2025 Aston Martin Vanquish | UK Review

The best Aston ever? Time to find out

By Matt Bird / Saturday, 29 March 2025 / Loading comments

For as long as 007 has been back in an Aston Martin (and probably for a little longer), every great Aston Martin has come with at least one significant drawback. The powertrain lacked a bit of muscle (or quality), the handling wasn’t quite up to snuff, the interior was sub-par, and so on. We wanted to love them - we often did - but that adoration almost always came with a caveat. Well, not any longer. Without wishing to spoil any surprise - read the full international verdict here for more of a build-up - the Vanquish is the best Aston Martin in modern history. Beyond one potentially significant hurdle and perhaps a minor quibble (nothing’s perfect and all that), it is an astonishing super-GT.

Regardless of their flaws, Astons of the '00s - be they the brand’s first century or second - have almost always been beautiful cars. In this new, angrier era, the Vanquish isn’t classically pretty (and arguably there's a bit too much DB12 in the front end) but you’ll also struggle to tear your eyeballs from it. This is a stunning supercar, one that passersby coo over en masse and from almost every angle, even in a very sombre spec. The Vulcan-esque rear end is a real highlight, distinctive in a way that lesser Astons aren’t. The 90mm wheelbase extension from a ‘12 means the Vanquish is a large car, yet with a perfectly judged stance: it swaggers and smoulders, even at a standstill. To these eyes, it’s a more successful modernisation of the V12 flagship than Ferrari’s take. Just.

Nic C had some qualms about the Vanquish interior in Sardinia, and it is true to say that much is familiar from the Vantage. Which might grate a tad when paying twice as much. The electric seat switches appear to be made of pick and mix, for example. On the other hand, CarPlay fires up almost before all 12 cylinders have, the knurled dash dials feel fab, and your relationship with everything as the driver feels spot on. The bracing behind the pair of seats adds a welcome dash of theatre. Probably with some more extravagant trim materials and colour choices, the driving environment would feel that bit swisher. At any rate, it feels better laid out, and that bit easier to use than the 12Cilindri, which must count for something given how ruddy fast both are. And if not as stellar as some attributes, that says as much about the calibre of the rest of the Vanquish.

If inevitably a tad more subdued than the rambunctious recent past, the very latest V12 is a glorious accompaniment to the Vanquish experience from idle. We all know the V8 is brilliant, but the AMG unit is familiar these days. The heavily overhauled 5.2 twin-turbo remains exotic, enticing, and rich at all engine speeds. As is the modern forced induction way, it is perfectly docile when pottering about, eight-speed auto slurring through ratios, and sufficiently mild-mannered to give little clue as to its true potency.

Indeed, it’s the rest of the Vanquish’s demeanour that points to its generally more aggressive character; where the 12Cilindri has mellowed compared to its slightly unhinged predecessor, the Aston has toughened up and knuckled down to the task of being a V12 missile. The low-speed ride is never wearing or punishing, yet nor is it ever truly cosseting either. There’s always a purpose and grit about how the Vanquish goes about things, which immediately dispels any notion of this being a languid GT.

Everything is consistent, at least. Where the 12Cilindri is initially confusing with its hyper-alert steering but demure powertrain, there’s no escaping the Aston’s heavyweight bruiser vibe. It isn’t clumsy or reluctant; instead, there’s a pleasing heft to all the control surfaces - from steering to drive model dial - to let you know this is an Aston firmly focused on the business of going very fast indeed. And that’s very welcome: if not always entirely at ease as you would be in a Bentley GT, you’re confident with the car quickly.

The first time those new turbos, conrods, cams, injectors, and everything else are properly put to work will take your breath away. As will the second, third, fourth, and fifth, in truth. The Vanquish is unrelentingly, enthrallingly, magnificently rapid in the way that only large-capacity engines can be. As you might expect, it’s the great gorge of torque that’s most immediately noticeable (once beyond a modicum of lag), yet it’s the way the V12 builds on this initial performance that makes the engine unforgettable. While already gaining speed faster than anything else on the road up to 5,000rpm or so, there’s a final flourish to 7,000rpm that feels supersonic. It’s unrepentant, wanton acceleration. You’ll never get enough. Even if passengers (and law enforcement) might.

