Aston Martin Vanquish SDP
Richard Fiennes takes stock of the Vanquish's SDP upgrade
To describe the Vanquish as 'in your face' is unkind. Yet subtle it isn't, even if you choose a low key colour. The engine note at speed announces your imminent arrival: stealth is simply not an option.
Designer Ian Callum did a superb job creating this steroidal express. The Vanquish SDP is brutal, continuing the great, recent Aston Martin tradition of British bulldog presence, a bulldog transmogrified into a muscular GT. Botox rear wings add to this image.
Personally, I still prefer the subtlety of the Ferrari 575 Maranello, but cheer inside when I come across the oh so patriotic Vanquish. A few details mar the beauty though. Clumsy indicator / fog lights upset the purposeful, shark-like nose and bling-bling chrome filler cap allied with red brake callipers also look out of place. Body coloured wheels would be more appropriate to this particular cad’s motor.
This aside, does the promising shape deliver?
Components
When you mix with such exalted company, just being an Aston Martin is not necessarily enough. It should be, but just drive a 90s Virage and you will hide your cheque book immediately. The company obviously thought so too as, for about £3,000 on top of the £163,000 price, the SDP kit upgrades key areas of your cooking Vanquish.
This is Aston Martin’s response to Ferrari’s Fiorano handling option. The 
Sports Dynamic Pack gives you re-worked, uprated suspension, brakes, steering, wheels and seats. I'll bet there are many owners of original Vanquish’s requesting the pack to be retro-fitted.
Driving experience
But unlike Ferraris, Aston Martins are developed on the road rather than billiard table smooth race track, which bodes well. So it's very noticeable how beautifully the Vanquish SDP rides on average British A roads, better in fact than the Ferrari Maranello, which is no stranger to British blacktop. Although the Vanquish has superior compliance and is as firm as expected, it does bottom out in deep hollows.
Sport setting does however contain the car better on flowing, challenging A roads and you will find yourself hustling it along that favourite stretch of tarmac, the bellowing exhaust note complementing the brutish shape. It's a fantastic sound that encourages its unleashing. Often.
However, I found the noise palled after a while. Boys in blue will rub their hands with glee as they hear you approach miles away. Close neighbours may not take kindly to your purchase, because when you push that crystal glass starter button, the 6 litre V12 bursts into life with an exploding roar. It can catch you unawares, before settling into a much quieter, creamy smooth idle, as befits a V12.
Interior
Now much has been said of the interior, with its Jaguar XKR centre console and switchgear. I didn't find that it had the sense of occasion I would anticipate from an Aston.
And the scattering of 11 Aston Martin logos scattered around the interior appears vulgar and totally unbecoming. Just one enamelled badge on the steering wheel boss would suffice. This preoccupation with conspicuous image has got to stop. After all, you know you're driving an Aston Martin.
We hear the company is looking at improving its flagship’s cabin.
The sports seats are better at holding you in through corners and making you part of the car, but the sides need to grip you that bit more. The fridge door centre console seems initially intimidating, but everything falls easily to hand. However, my heel caught the alloy handbrake tip, which needs moving back six inches, or lowering.
Transmission
Setting off for the first time is fine and you can soon get comfortable behind the wheel. The sequential box works identically to the Maranello’s F1 unit, but is much smoother in operation, whether you are going up or down the box. It certainly adds to the enjoyment, making the Vanquish an easier car to get to know. Even so, it does not shrink around you as rapidly as the Maranello. It takes time and always feels big by comparison.
Steering and suspension
The uprated (2.73 turns lock to lock) steering has good feel and is helpfully talkative. There is more weight at the helm than an XKR, but it’s not as sharp as its arch-rival, even though it responds well enough.
However, this is no track day car, being too bulky to hurl around. It does enjoy a swift canter out on the open road. This equally applies in the pouring rain. In the dry, the back can try and break away on very tight corners -- even with the traction control on. It happened to me twice on very familiar stretches and I was not pressing on that rapidly.
The front suspension does feel weak in these instances, not telegraphing back the all the information. This means you can't press on with the same confidence as is possible in the nimble, surefooted Ferrari 575. Nor is it anywhere near as powerful (460bhp @ 6,800 rpm) as the Italian stallion, which eats any kind of terrain and surface.
There is a good, undulating open section near home, with challenging, off camber corners. The Vanquish felt nervous at similar velocity, and the brakes wilted in extremis and lack real feel. Body 
control is good though and the add-on pack definitely delivers over the standard fare.
The 285/40 Yokohama tyres do their thing, but perhaps Avon or Dunlop has something even more sticky and inspiring. You can’t just throw it into corners either, but have to adopt an old Porsche 911 ‘slow in, fast out’ approach. All of this became apparent after some time behind the wheel, leaving me with the impression of work in progress.
