Aston Martin Vantage Roadster review

Now we’ve become more familiar with Aston Martin’s new interior (and yes, there’s basically one dashboard across Vantage, DBX, DB12 and Vanquish) we’re really appreciating the improvements made to what was once a real weak area for the company. We’re also noting the bugbears.

Good stuff first. The material choices are expensive. No-one does better-smelling leather hides than Aston. If you avoid the tortuous carbon bucket seats, the chairs are comfortable, powerfully heated and well-ventilated.

The all-new in-house touchscreen Aston first showcased in the DB12 is miles better than the old ex-Merc interface, but that’s like saying dial-up internet was more convenient than a carrier pigeon. We’re finding it’s a touch laggy already, and menus are fiddly. Worse – in a cabrio – it’s not bright enough to overcome sunny day reflections. It needs bolder graphics, more contrast. Sorry Aston, we know you just finished this one, but the infotainment race never stops. Best get cracking before you end up three generations behind all over again.

Happily, Aston has moved quickly to update the driver information readout so you no longer need an electron microscope to see what gear you’re in, or how close you are to the redline. Shame it’s still navigated by those irritating Mercedes haptic steering wheel spoke swipe-pads.

While we’re delighted Aston prioritised physical switchgear in the Vantage, the Roadster suffers because too many of the controls are glossy piano-black and the backlighting is far too dim. With the roof down, just try telling what suspension setting you’ve pressed. Or deactivating the lane assist. Or working out if the gearbox is set to ‘Manual’. The tactility is great, the finish less so.

Any practical touches inside?

You might see the lack of useless back seats (as per the DB12 Volante or a Ferrari Roma Spider) and think the Vantage lacks space. Actually, it makes for a more elegant car: the roof doesn’t have to invade the 200-litre boot when it’s folded and there are no ugly rear headrests upsetting the profile. At least there’s a glovebox this time, unlike the last-gen Aston GTs.