Volvo-sourced satnav is fiddly and the column stalks and electric seat switches just feel cheap. We'd love the V8 to deliver a bit more torque too, the Vantage really needing to be pushed to deliver its performance. Similarly, the Vantage could do with more traction, the rear feeling very lively on the car we drove, the traction control often not quick enough to keep it all in check.

Should I buy one?

We'd be very tempted. Despite a few shortcomings the V8 Vantage is a very desirable proposition. Sure, it's not as precise as Porsche's 911, nor is it as composed a GT as Jaguar's XKR, but the Aston feels unique against such rivals for brand cachet and its obvious style. Aston has some improvements in the pipeline, and if they're effective the V8 Vantage has the potential to be a world-beater. As it is it's not quite there, but remains a very tempting car in spite of that.

Kyle Fortune

Specs