First Drive: 2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage S

RONDA, SPAIN—If you pick up on the clues, it's obvious the CEO running the very British Aston Martin brand, Ulrich Bez, used to work at the very German brands BMW and Porsche, applying a very Teutonic (i.e. methodical) approach to the perennially money-losing British brand. First, upon the German-born Bez's arrival at Aston Martin in 2000, there was only one model to peddle: the seven-year-old DB7 2+2 grand tourer (or GT). Since then — and while transitioning the automaker's ownership from the Ford Motor Company to a group of Kuwait-based investors in 2007 — Aston Martin's CEO has filled out the lineup, introducing six new, separate model ranges, from the DB7's 2004 DB9 successor to the over-$1-million One-77 supercar to the Toyota iQ-based Cygnet luxury city car that's yet to be okayed for Canadian sales. [svgallery name="2011 _Aston_Vantage_S_hirez"] Bez has also revived the factory race effort, with an historic return (the brand won the race in 1959 with American Carroll Shelby at the wheel) to the 24 Hours of LeMans in 2009. And the last piece of Bez's plan has been to constantly offer niche and limited-run editions of existing models. All the better to keep Aston Martin's 5,000-or-so annual customers coming back for more of what are essentially the same cars. Which is why I am here in south of Spain, test-driving yet four more new (and admittedly niche) Aston Martins: the 2011 V8 Vantage S Coupe and Roadster, and the 2012 Virage Coupe and Virage Volante convertible. So, just as Porsche manages to market 22 separate models of its 911, Aston Martin will have a dozen versions of the entry-level Vantage, with the addition of the new 2011 S models of the two-passenger, rear-wheel-drive Coupe and Roadster. Priced at $159,900 for the Coupe ($174,300 for the cloth-top Roadster), the new eight-cylinder V8 Vantage S models sit just below the top-rung $186,600 V12 Vantages, and above the “base” $136,495 Vantage and sportier $149,900 V8 Vantage N420. You may think the British brand is slicing its Vantage pie rather thinly. Philosophically, though, Aston Martin says the S model delivers the “most intense driving experience yet in a V8-powered Vantage.” To do so, the S offers more power, less weight, improved aerodynamic bodywork, quicker steering, a unique exhaust, and race-track-ready suspension, tires and brakes over the other V8 Vantage models. As such, I'd include the $155,800 Audi R8 4.2 and $122,530 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS as rivals. Under the V8 Vantage S's vented front hood, its 4.7-litre V8 now makes 430 hp and 361 lb.-ft. of torque; gains of 10 and 20, respectively. The only gearbox available is a new seven-speed automatic. You can push the dash-mounted D button, or you can manually change gears with a pair of steering-wheel paddle shifters. A dash-mounted Sport button makes for quicker throttle-response ratios. Overall, the S models are about 40 kilograms lighter than a non-S V8 Vantage. There's also a quickened steering rack ratio of (15:1 compared to 17:1) larger diameter front brake discs with new six-piston front brake calipers, and a new exhaust muffler and bypass valve. Unlike some of its other models, Aston Martin doesn't offer an adaptive suspension system in the V8 Vantage S. Instead, new springs and shocks, a new dynamic stability control system, and wider rear wheels with S-spec Bridgestone Potenzas round out the suspension upgrades of the V8 Vantage S. It only took a few kilometres on our drive route, which circled the hilly region near Ronda, to get a sense of the differences between the new S and the cooking V8 Vantages. The new autobox's extra gear allows for shorter, better-spaced gear ratios, which combined with a shorter final drive ratio delivered a 4.6-second 0-to-100 km/h run. Compared to the regular Vantage, the S's steering is much sharper, and its suspension setup decidedly firmer (Aston Martin engineers traded ride comfort for handling). In the Roadster version, you'll want to drop its top just to enjoy the Vantage's unique sound when foot meets throttle. Although it's more entertaining to drive on public roads than any other V8 Vantage, the main reason enthusiasts should consider the S is the way it survived an afternoon of punishment circling the Ascari race course. With 26 corners full of challenging cambers and slopes, at 5.425 km, the full Ascari course is the longest track in Spain, and a good measure of a car's handling and durability at its limits. And after an afternoon of unfettered lapping, the V8 Vantage S Coupe proved it's one of the few production cars that can handle a day at the track. The car's ultra-firm suspension comes alive on a track like Ascari, where turns vary from a 180 km/h “don't lift!” back straight sweeper to the parking garage-tight chicane at the end of the front straightaway. Yes, the sportiest Vantage's front end will ultimately washout — it's a built-in safety factor. But a good indication on how well-balanced the car's handling is, is the small amount of wear on the front tires only —on cars that had more than 50 km of track use during the day. If the latest V8 Vantage has any flaw, it would be the new automatic transmission. The single clutch design is no match for some of the more sophisticated dual clutch examples from rivals like Bez's former employers at Porsche. Left to shifting on its own, there's a long pause between gears. And when using the paddle shifters, the cog swaps can be especially harsh, bringing up memories of BMW's less-than-successful SMG automated manuals. As Aston Martin starts preparing for its centennial in 2013, Ulrich Bez's plan for survival seems to be working. And soon enough, perhaps a V8 Vantage S with a proper manual gearbox will find its way into the automaker's burgeoning lineup. 2011 Aston Martin V8 Vantage S Coupe/Roadster WHAT I LIKED: Track-ready suspension, classic styling, exhaust note, exclusivity. WHAT I DIDN'T: Mandatory automatic gearbox not up to rivals' standards. BASE PRICES: $159,00/$174,300 ENGINE: 4.2 L V8 POWER/TORQUE: 430 hp / 361 lbs.-ft. COMPETITION: Audi R8 4.2, Porsche 911 Carrera GTS

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