2016 Aston Martin Vanquish S review
From £195,950
Late-life changes make the Aston Martin Vanquish S even nicer to drive and put a bit of necessary air between it and the DB1
I say tweaks, but even the smallest changes are rather in-depth. Front and rear springs are both 10% stiffer and rear roll stiffness is up by 3%, but that’s not even approaching the half of it. The dampers have been retuned so that while the primary ride (body control) is much improved, the secondary ride (over small imperfections) doesn’t take a hit.
Then the engineers started talking through the compression and rebound damping alterations and your correspondent smiled bleakly and nodded helplessly. The upshot is that there’s less understeer than before and the car feels more agile. The steering – still hydraulic – is said to offer better connection and a more progressive build-up in weight. Oh, and they’ve added an S to the name.
I haven’t driven a Vanquish for a while, but I can tell there’s more noise on start-up. More all the time, in fact, from the 5.9-litre V12. The note is a bit more howly and hollow, although, in three hours at the wheel, I never found it tiring. I rather like it at a subtle 3000rpm upshift or downshift – actually all the revs you need on the road most of the time.
Yes, the Vanquish is still down on the F12’s power, but I can’t imagine the circumstances in which 592bhp is insufficient. Unlike the turbocharged V12 of the DB11, you do have to work the motor a bit to get a huge shove in the back, but it rewards the effort.
The eight-speed auto is the same as before, but there’s a new, firmer coupling between the engine and the propshaft (the gearbox is at the back), which makes gearshifts feel much more urgent, positive and – although they aren’t – quicker.