In the cabin you'll find northing in the way of hand-me-down Mercedes switchgear, which makes for change. This is all Aston Martin, and it actually it all feels really nice.

The twin-screen setup looks tech-savvy and premium, the materials are all nicer than you'd expect in something more track-obsessed, and even the optional seats managed to be both snug-fitting and comfortable.

The 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 is still borrowed from Mercedes-AMG, but this is the new-generation unit, making 489kW and 800Nm. It gets modified cylinder heads and bigger turbos, helping generate the extra grunt. That’s fed through an eight-speed ZF automatic and channeled through to the rear tyres.

The Aston Martin Vantage will accelerate for 0-100km/h in 3.5 second, with its top speed 325km/h.

You get a whole bunch of improved performance, but also quite a bit in terms of cabin tech and comfort. This isn’t a stripped-back supercar, and that’s a good thing, I reckon.

It starts outside with 21-inch five-spoke forged wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport rubber, matrix LED headlights and LED tail-lights, while in the cabin, there’s a 10.25-inch central screen with Apple CarPlay, a second 10.25-inch screen in front of the driver, an 11-speaker stereo, and wireless phone charging.

This is a two-seat supercar, but they somehow manage to feel both snug and supportive – even with the optional racing seats fitted. It all adds up to the feeling that the Aston Martin Vantage is a very liveable supercar.

There’s the official figure, which is 12.1 L/100km on the combined cycle, and then there’s the real-world figure. It’s not really fare to judge fuel use when you’ve just stepped off a racetrack, but rest assured it was a large number, which is to be expected really.

The Aston’s 73-litre fuel tank prefers 98RON fuel, too.