Practicalities
Compounding the problem are awfully poor headlights on dipped beam. The 17.6 gallon fuel tank will take you some 250 miles before you roll to a halt cursing. That equates to exactly the same 14.1 mpg as the Ferrari 575 whose 23 gallon tank takes you that little bit further.
Conclusions
The Vanquish SDP does not feel special enough. It is very like an expensive Jaguar XKR, at three times the price. Perhaps it never will be a proper sports car. The corpulence goes against it, yet that Ferrari delivers and that is only 105Kg lighter. Anybody would be as surprised if they properly sampled the two back to back. Am I being naïve to expect something outstanding for £168,000? Of course not.
I’m not going to compare this Vanquish to its new DB9 baby brother as they are aimed at different buyers and deliver different driving sensations. The Vanquish S however, should address the disappointment found in this version and I look forward to comparing them soon.
There is something very comforting about this old fashioned Aston Martin. It reminds me of an utterly faithful, black Labrador, with all its faults forgiven somehow. You know there is a better GT from Italy but it is glorious that the Vanquish exists.
So many people remark how beautiful it looks. To some that is enough.
© Richard Fiennes 2004
. I'd been able to overlook it's faults (the interior mainly - not special enough) but then came the DB9, so perfect inside and out it hurts. And the detailing, check out the door handles. And the search for "parts-bin" bits is soooo much harder now. For me the Vanquish is a "nearly" car and its was glory shortlived due to the introduction of it's cheaper (by 60 big ones!) brother. The 9 does 95% of what the Vanquish does, but in a more complete package.
To a lesser extent, this may happen to the DB9 too once the V8 Vantage arrives. The only major difference between these two will be the engine. Do you go for a NASCAR rumble of the V8 or the glorious howl of the V12? Tough choice, but a V12 for me, I think.
I don't believe they are aimed at different buyers either, although Aston may try to market the Vanquish as a more "hardcore" sportscar. Maybe "different" means more affluent. Some will want the Vanquish as it's the "most expensive" and "top of the tree".
I'll always respect the Vanquish as the first of the truely "new" Astons. But for me, it's already been bettered.
I really hope Aston push the styling bounderies with the next Vanquish (due arounnd '08?). We'll be more than familiar with the DB9 and V8 Vantage which look very similar. It's time to move the game on and then the Vanquish can really claim to be the "best" Aston available.
Still, any Aston is a glorious Aston (not that I'm biased)
There are too many flaws with this car. Too many to overlook. The seat is too high- must have the same computer underneath it as in the DB7. Very annoying, and my head was brushing the headlining unless I tipped the seat right back. It's a biiig car, yet it feels really cramped too.
I don't know what the SDP does to it, but the ride is already pretty firm and fidgets all over the place on irregular surfaces. The steering wheel is too small and there is a complete absence of feedback. Never mind futzing around with a facsimile of the Fiorano Handling Pack, they should send the damn thing off to Lotus.
So it's not a drivers' car, and against a 550 or
later it's just no contest. Not even a small one. Shame that.
DanH said:
Yep the bodycoloured wheels was enough to make me click on comment. Not sure anyone who thinks those would look good is qualified to review cars, they clearly have lost touch with the zeitgeist!
But the writer doesn't like body coloured wheels, what he writes is. '.... A few details mar the beauty though. Clumsy indicator / fog lights upset the purposeful, shark-like nose and bling-bling chrome filler cap allied with red brake callipers also look out of place. Body coloured wheels would be more appropriate to this particular cad’s motor.'
His point being that, with the over the top chrome filler cap and red brake calipers you would expect the car to come with body coloured wheels to complete its garish awfulness. His opinion though is that the filler cap and calipers look out of place, hence the wheels do as well.
tuscansix said:
Yep the bodycoloured wheels was enough to make me click on comment. Not sure anyone who thinks those would look good is qualified to review cars, they clearly have lost touch with the zeitgeist!
But the writer doesn't like body coloured wheels, what he writes is. '.... A few details mar the beauty though. Clumsy indicator / fog lights upset the purposeful, shark-like nose and bling-bling chrome filler cap allied with red brake callipers also look out of place. Body coloured wheels would be more appropriate to this particular cad’s motor.'
His point being that, with the over the top chrome filler cap and red brake calipers you would expect the car to come with body coloured wheels to complete its garish awfulness. His opinion though is that the filler cap and calipers look out of place, hence the wheels do as well.
Both interpretations of the writer's intent seem reasonable. Hence reinforcing the comments above that the article could use some tighter editing.
Meanwhile, my pet peeve: could we see some cars with COLOUR? I'm tired of silver/gray/black colour schemes.
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