Aston Martin goes goth, ramping up power, poise and dark glamour with the new Vantage S

The Aston Martin Vantage isn’t exactly short of horsepower, but variants are what customers crave and variants are what they shall receive, hence the arrival of the new Vantage S in both coupé and Roadster form. This strategy of transforming individual model lines into a diverse selection of differently pitched machines is very much of CEO Adrian Hallmark’s making.

It’s an approach Hallmark honed at Bentley, and here he reasons that the typical Aston customer is the kind of car buyer who starts hankering after something new every 18 months or so. If their favoured brand doesn’t have brighter, shinier and better to hand, they’ll soon go elsewhere. Hence DBX S and now Vantage S, both following the well-trodden use of the 'S' suffix to denote a louder, faster, sharper variant.

In terms of raw numbers, the newest Vantage offers only marginal gains over its ‘S’-less sibling. When announced back in February 2024 as a practically all-new model, the Vantage put out 665 PS from its twin-turbo V8. That powertrain remains in place, but Aston has squeezed a few more PS from the block to make a total output of 680 PS.

While that makes for an imperceptible increase in acceleration (0-60mph is just 0.1 second faster than the original car) and no change to the 202mph top speed, there have been some more potent changes under the skin. The chassis has been tweaked to make the Vantage S a more connected, driver-focused car. These changes will be all but invisible unless you’re pushing hard on a dedicated track, as will the newly calibrated throttle pedal. In short, to get the best from the S, you’ll need to have put in time on the regular car and know it inside out.

Some of the shifts in chassis design are quite significant, including the way the rear subframe is now directly mounted to the body, instead of using rubber bushes, as well as firmer and stiffer dampers and component mountings. The new rear spoiler adds significantly to the downforce, further reinforcing this car’s status as the ultimate track-going contemporary Aston.

The Vantage S bears a few subtle styling changes, mostly aimed at buyers who want their views inside and out lightly shaken up. New vents and ‘S’ badges mark the car out for other connoisseurs, while the dark interior is wrapped in black Alcantara and leather for a racer-goth aesthetic.

The new Vantage S will make its global dynamic debut at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed, with the first customer cars arriving in Q4 2025.

Aston Martin Vantage S, more information at AstonMartin.com, @AstonMartin