Finally, a level-headed review of the Vantage V8
While not a perfect review by any means – some of the commentary is eyeroll-inducing – it’s kind of refreshing to hear the point of view of someone other than jaded auto-journo types who have seen and driven every new thing with four wheels under the sun. You typically don’t hear a lot of high praise for the “entry level” Aston because motoring hacks find it to be slower than X or not as good as Y, but we always found that to be fairly inane— this is still a pretty special car measured by any yardstick. These two seem to agree.
Motoring Con Brio 
Good find. I agree completely, the Vantage is constantly underrated. It is simply beautiful, relatively affordable (low mileage secondary market prices are circa $70K for a stunner), and completely classy.
Quite frankly I would take one over any other modern Aston.
James said this on February 1, 2012 at 9:00 am
Sorry, I disagree. I think it’s a giant piece of crap. I drove it and a Nissan Juke on the same day, and the Juke was far and away the more enjoyable car. It’s not that us “auto journalists” are jaded – it’s that the hype of “driving an Aston” overshadows the fact that this is really a sub-par car, and many people bought into the jingoistic hype of Clarkson and other UK hacks.
/end rant
Derek Kreindler said this on February 1, 2012 at 11:14 am
fair enough, d.. yours is an opinion i trust.
motoringconbrio said this on February 1, 2012 at 5:14 pm
Derek Kreindler: I accept your apology.
The issue with the Vantage isn’t that it’s a bad car – it’s not – it’s that its new-car price point puts it in the league of a 911 Turbo. If a buyer values style over performance, sure, go with the Aston. But for driving enthusiasts (or at least people who purport to be driving enthusiasts), the Porsche is a better buy.
On a personal note, the sole reason I avoided a used Vantage (and instead bought a new Cayman R) is that I don’t trust the Aston’s reliability nor its American dealer network.
thensk said this on February 1, 2012 at 12:34 pm
First off the car is lovely. Watching videos on cars never really works, you have to see it in person before you can truly judge.
Second in this review, I had more of an issue with the reviewers than of the car. I absolutely dislike videos where the reviewers are busy showing their faces instead of the car. Don’t they understand that no one, and I mean no one cares what they look like. Take a team on the photo shoot and focus on the car.
Lastly, if you can afford to buy a $140,000 you are free to think whatever you want of the car. Happy motoring!
sundaydrivenyc said this on February 2, 2012 at 11:05 am
I’ve driven one…and was surprisingly underwhelmed. It’s not a bad car, but it was not a memorable experience for me. I also was strangely unmoved by its looks, which was worrying for me, because I thought something might be wrong with me…jury still out on that one.
Kisii said this on February 3, 2012 at 12:05 am
beauty is skin deep; the great exterior is let down by the second rate, bling-tastic interior. nice sounding engine, mediocre handling and performance.
wm said this on February 3, 2012 at 7:28 pm