Aston Martin Vantage 2007 Review

A full-bodied, well-rounded white  vintage, I mean Vantage. Martin, Aston Martin.

The littlest example of the newly-freed Aston Martin (no longer part of the Ford empire) might not cover quite as much road space as its DB9 sibling, but that doesn't make a difference to onlookers.

The little Aston has almost no bad side to look at and despite being low-slung and compact, other drivers know you're near them in traffic and they make it their business to have a long look.

Designed as an alternative to the long-standing class leader, Porsche's 911, the V8 Vantage Coupe is the new 'entry-level' product for the British marque; priced at a cool $245,000.

It's a two-seater, with moderate luggage space and not a lot of cabin room for gargantuan folk, but the cabin has plenty to like and few things to loathe.

Leather covers much of the cabin; from little sports seats and the dashboard; with suede-finish on the roof lining.

A grippy helm and snappy paddle shifters for the six-speed automated manual give the driver a sense of anticipation prior to firing the engine using the start button. Some of the switchgear is straight from Volvo and Jaguar; no doubt helping with production costs but perhaps not what someone might want after settling on the British thoroughbred.

One of the quirks within the instrumentation is the sweep of the tacho, which runs anti-clockwise, in the opposite direction to the speedo. Both needles move quickly when requested, but the 4000rpm is marked by the active exhaust braying with intent.

The alloy engine sits behind the front wheels and low in the engine bay, which gives the Vantage crisp steering and handling.

It sits firmly on its optional 19in alloy package (wrapped in low-profile Bridgestone rubber). That was expected, but at 1630kg it's heavier than I thought it would be. The double-wishbone suspension hangs on magnificently, picking up every road imperfection but firing through bumpy corners without hesitation.

Stopping power is delivered with brute force by ventilated (and grooved at the front) discs - 355mm at the front and 330mm at the rear, with a four-piston Brembo calliper on the front.

Snapshot

Aston Martin V8 Vantage coupe

Price: $245,000

Engine: 4.3-litre 32-valve quad cam V8.

Transmission: six-speed manual (optional Sportshift clutchless manual), rear-wheel-drive with LSD and ESP

Power: 283kW at 7000rpm

Torque: 417Nm at 5000rpm

Performance: 0-100km/h five seconds/ top speed 280km/h

Suspension: aluminium double-wishbone suspension

Fuel usage / emissions claim: 15.1 l/100km, on test 15 l/100km, tank 80 litres, 360g/km

Dimensions: length 4380mm, width 1865mm (excluding mirrors), height 1255mm, wheelbase 2600mmtrack fr/rr 1570/1560mm, boot capacity 300 litres

Weight :1630kg

Wheels: 19in alloys.

In its class:

Audi R8: $259,900

Jaguar XKR coupe: $228,300

Porsche 911 Carrera 4S: $243,000

Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG: $164,474