Aston Martin Vanquish review

Well, let’s see what we’re dealing with here. Ten-stage traction control (with ’10’ being off, rather confusingly), different modes (Individual, Wet, GT, Sport and Sport+) and an electronic differential. Rear-wheel drive only, and 738lb ft of torque. That’s what you’re dealing with. Oh, and a much stiffer base from which the Bilstein DTX dampers must push, controlled by an inertial sensor working from six axes. Apparently.

That sounds like a lot?

Well, you will notice the under-bonnet bracing and massive cross-bracing in the rear of the cabin. But despite all the new vs old tech, the Vanquish feels surprisingly… Aston-y.

Yes there’s corner braking - stalling the rear into corners to keep the back end pointing where you want it - and there’s the e-diff metering traction when you boot it out of a corner, but what strikes most is the fact that the Vanquish now has a trustworthy front-end and more grip than you think. It’s not a light car, feeling all if not more of the 1,900-ish kg quoted, but as you ramp up the speed, the car comes with you.

So it’s easier to drive?

That’s the difference: you’ll be having nearly as much fun as something more specific when you get to a nice road, along with a soundtrack that’ll beat your eardrums in. That’s not the most impressive part, mind.

So what is?

The best bit is that if you knock the Vanquish back into GT mode and just cruise it becomes a nicely relaxed labrador of a thing. It’s not pillowy, but absolutely somewhere you could do big miles without crippling your back or deafening yourself. The ‘box gets to relax, the damping slackens, the exhaust mutes. Doing the showy-off thing through town is less stressful and you can just sit back and enjoy.

Although parallel parking a Vanquish with that extra-long bonnet in front of an audience is not recommended. Best leave that to the valet.