New Aston Martin Vantage Roadster unveiled with 656bhp twin-turbo V8
More powerful Mercedes-AMG engine is star of the show as updated drop-top follows coupé with design tweaks and smarter infotainment.
Aston Martin launched the heavily updated Vantage coupe last year and following closely behind is the Roadster version, now unveiled in all of its soft-top glory.
Deliveries of the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster will begin in spring this year, following a lengthy development cycle; we first caught sight of the revamped drop-top back in summer 2023. As before, it doesn’t get the ‘Volante’ suffix, which is reserved for the range-topping DB12. Pricing has yet to be revealed, but there is likely to be a steep premium over the £165,000 Vantage coupe.
The Vantage Roadster gains the same technical revisions for this mid-life facelift as the coupe, with more power and new suspension components to accompany a restyled exterior.
The folding hood remains unchanged, however, with Aston Martin claiming it is still the fastest electric convertible roof in the world, taking 6.8 seconds to open or close fully. For comparison, the Porsche 911 Cabriolet needs about 15 seconds. The Vantage Roadster’s roof slots away behind the rear seats, although a reduction in boot capacity from the coupe’s 350 litres to around 200 litres is likely.
More important than the practicality, though, is its on-road ability and Aston Martin says it has brought to the Roadster “a new level of emotion to the already unforgettable driving experience” that “brings all the performance, dynamic sensations and visual excitement of the coupé”.
At the heart of all this is a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 Mercedes-AMG engine, which as on the coupé, sees power bumped up by 153bhp and 116Nm to 656bhp and 800Nm. To extract this power, the V8 gains larger turbochargers, revised camshaft profiles and an optimised compression ratio.
With a relatively marginal increase of 60kg over the coupé, the Roadster has the same top speed as the hard-top model at 202mph (which is 12mph more than before). A 0-60mph time of 3.5 seconds is 0.2 seconds quicker than the outgoing Vantage Roadster is capable of.
As before, power goes through an eight-speed automatic gearbox to the rear wheels via a limited-slip electronic differential. Helping to transmit the increased grunt on to the road are new Michelin Pilot Sport 5 S tyres which have been specially fettled for the Vantage.
The suspension has been overhauled, too, with retuned adaptive dampers and front double wishbones, and there are carbon ceramic brakes with 410mm discs up front, shrouded by six-piston calipers. The weight balance can’t quite match the coupe’s 50/50 split, but it’s not far off at 49/51 (front/rear).
Roof aside, the exterior of the Roadster receives the same tweaks as the coupé. There’s a completely new front end, with a fresh grille, bumper and headlights. Although perhaps not as significant, the rear gets the same new bumper as the coupe, with additional vents behind the rear wheels.
The interior comes with Aston Martin’s next-generation infotainment to replace the outgoing model’s set-up, which was a real bugbear. We’ve experienced this system in the coupé already, and it’s a major improvement, ensuring the Roadster’s 10.25-inch touchscreen will be much slicker than before, with gesture control on offer, too.
Aston Martin didn’t go all in on the touchscreen, however, with key operations such as climate control and the car’s powertrain setting found on physical buttons and switches. As standard there’s an 11-speaker sound system, although there’s also an optional Bowers & Wilkins offering developed specifically for the Roadster.
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