Aston Martin and Vantage go a long way back. Previously a designation used for high-performance variants of production vehicles from the DB series, Vantage became its own thing between 1972 and 1973 for the inline six-engined DBS.
Come 2005, this nameplate was appropriated by the DB9's corner-carving brother. The second-generation Vantage – or the first of the modern era – was replaced in 2018 with a sportier yet less elegant machine. Similar to the DB11-replacing DB12, this Vantage is up for a redesign as well.
Filmed scaring the wildlife at the Nurburgring with its AMG-sourced V8, the 2025 model is different in many respects from the 2023 model. For starters, the headlights are larger and feature a different signature. The green-and-black camouflage reads thrill driven, which indicates the sportier positioning of the Vantage in relation to the GT-oriented DB12. Harder pieces of camouflage can be noticed on the front fenders, right behind the wheels, most likely hiding DB12-like vents.
Equipped with Michelin rubber boots and wheels featuring different finishes, the prototype appears mostly unchanged from the pre-facelift Vantage in terms of rear-end styling. The big news, however, is on the inside. Lawrence Stroll confirmed that – beginning with the DB12 – all future Astons will switch from the COMAND infotainment system to a touchscreen-based unit. In the DB12, this addition is balanced by a selection of physical switches, including scroll wheels for audio volume, temperature, and fan speed.
The 2018-present Vantage received plenty of criticism for its unbecoming interior, including for its weird air vents, useless cup holders, and way too much black plastic for the buttons. For a car that aims to steal customers away from the Porsche 911, as well as for an Aston Martin, that's not acceptable.
Lawrence Stroll is a man on a mission, though. Not only did he fire Andy Palmer from his role as chief executive officer, but also former Mercdes-AMG big kahuna Tobias Moers over so-called strategic differences. Daddy Stroll hired Amedeo Felisa, who formerly served as CEO at Ferrari, in his place.
Under Felisa and with Stroll's guidance, Aston Martin has three clear goals for the near future: head upmarket to increase net profits and – hopefully – sales as well. The Vantage is extremely important for Stroll's plan, with the Vantage being the British automaker's most affordable sports car in the lineup. The big seller, however, is the DBX sport utility vehicle.
The Ferrari Purosangue's biggest nemesis can be had with either V8 or I6 power, albeit the lesser engine is currently exclusive to China. Over in Europe and in the United States, the DBX comes with eight cylinders exclusively. This engine, referred to as M177 in Mercedes vernacular, is a hand-built lump that uses a conventional wet sump rather than dry-sump lubrication. The latter setup was used by the AMG GT, which is due a redesign with SL underpinnings.
The question is, would you consider the second-generation AMG GT over Aston Martin's much improved Vantage sports car?
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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