New Aston Martin Vantage Roadster review

Convertibles are often to live music what coupés are to a CD. You know you’ll get a better sound from your home audio set-up but there’s nothing quite as visceral as seeing your favourite band live. The energy that comes from live music can’t be replicated elsewhere – and the same applies to the assault on the senses of a high-performance convertible like the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster.

The analogy works further because the Vantage Roadster is no tribute act to the coupé original. It was developed alongside the latest Aston Martin Vantage and hits the showroom complete with that version’s most recent round of updates.

That means it has an interior inspired by the Aston Martin Vanquish, exterior features (such as the door handles) straight from the playbook of the One-77 supercar and blistering performance thanks to its big V8 petrol engine.

While it’s big on drama and performance, it’s also big on price, and faces some heavyweight opposition from rival convertibles including the Mercedes SL and Porsche 911 Cabriolet. The question is, can it cement itself as the headline act, or is it merely the B-side?

As with Aston Martin’s other models, including the Vantage coupé, a Mercedes-AMG-sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 is the beating heart and pumping lungs of the Vantage Roadster.

Power is rated at 656bhp – the same as in the coupé – and both models share an identical 3.5 seconds 0-60mph time and 202mph top speed. Those figures are impressive, but you'll get brisker acceleration from the most powerful versions of the BMW M8 Convertible, Mercedes SL and Porsche 911 Cabriolet.

The way the Vantage Roadster produces power is delightfully old-school, with the accelerator pedal drawing on vast reserves of low-down pull to fire the car down the road regardless of the speed you’re launching from, or the gear you’re in. That pays huge dividends around town, where the tractable power delivery makes low-speed driving effortless.

Key to that is the stiffness of the car’s underpinnings which, despite the lack of a fixed roof, are similar to the coupé's. The doors shut with a reassuring clunk, and there’s not the slightest hint of flex which can cause creaking and groaning in lesser convertibles.

Mechanical changes between the coupé and Roadster include extra bracing to compensate for the lack of a fixed roof, a revised gearbox mount and lightly tweaked suspension. Factor in the electric roof mechanism and rollover hoops and the Roadster is only 60kg heavier. That’s less than the 80kg weight penalty you’ll pay for a 911 Cabriolet.

Yet it’s even more impressive when pressing on: even on the shortest sliproad you’ll rarely need full throttle, but with the accelerator to the floor, performance is scintillating from around 3000rpm to the redline.

You’ll feel it and hear it, too, because the quad exhaust system crescendos from a muted burble to heavyweight muscle car. It's more rambunctious than a Mercedes SL63 and more operatic than a 911. It’s a shame some of the noise is piped through the speakers, though, because it detracts slightly from the otherwise authentic experience.

It’s not just the engine's vast reserves of power that make progress effortless. The eight-speed automatic gearbox shifts faster than the previous Roadster and shuffles gears intelligently in its fully automatic mode, although this can be overruled by using some beautifully crafted paddle shifters. Porsche’s PDK automatic is snappier still, but you’ll not be left wanting.

Meanwhile, the steering has the perfect blend of heft and precision, delivering huge confidence through corners. It feels beautifully balanced and eminently controllable, even in the wet. The short wheelbase makes it eager to turn in to bends and there’s minimal body lean as you do so. Grip is first-rate. Back-to-back, a 911 Cabriolet would put the driver closer to the action, but not by much.

The Roadster's suspension adjusts for firmness and it’s very comfortable. It’s not supposed to be a grand tourer, but it could fulfil that brief pretty well (especially if it had a bigger boot), although the Mercedes SL is a more suitable long-distance companion overall.

With the roof down there’s very little buffeting, even at motorway speeds. With the roof up, the eight layers of insulation do a good job of isolating the driver and passenger from wind noise, although road noise is always in the background. That’s something you’ll find with the rivals too, including the M8 Convertible and 911 Cabriolet.

As you might expect, there are multiple drive modes – Wet, Sport, Sports Plus and Track – providing increasingly sharp steering, and gearbox and suspension calibrations. The Individual mode allows you to cherry-pick your favourites. One option governs the amount of intervention from the stability control systems, allowing you to turn them off entirely (if you’re feeling brave).

Ride quality is impressive in the suspension’s softer mode, and we’d suggest many UK drivers will rarely want to select anything over our scarred tarmac. 

“The Vantage Roadster’s big V8 engine is theatrical and I found myself hitting the sports exhaust button to make it louder. It adds to the drama.” – Stuart Milne, Digital Editor

Low-slung it might be, but even with the impossibly steep rake of the windscreen, the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster is easy to get in and out of, thanks in part to doors which open wide – and tilt upwards to avoid expensive kerbside scrapes.

