New Aston Martin Vanquish 2025 review: a proper British bruiser

Verdict

If you have over a third of a million pounds lying around for a V12-powered GT car, then you’re in luck; the new Vanquish has just doubled your brilliant options. Its closest rival, the Ferrari 12Clindri, has a slightly more sophisticated chassis and a better gearbox, but the more muscular Vanquish suits the character of an Aston Martin perfectly. It still blends huge pace, sharp handling and glorious luxury, yet with a slight raw edge that adds an extra dose of excitement. Throw in one of Aston’s best ever engines, and one thing is clear: V12 fans have rarely had it so good.

Bowers & Wilkins supplies the sound system for the new Aston Martin Vanquish. The British hi-fi maker produces some of the best in-car audio around; we love the detail and power its systems offer in high-end BMWs and Polestars. 

We’d love to tell you how good it is in the Vanquish, but we have to sheepishly admit that we got a little distracted. The thing is, the second that you settle into the gorgeous surroundings of the Aston’s cabin and prod the big, round starter button on the centre console, the noise from the glorious V12 under the bonnet makes you lose any urge to switch on the radio.

Used - available now

2014 Aston Martin

Vanquish

46,112 milesAutomaticPetrol5.9L

Cash £69,990

View Vanquish

More on that engine later. Following a six-year hiatus, the Vanquish has returned for its third generation to take its place as the flagship of the marque’s GT-car range. With that position comes a flagship-like price: the Vanquish costs £339,545 – even before you get into the seemingly limitless personalisation options. 

That figure means the Vanquish has the Ferrari 12Cilindri very clearly set in its sights. But despite the fact that both are two-seat front-engined V12 coupes, if past form is anything to go by, that’s where a lot of the similarities will end. 

All the best Aston Martins tend to be classy yet brutish. The old Virage-based Vantage and the original Vanquish were handsome thugs, while even the second-generation GT, though more graceful, had an underlying menace to its design. 

The latest model is no less spectacular when it comes to on-road presence. It’s more butch and upright than the 12Cilindri, but there are fewer fussy details – especially around the back. Its gaping front grille, bulging rear haunches and contrasting rear panel enclosed by Valkyrie-inspired LED light blades all add drama, yet the overall shape is sleek and sumptuous. 

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Looking at some of the specs, you'd be convinced that the Vanquish is every bit as advanced as that Adrian Newey-designed hypercar, too. The body is crafted from carbon fibre, clothing an aluminium structure that is 75 per cent stiffer than the DBS 770 Ultimate. Despite the motorsport-grade material choices, the Vanquish still weighs 214kg more than the Ferrari, with a dry weight of 1,774kg.

That mass is controlled by double wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension. Tougher mounting points provide a more secure base from the Bilstein DTX adaptive dampers to work from, while beefed up anti-roll bars, forged 21-inch alloy wheels and quick steering – just 2.27 turns lock-to-lock – all add to the supercar specs. 

Compared to the DBS, the wheelbase has grown 80mm – but you won’t find that benefit inside the cabin. While strictly for two (despite the 4.7-metre length) it’s one of the finest interiors Aston Martin has created in recent years; the overall layout is similar to the Vantage, but with slightly more intricate detailing on the dash and doors. The quality of the materials and the smell of the leather feels as sumptuous as you’d hope for from a luxury car. 

Aston’s determination to stick with physical buttons is to be applauded, with one irritating omission. The heated seat controls are touch sensitive, and they’re located precisely where we would rest our hand to operate the touchscreen, so we found ourselves frequently driving around with an unsolicited bum warming.

Instead of rear seats, there’s additional space for bespoke luggage behind the driver and passenger. That’s necessary, because the small opening to the tiny boot would otherwise make the Vanquish much less practical than the impressively roomy 12Clindri.

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To find the reason for that growth in the wheelbase, you need to open the bonnet. Beneath the heavy triangular bracing sits a 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine. While gawping at the beautiful carbon fibre cam covers, it’s possible to see all 12 cylinders sitting almost entirely behind the front axle line, granting the Vanquish a front mid-engined layout. 

