Boldly refreshing Aston Martin V12 Vantage S

Keeping the legacy of Aston Martin forward, V12 Vantage is a luxury venture by this British car maker. This is the fastest regular production model that the company has ever produced.

To impress you, it has been designed to offer you the top speed of 205mph, and ensure 0-62mph time of just 3.9sec. As the car maker is known for, every model gets an upgrade and tweaks to beat its own performance. This time also, the Aston Martin V12 vantage has got an improvement with the new S with boost in power and some serious improvements for even better performance.  

While the previous one offered 510bhp 5.9-litre V12 engine, the revised one is ever more powerful with AM28-spec 5.9 V12 that is capable of making an astounding 565bhp at 6750rpm. Torque is also a little up offering 457lb ft, 27lb ft more than the previous one. At idle, it sounds authoritative and commands your attention – you feel a little disparity between what your eyes see, your bones feel and your ears hear. You think that Vantage should not sound like it has six-litres of engine displacement, but it does so.

Outside the vehicle, you can feel the low frequency pulses that can emit from a large displacement V12 only. The top sound fulfils your wishes as how a pure Aston Martin should sound – presenting the true unbridled aggression.  

Unexpected to many, decidedly improved Sportshift III seven-speed automated manual replaces the manual six-speed gearbox. This is a direction towards improvement that Aston Martin took after realising that not many aggressive cars are available with true manual boxes.

This Sportshift III is the latest development by the company to replace the automated manual that users have seen for so many years. This is possibly a step towards betterment. Turning positive, the downshifts are impeccable and audibly rewarding, and there is perfect timing for the clutch release.

The gearbox is more satisfying and effective than the previous Sportshift II. Also, the paddle shifters also broaden the appeal of this all new V12 Vantage S. The car comes with the same hydraulically assisted steering, which is quicker than the previous one and still amazingly freed from the excess weight of the additional four cylinders put on the front axle. This all improved steering system gets boosted by two levels of power assist, which is tied into electronically controlled dampers.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage S is refreshingly analogue, while its aggressive nature is boldly apparent.