High Road: 2025 Aston Martin Vantage

by Howard Walker

Channeling that classic Tom Cruise line from the original Top Gun movie: “I feel the need. The need for speed.” To feel the speed, simply dial up Sport+ drive mode to add a triple shot of espresso to the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. Now foot to the floor and brace yourself.

It’s not the off-the-line thrust that will release a tsunami of adrenaline and send your pulse into hyperdrive (though zero to 60 in 3.4 seconds isn’t exactly hanging around). No, it’s the ferocity of the mid-range, slingshot-out-of-the-on-ramp surge that will clench your jaw, tingle your fingers, and have you uttering expletives like Gordon Ramsay on Kitchen Nightmares.

Aston Martin Vantage. Photo by Max Earey/Aston Martin

The source of all this mind-warping forward motion is Aston Martin’s new Vantage coupe, which has just had a major makeover to transform it into a true Porsche 911–Ferrari Amalfi–Mercedes-AMG GT combatant.

While the bones of the Aston are pretty much unchanged from the 2017 original, continuous evolution has kept it as a major player in the supercar-lite game. But this 2025 version takes the Vantage to a whole new towering level in terms of power, performance, handling, and looks.

Take that mighty V8. It’s still essentially the same motor supplied by Mercedes-AMG and used in the AMG GT. But it’s been extensively tweaked by Aston engineers, who endowed it with bigger turbos, modified camshaft profiles, a higher compression ratio, and improved cooling. It now makes an impressive 656 hp at 6,000 rpm—up 128 hp from its predecessor. Max torque? That soars by 85 lb-ft to 590 lb-ft. Peterbilt 18-wheelers have less muscle.

The company’s handling wizards also worked their magic to help the Vantage sweep around curves like a Hot Wheels slot car. It gets a new set of Bilstein adaptive dampers similar to those in Aston’s latest DB12 and Vanquish rocket ships, plus even more precise electric steering that wouldn’t seem out of place on Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin F1 racecar. There’s also additional stiffening for the bonded-aluminum monocoque structure, a wider track, weight management that gives a perfect front-rear balance, and super-sticky Michelin Pilot S5 tires developed specially for the new Vantage.

The dashboard and gearshift in the Aston Martin Vantage. Photo by Max Earey/Aston Martin

Speaking of wide track, take a moment to gaze at the car’s jaw-dropping shape. Yes, it’s evolved from that 2017 model, but it feels totally new. The signature Aston grille is a whopping 40 percent bigger and capable of channeling around 30 percent more cooling air into the engine bay. Furthermore, this Vantage has new slender LED headlights and the kind of bulging fenders that must have been modeled after Chris Hemsworth’s biceps.

But arguably the most compelling feature of this British beefcake is its interior. Gone is the unruly ergonomic mess that was the previous Vantage. This latest version has a 10.25-inch touch screen display integrated into the center console. Gone too is the eccentric push-button gear selector, replaced with a more conventional, more intuitive single-lever shifter.

Inside the Aston Martin Vantage. Photo by Max Earey/Aston Martin

Aston aesthetes will recognize the exceptional cut and stitching of the glove-soft Bridge of Weir leather, the lovely satin metal trim, and carbon-fiber weave. And those front seats are perfect thrones for spirited driving, supporting and cosseting in all the right places.

Aston resisted the temptation to squeeze in vestigial rear seats incapable of accommodating any human form. Instead, there’s a decent amount of luggage space under that lifting glass tailgate.

On the road, our Cosmopolitan Yellow tester drove like a bolt of white lightning. The overall feel is firmer, tauter, more responsive, and more aggressive. Every backroad curve feels as if those 21-inch rims are running on rails. Instant acceleration accompanied by that sonorous, throaty exhaust? Just addictive.

The price of entry for this Vantage coupe is $200,500; the newly launched Vantage Roadster costs around $15,000 more. Start checking a few options boxes, and it’s easy to hit the $270,400 sticker of our test car. That paintwork alone adds $14,100.

But while this new Vantage is the “starter” Aston, I think it might be the most appealing in the range. It boasts sublime looks, breathtaking performance, and truly dynamic character, all in a more compact package.

That need for speed? Definitely satisfied.