Takes The Super-GT To A Whole New Level
Most automakers these days lack a certain level of faith in their customer base to handle serious power in rear-wheel-drive cars. Hence, the widespread switch to all-wheel drive, especially for hybrids and EVs, with so much instantaneously available torque. Not Aston Martin, though, which under Lawrence Stroll continues a surprising commitment to building stellar driver’s cars equipped with booming internal-combustion engines.
Other than the DBX SUV and the forthcoming Valhalla hypercar, every model in the lineup still sticks with rear-wheel drive only, including the Vanquish that returned this year as Aston’s flagship with an unbelievably powerful twin-turbocharged V12 engine mated to a rear-mounted transaxle for improved weight distribution and lightning-quick gearshifts.
Aston plans to limit Vanquish production to only 1,000 units per year, including coupes and convertibles. I’m not a convertible guy, and we already tested the soft-top Volante at its First Drive event in New York, so instead I racked up a quick few hundreds of miles daily driving, canyon carving, and highway road tripping in the coupe. As I handed back the keys, I realized this stunning combination of luxury and performance, power and presence, without a doubt, emerged as one of my highlights for the 2025 model year.
The new third-generation design endows the Vanquish with less bulky brute muscle than previously, as the overall size grows larger but the form cuts down to leaner, almost svelte and sinewy athletic proportions. In pictures, the Vanquish rides so long and low it almost looks photoshopped. And my loaner’s paint job, a brilliant Supernova Red, truly pops anytime light hits any surface, mixing the dark classiness of burgundy with a ruddy oxblood plus a hint of metallic flake at the right angles. A nice gunmetal silver or dark forest green might help the rear end blend in better, though, where a subtle ducktail continues Aston’s recent design language, but the flattened back panel definitely stands out as a divisive detail.
With a dry weight of 3,911 pounds or just over 4,000 topped up with a driver, this low-slung grand tourer truly stretches the category’s definition by churning a ridiculous 824 horsepower and 728 lb-ft of torque out of the twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V12. The torque figure almost matters more than peak output, in fact, because the mill simply delivers a hard punch at any rpm, before building into a raucous cacophony toward redline with a swelling rush of turbo boost. The optional titanium exhaust – a $14,900 addition – echoes at every octave, from deep bass to a snarly bark in the midrange to screaming anger at high revs, before relaxing into a satisfying burble of overrun after every upshift.
Meanwhile, out back, the best dual-clutch transaxle short of Porsche’s eponymous PDK box snaps off those shifts with telepathic urgency. The transaxle layout helps Aston manage weight distribution, at 50.6% front and 49.4% rear, so pushing hard only contributes to predictability and confidence in the car’s handling capabilities. Shortly into my first “fun” drive up in Malibu, I started fiddling with the Vanquish’s nifty adjustable traction control settings, hoping to unleash even more of the playful character made possible by such a wide and flat chassis. At the fifth level of TC intervention, little dips and rises in the road no longer brought on any ignition cuts, helping the massive 325-millimeter rear tires just keep powering along.
By the time I turned the nannies off entirely, I kept steaming into wide arcs, directing with my right foot a little, reining in the exuberances with long, smooth hits of counter-steering. The steering itself never lacks precision, and the wheel’s resistance to turn-in brings the nose directly onto the desired line with ease. I wound up preferring the Sport setting, rather than Sport+, because right at the edge on rougher roads, some electric numbness sets in. Luckily, the stupendous brakes and the rest of the chassis communicate enough to compensate for this last percent of perfection.
Part of the sublime suspension, which flies along absorbing bumps without sending harsh reverberations into the cockpit, comes down to Aston’s restrained decision to stick with 21-inch wheels rather than going bigger for pure style points. The Pirelli P Zero tires can therefore help smooth out rougher portions of roads with sidewall flex, before the electronically controlled shocks handle the rest of the damping. But the Vanquish also manages to toe a fine line between tautness and body roll, maintaining the former despite allowing a bit of the latter, all the better revealing where tire grip and power work together to enable acceleration, cornering, and braking.
On the interior, Aston’s clearly come a long way in quality terms – almost every surface and material provides satisfying textures and heft. Even the vanity mirror sliders on the sun visors are absolute works of art. And my tester came equipped with brushed metal trim for the center console, which Aston calls “Satin Dark Chrome Interior Jewelry” (for $2,700), though many of the buttons remain in unfortunate piano black. The rest of the switchgear carries over sculptural metal and knurled knobs familiar from the Vantage, DBX, and DB12.
I fit just fine at six-foot-one with long legs and felt spacious at the knees and shoulders, in addition to plentiful head and legroom. The bolstered seats fit my thighs and torso perfectly, swaddled in Q All Centenary Saddle Tan Semi Aniline Leather (part of the Inspire Monotone Interior for $10,900 and Contrast Welt and stitch for $3,000). And the $22,3000 Carbon Fiber 2×2 Twill for the interior pack ties the whole cockpit together into a more modern aesthetic, as
warranted by such gob-stopping performance.
On some of my favorite canyon roads, though, the Vanquish repeatedly scraped the front splitter. Through sections where Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and McLarens never do, so I never even tried to park in my driveway out of fear that I might damage the nose. The design simply warrants front-axle lift without question, and arguably, at this price point of $530,5000 with options over a $442,000 starting sticker, it should come with the ability to raise the nose by a couple of inches, if only for the mental reassurance. Always better to have front-axle lift and not need it, after all…
I also experienced a few glitches with the new Apple CarPlay Ultra infotainment suite and audio systems. The seat adjustment controls brought on some frustration every time, too. Hopefully, owners can set it and forget it, but the control placement low and to the right of my right knee meant I needed to lean forward a bit and use my left hand. Plus, I hate a full glass roof on an oppressively hot summer drive, and prefer a slicktop for any coupe – ideally one with a nice double bubble. If I wanted to see the sky and deal with sun glare all the time, the Vanquish comes in convertible form – what Aston Martin calls the Volante.
Now of course, no car is perfect. But the Vanquish comes incredibly close. As impressive as Aston’s reworked AMG V8 engines have gotten, the prospect of a V12 here at the end of the internal combustion easily takes the cake. How long Aston can continue to stave off the transition to hybrids and electrics, and that all-wheel-drive layout, definitely lurks in the back of my mind.
I always struggle to avoid making James Bond references about Aston Martins, but after a week with the Vanquish, I truly hope to see this silver screen shape in the next film, where the spectacular design and stunning performance might, depending on color choice, serve equally well as a Bond or villain car alike.
Images: Michael Van Runkle
