Name: New Aston Martin Vanquish models and Specifications
Brand: Aston Martin

v12-2dr-auto

VANQUISH

Coupe

Yes, Aston Martin is the preferred manufacturer of a certain (not so) secret agent, but its latest cars offer a lot more than the chance to indulge your Bond fantasies.

The DB12 is a very fast and very luxurious long distance cruiser, and the DBS is arguably one of the most glamorous cars around.

Proving it's not afraid to move with the times, Aston has also embraced&nbsp;the march of the SUV; its DBX707 is a stunning example of what's possible when building a fast, expensive and sporty SUV.

ASTON MARTIN

V12 2dr Auto

Aston Martin Vanquish

Introduction

Performance & drive

Interior

Passenger & boot space

Costs & verdict

With a price tag that eclipses some houses before you’ve even turned to the options’ page, the Vanquish isn’t exactly what you’d call affordable. It does at least hold its value as well as a Ferrari F12 and better than the Bentley Continental GT Supersports, although you’ll still lose over half what you’ve paid after three years of ownership. It’s also worth remembering that particularly garish colour combinations could make it tricky to sell.

Of course, the expense doesn’t stop there. Although you can get a mid-twenties mpg figure on a gentle cruise, hard use will see that dropping into the teens or below. Insurance, servicing and tax costs will also be rather hair raising, if in line with many rivals.

There is plenty of standard equipment including electrically adjustable leather seats, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control, climate control, a 1000-watt Bang &amp; Olufsen stereo, 6.5in infotainment system with DAB radio, Bluetooth and sat-nav, plus heated, power-folding folding mirrors.

The warranty period is a standard three years and can be increased for a fee. As for safety, Euro NCAP hasn’t tested the Vanquish, although you do get the usual array of airbags and an alarm with a tracker as standard.

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Even though the Vanquish is getting on a bit, a few tweaks late in 2016 mean the big V12 now pushes out – wait for it – a colossal 560bhp or 592bhp in Vanquish S guise. That’s enough for a claimed 0-62mph in just 3.5sec, although pottering around town it’s docile and pulls smoothly from low revs. Yet breach 4000rpm with your foot welded to the floor and it develops this brutal, harder edge, with mighty acceleration and an almost homicidal exhaust howl. Saying that, the Vanquish, much like the Continental Supersports, still feels significantly less intimidating than the frenetic Ferrari F12.

That goes for the handling, too. It doesn’t have the surefooted four-wheel drive traction out of tight corners of the Bentley, so you need to pour on the power gently or else you risk it swapping ends, but it’s not inherently snappy or as demanding to drive as the spikier, and ultimately faster, F12. That could be both good and bad, depending on your particular perspective.

The steering is definitely one of the Vanquish’s highlights. Thanks to the sweetness of old-fashioned, hydraulically assisted steering (as opposed to the newer, less sensitive electronic power steering set-ups) it’s dead easy to place the nose of the car because you get the feedback through the steering wheel to know exactly what the front tyres are doing.

That said, this car never feels desperately agile. Yes, the body is made from carbon fibre, making the Vanquish lighter on its toes than the Continental, but this is still a hefty brute. And while the switchable adaptive suspension is tuned to dial out body lean, even in its stiffest setting it feels altogether softer and at times even a tad floaty over undulating roads, especially compared to the sharp-witted, hunkered-down F12.

It’s pretty comfortable for this type of car, which adds to the sense that the Vanquish is more of a GT than an out-and-out sports car. Soften the dampers off and it absorbs the impact of most road acne surprisingly well, although it does tend to fidget about over rippled roads.

Wind noise at 70mph is also hushed, but you do have to put up with quite a lot of road noise at speed. Mostly that V12 exhaust note is part of the intoxication of Vanquish ownership, but sometimes the resonance can become a mite wearing and you find yourself wishing for a little peace.

The eight-speed automatic gearbox, meanwhile, is smooth when left to its own devices, but needs to be in manual mode to get the best from the engine. Even then the shifts are slurred and tardy compared to the near-instant shifts of a Ferrari F12, or the Continental for that matter.

