Year Make Model review

2025 Aston Martin Vantage track test

Brutal and beautiful, we threw the revamped Aston Martin Vantage around Sydney’s flagship circuit to see if it delivers on newfound performance ambitions.

Two people check the tyres on a turquoise Aston Martin in front of parking area

Photo: Supplied

Aston Martin’s model line-up rejuvenation continues, now joined by what could be its most savage addition yet: the 2025 Vantage.

Originally a badge denoting elevated performance of an Aston Martin model , the Vantage moniker has since become a standalone nameplate, and its newest iteration – with a serious emphasis on speed – looks to take the mantra even further.

We recently tested the new Vantage around Sydney Motorsport Park to see whether it lives up to expectations.

How much does the 2025 Aston Martin Vantage cost?

Aspiring owners can get into a Vantage Coupe from $410,000 before on-road costs, with convertible Vantage Roadster variants starting at $435,000.

This places the two-door sports coupe Vantage among rivals including the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS (from $417,400) and Mercedes-AMG GT 63 (from $370,400).

At this price, the 2025 Vantage represents a circa $90,000 hike on the sticker price from as recently as 2023. However, Aston Martin justifies the premium with all the additional standard equipment.

What is the 2025 Aston Martin Vantage like inside?

Slipping inside the new Vantage, the scene is unmistakably contemporary Aston Martin: a new-gen infotainment screen (running the marque’s own bespoke operating system) sits within a sloped centre dash showing off machined metal dials and other controls seen elsewhere in the stable – all providing a solid and satisfying tactility.

Carbon fibre and piano black are offset in perfect ratios against aluminium and hand-stitched leather, with a greater emphasis on wide, sweeping horizontal lines than the previous Vantage. A ‘less is more’ confidence can be felt throughout – minimalist but luxurious.

However, drop into the optional, low-slung carbon fibre bucket seats fitted to our test car – doing away with luxuries such as electric adjustment in place of an old-school pull-strap and emphasis on lightness – and one quickly realises this has few aspirations as a cruiser.

High bonnet and door lines are emphasised by the low seating position; the cabin tucking away in places to give drivers all the elbow room they need to make rapid steering corrections – and believe us, you’ll need it.

It doesn’t look out of place sitting in a pit lane. Alloy, 21-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 5 S tyres (275mm section up front and 325mm in the rear) are fitted, and track width is up 30mm on both axles. Pumped guards and revised bumpers (with larger apertures up front to prioritise cooling) contain the new architecture, emphasising the Vantage’s squat, muscular shape.

It’s rare to encounter a car where every aspect of its performance works synergistically right up until the limit, but the new Vantage achieves it, retaining poise even at the limits of mechanical grip.

— Liam Murphy

1/4

What equipment does the 2025 Aston Martin Vantage come with?

Despite being at home on the track, the 2025 Aston Martin Vantage is still a luxury car at heart and is fitted with the commensurate accessories.

LED lights front and rear, electric steering adjustment, keyless entry and start/stop, ambient lighting, heated seats, wireless phone charging and dual-zone climate control all come standard.

Both centre infotainment and driver displays measure 10.25-inch of crisp definition, with the latter showing a good array of relevant information without overbearing drivers. DAB radio, sat nav and smartphone pairing are amplified through a 360-watt bespoke Aston Martin audio system.

The Vantage is covered by Aston Martin Australia’s three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

How safe is the 2025 Aston Martin Vantage?

Cars with the 2025 Aston Martin Vantage’s price tag rarely undergo testing by the likes of Euro NCAP or ANCAP, however this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re unsafe.

The 2025 Aston Martin Vantage doesn’t go wanting for standard safety kit, fitted as standard with an array of airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners, automatic emergency braking (AEB), forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control (with stop-go functionality), and traffic sign recognition.

Lane-keep, blind spot, rear cross-traffic and door exit assists come fitted, alongside a lane departure warning, hands off detection, a driver attention monitor and 3D surround-view camera with additional 360-degree view and parking sensors.

What powers the 2025 Aston Martin Vantage?

Like its larger DB12 sibling , the 2025 Aston Martin Vantage uses a 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8.

Compared to the old Vantage’s powerplant, outputs are up a huge 114kW and 115Nm, now totalling 489kW and 800Nm.

This has been achieved by the Mercedes-AMG-built V8 receiving additional tweaks to Aston Martin’s specification, including revised camshaft profiles and larger turbochargers. The exhaust has also been worked to provide more gurgle and bark, something we thought the DB12 was missing.

Drive is sent via a carbon fibre driveshaft to a rear-mounted eight-speed automatic transmission and an electronically controlled limited-slip differential that drive just the rear wheels. The transmission’s final drive ratio has been shortened in another boon for acceleration.

Elsewhere, there are chassis revisions which purportedly deliver sharper handling, all while adhering to the Vantage’s all-important 50:50 weight distribution.

Aston Martin claims a fuel consumption of 12.1L/100km, though we obviously never saw anywhere near that figure during our track testing.

What is the 2025 Aston Martin Vantage like to drive?

‘Controlled chaos’ is really the only way we can describe the 2025 Aston Martin Vantage driving experience.

It’s rare to encounter a car where every aspect of its performance works synergistically right up until the limit, but the new Vantage achieves it, retaining poise even at the limits of mechanical grip.

Sharpness and feedback are immense for a straight-off-the-production-line street car. Steering weight, directness and quickness feel perfectly matched to the natural dynamics of the updated chassis. The braking system can’t be faulted either, with pedal-feel, bite and balance not discernibly diminishing as the pads and tyres amassed some serious heat.

The sum of the above means the Vantage is rewarding at all intensities, able to be pushed to – and held on – a knife’s edge without inducing anxiety that it’s going to do something unexpected.

This feeling of security is aided by a new eight-stage traction control system that speaks to other systems in the car and allows drivers to incrementally access the full, raw delivery of engine power and oversteer the Vantage can deliver. The system works well but is not flawless: we experienced a notable throttle-cut mid-corner, plus a sudden serve of full power in third gear which required a serving of counter steer to correct it.

Power delivery is savage, particularly in the low to middling revs. The V8 arrives at peak torque from just 2000rpm, but begins to taper after 5000rpm – with peak power reached at 6000rpm ahead of a 7200rpm redline – meaning oomph stagnates in the higher echelons. It makes for brutally fast acceleration from low speeds (the Vantage can sprint from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.5 seconds) and out of corners, but doesn’t really tempt drivers to use the full band, with a shift long before redline often making for faster acceleration.

The peakier and more engaging power curve of the larger DB12 , combined with the Vantage’s sharpness, would be about perfection, we think.