Aston Martin officially unveils more powerful all-new Vantage

The Aston Martin Vantage has come a long way since its birth. It transitioned from being James Bond’s go-to car in "The Living Daylights" during the '80s to one of the sleekest and most beautiful coupe today. Finally, its latest generation has been revealed — and it looks absolutely gorgeous.

From the get-go, the first thing you’ll notice about the all-new Vantage is its bolder look than its predecessor. Even without the hood vents, the fascia looks fierce with the massive signature Aston Martin mesh grille, which is a refreshing look for the brand’s current lineup.

The headlamps are still squinty, which complements the chiseled hood. The yellow green paint job is a nice touch; the contrast between the fun color and huge spec sheet numbers is uncanny in a positive way.

In profile, the Vantage retains the coupe form while getting deeper character lines and bigger side gills. The new shape is as functional as good-looking, with a claimed aerodynamic performance that’s central to the car’s design. We’ll spare you with the specifics but Aston Martin said that the Vantage can generate “a significant level of downforce - a rarity on any production car.”

The all-new Vantage’s rear is just as imposing as its fascia. The end-to-end taillights that flows through the rear spoiler creates the British model’s unique identity and a departure to the C-shaped lamps of its brothers — the Vanquish and DB11.

As you would expect from a premium sports car, the cabin of the all-new Vantage is driver-centric and uses high-quality materials. It also has rotary knobs and switches, while carbon fiber trims are visible by the center console. The flat-bottom 3-spoke steering wheel is in perfect harmony to the posh Alcantara leather seats — it’s like an open invitation for you to sit in, hands on the steering wheel, and just drive.

For entertainment, the Vantage has a massive 8-inch floating LCD touchscreen, complete with USB, Bluetooth, and Wifi connectivity, as well as an integrated satellite navigation function. The space behind the seats are also functional and can be used as stowage area.

All that exciting design changes are nothing compared to the updates under the hood. The new alloy 4.0L twin-turbo V8 engine from Mercedes-AMG packs 510 hp (at 6,000 rpm) and 685 Nm of torque (at 2,000-5,000 rpm). This power plant is situated far back in the bonnet to achieve a perfect 50:50 weight distribution and optimal center-of-gravity.

This new mill allows the Vantage to go from 0 to 97 km/h in just 3.6 seconds and achieve a maximum speed of 314 km/h. This is then sent to the rear wheels via a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission.

The British marque didn’t mention anything about a V12 option yet. We guess we’ll just have to wait if the more powerful engine will make it to the all-new model.

To match the massive performance figures, the all-new Vantage gets an Electronic Rear Differential (E-Diff) that’s linked to the car’s stability system. Basically, what it does is to detect the car’s behavior and direct the power from the engine to the applicable wheel as the situation suggests. This gives the car more composure — both in straight-lines and when cornering.

Aside from the E-Diff, it’s also equipped with dynamic stability control, dynamic torque vectoring, adaptive damping system, and electronic power steering systems for a more spirited drive every time.

The all-new Aston Martin Vantage V8 is now on sale in the U.S., with deliveries to be expected by the 2nd quarter of 2018. Will it ever reach the Philippines? Possibly, but since the DB11 just arrived this year, it might take another year or so for the all-new model to roll out of its local showroom.