Car Gazing #001: Aston Martin Vanquish

Aston Martin Vanquish

Very beautiful, very fast, very modern, very capable.
A high-tech, high performance super-tourer for the 21st century.

ON THE ROAD

Performance
Fast? With the S version’s 6.0-litre V12 pumping out 520bhp, of course it’s fast. Aston claims a 200mph maximum, and if you can tame the wheelspin you’ll hit 60mph in just under five seconds. The standard car’s 480bhp engine is almost as quick, but it’s also remarkably easy to drive, with masses of low-down pull.

Ride & handling
The standard Vanquish is not a sports car so much as a driver-oriented grand tourer that can cover huge distances quickly, comfortably and safely. The ride is superbly absorbent and the car disguises its considerable size well: there’s even a tight turning circle. The S models have stiffer sports suspension and sharper steering responses.

Refinement
The noise produced by the V12 engine is simply magnificent, and even though it fills the cabin under acceleration no-one will mind. It melts away at cruising speed, though, when a bit too much road noise invades the cabin.

OWNERSHIP

Buying & owning
The waiting list for a Vanquish stretches into months. Anyone in the market will be unperturbed by the cost of buying it, insuring it, servicing it and fuelling it (astronomical in every case). What might irritate, from a convenience rather than financial point of view, is the frequency of the fuel stops; you’ll need to fill up about every 250 miles.

Quality & reliability
The Vanquish is built around a structure of carbon-fibre, composites and aluminium and has a hand-formed aluminium shell, all superbly finished. The mechanical parts are beautifully crafted, too. Sadly, the leathers, metals and plastics in the cabin are not to the same standard and are more suited to a Toyota Camry than an Aston Martin.

Safety & security
As the most prestigious car in Ford’s Premier Automotive Group stable, you’d expect the Vanquish to have all the safety features and security defences available elsewhere. It does, and adds one or two extras, including a winter setting for the gearbox, which softens getaways to avoid loss of traction.

IN THE CABIN

Behind the wheel
Everything is logically placed and easy to find and use, and there’s a good driving position, although it might be cosy for more ample owners who have had years of good living. The modern materials look a little out of place, though, and rearward visibility and oddment stowage space could be better.

Space & practicality
You can purchase the Vanquish with a two-plus-two seating layout or with a ledge capable of holding suitcases in the rear of the cabin. The second of those options makes most sense: a Vanquish is never going to seat more than two in comfort, and owners who go on long journeys will certainly need more than the small standard boot.

Equipment
There’s a reasonable amount of equipment, as you’d expect of a car of this type – it includes a Formula 1-style paddle-shift gearbox that even has a fully automatic mode – but the list of goodies isn’t as long as it should be. Items such a multi-media system and sat-nav, standard on a Lexus at a third of the price, aren’t factory-fitted.

Source: www.whatcar.com