Driven: 2016 Aston Martin Vanquish Review
Sometimes life can be very good to you, like the day I got to test this Aston Martin Vanquish. Take a read below to see what the ultimate GT car is like.
What is the 2016 Aston Martin Vanquish all About?
Without a doubt this is certainly one of the most iconic cars I have ever tested. The Aston Martin Vanquish is one of the most simple and well balanced examples of car styling I have ever seen.
Just take a step back and look at the design of the car. There’s not a single element of the car that is not attractive to the eye.
The Vanquish sits at the top of the Aston Martin range and was created specifically for the brand’s centenary year. They set out to create the ultimate Aston Martin, and wow, I certainly think they got it right.
The Vanquish is powered by a 6.0 litre V12 engine that creates 568 bhp and will do top speed 201 mph. From a standing start the car will get from 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds. This car really is a super grand tourer.
How Does it Drive?
Just turning the Vanquish on is a very unique experience yet to be replicated in any other car. Aston Martin give you a beautiful key that slots into the dashboard and converts into an ignition button as it goes in. That moment when you turn the car on you get around half a second of starter motor sound and then a huge explosion of pure growl as the engine fires up. This is incredible to listen to. On the outside of the car you literally feel the concrete vibrate underneath your feet… and this is only turning the car on.
Again, Aston Martin have managed to create a simple act into a thing of beauty; pushing the car into gear. You will see on the top of the dashboard that there are two buttons either side of the key. These buttons are park, reverse, neutral and drive. One tap on the D button and you are in gear, ready to go.
I took the Vanquish out onto some country lanes to get a quick idea for what the drive was like. Oh my gosh – this car made every metre a pleasure to drive. The exhaust note of the car is something that really encapsulates the entire Aston Martin brand experience as a single entity. One of the initial points that was noticeable about the car was that it was very comfortable at low speeds yet still very firm to the road at the same time, a great characteristic of a good GT car.
The response from the 6L engine was exactly how I imagined the car would be. The response was instantaneous when hitting the pedal and the V12 power of the car really shot me back in my seat. Once at the limiter, it just took one touch on the Touchtronic III paddle and in the blink of an eye I was in the next gear screaming towards the horizon. The shift-by-wire control system on the rear mounted gearbox works very well, and during my testing left me feeling in control of the car at all times.
Another outstanding element of the driving experience of the Aston Martin Vanquish is the handling capabilities. The feedback I got from the steering wheel was very good for a grand tourer and gave me lots of information in terms of what was going on at all four corners of the car. Although this is something that we would look to expect from such a high performance car, it is something that often gets compromised when you start to add in luxury items and try to improve the ride quality expected in a GT.
What’s it Like Inside?
Inside the Aston Martin Vanquish there is a lot to love about this car. When you get in you sit fairly low to the ground, well surrounded by the cabin giving you a protected coupe feel. The Vanquish has two very spacious seats in the front and two not so spacious seats in the rear, to put it simply. But upfront is lots of room to enjoy the car.
Some people might argue that the interior of the Aston Martin Vanquish is a little bit disappointing from a technology and design standpoint, especially when compared to the beautiful looks of the exterior and the capabilities in the performance of the car. But but all things considered, I think the interior is very good.
Let’s talk about the driving position, where Aston Martin have absolutely hit the nail on the head. I seemed to sit relatively low to the ground with relatively straight legs, the steering wheel was directly in front of me and is fully adjustable. I was able to get myself in a very comfortable and practical driving position, the benefits of being seated correctly is that the car feels as if it wraps around the driver rather than being just ‘sat’ in a car.
When buying your own Aston Martin Vanquish. You are able to select the leather colours, the use of materials on the dash and even the choice of cotton sown into the leather in the car; making your Vanquish very unique to you.
The Experience
Without a doubt test driving the Aston Martin Vanquish has been one of the most special moments testing cars. There are two main reasons for this and they are both hugely obvious. Firstly, the look of the car; bumper to bumper the car is a pure design master class. Secondly, the vibrations that this car puts out are incredible and the exhaust note of this is car just so seductive.
Verdict
The Aston Martin Vanquish is a super GT car that really has the best of everything. There is no doubt that the car has unbelievable timeless beauty, race car-like performance and more soul than any other car available. The Vanquish is a car that will be owned by a few, but respected by many. What a perfect car it is to represent 100 years of Aston Martin.
Video Highlights
Specification
Aston Martin Vanquish
- Price: £225,050
- Engine: 6.0-litre V12
- Power: 568 bhp
- Torque: 630 Nm
- Transmission: 8 Speed Automatic
- 0-62mph: 3.6 Seconds
- Top speed: 201 mph
- Weight: 1,739 kg
- Economy combined: 22 mpg
- CO2: 298 g/km
Author: Paul Hadley
