Which AM V8V?

[NBTBRV8]

Guys,

Not knowing too much about late model V8 Vantages, which model is considered the "best"?

[V8V Pete]

Well as the happy owner of a 2014MY manual V8VS (SP10 edition) I'm clearly going to say that one but it does depend what you want from the car.

Since 2012 the standard V8V has most of the improvements that came with the S (faster steering rack, bigger front brakes, revised bumper design) so the main differences are the standard (until very recently) carbon fibre splitter & diffuser on the S and the small power/torque increases. Most standard V8V have "Comfort suspension" and most V8VS have "Sports Suspension" BUT NOT ALL so if this is important to you (it is to me) then check the spec sheet carefully (the dealer can look this up on their system if no paper version available).

Transmission. Again totally depends what you want but I wanted manual. Manual is quite rare on the S but currently 7 available in the dealer network https://used.astonmartin.com/en-GB/Search/Results/... As has been said a million times before Sportshift (automated single clutch manual) is very marmite but many love it.

Coupe or roadster - check whether you're wearing trousers or a skirt then no need to trouble yourself with this decision any further.

Enjoy the search

[CheckSix]

What happens if one wears skirt over trousers?

[Stevejay]

Buy both

[bogie]

Pete has covered most of it. The roadster also has the sports suspension as standard, at least from MY2012.25 onwards.

Then theres are few optional extras you can choose of course. Latest cars have a new dashboard design and in car entertainment.

So it really depends on your budget. AM dont make a "standard" Vantage anymore, its either a Roadster or Coupe "S" model

I upgraded my Jan 2006 coupe to a Dec 12 Roadster a couple of months back and was surprised at the number of nice improvements made incrementally over the years. The MY2012.25 has the majority of the later improvements other than the very latest dash design and in car entertainment...and missing 10bhp extra from the "S"

After driving the latest "S" model the only thing I would have liked is the sports exhaust. The standard 4.7 really sounds quite subdued compared to the earlier 4.3, but there a number of options to fix that......

So personally, I think best VFM cars are the moment are the early MY2012.25 cars, with the later bumpers, brakes etc. From around £60k ish.

[V8V Pete]

Oh yeah, sorry, forgot about the sports exhaust on the S which is much better IMO. Other notable options include Premium Audio (which is very good) and the lightweight carbon fibre bucket seats which are very rare on a V8V or even a V8VS (as apposed to a V12V) but are freakin awesome if you like driving more than posing ....

[NBTBRV8]

Thanks for the replies. Any car I would consider would be at least a 2012 model, so the difference between an SP10 say and a GT is negligible?

I like focused drives having had Porsches, I understand an AM is a Grand Tourer, and maybe I should try and shell out the extra for a V12V.

In any case I am still maybe 12+ months away from having to start considering anything.