James Bond Will be Happy

The brand new Aston Martin Vanquish has just been revealed and is planning to be a rival to the Lamborghini Revuelto and Ferrrari 12 Cilindri, so big shoes to fill if it wants to catch up. Traditionally Aston Martins for me have always been too powerful and loud from the moment you switch on the ignition, to filling up with fuel to picking up your kids from school - but this car seems very different.

Key Improvements:

Let us start with one of the most important additions. A new infotainment display, thank you Aston Martin! It has always been the joke with Aston Martins that the screens were not only tiny but also never ever had a useful function but in the new Vanquish that is a thing of the past thanks to a mix of apple car play and a perfectly sized screen with plenty of buttons - is this one of the only cars that has just been unveiled which does not use haptic touch and keeps the glorious buttons? Another key improvement is grip - there is a lot of it! From the beautiful areodynamic bodywork to the custom for Aston Martin Pirelli tires... this car sounds bloody fantastic!

Performance:

Boy, have we got some performance! Aston Martin has rejected the hybrid or electric option and instead has gone for a (sadly twin turbo charged) 5.2 litre V12 producing a simply insane 824 horsepower and 738lb ft of torque launching this car from 0-60 in just 3.3 seconds. The engine is mated to a 8 speed ZF gearbox with an electronic limited slip diff and a torque converter. I am genuinely speechless, for years the Vanquish has been made with 2 Ford V6's stuck together and Aston Martin threw anything they found in the parts bin at it but this car really does have the potential to be one of the best Astons ever.

Aesthetics:

Personally, I adore what Aston is doing with the syling as the whole new Aston lineup is following the DB12 with the front grille - which I think we can all agree is no bad thing! The 21 inch forged alloy wheels are simply incredible, some of the best suited wheels I have ever layed my eyes on, vents in the bonnet that would not necassarily be my first choice but I think they are excused on this car!

As if the front was good... my lord, what a car! Fantastic strobe back lights just make this car look so incredibly aggresive with the quad-tip exhausts poking out the back. What instatly jumps to me about this rear end is the ressembalance with the Aston Martin Victor which must be one of the greatest looking Astons ever. A nice semi-agrresive rear diffuser also gives off the impression that this car will go very fast when you want it too or could tootle around Chelsea all day.

Price:

The new Vanquish is £330,000 which I think is an absolute criminal amount of money but if you compare it to its rivals, it really is not too bad. £336,000 for the 12 Cilindri but it is a Ferrari so the second you start adding options that price goes up to £450,000+ before you know it and the Lamborghini Revuelto is an incredible £450,000 again before options that could probably have you on your way to £600,000. So in comparison to those cars this one is not the worst in the world.

So, after reaserching and writing about this car, I truly think this is one of the only Aston Martins that I have ever truly loved since the DBR1. We have an 800hp+ V12, limited slip diff, custom Pirelli tires, torque vectoring and most of all; an ability to turn the car down so the suspension doesn't shake your spine to pieces on a back road or make your ear drums bleed going through a town. I genuinely predict that this new lineup of DB12, Vantage and Vanquish will go down in history as the turning point for Aston Martin.

Aston Martin Vanquish Scores:

Looks = 8/10

Drivability = 10/10

Luxury = 9/10

Power = 8/10

Future/Current Classic = 10/10

Total = 45/50

Looks = 8/10

Aston Martin's new design language shows its entire model lineup getting a very similar front-end, and it suits this car very very well.

Only criticsim is that the rear bumper goes for an entirely different look than the front causing you to think - is it the same car?

Drivability = 10/10

The unbelievable improvement from Aston on this car to the previous generation is astounding.

Being able to control an Aston Martin like this used to be unheard of, so ecstatic for Aston to finally adress this issue.

Luxury = 9/10

Aston has done very well at fixing all the bad bits of the old Vanquish so now we have an incredible looking interior that finally offers AppleCar play.

Power = 8/10

835hp simply does seem too much for a GT car like this, I can never see a scenario where you would need that much power.

Future/Current Classic = 10/10

This car looks as though it shall represent the turning point of the Aston Martin brand, finally making cars comfortable and good to drive so will very much be sought after as the car that saved the company.

Overall Score = 45/50

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