Vanquish VS Vanquish S - any real world difference?
Discussion
Hi there
I am considering buying an Aston later this year, favourite contenders are a DB11 or a Vanquish. As plenty of both now around 65-80k region.
But I wondered if the Vanquish S is worth the extra 20-30k, does anyone know what are the exact differences please and for those who have had seat time in both how different they drive?
I think I'd prefer the 8 speed Vanquish as a minimum, but wondered how the S version is different.
I may also consider a DB11 but unless it drives so much better I think I far prefer look of Vanquish and it sounds better. Though I suspect DB11's will keep getting cheaper, whereas Vanquish have now maybe settled?
I am considering buying an Aston later this year, favourite contenders are a DB11 or a Vanquish. As plenty of both now around 65-80k region.
But I wondered if the Vanquish S is worth the extra 20-30k, does anyone know what are the exact differences please and for those who have had seat time in both how different they drive?
I think I'd prefer the 8 speed Vanquish as a minimum, but wondered how the S version is different.
I may also consider a DB11 but unless it drives so much better I think I far prefer look of Vanquish and it sounds better. Though I suspect DB11's will keep getting cheaper, whereas Vanquish have now maybe settled?
Calinours said:
The whole Vanq vs Vanq S and Vanq vs DB11 thing has been done to death in the forum, just do a couple of quick searches and you will read all the opinion you can take in.
I mainly looking at Vanquish VS Vanquish S differences, something searching can only reveal so much and only upto the last time it was asked, since them there is strong chance there are more who have had this experience or will see this post.The big differences are:
More aggressive styling/aero
Quad exhausts (that sound fantastic)
Extra power
Improved/adaptive dampers
Matt Becker's input
Good summary in: https://www.goodwood.com/grr/road/news/2017/1/revi...
Watch out though. The front end is very low and there's no nose lift. Has caused concern for me on a few occasions!
More aggressive styling/aero
Quad exhausts (that sound fantastic)
Extra power
Improved/adaptive dampers
Matt Becker's input
Good summary in: https://www.goodwood.com/grr/road/news/2017/1/revi...
Watch out though. The front end is very low and there's no nose lift. Has caused concern for me on a few occasions!
If it's the shape of the Vanquish that you are after then go for it, but if you do not need the 4 seats think of a Vantage V12
Auto in the Vantage needs a little getting used to but it's the same gearbox as the manual but no chance of missing gears.
Vanquish is longer and a little wider than a Vantage but to me the Vantage is more fun than I had in the Vanquish.
Auto in the Vantage needs a little getting used to but it's the same gearbox as the manual but no chance of missing gears.
Vanquish is longer and a little wider than a Vantage but to me the Vantage is more fun than I had in the Vanquish.
LooneyTunes said:
The big differences are:
More aggressive styling/aero
Quad exhausts (that sound fantastic)
Extra power
Improved/adaptive dampers
Matt Becker's input
Good summary in: https://www.goodwood.com/grr/road/news/2017/1/revi...
Watch out though. The front end is very low and there's no nose lift. Has caused concern for me on a few occasions!
This is all true especially the front splitter- £6,500 bill if you need to replace one......yup....been there, although the one taken off will look nice on my garage wall when I get around to it.More aggressive styling/aero
Quad exhausts (that sound fantastic)
Extra power
Improved/adaptive dampers
Matt Becker's input
Good summary in: https://www.goodwood.com/grr/road/news/2017/1/revi...
Watch out though. The front end is very low and there's no nose lift. Has caused concern for me on a few occasions!
The other important point between the std and the S is that most or at least an awful lot of them.came with many options ticked, more so than the std cars I looked at. Given you don't really pay anything extra for them on used cars that can give you £25k to £40k of goodies for free.
The last point is the S is def tied down better when you press on and has a less floaty feel on our crappy roads at speed.
That about sums the cars up other than you might always feel you had wished you had gone for the S if you go for the Std car...fomo....maybe?
The S is def more rare though I think 166 fixed head rhd cars worldwide about 105 ish volante in rhd out of about 530 ish total production.
I think you're into a couple of thousand for the std car production if this matters to you.
90% of your driving though and there is little in it only when pressing on would you notice anything.
The 8 spd is great and does appear to command a premium over the earlier 6spd std cars so MY 2015 onwards I believe.
Edited by Longy00000 on Tuesday 6th February 21:33
Gibbo205 said:
Hi there
I am considering buying an Aston later this year, favourite contenders are a DB11 or a Vanquish. As plenty of both now around 65-80k region.
But I wondered if the Vanquish S is worth the extra 20-30k, does anyone know what are the exact differences please and for those who have had seat time in both how different they drive?
