2015 Aston Martin Vanquish

Where’s the best place to pull up in the 2015 Aston Martin Vanquish, The Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo of course. In fact anywhere would be a great place to be if you are driving this car, it simple oozes British luxury. It manages to make a Ferrari or a Lamborghini look common. This is our favorite car, if money is no object because it’s beautiful in a quaint and old fashioned way. Under the hood, however, lurks Aston’s AM29-spec 6.0-litre V12, which pumps out  568hp and 465lb ft respectively. This will launch this beast to 60 mph in a scant 3.6 seconds, onto 100mph in 8.3 and the 1/4 mile in 11.9. These are serious numbers and make the Vanquish the most powerful GT production engine in Aston Martin history.

Transmission

Most significant is the first incorporation of ZF’s 8HP automatic transmission into a transaxle layout. Three percent lighter than its predecessor, the new eight-speed Touchtronic III gearbox adds two extra ratios to the equation and boasts 130-millisecond shift speeds. This is part of the reason for the extremely rapid acceleration. True, it’s not as quick as most of its rivals, but it doesn’t need to be, it’s an Aston, it’s built to blast along French Autoroutes. Top speed is now 201 mph, if you have the room and the inclination. At low speeds the mighty V12 burbles, but open the taps and the engine howls as only a V12 can. It’s the sound of burning money.

Chassis

The dampers have been stiffened by 15% at the front and a huge 35% at the rear, together with 20% stiffer rear suspension bushings. Both brake booster and DSC stability system have been re-tuned, and the steering ECU has been revised. The car still feels big and heavy, a Porsche 911 Turbo it is not.

The Cabin

This is where the car could use some help, it seems dated, it is dated and lacks gadgets the competition would take for granted. Touch-sensitive screen, forget that, navigation not good, but the seats are pretty comfortable. You forget these quibbles once on the move and catch site of the car’s reflection. Despite the huge cost, the Vanquish is quite simply glorious…….

Gallery

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2015 Aston Martin Vanquish Numbers