But the Ferrari is more exciting still. Where the Vanquish is calling time on suck-squeeze-bang-blow, the 12Cilindri is ready to remind all around why it costs more than £300,000. That final 2,500rpm to nearly 10 in the Ferrari is just extraordinary, such is the fury, sound, and power. The Aston Martin makes a fabulous noise, all V12 gargle and twin-turbo bluster - but the nat-asp Ferrari is utterly operatic. With a dual-clutch that’s superior in all situations. Just.

However, that an 835hp, 738lb ft V12 isn’t the best bit of the Vanquish demonstrates just what an achievement this car is. It’s how it can harness, deploy, and fully embrace those outputs through one driven axle and a pair of 325-section Pirellis that really marks the newcomer out as something very special indeed. Never does the Aston feel overawed or overwhelmed by its engine; on the contrary, it puts everything at your disposal to get the very most from it on all occasions. Which is just as thrilling an experience as you might imagine.

Even in GT mode, the amount of throttle that can be utilised over bumpy surfaces beggars belief. In cahoots with a trustworthy front end and imperious sense of balance (look how far back the V12 rests), it’s hard not to indulge further. It feels like the tarmac will buckle under the strain before the rear P Zeros surrender their purchase. With engine howling and speed apparently boundless, the Vanquish is intoxicating in a way that slower, less serious Astons have never been.

Likewise, there’s a huge reserve of technical nous to plunder that’s never existed before - at least not prior to this era of Bilstein DTX dampers and a much better-sorted e-diff, that is. When body control needs to be a little stricter, Sport mode ramps things up nicely, with an Individual setting on hand to slacken off the slightly cloying steering weight. When confident with the interventions of the assists, the Track configuration is really smartly judged to indulge curiosity and massage your ego. Beyond that sits the variable traction control seen in the Vantage and DB12; presumably it works as well in this car as those - you’ll forgive us for not exploring this time around. But the core ability is in no doubt whatsoever.

Probably the four-wheel steering, brake-by-wiring Ferrari is even sharper still - there’s no denying it’s lighter - but so cleverly judged is the Vanquish compromise that you don’t feel to be missing out on anything. The same impression will surely materialise in the 12Cilinidri on British roads because both are fantastic. But, at last, Ferrari has a proper rival in terms of grip, traction, and damping. What happens on a circuit seems largely immaterial, or at least much less important than with models like the Vantage.

As we alluded to on the international launch last year, it’s with the speed and space of an A road that a Vanquish shines, romping along with all the caddish charm we’ve come to expect of a V12 Aston Martin - but still with that newfound polish and precision. You’ll think nothing more of the ride with some speed under the wheels, because it’s taut enough to be secure yet also pliant enough for some sensation; an initial softness to the brake pedal is easily managed, and the feel beyond it is preferable to the Ferrari. A back-to-back comparison would surely be enlightening, as well as spectacularly good fun. Nevertheless, having now driven both, it seems fair to suggest that the 12Cilindri highs are more exhilarating yet less frequent, while the Vanquish makes every mile a romp.

And that caveat? Almost £350k before options for a series-production Aston Martin may seem a little steep, though the Vanquish isn’t really like any series-production V12 before it. A DBS was £225k in 2018, which is already knocking on for £290,000 now, and this is a patently superior product. If supply and demand can be adequately managed to protect residuals - and Q division avoided for fear of a truly silly RRP - then the Vanquish might prove good value in the end. But perhaps most telling of all is the fact that, in a dozen years of car testing, this was the Aston Martin hardest to part with. More than the naturally aspirated V12s, more than the manuals, more than a Valour - it’s the flagship Aston we’ve always dreamed of, no excuses required. Which sounds worth paying for.

SPECIFICATION | 2025 Aston Martin Vanquish

Engine: 5,204cc, twin-turbo, V12
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 835@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 738@2,500-5,000rpm
0-62mph: 3.3 seconds
Top speed: 214mph
Weight: 1,774kg (dry)
MPG: 20.7
CO2: 312g/km
Price: £330,000