Fuel 

Gearbox

0-62 MPH

http://example.com

In a world of downsized turbocharged engines and clever four-wheel drive systems, the Aston Martin Vanquish and the convertible Vanquish Volante stick out somewhat as dinosaurs. With front-mounted 5.9-litre V12s powering their rear wheels only, the Vanquish models epitomise old-school grand tourers rather than the modern crop of cutting-edge sports cars.

<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5pEM8Tsx2Ng"></iframe>

Yes, a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2012-ferrari-f12-berlinetta-review/n9334">Ferrari F12</a> may come from a similar recipe, but that has far more power and feels a lot more ‘high-tech’. You could even argue that Aston’s own <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/aston-martin/db11/coupe/review/n17217">DB11</a> signposts that turbocharged models are its future. But here’s the thing: some would argue that the modern breed of sports cars aren’t quite as exciting as the old guard from behind the wheel, so does its classic underpinnings actually bequeath the Vanquish an extra dimension of fun?

Well, we’ve made it our mission to find out. Read on to discover the Vanquish’s finer points as well as its foibles, and see how it rates against rivals that include the Ferrari F12 as well as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bentley/continental-gt/coupe/review/?aq=Bentley%20%20Continental%20GT&amp;amp;type=review&amp;amp;src=SearchDropdown&amp;amp;oq=bentley%2520">Bentley Continental GT Supersports</a>.

The Vanquish’s dashboard may have looked pretty swish back when it was launched, but it’s looking seriously dated now. That said, you can’t argue with the richness of the materials inside: there’s barely any plastic on show and plenty of rich leather, metal and carbonfibre. In fact, for perceived quality just the flimsy-sounding indicator and wiper stalks detract from the plushness.

There’s plenty of adjustment to the standard electrically operated seats and a good range of movement for the steering wheel. The seats don’t offer much side support considering the Vanquish’s performance intentions, and they’re mounted relatively high too, so taller drivers find their heads not far from the roof lining. It’s worth noting that the doors swing slightly upwards as they open, allowing them to clear high curbs and other raised objects.

Unusually, the gearbox is controlled by a set of glass buttons on the dashboard although you do get more conventional paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. Aston has replaced many other buttons with touch sensitive panels that don’t work okay, but do pick up fingerprints easily.

The infotainment screen pretty poor by £7k city car standards, so viewed in context against the Vanquish’s hefty price tag it’s woeful. The screen is small, as are the graphics, and while we normally like rotary dial controllers, as it’s placed vertically on the dashboard this one’s fiddly to use. You do get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to mirror your smartphone’s home screen though the display, and of course a DAB radio Bluetooth.

At least the stereo itself is a powerful 1000-watt system by Bang &amp; Olufsen, should you ever tire of the V12’s music.

The Aston Martin Vanquish has stunning looks and a sonorous engine but its rivals have moved the game on a lot

Anyone sat in the front should find leg room is fine, but if you’re much over the six-feet threshold the relatively high-mounted seats may mean head room is tight. Whatever your size, the Vanquish feels more compact inside that the roomier Bentley Continental GT.

That statement is truer still in the rear; if you are considering a Vanquish because of the availability of rear seats - something the Ferrari F12 misses - in reality these are only suitable for small children at best. By contrast you can fit a couple of adults in the back of a Continental GT with comparative ease.

In the Vanquish it’s better to think of the rear seats as an extension of the boot, which itself is decent enough that it will fit a couple of overnight bags. If you’re looking for a really practical sports car though, again, the Continental offers a chunk more luggage room.

vanquish

The Aston Martin Vanquish has stunning looks and a sonorous engine but its rivals have moved the game on a lot

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Strong performance</li> <li>Good balance between ride and handling</li> <li>Excellent build quality</li> <li>Decent practicality</li> <li>Sophisticated interior</li></ul>

Coupés are all about style, but while practicality undoubtedly takes a back seat to aesthetics, these cars still need to be easy to live with on a daily basis. It’s this that distinguishes a coupé from an out-and-out sports car.

Fortunately, there’s a wide range of style-focused models available, and you don’t even need to spend silly money to buy or run one.

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