2018 Aston Martin Vantage

Aston Martin to use AMG’s new straight-six engine?

The Vantage may end up gaining a new inline-six from Mercedes-AMG.

A fresh report out of Europe suggests that Aston Martin is considering dropping Mercedes-AMG’s 3,0-litre straight-six engine (as seen in the new CLS53) into its new Vantage. Should this happen, it will be the first time an Aston features a six-cylinder engine since the DB7 of 1998.

Aston Martin’s chief engineer Matt Becker revealed to wheels.com.au that he had already sampled the CLS53 in Stuttgart a few months ago, and came away impressed.

“With emissions regulations going where they’re going and getting harder and harder, we have to consider all powertrain options, and we are considering six-cylinders for the future,” he told the Australian publication.

“Previous Astons have had six cylinders – a long time ago – but I think with CLS 53, the engine that has is a very complicated and clever engine and it’s something that could fit with the brand in the future.”

According to Becker, the engine bay of the Vantage is large enough to fit a V12 so an inline-six shouldn’t be an issue in terms of packaging. The real challenge comes with the calibration of the mill.

“We would not necessarily play with the power and torque curves. Mercedes develop those to a point that we have to adhere to. Ours is more about the calibration of throttle travel relative to acceleration, and calibration of the engine to suit our mass and gear ratios, all of that has to be tuned.”

Becker also pointed out that Aston Martin makes use of a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic rather than the seven-speed dual-clutch employed by Affalterbach.

Daimler, the German multinational that owns Mercedes-Benz, currently holds a five percent stake in the British automaker, with Mercedes-AMG and Aston Martin having entered a technical partnership back in 2013. Both the new Vantage and the entry-level version of the DB11 employ AMG’s 4,0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine.

http://www.carmag.co.za/news_post/aston-martin-to-use-amgs-new-straight-six-engine/
 
New Aston Martin Vantage Price In South Africa

As you might have seen, the new Vantage from Aston Martin has touched down in South Africa with it’s bold new styling and AMG-powered 4.0-litre V8 but what will it cost you?

Base price for the sleek new Brit in South Africa is R2,800,000 which when converting from the UK price (£120,900) is actually very competitive considering our import tax etc.

The new Vantage seems to be an instant success as the first year of build slots (2018) were almost full in November last year.

As a reminder, the 4.0-litre AMG-sourced V8 bi-turbo engine pushes 503 hp and 685 Nm of torque which is capable of sending it to a top speed of 312 km/h with a 0 to 100 km/h sprint taking place in 3.6 seconds. It also has a 50:50 weight distribution, 8-speed ZF auto gearbox and an electronic rear diff (e-diff) which is a first for an Aston Martin.

https://www.zero2turbo.com/2018/03/new-aston-martin-vantage-price-in-south-africa.html

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Aston Martin Vantage 2018 review

Should I buy one?

It’s just as well the Vantage is poised, responsive and predictable, because you’re relying on it to do the shrinking around you. To an extent, it does; with the aural and tactile cues this car gives you, it’s thoroughly enjoyable. And here’s the thing: I’m considering the Vantage against consistently the best sports car in the business here and it goes toe to toe with it.

The others priced at the lofty £120,900 the Vantage demands? Some offer different things or are better in one or two areas, but I’m pretty confident that none is overall as complete and enjoyable as the Vantage.

So is it better than a 911 GTS? Perhaps not. But it’s different enough, and good enough in enough ways, to be a genuine, desirable alternative. Consider it different rather than worse. And it does quite a lot of things better. When you consider the respective sizes, budgets and facilities of Aston and Porsche, that in itself is a spectacular achievement.

Location Portugal; Price £120,900; Engine V8, 3982cc, twin-turbo, petrol; Power 503bhp at 6000rpm; Torque 505lb ft at 2000-5000rpm; Gearbox 8-spd automatic; Kerb weight 1630kg (est); Top speed 195mph; 0-60mph 3.5sec; Fuel economy 26.8mpg; CO2 245g/km; Rivals Jaguar F-Type SVR, Porsche 911 GTS

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-revie...first-drives/aston-martin-vantage-2018-review

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It's not pretty compared to the previous generation of Vantage? Perhaps it is the colour.
 
FiestaST said:
Aston Martin Vantage 2018 review

Should I buy one?

It’s just as well the Vantage is poised, responsive and predictable, because you’re relying on it to do the shrinking around you. To an extent, it does; with the aural and tactile cues this car gives you, it’s thoroughly enjoyable. And here’s the thing: I’m considering the Vantage against consistently the best sports car in the business here and it goes toe to toe with it.

The others priced at the lofty £120,900 the Vantage demands? Some offer different things or are better in one or two areas, but I’m pretty confident that none is overall as complete and enjoyable as the Vantage.

So is it better than a 911 GTS? Perhaps not. But it’s different enough, and good enough in enough ways, to be a genuine, desirable alternative. Consider it different rather than worse. And it does quite a lot of things better. When you consider the respective sizes, budgets and facilities of Aston and Porsche, that in itself is a spectacular achievement.

