The Aston Martin V12 Vantage S: gloriously unapologetic beef-and-gravy bullyboy, or pimped-out relic in search of a transmission?
Our Dan has had his say. "If you fear fast cars have gotten a bit aloof and uninvolving, this is the vehicle you need in your life," was his sanguine conclusion. Shame about the 'gotten', but in his defence the launch was in California.
Auto Express: "Analogue flavour"
Auto Express's
man on the scene, moonlighting from the day job on Evo. He came out squarely on the side of the S as "the best current Aston, in spite of the gearbox - or ironically partly because of it. It has an analogue flavour," he said. You might want to remember that phrase.
Henry got around the gearbox by simply "not changing gear as often, instead using the engine's substantial reserves of torque." Praising the predictability of the locking diff and its ability to hold big slides he said, "driven like this, the V12 S really starts to make sense: it's not a delicate, precision instrument like the Ferrari 458 Italia, but has a brutish, old-school charm that's hard to find these days."
MSN Cars: beware the smokey bears
MSN Cars'
Ian Dickson came in for some asterisk-based forum cursing for his use of such apparently harmless phrases as 'smokey bears', 'five-0', 'refreshingly old school' and 'rocks an old school vibe'.
The review that generated such ire was certainly not short of hyperbole. Ian's likes were listed as the Aston's "insane performance, improved dynamics and epic noise" while his dislikes included its dated switchgear and potential to be a handful in the wet. He revealed that the car packed 573hp into a Honda Jazz sized wheelbase and thought the Aston sounded like "a tiger in heat." We'll have to take his word for that. Like Henry Catchpole, he too thought it was a bargain and Aston Martin's best car.
"The V12 Vantage S feels truly analogue [aha!] and raw and rocks an old-school vibe despite the automated gearbox and plethora of modern tech. This is a neat and refreshing trick."
Autocar: "Fast, brilliantly balanced"
Autocar's
ambassador at Palm Springs was Brian Makse, an instructor at Canada's Mosport GP circuit. Giving the V12 Vantage S four stars, his summation was that it was "fast, brilliantly balanced and sounds like thunder, but is equipped with an occasionally sluggish automated manual gearbox."
Providing somewhat more engine detail than either AE or MSN, Brian noted a "disparity between what your eyes see, your ears hear, and what your bones feel. At first glance, you immediately think that a Vantage shouldn't sound like it has six litres of engine displacement - but this one certainly does." Bit of a mixed metaphor there but we see what he means.
On the "antiquated" gearbox he reckoned that "as long as you treat it for what it is - an automated manual - it can be especially rewarding. Upshifts are accomplished faster than a human-operated shift, just not as quick as the latest transmissions."
Like our Dan, Brian spoke favourably about the "great hydraulically-assisted steering, slightly quicker than before and still delightfully unburdened by the weight of the additional four cylinders over the front axle."
Car Enthusiast: "Best car Aston makes"
MSN's man had noticed some noise from the suspension when the adaptive damper button was pressed, but Brian was a fan of the Sport setting. "On the ultra smooth asphalt of southern California, it seemed perfect." Summing up, Brian praised the "refreshingly analog" Aston (hurrah!). "If the deeply integrated electronic systems of other sports cars don't appeal to you - like those found in the new, tech-laden Porsche 911 GT3 - the V12 Vantage S might just have the right blend of speed, style, and character you're looking for."
Car Enthusiast sent sometime PH contributor Kyle Fortune along to the launch. "The Vantage might be among the oldest models in the Aston Martin line-up, but age has done little to diminish its appeal," he said. "'It matters little which of the seven ratios it's in as the car is monstrously rapid in any, the forceful acceleration accompanied by a soundtrack that's every bit as enjoyable as the performance on offer. The gearbox has the capacity to frustrate, but it's not so dominant to ruin what's otherwise a hugely entertaining and capable package."
Speedhunters: lovely photos and lots of 'em
Kyle rated the fast and well-weighted steering, the driving position and the "simply impeccable" finish of the leather-lined cabin. He nominated the V12 Vantage S as "the car the Vantage should always have been", and "the best car Aston Martin makes, by some margin". He forgot to say 'analogue' though.
Finally to Speedhunters, and a review that's less about the words or, in fact, the car itself and more about the landscape in which this undeserving bunch got to drive it. No, it won't make you any less jealous but credit to Sean Klingelhoefer and Larry Chen for some inspirational photography. All downloadable as desktop pics too, should you so wish.
"If I sold the house, I might just be able to afford one of these. And I'd be one of the happiest men alive. And maybe the smelliest." sanctum
"Love it love it love it love it love it love love it. But I wish it had a manual box ... The single clutch box is horrible compared to a modern DSG, so stop trying to compete. Make it a manual. Play to its strengths. It would make it more desirable, not less." toppstuff
"Test drove the V12 S yesterday at Aston Works. Driving a V12 Vantage already, I wasn't actually expecting to be that impressed. But it really IS a huge step up. When I returned, beaming ear to ear, Simon from AM sitting next to me asked 'so... what do you think?' I thought for a second, and replied 'it's the same as my V12, but every single bit if it is about 15 to 20% better.'" ChristAlmighty
"I really rate the V12 S but it is coming far too late in the cycle ... this is about 18 months too late when Porsche GT3 is going to run circles around it. They could have had the whole hype for themselves 18 months ago but now they find themselves in competition with the next generation gearboxes. Not only a missed opportunity but a completely failed launch plan." hornbaek
"Sit and listen to this machine, then explain to me why some people continue to bang on and on about the virtues of electric cars." mybrainhurts