Aston Martin
The V8 S is the lightest Vantage with the firmest standard suspension.
What is it?
It's the track star in Aston 
For the S, Aston Martin bumps output from its dry-sump 4.7-liter V8 by 10 hp and 15 lb-ft of torque (to 430 hp at 7,300 rpm, and 361 lb-ft at 5,000 rpm). The increase flows primarily from a revised intake system, which adds a valve that opens and increases airflow at 3,500 rpm.
The only transmission offered in the S is an evolution of Aston's Graziano-built, single-clutch automanual. Called Sportshift II, the new box has seven forward gears instead of six. It's also lighter, thanks to the elimination of its oil-cooling system, and it's the single biggest contributor to the S model's lower curb weight (3,549 pounds for the coupe, compared with 3,595 pounds for the V8 Vantage). The V8 S also has a shorter final drive ratio than other Vantages (4.182:1).
Its chassis is tailored, too. The steering ratio drops from 17:1 to 15:1 for more immediate response to inputs on the wheel. Its front brake rotors are larger, with six-piston floating calipers. Springs are shorter and the shocks are firmer, and the stability electronics are tuned accordingly, allowing a bit more slip in both standard and track settings. Its tires are vehicle-tuned Bridgestone Potenzas, as opposed to Pirelli P-Zeros, and they're 10 millimeters wider front and rear (245/40ZR-19 front, 285/35ZR-19 rear).
Styling tweaks are subtle but noticeable. The V8 Vantage S has a carbon-fiber splitter at the bottom edge of its front bumper and a more pronounced spoiler lip on its rear deck. Its side sills are more heavily contoured.
The S hasn't been stripped of features or rich materials in the fashion of a race car. Inside and out, it has a more obvious handcrafted quality than, say, a Porsche 911, or even a Ferrari 458
What is it like to drive?
No surprise here: It drives like a more pointedly track-tuned Vantage, and in general, it's fantabulous.
The V8 Vantage S impressed thoroughly on the 26-turn, 3.4-mile Ascari circuit in Ronda, Spain. We'd call it supremely balanced in weight distribution, or grip front to rear, but also in the matched competency of its engine, chassis and brakes. Its steering is exceptionally communicative and linear. Tire angle remains remarkably consistent to the amount of steering-wheel input lock-to-lock. It makes connecting the entry-apex-exit dots a consistently smooth process in the Vantage S. In short, its steering is better than some cars from Maranello, or Stuttgart, and that's saying something.
The Vantage is inherently neutral, too. We'd call it flattering. It will push if you trail brake too hot into a corner, and loosen up in back if you go way, way overboard on the gas. Yet the stability electronics are almost perfectly tuned. In standard mode, it's really, really difficult to get the V8 Vantage S to do anything scarier than push toward the edge of the pavement. In track mode, there's more latitude for driver error, but generally, the Vantage S makes weak drivers feel good and good drivers feel like Fangio.
Torque spurts freely from the V8, from about 2,000 rpm, yet it spins happily to nearly 8,000. Aston's 4.7 likes it best at the high end. It loses none of its urgency in the last 1,000 rpm, and it stays smooth, bouncing around near the rev limiter. The transmission is fine on a racetrack. Its paddle-shifts aren't the quickest, but they're quicker than most of us could manage with a clutch pedal.
There's payback on the road, to be sure. The aggressively tuned exhaust is loud, even if it sounds great, and the ride is definitely firm. Exactly how firm, it's hard to say, given the slate-smooth roads around Ascari. We'd guess the V8 Vantage S is not a good commuter for the upper Midwest. On the other hand, the fury of exhaust and stiff springs isn't likely to dissuade any well-heeled enthusiast who knows what he or she is buying.
The transmission? That's another story. The Sportshift II is good enough when it's used aggressively as a sport transmission, but it's not much short of horrible as a full automatic on the road. Revs drop substantially before every part throttle shift--so much so that it feels like the Vantage S is bogging. Gear changes slow acceleration while the car coasts and the transmission engages the next gear, and none of it is particularly smooth. It's almost like manual shifting in a tractor-trailer rig. Better to manually pick a gear, shift as seldom as possible, and let the engine torque do the work.
Do I want it?
The Vantage might be the world's most underrated--or better, underprofiled--sports car. We love it for its beauty, subtlety and sweet balance in the broadest sense. It's not likely to blow anyone's knickers off in any particular way (except, perhaps, with its looks). Nor will it disappoint in any fashion, and a driver's appreciation for its symmetry will grow as miles accumulate.
This S is a bit trickier. Unless you want a Vantage reserved exclusively for track days, we think not. It isn't the ride or exhaust noise that puts us off, but the transmission. At anything less than full throttle, all the time, Sportshift II is buzzkill.
Better to choose the limited-edition Vantage N420, as long as it's still available. It comes standard with the Sportpack suspension (essentially the same tuning), and thanks to more extensive use of carbon fiber, it's almost as light as the V8 Vantage S. It also costs $6,400 less, and most importantly, it's available with a conventional manual. You'll never miss 10 hp and 15 lb-ft less.
2011 Aston Martin V8 Vantage S
Price: $138,000 (coupe); $151,000 (roadster)
Available: April or May
Layout: Two-passenger, front mid-engine, rear-drive coupe or roadster
Drivetrain: 4.7-liter, 430-hp, 361-lb-ft V8; rear-mount seven-speed, single-clutch auto-shift transmission
Curb Weight: 3,549 lb (coupe); 3,726 lb (roadster)
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.6 sec (est); 189-mph top speed (mfr)
Fuel Economy: 14/21 mpg (mfr)
Saturday, March 12, 2011
2011 Aston Martin V8 Vantage S, an AW Flash Drive
4:29 PM
About the World
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