The Aston Martin Vantage seems to be suddenly popular with big-budget drivers in Los Angeles. I get why. It’s an extremely cool-looking alternative to the ubiquitous Porsche 911 and might even be flashier than the Mercedes AMG GT. Noise is impressive, too.
(Full Disclosure: Aston Martin loaned me this vehicle with the stipulation of keeping my usage under 300 miles.)
The Vantage is definitely not slow or boring, so I don’t want to slap it with an adjective as offensive as “forgettable.” But as I look through my notes from a couple of mountain road rips to express my impressions of this car, I keep coming back to a feeling of... hollowness. The soul of speed that’s so beautifully articulated by this car’s design didn’t translate to a driving experience for me, and I think that’s why I’ve been struggling to write about it.
If you’re into this car, I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of reviews already. Most of which describe the Vantage as quick and then complain about steering feel. Jason Cammisa of Road & Track complained about everything.
In town, this Aston is easy to manage and easy to make noise in. It’s plenty fun for being goofy with the occasional noisy exit or dramatic arrival.
But flipping through the batch of photos I took on one of my hard charges into the hills — I hate to say it, but — I’m just not getting the stir of nostalgia for an amazing moment the way I do when I look back on pictures of the ATS-V, F-Type SVR or 911 Turbo S.
Still a nice roll of images, though. Enjoy.
