V12 Vantage Reviews MY 22

V12 Vantage Reviews MY 22

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Discussion

Beckson

Original Poster:

371 posts

50 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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I've seen a few reviews of the new V12V posted on youtube... honestly kinda disappointing it's not getting rave reviews.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoOL4YdsycI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMtoI336OQU

AstonV

1,563 posts

105 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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Wow, that’s unfortunate.

KevinBird

1,036 posts

206 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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Same here;

https://www.evo.co.uk/aston-martin/v12-vantage/204...

Edited by KevinBird on Wednesday 11th May 06:43

Finding Neutral

436 posts

31 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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Oh dear

Minglar

1,223 posts

122 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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Somewhat disappointing to read these reviews, although not entirely surprising. I’m rather glad I didn’t get sucked in to signing up for one now, especially at the price point. I think it’s far too similar to standard Vantage or perhaps F1 edition. Fancy aero, a ridiculous spoiler, and a V12 badge in the centre of the dash don’t cut it for me I’m afraid, although I guess the seats do look pretty good. I guess the press car may not be the complete finished article though, but you would have thought AM would make sure they provide the media with the best possible example they can, as surely they want the journalists to rave about it? I’m convinced we will see cars available at some point in AM dealers, despite AM insisting they have buyers lined up for the entire run.

Best Regards

Minglar

oilit

2,618 posts

177 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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The ph review is also up - similarly negative, but AM have apparently sold them all so mission accomplished.

Diff whine in a press car is unacceptable though, and speaks more i think about the state of affairs at AM!


krisdelta

4,566 posts

200 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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Carfection review was positive and you don't buy these to appease a motoring hack after-all. I'm disappointed they've not been priced (and made available) as a step-up for current V8 owners, which got them many many sales last time around in the '10-'13 era.

Not sure I'd be too worried about diff whine in a sports car, just look at the GTR - sounds like a bag of nails being dropped in a blender and doesn't detract. All part of the experience.

BenAstonV12

105 posts

24 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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Not sure it's fair to say the first few reviews are "negative" unless you're reading each review looking to find negatives. In fact the reviews have been positive and balanced with some criticisms. There are some confusing and contradictory points; Sutcliffe says the ride is too hard for the road, all the settings are too stiff and it's too track focused and not a GT car, yet PH says the opposite, that road pliance is just fine, can be driven as a GT, as does Henry Catchpole who says that it's the kind of car you want to just have and drive for fun and the love of driving - I assume we all agree Catchpole knows a thing or two about cars. Even Sutcliffe, the most critical ends by saying it's a good but not a great Aston.

Edited by BenAstonV12 on Wednesday 11th May 08:28

Dewi 2

1,304 posts

64 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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KevinBird said:

I read this review and was most surprised by some of the comments.

Usually with car reviews, some extracts from the manufacturers press release are sprinkled in the article and there are generous compliments about the vehicle.
The overall impression being given, is that it keeps everyone happy and ensures a continuing flow of test cars and invitations to lavish overseas car launches.

Steve Sutcliffe certainly let rip with this review. Is he perhaps about to retire ?

' ... why is this car so damn stiff? Why doesn’t it breathe properly with the road below in the way that most other Astons have for so many years? Why doesn’t it feel stronger in the low and mid-ranges? Why doesn’t it sound more dramatic? Why is there so much tyre noise? Why is the gearbox so slow-witted compared with rivals from Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini, to name but three? And who exactly has this car been engineered to appeal to, given that it appears to be neither one thing nor the other – by which I mean it’s not a proper GT car on the one hand because it’s way too firm and noisy, nor a full-blown track weapon because it’s not focused enough to be one of those either?'

Interesting comments about the 'skeleton' bucket seats.
I first saw them in the Speedster video, I did wonder then how comfortable they might be.

'The car we drove had optional new carbonfibre buckets fitted, which together shave just under 8kg from the kerb weight. But the support they offer appears to be in all the wrong places on the track, and we found them curiously uncomfortable to sit in for anything more than half an hour on the road. They also make the simple business of getting in and out way more of a palaver than it should be in a road car.'



nickv12

1,342 posts

82 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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Interesting. Steve from evo definitely didn’t like it and was apologetic about that in the evo video. But Catchpole in the Carfection video was more positive, even if not effervescent about it.

