RE: Aston Martin Vantage AMR | Driven

[SFO]

when it arrives, will the standard Vantage with manual gearbox be cheaper than the auto?

[Sford]

AlexFell93 said:

I'm fairly astonished at the negativity in the comments given that PHers are usually pining for manual transmissions. Aston should be applauded for going to the trouble of being the last supercar manufacturer offering the choice of a manual. If you don't like it, don't spec it but be grateful that you were offered the choice.

For what it's worth I think the Vantage looks good, perhaps a bit fussy in some of the details but overall it's a great shape.

Think Noble still produce manual gearbox super cars.

[simonbamg]

If only it was smaller, lighter and built by Renault

[oilit]

I really do like the back end of this car.

Manual - wouldn't buy one as a manual personally - but in all honesty I am not likely to be buying a new AM anytime soon - so my opinion is irrelevant as far as AM new car sales are concerned.

BUT, based on the below graph - Aston need to shift a lot of these and DBX if they are to start breaking records in terms of sales volumes in the UK:-



In that I wish them the best of luck !!

[British Beef]

wab172uk said:

Not a huge fan of the looks. But this car has become hugely more desirable with the inclusion of a manual gearbox.

Will it accelerate as quickly as the Auto version. No. I don't care.
Will it achieve a slower lap time over the Auto version. Yes. I don't care.
Will it be as fast to hustle down your favourite fast A-B road? No. I don't care.

Every drive in this manual version will be more of an event. It puts you in control, which is what I want. I'd rather drive a manual at 7-8 tenths, then an Auto at 10 tenths.

If you commute into London or any main city, the Auto box will be for you. But well done Aston, for giving us that prefer a manual the choice.

Now if you could take my S3 as a swap ...........

I agree 100% with this sentiment.

Stunning looking, and when driving having the direct link between hand and gear-train is something that adds extra involvement to driving.

From a commuting in traffic or outright fast lap time, it is inferior. From a driving experience on the open road, manual everytime.

[MikeGoodwin]

first time i looked at a current gen AM and thought it looked good but it looks cracking in that red

Fair play to them for getting a manual gearbox working

[Motormatt]

Judging by the comments here, I seem to be in the minority that thinks this car looks great.

Hats off to Aston for making the huge engineering effort required to fit a manual gearbox, I just with they'd used a gear lever that looked special enough to justify it, not just something lifted from a Mazda as the article says.

[mikey k]

This is NOT a real manual.
That dog leg 7 speed Graziano box is the same auto box with a robotic manual lever.
There is NO mechanical linkage to the gearbox, it is all done on switches and electronics.
I used it several times in the previous shape V12.
Its awful and cumbersome.

[cypriot]

bloody hell, you can't win on PH can you? If it doesn't have a manual, everyone complains. Now it has a manual, everyone complains. As for the looks, its subjective and I would say the car looks far far better in the flesh than photos. It is certainly better looking than the 992 for example.

Go read autocar's review for another perspective: In short, the gear change is great, and the oversteer is gradual and gentle.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/aston-martin/...

Edited by cypriot on Wednesday 23 October 11:19

[Johnny42]

mikey k said:

This is NOT a real manual.
That dog leg 7 speed Graziano box is the same auto box with a robotic manual lever.
There is NO mechanical linkage to the gearbox, it is all done on switches and electronics.
I used it several times in the previous shape V12.
Its awful and cumbersome.

I thought it was the other way round - the Graziano boxes were basically manual, but robotized to turn them into a not-so-great auto in all the previous gen cars (until they put the ZF in the Vanquish). So they are a real manual if you remove the robot bits.

Edited by Johnny42 on Wednesday 23 October 11:21

[mikey k]

cypriot said:

bloody hell, you can't win on PH can you? If it doesn't have a manual, everyone complains. Now it has a manual, everyone complains. As for the looks, its subjective and I would say the car looks far far better in the flesh than photos. It is certainly better looking than the 992 for example.

Its not a manual though
its the same auto box with a load of switches and a lever.
Its a horrible thing to use.
None of the "benefits" of a proper mechanical linkage manual gearbox.

[cib24]

I'm glad they are trying to improve it but this car still isn't for me. It doesn't have a lovely sporty GT feel like some competitors nor an interior as nice as a Bentley for similar money, and it doesn't look great compared to the DBS or the previous Vantage.

Not sure what is manual in that price range but if I want a V8 with a manual I'd just buy a Mustang and modify it a little bit. Not premium like a Vantage but everything else about it is attractive as the car knows what it is, whereas this version of the Vantage doesn't.

[greeneggsandham]

I really like this. Both in terms of looks and the manual gearbox. It may not be as fast as the auto, but I don't think that matters in the real world. I am not exactly a professional racing driver so could never extract the full potential of the car in any event, so I may as well enjoy the journey. How many times have you arrived at your destination and thought, "If only my car had a different gearbox, then I would have arrived here 1.78 seconds earlier..."?

[Arsecati]

Bought by those thinking only a 'manual' can give you that true driver involvement.
Driven by nobody so as to not hurt it's resale value.

[cypriot]

mikey k said:

Its not a manual though
its the same auto box with a load of switches and a lever.
Its a horrible thing to use.
None of the "benefits" of a proper mechanical linkage manual gearbox.

what are you talking about?! who cares?! Not a single person or journalist has said that this 7-speed feels fake or is not a proper manual... the car has a clutch pedal, and a gear lever that you must operate with your arm in order to change gears - hence its a manual for all intents and purposes. If you personally don't like how it feels, that is a different matter altogether. To try and say it is not a manual though is completely bonkers though. I personally have driven the v12 manual with this gearbox and it felt great, so I did get the "benefits" of the manual gearbox. So did everyone else when they reviewed the old v12 and gave it glowing reviews. My god some people are negative.

[spagbogdog]

..would have thought they'd make a bit of an effort with the stick and it's gate..considering the amount of bling in Aston's cabins these days.
Looks very cheap and out of place in a £150k machine.
Poor...very poor indeed.

[fernando the frog]

perfect. people will find an excuse to moan about anything on here...

[Onehp]

Autobox makes a more "Polished All-rounder". Sure it does, but in proper PH fashion I would want this kind of car to be 'engaging' foremost. Hope AM survives...

[Lowieee]

Brave financially .... well done Aston, the buyers who take the plunge will love it !! now just put that V12 in the little baby again

[RL86]

mikey k said:

This is NOT a real manual.
That dog leg 7 speed Graziano box is the same auto box with a robotic manual lever.
There is NO mechanical linkage to the gearbox, it is all done on switches and electronics.
I used it several times in the previous shape V12.
Its awful and cumbersome.

Couldn't be more wrong.
There are shift cables that directly connect the gear lever in the cabin to the gearbox at the rear.
The old auto was an automated manual though.