New Aston Martin Vantage S revealed – Ferrari Amalfi rival is more powerful and focused
With a bump in power output among myriad detail changes, the Vantage S could be the ultimate driver’s Aston
What was it that kept the Aston Martin Vantage off the podium at evo Car of the Year 2024? What did it lack that gave the Mazda MX-5 RF, McLaren Artura Spider and Porsche 911 S/T the edge? Henry Catchpole and John Barker felt the Aston couldn’t deliver that last tenth in the way it steers, the way it rides, and in its ability to really settle into a flow on a winding and varied road. The response may come in the form of the new Vantage S, which adds a small increase in power and, its maker hopes, cultivates a more focused feel with myriad detail changes to create the ultimate driver’s Aston. It's part of CEO Adrian Hallmark's plan to feather the lineup with desirable derivatives to create a ladder of Aston ownership progression. It’s also a convenient bit of new metal to debut not long after the reveal of Ferrari’s new Amalfi, which the Vantage can count as a key rival.
First the firepower. This wasn’t in any way lacking in the standard car, but the Vantage S gets a bump from 656bhp to 671bhp, arriving at 6000rpm as before. Torque, meanwhile, stays the same, at 590lb ft, albeit with that peak arriving and departing 1000rpm later, from 3000rpm to 6000rpm.
How you dig into those outputs has been changed too. The drive-by-wire throttle pedal weight and response have been recalibrated, to improve reactions and the driver’s sense of connection to the powerplant. The launch control system has also been optimised, meaning 0-62mph can now be covered in 3.4sec, 0.1sec quicker than before. Top speed remains 202mph.
More important are the changes to the suspension, with fresh tuning and software changes for the Bilstein DTX adaptive dampers for improved front-end response. Not that it was lazy in the standard car. The rear subframe now also forgoes rubber in its mountings to the car’s body to take out some slack in the car’s responses. Camber, toe and caster settings have been revised too.
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It’s not all harder and faster, though. The rear springs have been softened off to improve the ride, while the transmission mounts are 10 per cent softer than before. The Vantage S should therefore be more responsive and focused, yet also more refined. Sounds like that last tenth… Not changed (and not in need of an upgrade) are the standard ceramic brakes, with 410mm discs clamped by six-pot calipers at the front and 360mm discs with four-pot calipers at the rear. Nor the tyres, which are Aston’s custom AML-spec Michelin Pilot Sport S 5s with a 275mm front width and a whopping 325mm at the rear.
On first impressions, the S doesn’t look to have changed visually at all compared to the standard Vantage, save for the satin paint and red accenting. Look closer and you’ll see new blades on the bonnet vents. These do actually serve a purpose too, helping to accelerate the extraction of hot air from the engine bay, similar to how blades on a diffuser help to accelerate air out of Venturi tunnels, thus increasing downforce.
Walk around and you’ll find forged brass ‘S’ badges on the flanks and Y-spoke 21-inch wheels with red accents to match those on the rest of the black lower body package. It’s round at the back where the biggest visual change is to be found, with the new spoiler lip attached to the boot. This apparently adds 44kg to the car’s 111kg total downforce at 202mph, with detail changes to the underfloor aero contributing to the rest. Unlike the DB12 S prototypes we’ve spied lapping the Nürburgring and, indeed, the DBX S, the Vantage S foregoes the quite angry-looking stacked exhaust set-up at the rear.
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Inside the Vantage S it’s a little more serious than the standard car. Carbon-shell bucket seats are an option, although adjustable, ventilated seats are standard. Alcantara, leather and carbonfibre trim features throughout, as do a number of ‘S’ logos to remind you your Vantage is a cut above. A full leather interior is optional if the sportier Alcantara look and feel doesn’t take your fancy. Needless to say, the sky (and your budget) is the limit in terms of customisation inside and out with the help of Aston Martin’s Q division.
The Vantage S is available to order now, alongside the standard car, and can be had as either coupe or Roadster, with first deliveries expected before the end of the year. You can see it this week a the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