I think I'd prefer the 8 speed Vanquish as a minimum, but wondered how the S version is different.
I may also consider a DB11 but unless it drives so much better I think I far prefer look of Vanquish and it sounds better. Though I suspect DB11's will keep getting cheaper, whereas Vanquish have now maybe settled?
What are your plans for the car? Garage queen or daily, or something inbetween?I am considering buying an Aston later this year, favourite contenders are a DB11 or a Vanquish. As plenty of both now around 65-80k region.
But I wondered if the Vanquish S is worth the extra 20-30k, does anyone know what are the exact differences please and for those who have had seat time in both how different they drive?
I think I'd prefer the 8 speed Vanquish as a minimum, but wondered how the S version is different.
I may also consider a DB11 but unless it drives so much better I think I far prefer look of Vanquish and it sounds better. Though I suspect DB11's will keep getting cheaper, whereas Vanquish have now maybe settled?
Just my 2c worth. As a Vanquish owner I have driven the 8speed and quite frankly prefer the 6. The 8 was always changing up or down whereas the 6 provided a well matched exhaust note and different power band. They are asking a premium for an "s" and I really do not see the value if you have a well optioned Vanquish. In Aussie $$ a Vanquish can be had for $240ish whereas they are asking $390k ish for an s.
I wanted to sell due to klm on my V. Instead I put the extra into another weekend driver and kept the Vanquish. I am very happy with the decision.
I wanted to sell due to klm on my V. Instead I put the extra into another weekend driver and kept the Vanquish. I am very happy with the decision.
I had precisely this dilemma last year Gen II Vanquish vs Vanquish S.
I had the budget for either car and initially actually favoured the S, without any sound logic behind that other than it was the 'range topper' on paper- although suppose there is also the S ultimate edition, which is the final, final Vanquish albeit more of trim special!
I had an extensive drive of both and after that decision was easy- went for a beautiful Carbon Black Edition Vanquish (only 63 UK RHD cars, 190 total in black so as rare as an S). Being a carbon edition it actually had more carbon (e.g. roof, mirrors, side strakes, waterfall dash etc) than most of the S cars. Spec wise a high spec non S will have all the options you need really. I personally think the One-77 wheel looks great, so went for a car with that, again you can find this on a high spec Vanquish non S.
For me the S was just in no way shape or form worth the premium- which is considerable. To get an S of the same miles/condition and similar spec as the car I ended up with would have cost me around 25,000 GBP more. I did get a bit lucky in as much as I found a car with full PPF too, already applied to a high standard, so in my specific case that made the decision even easier..
After driving both and experiencing the speed, noise, capability and of course looks of the Vanquish I felt like the potential benefit or the S was so negligeable that it was not close to being worth the extra spend. I realise for others this will not be the case. I had set aside funds for the S but genuinely did not feel the extra spend would get me any extra enjoyment.
The Vanquish 8 speed (definitely get an an 8 speed the updated ZF gearbox is a game changer!) is super quick, the extra 28 bhp you get with the S in real world conditions I did not feel or notice at all, and neither will you I predict. Its just too tiny a difference to have any impact.
I disliked the front splitter/bumper of the S, to me it was overkill, its too aggressive and angular for what is a super-GT not a race car! I do like the quad exhaust on the S it does look good, but again possibly a bit too aggressive and on its own was not a big factor either way.
As pointed out on many past threads with the front splinter on the S its not just the distance from the ground, it's more the overhang, due to the angles and shape of it on each side. If you have to drive in a city or intend to use the car semi regularly and drive to places you are not familiar with it may at some point cause a big problem. Hopefully not, but its definitely something to consider depending on how you will use the car- as mentioned no lift available.
Lastly...the noise! The S is louder due to being de-catted from factory and does sound brilliant but basically a secondary de-cat & fitting on any Vanquish will remedy that- some owners have had that done, here is the link from past thread with details:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
That's if you want that bit of extra volume- I did not. The Vanquish in sports mode makes a truly fantastic sound and is plenty loud enough. I am getting a valve controller fitted at the start of next month but that is of course reversible plug and play type of thing, so I can hear the sound more of the time, but as far as how loud it is you will not be disappointed trust me!
I would advise to drive both if you can, see what you think.
I tried a DB11 too, dismissed very easily as did not like the look of the car (longer, nowhere near as attractive not even close), and strongly disliked the interior which to me was a step down and not as special as Vanquish/Vanquish S. If you want the car for occasional use/fun/road trips that sort of thing DB11 falls short of the Vanquish in my eyes.