The stats for the latest iteration of the V12 are fairly mind-blowing. Power stands at 824bhp, while torque hits the 1,000Nm mark. That’s up on the 759bhp and 900Nm of the DBS 770 – numbers achieved through a beefed-up engine block, new camshafts, more freely spinning turbos, plus improvements to the fuel injectors and intake and exhaust ports.

Returning to that large, enticing starter button, and pressing it down causes the starter motor to whirr into action before the motor erupts into a dramatic rumble. It doesn’t take long to remind us why V12 engines are so intoxicating, and that this latest iteration of Aston’s 5.2-litre unit is one of the finest of the breed. 

Even on gentle throttle loads and accelerating softly to 3,000rpm, the Vanquish produces a rich, complex roar that sounds utterly wonderful. While turbocharged engines generally take the edge off both induction and exhaust tones, there’s no such evidence of it here. And that’s in its base GT mode; select Sport or Sport+ on the rotary dial that surrounds the starter button and it’s possible to hear even more of that V12 goodness. 

But to hear it at its best, you need to use full throttle and all of the revs – something that is much easier said than done when there’s 824bhp to play with. You need to build up to it, too; learning to trust that there’s enough traction in first and second gear (there is just about enough in the dry), understanding how the car squats back on its rear as the torque is deployed onto the road. 

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Squeeze the throttle to the floor for the first time and you’ll be left breathless. The punch of the engine is staggering, and accompanied by the bellow of the V12 as it reaches 7,000rpm, you’re presented with an onslaught of drama to all of your senses.

It’s a punch that can be felt in any gear, and any revs, too. Once the peak torque arrives around 2,500rpm – continuing all the way though to 5,000rpm – the engine delivers a relentless surge. Even compared to the DBS Superleggera, hardly a slouch itself, the Vanquish is on another level. The throttle isn't quite as crisp as the Ferrari, but real world responses are hard to separate. That the Aston’s engine sings more sweetly than the naturally-aspirated Ferrari is perhaps the most impressive thing of all.

While the noise is richer here than in its Italian rival, the driving experience is quite different; if the Ferrari is a front-engined supercar, the Aston is more like a muscle car – albeit a very sophisticated one. 

On a twisty road, the Vanquish takes on a remarkably neutral balance, turning in sharply as its bespoke Pirelli P Zero tyres bite into the road gamely. The steering is direct, so there’s not much effort required to point the nose in, but once settled, that even keel will remain on the condition that you hold a balanced throttle. 

Apply some power through the turn, and the Vanquish squats onto its outside rear tyre, twisting the nose closer into the apex. It means that, with a delicate right foot, you can point the Vanquish even more keenly though the corners. 

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We suspect that the more boosty power delivery might force more caution in the wet compared to the 12Cilindri, whose superb precision makes it incredibly approachable even in the rain. That feeling that you’re only ever moments away from a bit of a wrestling match seems completely at home alongside Aston Martin’s previous greats, though; there’s excitement, but with just the slightest tinge of intimidation.

The Bilstein dampers are tuned to give a wide spread between the varying drive modes, it’d be nice if the GT mode could be slackened off ever so slightly. While the ride is fairly smooth for the most part, we’d like to feel the Vanquish breathe with the road a little more on the typically rough and undulating surfaces that cover so much of the UK. The Ferrari has a small edge here.

The area where the Vanquish lacks the most sophistication relative to the Ferrari, however, is the gearbox. Alongside the 12Cilindri's eight-speed unit, which puts a very strong case forward for being the best auto money can buy, the ZF eight-speed transmission doesn't quite hit the spot. 

From the moment it moves off, the Vanquish isn't as smooth to engage its gears, yet it manages to slur its shifts more lazily. Take over manual control with the wheel-mounted paddles and it struggles to keep pace with that masterpiece of an engine. You'll need to factor in the delay in its responses when driving hard because in a car so fast, the brief pause between pulling the right paddle and getting the next gear is enough for the V12 to bump into its rev limiter. 

With a more relaxed attitude, those slower shifts become less of an issue, and the Vanquish reveals itself to be a stunningly capable long distance cruiser. In eighth gear, the V12 is pulling less than 1,500rpm at 70mph, while double-glazed windows and noise-cancelling insulation inside the Pirelli tyres makes the cabin an incredibly relaxing place to cover huge distances. 

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