ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE "SUBTLE"
THE PROS:-
- Millions of bucks through everywhere starting from the corner till the mid-level.
- Audio System is an excellent feature and even more better audio system is available and enhanceable.
THE CONS:-
- Automated Manual Transmission requires power dips at each transmission.
- Differentiation in screen of navigation.
OVERVIEW:-
Aston Martin the name is clearly describing why this car is launched and for what sake it is prime choice mostly in Europe and Asia. Over last 15 years no vehicles has epitomized the way V8 Vantage does. This car has outplayed most the best car in the world and continuing on the top in the hierarchic table. Undoubtedly outplayed most and played the biggest revival over the few decades.
Handcrafted and manufactured in England, V8 Vantage is a convertible super car. This car was actually unveiled in the year 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show. As an early level V8 vantage evades in the shadow of high performing vantage S models. The Glitz, Glamour and bright lights enlighten its flaunting body and strew its outstanding performance. The vantage has actually meant for aggression, focus over the driving and for compactness power pack. Probably they had to deliver all those spades in it . If it has to keep pace with the number of outstanding rivals in the same class of the market. Though being "Aston Martin" would not enough to stand against accomplished cars. The 2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster may rarely earn the showroom spotlight and infrequently grace the front cover of a magazine, but don't ever accuse it of lacking competency or charm – it's an unappreciated gem.
DESIGN AND EXTERIOR:-
So when it comes to Aston Martin V8 Vantage, it simply incorporates with some outsstanding feature which is going to make you love this car from the very sight. It encompasses of all styling elements that made V8 such a sophisticated but I'm talking about this in smaller frame.
The details are luxuriously effective, notice the intricate xenon lights with inner LED indicators, the cut-out vents struck through with a bone line of chrome that flows into the metal of the door, and the elegant flip-out door handles. Even the rear-view mirrors are unusual, with long, slim supports locating
them in front of the side glass quarter light.
The Vantage is the third car, after the Vanquish and DB9, to use Aston’s VH platform – a chassis of lightweight aluminium extrusions, pressings and castings bonded and riveted.
The chassis contributes only 183kg to the Aston’s kerb weight – a figure measured is 1585 kg. It’s clothed in a mixture of aluminium, steel, composite and magnesium body panels, and they make a truly spectacular suit. A surprisingly low, squat car, its proportions basically promote an aggressive aura even before the shape is taken into context. The Vantage is considerably more compact than big-brother DB9: 313mm shorter, 60mm lower and 140mm shorter in the wheelbase. The result is a definite wheel-at-each-corner stance with less overhangs – always a prime ploy for creating aggression.
Inside the two-place cabin, the layout is mostly unchanged. This means the now-familiar smorgasbord of buttons and switches, only logical to an Aston Martin engineer, are carried forward. The cockpit is ergonomically challenged – and that's about as succinctly as it may be stated. I suspect few will care where the secondary operating controls are located, as they will already be intoxicated from the aroma of yards of full grain leather upholstery (with tastefully executed contrasting stitching) and spellbound by the gorgeous piano black trim at the top of the dash. The cabin appointments are exquisite.
Hand-built British craftsmanship comes at a premium. The 2013 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster (with Sportshift II) starts with a base price of $138,200. With its handsome Tungsten Silver exterior over Obsidian Black leather interior, was wearing more than a few options. These included 10-spoke silver diamond turned 19-inch wheels, upgraded audio, carbon fiber and silver-painted brake calipers for a grand total of $155,991.
The seats are quite comfortable for long journey, People intend to go for a long drive will be having a great pleasure to opt for this car. Behind the seats there's a advantageous carpet storage area, I seem a big enough to put a briefcase even. It's basically a hatchback and the 300 Litre boot under the boot shelf is quite enough and well shaped and ample for the class.
As time has progressed since the Vantage’s launch, Aston has become more generous with the standard equipment levels. Full leather wasn’t standard initially, but now it is. Satellite navigation, produced by Garmin replaces the poor Volvo unit previously installed, is fitted as standard, alongside cruise control and Bluetooth. Aston prides itself on offering ‘personalized specification’ of vehicles and it remains easy for prospective owners to rapidly inflate the list prices of their orders.
PERFORMANCE AND RIDING:-
Bolted up front, but aft of the front axle (mid-front engine placement), is an all-aluminum naturally aspirated 4.7-liter V8 developing 430 horsepower at 7,300 rpm and 361 pound-feet of torque at 5,000 rpm. Customers are offered a choice of transmissions. A few opt for the rear mid-mounted six-speed manual gearbox, but the more popular transmission, and the one fitted to our test car, is the rear mid-mounted Sportshift II seven-speed single-clutch automated gearbox that is fed its mechanical energy through a carbon fiber propeller shaft. (The Vantage was launched with the first-generation six-speed Sportshift, but it was upgraded to the seven-speed box in 2012.) A limited-slip rear differential is standard, driving only the rear wheels. According to Aston Martin, the power pack is strong enough to launch the 3,770-pound V8 Vantage Roadster to 60 miles per hour in 4.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 180 mph.
The front suspension features independent double wishbones incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bar and monotube dampers. The rear underpinnings utilize independent double wishbones with anti- squat and anti-lift geometry, coil springs, an anti-roll bar and monotube dampers, while the spring rates and damping are fixed. The brakes were significantly upgraded and the tires widened by 10 mm for the 2012 model year. The standard stopping package now includes ventilated and grooved two-piece floating discs (15 inches in diameter) with six-piston monobloc calipers up front and ventilated and grooved discs (13 inches in diameter) with four-piston calipers in the rear. The 19-inch alloys on our test car were wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires in staggered sizes (245/40ZR-19 in the front and 285/35ZR-19 in the rear)
Aston basically claims a 4.7sec sprint to 60mph for the manual model, and this can be matched by the Sportshift II automatic – in reality a clutchless manual transmission that’s operated by steering wheel paddles or via an auto mode. There’s also the Vantage S, a more focused edition that extracts 10bhp more from the same engine and can crack 62mph in 4.3sec.Regardless of edition, though, the bottom line is this: the Vantage requires extending through its rev range if it’s to feel top-drawer quick, and the throttle response and pick-up low down aren't as crisp and urgent as they are in a Porsche 911. It still need to be advanced in its class.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION:-
Many of today's exotic sports cars have been over-engineered to the point of being sterile (thanks to overzealous engineers chasing perfection), but this aluminum-bodied British two-seater has quirks, idiosyncrasies and genuine mannerisms. The unconventional parking brake operation, distinctive behaviour of the automated gearbox, bewildering ergonomics and even the backward sweep of the tachometer needle all contribute to its very alluring personality. Toss in its drop-dead gorgeous appearance, rich interior and the velvety V8 exhaust note, and I've swallowed the Roadster's disposition, hook, line and sinker. So here comes the technical specification.
| Name | 0-62 mph | Top speed | CO2 | MPG | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Martin Vantage 2dr Coupe | 4.2 secs | 190 mph | 388 g/km | 17.2 mpg | £135,000 ₹94,00,000 |
| Aston Martin Vantage 2dr Sportshift [420] Coupe | 4.7 secs | 180 mph | 295 g/km | 22.4 mpg | £89,994 ₹63,00,000 |
| Aston Martin Vantage 2dr [420] Coupe | 4.7 secs | 180 mph | 321 g/km | 20.5 mpg | £84,995 ₹60,00,000 |
| Aston Martin Vantage S 2dr Sportshift Coupe | 4.7 secs | 189 mph | 299 g/km | 21.9 mpg | £99,995 ₹70,00,000 |
COUTESY:- AARUSH