I had the budget for either car and initially actually favoured the S, without any sound logic behind that other than it was the 'range topper' on paper- although suppose there is also the S ultimate edition, which is the final, final Vanquish albeit more of trim special!
I had an extensive drive of both and after that decision was easy- went for a beautiful Carbon Black Edition Vanquish (only 63 UK RHD cars, 190 total in black so as rare as an S). Being a carbon edition it actually had more carbon (e.g. roof, mirrors, side strakes, waterfall dash etc) than most of the S cars. Spec wise a high spec non S will have all the options you need really. I personally think the One-77 wheel looks great, so went for a car with that, again you can find this on a high spec Vanquish non S.
For me the S was just in no way shape or form worth the premium- which is considerable. To get an S of the same miles/condition and similar spec as the car I ended up with would have cost me around 25,000 GBP more. I did get a bit lucky in as much as I found a car with full PPF too, already applied to a high standard, so in my specific case that made the decision even easier..
After driving both and experiencing the speed, noise, capability and of course looks of the Vanquish I felt like the potential benefit or the S was so negligeable that it was not close to being worth the extra spend. I realise for others this will not be the case. I had set aside funds for the S but genuinely did not feel the extra spend would get me any extra enjoyment.
The Vanquish 8 speed (definitely get an an 8 speed the updated ZF gearbox is a game changer!) is super quick, the extra 28 bhp you get with the S in real world conditions I did not feel or notice at all, and neither will you I predict. Its just too tiny a difference to have any impact.
I disliked the front splitter/bumper of the S, to me it was overkill, its too aggressive and angular for what is a super-GT not a race car! I do like the quad exhaust on the S it does look good, but again possibly a bit too aggressive and on its own was not a big factor either way.
As pointed out on many past threads with the front splinter on the S its not just the distance from the ground, it's more the overhang, due to the angles and shape of it on each side. If you have to drive in a city or intend to use the car semi regularly and drive to places you are not familiar with it may at some point cause a big problem. Hopefully not, but its definitely something to consider depending on how you will use the car- as mentioned no lift available.
Lastly...the noise! The S is louder due to being de-catted from factory and does sound brilliant but basically a secondary de-cat & fitting on any Vanquish will remedy that- some owners have had that done, here is the link from past thread with details:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
That's if you want that bit of extra volume- I did not. The Vanquish in sports mode makes a truly fantastic sound and is plenty loud enough. I am getting a valve controller fitted at the start of next month but that is of course reversible plug and play type of thing, so I can hear the sound more of the time, but as far as how loud it is you will not be disappointed trust me!
I would advise to drive both if you can, see what you think.
I tried a DB11 too, dismissed very easily as did not like the look of the car (longer, nowhere near as attractive not even close), and strongly disliked the interior which to me was a step down and not as special as Vanquish/Vanquish S. If you want the car for occasional use/fun/road trips that sort of thing DB11 falls short of the Vanquish in my eyes.
do any of the modern astons have a front lift ?
Longy00000 said:
This is all true especially the front splitter- £6,500 bill if you need to replace one......yup....been there, although the one taken off will look nice on my garage wall when I get around to it.
The other important point between the std and the S is that most or at least an awful lot of them.came with many options ticked, more so than the std cars I looked at. Given you don't really pay anything extra for them on used cars that can give you £25k to £40k of goodies for free.
The last point is the S is def tied down better when you press on and has a less floaty feel on our crappy roads at speed.
That about sums the cars up other than you might always feel you had wished you had gone for the S if you go for the Std car...fomo....maybe?
The S is def more rare though I think 166 fixed head rhd cars worldwide about 105 ish volante in rhd out of about 530 ish total production.
I think you're into a couple of thousand for the std car production if this matters to you.
90% of your driving though and there is little in it only when pressing on would you notice anything.
The 8 spd is great and does appear to command a premium over the earlier 6spd std cars so MY 2015 onwards I believe.
The other important point between the std and the S is that most or at least an awful lot of them.came with many options ticked, more so than the std cars I looked at. Given you don't really pay anything extra for them on used cars that can give you £25k to £40k of goodies for free.
The last point is the S is def tied down better when you press on and has a less floaty feel on our crappy roads at speed.
That about sums the cars up other than you might always feel you had wished you had gone for the S if you go for the Std car...fomo....maybe?
The S is def more rare though I think 166 fixed head rhd cars worldwide about 105 ish volante in rhd out of about 530 ish total production.
I think you're into a couple of thousand for the std car production if this matters to you.
90% of your driving though and there is little in it only when pressing on would you notice anything.
The 8 spd is great and does appear to command a premium over the earlier 6spd std cars so MY 2015 onwards I believe.
Edited by Longy00000 on Tuesday 6th February 21:33
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