I bought my original Vantage following Catchpole’s reviews over the years in evo, so opinions do matter. But there’s also personal preferences on suspension calibration, seating, etc. People have to ultimately try for themselves.

WantSagaris

236 posts

46 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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Is Henry Catchpole ever negative? Strikes me as a very much 'read between the lines' guy.

spareparts

6,777 posts

226 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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Aston is setting stellar expectations with the just launched DBX707 that make it class leading. The VH-platform V12V was sublime and rightfully lauded. Expectations for the new V12V - a final Aston V12 hurrah with a Ferrari 812 price tag - mean expectations are equivalent and comparable. Anything short will be a miss and failure. If you were a potential owner looking to spend that kind of money, you would expect nothing less than superlative to the competition. Sutcliffe has been around long enough to understand this, and his criticisms could well be justified.

hornbaek

3,669 posts

234 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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The only thing that is "super ultra high luxury" according to Strolls latest mantra is the price of this thing. I'll take a DBS anytime over this creation.

cayman-black

12,625 posts

215 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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Not only the reviews it seems the general PH mob arent impressed either.

Ninja59

3,691 posts

111 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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oilit said:
The ph review is also up - similarly negative, but AM have apparently sold them all so mission accomplished.

Diff whine in a development car is unacceptable though, and speaks more i think about the state of affairs at AM!
This might explain the gear shift issue as well.

AlexT

470 posts

235 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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Looks like it could have done with another 6 months of development time. Especially going by some of the review comments. Seems like a DBS or 812 superior with more cachet?

As I've said before - AM should have made the V12 a reasonably priced mainstream model. Tie it in with next year's rumored update and provided the updates actually improved on the Vantage product, it would have been a huge and much needed sales success.

Jon39

12,782 posts

142 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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hornbaek said:
The only thing that is "super ultra high luxury" according to Strolls latest mantra is the price of this thing. I'll take a DBS anytime over this creation.

If they have sold the full number, in accordance with their higher pricing strategy, then this model has been a success.

I suppose higher prices with fewer units does work, providing their is sufficient continuous demand, which is the problem.
The DB5 was about twice the price of a Jaguar E-type. It sold well following the film, but then demand reduced.
All very difficult. Ferrari certainly has to be admired as a business.
Interesting that Mr. Jay Leno refuses to buy a Ferrari, because he does not like all that nonsense about buy two others, before you can have the model you want.


nickv12

1,342 posts

82 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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TopGear video review now also out: https://youtu.be/NFuyZwrFMX8

Of the Evo, Carfection and TopGear video reviews, there are several contradictory reviewer notes:

Evo: seats, gearshift and suspension harshness no good

Carfection and TopGear: seats and gearbox are fine, softest chassis setting just about OK for roads

Their greatest challenge, directly stated in the TopGear video appears to be the lingering memory of the previous V12 Vantage.

Personally, I would spec the new V12 Vantage more elegantly and ask kindly if they could soften the suspension off. Then you have a very solid GT.

Or go all-out and spec a GT12 “homage”. But that’s largely the spec of the red pre-production car in the video which may be best left on a track.

In my mind, there are two easy model levels in this one release.

nathwraith1

367 posts

146 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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Seems it suffers from similar issues that the F1 Edition did.

Just too stiff for the road. The road noise seems high simply from the background audio of the reviews. Nice to see it can deploy the power effectively. Something the DB11 V12 & DBS struggle with.

I think Aston missed a trick by limiting production to 333 and by making them a £100K premium over the regular V8.

Could of priced it £50K more and made it unlimited and they would of sold so much more.

For circa £250K a DBS SL is the Aston to go for and that suffers from being poor value compared to the DB11 top imo.

Makes you wonder what they could do if they stuck the DBX 707 version of the V8 in the V12 vantage chassis.

New Vantage S anyone?

Edited by nathwraith1 on Wednesday 11th May 16:02

bogie

16,342 posts

271 months

Wednesday 11th May 2022
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After watching the reviews it does seem to miss the mark, not quite a GT12 on track and yet its not a road going V12V style of GT car either.

The front end looks great, probably the best yet of the latest Vantage.

My heart is still with the original V12 Vantage Roadster....the original will probably be the "classic" Vantage to own in years to come, particularly if the future now is all electric/hybrid frown