2026 Aston Martin Vantage S | PH Review
There was already a lot to like about the Vantage - can an S really be that much better?
It always used to be the way that you never bought the new Aston Martin at launch. It might have looked a million dollars and sounded superb, but the driving experience, for one reason or another, was never quite up to snuff. Typically, it would be the Sport Pack, or the S, or even a larger V8, that brought out the best of the platform. Even as recently as the last Vantage, the experience behind the wheel was markedly improved for the F1 Edition.
But the current Vantage? Without wishing to sound too gushing, absolutely no such caveats were required. Out of the box, it was fabulous - brimming with charm as all Astons should, yet with vast reserves of talent to draw upon also. On road and track, it delivered just about everything that could reasonably be expected of a series production Aston V8 in the mid '20s. So where exactly does that leave the new S variant? The model that would usually smooth off a few rough edges now has a much tougher task on its hands, given the preceding completeness of the standard Vantage. Both the regular coupe and Roadster remain on sale, now rated at the same 680hp as the S as well. For the sake of a few thousand pounds, is the newcomer actually worth it?
Well, for the record, that modest premium buys you some quite meaningful changes: more downforce, a suspension overhaul, new wheels, recalibrated drive modes and so on. The full lowdown is here; suffice it to say that the S is more than just some badges and red accents.
The rear spoiler is a good place to start, it being arguably the most successful styling tweak, complete with a little extra carbon lip that helps contribute to the claim of 111kg of downforce at top speed. It sounds minor - and attention will surely be diverted by the slightly OTT red accents (they aren’t mandatory) - but it lends even more swagger to what was always the Vantage’s best angle. Sat smartly on those fantastic 21-inch forged wheels (also offered in other colours; we’ve been configuring), it would be very hard to countenance any less Vantage than this if presented with one in a showroom.
This theme of just being ever so slightly improved extends to the driving experience. Even on a brief, low-speed test drive, it would impress: this is immediately a friskier, keener, more urgent Vantage - marginally, perhaps, yet demonstrably so. Even rolling off the brake at a standstill sees you surge forward, and the new throttle map is sufficiently responsive that you’ll barely tickle it to rumble up to speed. The Vantage S wants to go, and wants to go quickly; its entire demeanour is unabashed about that, which is exactly how it should be for the rear-drive sports car of the range. If you want an Aston tourer, buy a DB12.
That does mean, though, that the Vantage is always on. Always firm, always loud, always willing, regardless of mode or drive setting. There’s a fair bit of tyre roar from the Michelins (even straight after a 911) and none of the Bilstein DTX dampers' three stages is what you’d call cosseting. Supremely well controlled, particularly given how little travel there must be, though not cushy in a continent-crushing way. Sometimes, the general perception seems to dictate that the Aston is the softer sports car option, which is absolutely not the case here. It was suggested at the launch of the S that the chassis changes weren’t going to come ‘at the expense of compliance and refinement.’ That does seem an accurate claim after significant time spent behind the wheel, though only as a regular Vantage was pretty visceral to begin with.
Still, the flipside is that the S is an even more vivid, invigorating, exciting road car than the already thrilling Vantage. Many of the changes incorporated into this version have focused on front axle behaviour; while impressive as standard, this Vantage appears to have a renewed appetite for changing direction, responding with greater enthusiasm to steering input and with greater all-of-a-piece cohesion, too. The difference isn’t night and day, though it is there.
When driven with a bit of attitude, there’s the feel of a well-sorted modern M car to the Vantage S, and that’s intended entirely as a compliment. There’s the seemingly tireless front end, which gives the driver a lot of confidence; it’s then mated to a powered axle that you’re now better connected to (with the subframe bushes now ditched), itself marshalled by a clever suite of assists, including variable traction control. And the ESP and TC are very well judged for getting the very best out of the Vantage S package (and tidying up your ham-fisted inputs).
That has to be mentioned because there’s such an underlying sense of fun to the Aston as well. Occasionally you will overdrive because it compels you to push that bit harder, from a rollicking exhaust note to the feel of wheelspin through your bum. Again, it wasn’t that long ago that Astons had a comfort zone you wouldn’t really want to push far from - well, no longer. This is a taut, direct, hugely accomplished sports car that’s a riot in the right conditions. Even on tight and twisty B roads that probably aren’t its natural environment, the S impresses with its traction and damping. The Sport setting covers most bases well, the more stringent Sport+ mode makes sense for the dampers, though more aggression elsewhere only really serves to highlight how good it is as standard. An Individual mode is accessible through that lovely knurled dial (now also red), as are buttons for adjusting exhaust, suspension and similar on the fly.
Oddly, the Vantage is a harder car to gauge at lower speed; those controls that offer such clarity when trying a bit harder can feel a bit too energetic, the brake pedal maybe a tad snatchy and steering not quite so keyed in. Not dissimilar to an M car, in fact, which shares its wanting for feedback at regular speeds. But at least the Aston can offer a truly glorious powertrain to distract from any tiny misgivings; while the 680hp, 4.0-litre V8 may no longer have the reactiveness of the latest turbos, it is formidably strong, loves to rev, and sounds better than any similarly configured AMG. The Vantage can claim a full house in cross-plane crank V8 bingo: it rumbles, it gurgles, it bellows, it roars, and, yes, it thunders in fine fashion, always a privilege to be sat behind. The eight-speed auto remains a good partner, too, though it doesn’t love multiple manual downchanges (should they ever actually be needed with almost 600lb ft).
Only occasionally does the front end pick up on grooves in the road, which can be a tad unsettling on the brakes, though it seems a tolerable trade-off for the cornering attitude on offer - and certainly it’s not the only car on 275-section front tyres to struggle in that regard. Just keep two hands firmly on the wheel and the stellar sports car beneath the familiar skin is undeniable, one special enough to save for Sunday mornings while sufficiently accommodating to brighten every single day as well.
‘Haute couture hot rod’ is scribbled in the notes somewhere about the Vantage S. While this doesn’t transform what might be expected from a front-engined, rear-drive V8 sports car - and the raw charisma of that layout remains in abundance - it does feel like every element of the Vantage has been reworked and enhanced. It’s a cut above what was already very good, and therefore ends up close to irresistible. Perhaps the S isn’t a car to chop in a standard model for, but anybody considering the Vantage - and there’s every reason why you would - should put the S right at the top of their list. In other words, the modest premium probably undersells the improvement on offer. Where on earth the Vantage goes from here isn’t clear. But we've now reached the point where we automatically assume it will be astonishingly good.
SPECIFICATION | 2026 ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE S
Engine: 3,982cc, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive with e-diff
Power (hp): 680@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 590@2,000-5,000rpm
0-62mph: 3.4sec
Top speed: 202mph
Weight: 1,745kg (DIN)
MPG: 23.3 (WLTP combined, standard car)
CO2: 274g/km (standard car)
Price: £175,500
See every used Vantage S for sale
I had a cement grey Vanquish S with the red accents and they went wonderfully well together.
Anyway the car itself, wonderful, although as someone has already said, pricing now too far beyond Porsche and much closer to Ferrari.
Question is it better than an Amalfi, the closet rival in price terms?
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff