Aston Martin Vantage Roadster

The current-generation Aston Martin Vantage goes open-top with the new Roadster and it promises to deliver the same driving thrills as experienced in the hardtop but with the roof opened as well as a different face no one saw it coming. Let's investigate.

Priced at almost 130 grand, the Vantage Roadster is the open-top version of Aston's baby sportscar that gives the Porsche 911 a run for its money and while it features the same bits and bobs as seen in the hardtop, the Roadster is a different experience because of the face. Why? Because the Vantage Roadster can be offered with the "vane" grille in honor of the Vantage nameplate's 7-decade tenure and you can have one in the coupe too if you like just to give the impression of the Bond car from Spectre. 

To be honest, that new grille shows what the new Vantage is truly made for rather than the Vulcan-inspired "hunter" grille that is already cool but fuzzy.

Like the coupe, the Vantage Roadster is powered by the AMG-derived 4.0L V8 BiTurbo engine mated to an 8-speed AT that produces 510PS of power and 685Nm of torque. Because it's heavier than the coupe, the Roadster can go from 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds and onwards to 190mph. That's surprisingly slower than today's Ferrari Portofino but when compared to a 911 Carrera S Cabriolet, it's anybody's guess.

Despite being heavier than its hardtop equivalent, the Vantage Roadster is still a blast to drive on the road and on the track. It still comes with Dynamic Torque Vectoring and an Electronic Rear Differential, making life more thrilling and enjoyable for any speedo boy trying to take advantage of it.

With the Roadster variant added, you now have two different Vantage points to choose from.

Photo: Aston Martin

Forza Horizon 4: Beautiful won't be tamed

Deep behind the shadows lies a new age sportscar that blends its captivating beauty with near-vicious performance that can't be cornered even a pack of wolves can't contain its primal elegance inside and out.



For the pursuit of beautiful, Aston Martin given us the all-new Vantage for us to play with in Forza Horizon 4 as a DLC car. Those who got their hands on the latest British masterpiece will be able to showcase the Vantage's character as a sportscar that blends its captivating beauty with near-vicious performance on the road.





Before taking a spin with this new car, let's talk more about the new Vantage.  For over a hundred years, Aston Martin has a wide reputation for making the most beautiful grand tourers on the road and on the track and this new generation Vantage is one of them. The new Vantage's exterior design draws inspiration from the one-off Bond car from SPECTRE and the track-only Vulcan, which stays true to Aston Martin's pursuit of beautiful, and the interior follows form and functionality fit for a grand tourer of this size. Under the hood, the Vantage is powered by a Mercedes-AMG-derived 4.0L V8 BiTurbo engine, producing 503HP of power and 685Nm of torque. With its 8-speed AT, which propels it to a 0-60mph time of less than four seconds and onwards to 195mph.

Aside from the V8 engine, the new Vantage is lighter than the old V8 Vantage because of its aluminum bodywork and to make it more active in the dynamics department, it features Dynamic Stability Control and Dynamic Torque Vectoring, resulting it into a no-nonsense sportscar that feels great to drive wherever you may be.



It maybe a baby Aston but it feels so grown-up to drive on the open roads of Britain and because being an Aston Martin, they're not really made to race but while this is not essentially a balls-out sportscar, the primal performance the new Vantage delivers is like a white wolf howling in a middle of the moonlight. Now there's your Determination Symphony playing out for you but to see if the Vantage has the symphony of a pure Aston Martin, it's time to turn words into action by taking the new Vantage a wild ride at Edinburgh but first...







Looks like this car got caught in a middle of a spell-conjuring in the dead of night but no matter because the beautiful baby Aston just got even more beautiful and that witchcraft really suits its character rather well. Anyway, after it went through some spellbinding sessions, our little witch hunter's prepared to show the Edinburgh crowd that "beautiful won't be tamed."



The beauty of the witch and the skill of a hunter, two traits the new Vantage really possess and at the end of the day, she smiled in front of me, wishing that she wants me to have another go.



The new Vantage really shows that "beautiful won't be tamed" because of its design and performance that bewitches drivers easily and the more time they spent driving the new Vantage, the more likelihood that this could be the best Aston Martin ever made. It's mad to say that the baby Aston is the best but the temptation of driving the new Vantage all day long, that's what makes this car special in every way. The elegance, the performance, the dynamics, the Vantage is too beautiful to ignore and that is the bottom line.

Aston Martin New Vantage

Back in the fall of 2015, moviegoers went to the movies to watch the recent 007 film, SPECTRE, to witness Daniel Craig driving a one-off Aston Martin made for that film. That Bond car in question, as it turned out, is a preview of the next baby Aston and now, here we are, the Bond car from 007: SPECTRE film comes to life as the all-new Aston Martin Vantage.

2019 Aston Martin Vantage

2019 Aston Martin Vantage

Of all the people should know, the all-new Aston Martin Vantage really is all-new from the ground up and one look of this new Vantage will make everyone jealous to drive one someday, including me. Jealousy aside, the new Vantage promises to be one of the most attractive GT cars ever built because the design is like a Bond car with the Vulcan front on it for better cooling and on the inside, this is different than we hoped for because it's a tad too ordinary just like the DB11's and because of the Anglo-German quagmire we're facing with, you'll see some Mercedes bits and bobs on it including the sat-nav. Although the interior is somewhat average to look at, there's no need to worry about it because the exterior just overshadows it from every point of view.

Anglo-German quagmire aside, the Vantage is powered by a 4.0L V8 BiTurbo engine, the same one used on the utterly wonderful Mercedes-AMG GT sports car, producing 503HP of power and 685Nm of torque. Unlike the Mercedes-AMG GT, the Vantage sports an 8-speed AT, which propels it to a 0-60mph time of fewer than four seconds and onwards to 195mph. Although as close as the AMG GT, here's something that the AMG GT couldn't have; a 7-speed manual gearbox, making the Vantage a more enjoyable GT car to drive in case the AMG GT is not your kind of car for the weekend drive and what a car it is. We can expect to live the Bond car moment with this one if you know what I mean.

There's a quick saying that all good Astons are made for the comfortable driving mind rather than attacking it on the racetrack but thanks to its short dimensions that make it shorter than the Porsche 911, its aluminum bodywork, and its crafty dynamics, the Vantage really feels like it works at both road and track, meaning this car is all serious work and serious play, like a lone wolf performer broadening horizons in a gothic getup for a concert with her mates. Couple that with numerous features such as the Dynamic Stability Control and Dynamic Torque Vectoring and the result is a no-nonsense sportscar that feels great to drive wherever you may be and that's just the cherry on the top of the strawberry shortcake.

The price of the new Vantage begins at £120,900, which is too much for a car like this and although I have a fair say that while the Vantage disappoints in price and interior, its exterior design, performance, and dynamics are something to wish for in the hopes to demand every producer to step away from their all-oldies nonsense and make them sample the power of the new Vantage, wherever they're sitting at. That's jealousy for you and because the new Vantage is a rather impressive baby Aston that is redefined for today's drivers, we are growing desperate to get our hands on this new one. Come on, boys, we're waiting.

Photo: Aston Martin.