Location Portugal; Price £120,900; Engine V8, 3982cc, twin-turbo, petrol; Power 503bhp at 6000rpm; Torque 505lb ft at 2000-5000rpm; Gearbox 8-spd automatic; Kerb weight 1630kg (est); Top speed 195mph; 0-60mph 3.5sec; Fuel economy 26.8mpg; CO2 245g/km; Rivals Jaguar F-Type SVR, Porsche 911 GTS

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-revie...first-drives/aston-martin-vantage-2018-review

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LCBXX said:
It's not pretty compared to the previous generation of Vantage? Perhaps it is the colour.
Click to expand...

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Front looks a bit like a MX5, but the rear is sexy as hell.
Even more so in the flesh :love:
 
Driven: AMG-powered Vantage has a personality of its own

Johannesburg - Stylistically speaking, few cars can withstand the test of time like Aston Martin’s previous Vantage did. With an unusually long 13-year lifespan, the sexy coupé still looked as minty fresh in showrooms this year as it did at launch in 2005.

But as good of a job as its taut skin did to hide them, the wrinkles were appearing underneath, and with such old-school engine, gearbox and infotainment tech the Vantage was in dire need of replacement. Especially when considering how advanced its competition has become.

Well here it is. The all-new Vantage. Bristling with all the latest and greatest gizmotronics needed to take the fight to its closest supercar rivals. Rivals such as Audi’s R8, Porsche’s 911 Turbo, and Merc’s AMG GT. The AMG in particular, because of all the bits shared between the two cars thanks to a tech sharing arrangement forged in 2013 between the British and German brands. More on those in a bit.

The new Vantage shares its aluminium chassis structure, or at least a good chunk of it, with Aston’s other recently reborn coupe, the DB11. It’s shorter, of course, because the two-seat Vantage chops a section out of its midriff where the DB’s back seats would be, but from the tip of its nose to the A-pillars the cars are nearly identical underneath.

They’re also quite similar at the back where each has an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox (a manual Vantage is expected in due course), positioned at the rear axle for 50/50 weight distribution. But, for sharper handling, the Vantage ditches the DB11’s rubber subframe bushings for solid mountings, and it also gains a clever electronically controlled E-Diff in place of a mechanical limited slip unit.

But what about those shared AMG components? The biggest inheritance is under the hood, where Affalterbach’s four-litre twin turbo V8 resides. The tech-sharing agreement means that Aston Martin couldn’t toy with the engine’s rotating internals, but was allowed to fit its own intake, exhaust and computer management systems, as well as some light fettling of the cylinder heads. The result sees an Aston-specific output of 375kW and 685Nm, putting it roughly on par with AMG’s 375kW/650Nm GT S Coupé in performance terms.

Elsewhere evidence of the partnership is plain to see, such as in the indicator stalk, 20.3cm central infotainment display, and curved touchpad controller between the seats which are all direct transplants from Mercedes’ current passenger car lineup.

Despite the Mercedes influence, however, the Vantage has its own feel on the road.

South African importers of Aston Martin - Daytona - gave us a brief stint at the wheel of a fluorescent green pre-production prototype (note, this Lime Essence colour is an actual option) ahead of the car’s scheduled July launch, and we’re pleased to say the car has a character all of its own.

Most surprising to us, was that it never feels quite as sharp edged as aforementioned competitors, despite the effort Aston put in to make it a firmer, pointier and more responsive car than its DB11 sibling. Unlike the DB11, which comes with a Comfort setting in its range of drive modes, the Vantage sees only Sport, Sport+ and Track, but even with Track selected the coupe managed to smooth out rough road surfaces in a way an R8 wishes it could.

Bear in mind we only drove the car on a short loop around the Cradle of Humankind, where cyclists and speedhumps prevented any envelope pushing. Still, if we look at supercars on a scale of comfortable grand tourers versus aggressive corner slicers, the Vantage leans more toward the former. Not that it’s not quick. It certainly is, and we trust Aston’s claimed 0-100km/h time of 3.6 seconds and 314km/h top speed are relatively accurate.

Recent AMG V8s have built a reputation for their angry exhaust notes, so naturally the Vantage doesn’t disappoint in this department. It does, however, manage to produce a signature soundtrack thanks to all its Aston-specific components. And, because the engine sits so far back in the chassis, it sounds like the twin-turbocharged beast is riding in the cabin right alongside you. Which it almost is.

The new Vantage has swelled in pretty much every dimension from its predecessor; Nevertheless, the cockpit has a very confined feel, not unlike the previous Vantage where its low floor and high window line make for a very cozy sensation, but here the feeling’s exaggerated by a fairly broad console area.

It’s a busy place too, with enough knobs and switches to keep even Neil Armstrong occupied, but at least it’s laid out in a reasonably intuitive way. The interior, and its plethora of switchgear is also made with a level of quality the previous Vantage can’t compete with.

The new Vantage will be available from Daytona in late June or early July, with a starting price of about R2.9-million.

FACTS

Aston Martin Vantage

Engine:4.0-litre, V8, turbopetrol
Gearbox:8-speed automatic
Power:375kW @ 6000rpm
Torque:685Nm @ 2000-5000rpm
0-100km/h (claimed):3.6 seconds
Top speed (claimed):314 km/h
Price (indicative): R2 900 000
Warranty:3-year/unlimited km
Service plan:3-year/unlimited km

https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/late...vantage-has-a-personality-of-its-own-14415466
 
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