Our Aston Martin Vantage S first drive reveals if this is the best modern Aston yet

If you think a high-performance sports car is merely a spreadsheet of acceleration figures and pixel counts, the Aston Martin Vantage S is here to punch you squarely in the solar plexus. Our Aston Martin Vantage S first drive reveals if this is the best modern Aston yet, and it does so by proving that horsepower is often the least interesting part of the story. While the automotive world remains obsessed with digital lap times and electric acceleration, Aston Martin has decided to double down on the mechanical soul of a driver’s machine. It is a car that prioritizes the way a chassis communicates through the seat of your trousers, utilizing a precision rear subframe to deliver a genuine old-school driving experience.

The “S” behind the Aston Martin Vantage S

Usually, when a manufacturer adds an S to a badge, it involves a larger turbocharger and a more aggressive lease plan. With the Aston Martin Vantage S, the upgrades are far more cerebral, focusing on the dark arts of metallurgy and bushing stiffness to ensure the driver is always in the loop. The headline figure is a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 producing 671 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, which allows for a 0–60 mph sprint in roughly 3.3 seconds. That is a modest 15 horsepower bump over the standard car, a gain so small it would be imperceptible to anyone who isn’t a dyno computer.

The real magic lives in the precision rear subframe, which is now solidly mounted to the chassis. By removing the rubbery vagueness that can plague front-engine bruisers, Aston has created an Aston Martin Vantage S that feels remarkably tucked in and alert. This mechanical honesty ensures that every steering input is met with an immediate and faithful response, moving the Aston Martin Vantage S away from its GT roots and into the territory of a serious high performance sports car. It looks the part, too, with the basic shape remaining one of the most successful pieces of design in the modern era, resembling an Olympic sprinter in a tailored suit.

Inside, the cabin of the Aston Martin Vantage S has finally moved away from the charmingly chaotic era of Mercedes-Benz hand-me-downs. You get a tactile environment with physical buttons for the things that matter, avoiding the glass-slab minimalism that makes most modern interiors feel like a high-end dentist’s waiting room. It is a focused cockpit, though the gear indicator in the Aston Martin Vantage S is still roughly the size of a postage stamp. The result of these engineering tweaks is a car where lateral stiffness is up by 30 percent, meaning the rear end follows the nose with the loyalty of a well-trained hound.

Refined dynamics and an old-school driving experience

Igniting the V8 in the Aston Martin Vantage S produces a bark that would make a grizzly bear think twice about its life choices. On the move, the acceleration is effortless and slightly terrifying, delivered with a linear throttle map that makes the massive output feel manageable rather than murderous. The eight-speed automatic transaxle has been sharpened up significantly, snapping through gears with a crispness that almost makes you forget there is no manual option. On the limit, the Aston Martin Vantage S is remarkably neutral and resists the urge to push its nose wide, allowing you to rotate the car on the throttle with ease.

A sophisticated electronic differential works silently in the background to ensure you don’t end up backwards in a hedge, but it never feels like it’s sanitizing the fun. This high performance sports car offers a level of engagement that many clinical competitors have lost, reminding you why you liked driving in the first place. Living with the Aston Martin Vantage S is a lesson in typical sports car compromise, but not a painful one; there are no rear seats and the trunk is only reasonably sized for a weekend away, though you will have to be strategic with your packing.

However, for the driver who wants a high performance sports car that feels special at any speed, these are minor quibbles. It provides an old school driving experience wrapped in Alcantara and V8 thunder that makes every commute in an Aston Martin Vantage S feel like a qualifying lap. When compared to the Porsche 911 Turbo, the Aston is the more emotive choice. The Porsche is a masterpiece of efficiency, but it can feel a bit like a very fast appliance, whereas the Aston Martin Vantage S feels like a co-conspirator in your worst impulses.

At approximately $279,000, the Aston Martin Vantage S is only a $7,000 premium over the base car, which in this tax bracket is essentially the price of a fancy set of floor mats. For that extra outlay, you get an Aston Martin Vantage S sharpened to a much finer point by that precision rear subframe. Ultimately, the Aston Martin Vantage S is a triumph of focused development. It is for the enthusiast who wants to feel every ripple in the tarmac and hear every combustion cycle of a glorious internal combustion engine.

Choosing the Aston Martin Vantage S means opting for a car that values your pulse over its own digital lap times. If you have the means and a soul, it is very difficult to ignore the lure of this high-performance sports car and the old-school driving experience it provides. Every moment behind the wheel of the Aston Martin Vantage S validates the decision to build a machine with a genuine, mischievous personality. While rivals are busy chasing clinical perfection, Aston has built something that feels wonderfully alive and just a little bit dangerous. For those seeking a true connection to the road, this car is a masterclass in modern charisma. By choosing the Aston Martin Vantage S, you are buying into the idea that a car should be felt rather than just operated. It is the overall spirit and mechanical honesty that makes the Aston Martin Vantage S an absolute standout in a world of muted computers.