Once you're in, the driving position is highly adjustable and very comfortable. There’s no doubting how tightly the sports seats will hold you in place, although even more hip-hugging seats are available as options.

With the exception of a button to raise and lower the roof and a new, clearer digital driver's display lay-out, the dashboard is the same as in the Vantage coupé. That means the interior feels robust and has soft hand-stitched leather surfaces and plenty of attractive trim finishers – although the glossier ones tend to reflect bright sunshine when the roof is down.

Overall, there’s a greater sense of occasion than in a BMW M8 Convertible or Porsche 911 Cabriolet. And if you can see or touch, you can probably have it personalised to your taste, either with a range of standard options or through the Q by Aston Martin programme.

Everything is easy to use, with lots of large, clearly labelled buttons and knurled thumbwheels, and a good balance of physical and touchscreen controls. Helpfully, the Roadster has a shortcut button that can reduce the interference of the advanced driver-assistance tech, or disable many of them completely.

If there’s a criticism, it’s that some of the buttons on the steering wheel are a bit fiddly and could provide a more positive feel when you press them.

Visibility is great with the roof down, and the view forwards and to the sides is good too. You get a 360-degree camera to help with low-speed manoeuvring.

The Aston Martin-developed touchscreen is responsive and has a crisp display, although some small icons can be fiddly to use while driving. Overall, the infotainment systems in the M8 Convertible and 911 Cabriolet have the edge.

“I found the low-slung driving position near-perfect but I wish there was a touch more reach adjustment for the steering wheel.” – Stuart Milne, Digital Editor

Given the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster's long, thrusting bonnet, reasonable-sized boot and steeply raked windscreen, you might think space inside would be at a premium. In reality, there’s an impressive amount of space for two tall or burly adults, with plenty of head and elbow room. Regardless of whether the roof is up or down, it doesn’t feel cramped.

That’s the same story as the Vantage coupé but here the main point of difference is the roof, which folds or unfolds in 6.8 seconds – said to be faster than on any other convertible. The action can be performed when driving at up to 31mph and the roof stows behind the seats with no impact on boot space.

Interior storage isn’t an enormously strong point of the Vantage Roadster. There’s a fairly compact glovebox, a cubby between the seats and a tray for wirelessly charging a smartphone below the centre console. The door pockets are just big enough to each take a 500ml bottle.

As for the boot, it’s a regular square shape and can take up to 200 litres. That's more than the Porsche 911 Cabriolet (135 litres), although that does have tiny back seats you can put bags on. The Mercedes SL beats them both for boot space – it has 240 or 213 litres depending on whether the roof is up or down.

The Roadster's boot floor is flat, and despite a bar running the width of the car to provide additional structural support, should be fine for a couple of squashy bags for a weekend away. There's no external release: to open the boot you press a button inside the driver's door or another on the key.

“The Vantage Roadster’s wind deflector works well. Even at high speeds, I was able to have a conversation with a passenger.” – Stuart Milne, Digital Editor

There’s no avoiding the fact that the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster is very expensive indeed – it costs much more than the Mercedes SL and Porsche 911 Cabriolet. And that’s before you start perusing the options list and the Q by Aston Martin personalisation service, which is as expensive as it is extensive.

Personalisation options such as different paint finishes, leather trims and dash inserts aside, you won’t need to dig deep for extra kit. Standard equipment includes heated leather sports seats, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and a remote-operated folding roof.

Options include a heated steering wheel, more powerful carbon-ceramic brakes, a remote garage door opener and a Bowers & Wilkins audio system.

As you might expect from a sports car with the Roadster's level of performance, it sits in the top band for company car tax and also first-year road tax. Plus, it’ll drink super unleaded faster than a 911 Cabriolet or Maserati MC20 Cielo. Servicing won’t be cheap either but, again, that comes with the territory.

The Vantage Roadster hasn’t been crash-tested by Euro NCAP or security tested by Thatcham. It comes as standard with a vehicle tracking system, lane-departure warning, adaptive matrix LED headlights and blind-spot monitoring.

No Aston Martin models featured in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey so we can't tell you how dependable the Roaster will be. It comes with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, which is similar to rivals' cover.

"I’m a big fan of Bowers & Wilkins audio equipment, and the optional system in the Vantage Roadster sounds almost as good as its big V8 engine." – Stuart Milne, Digital Editor

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