Aston Martin Tops Itself Again
The all-new 2025 Aston Martin Vanquish will be the most powerful and fastest front-engine Aston Martin ever built. But put that aside for now, because that it is not the most important fact about this car. The real meat of the story is that it will probably be remembered as the ultimate front-engine Aston Martin, an accolade that encompasses so much more than just saying “the fastest” ever could.
The new Vanquish will start at around $429,000. That puts it in the same general neighborhood as the Ferrari 12cilindri. It is also, course, before the options and customizations that both marques offer to customers.
And Then There Were Two
If you’re looking for a common reference point shared by the new Aston Martin Vanquish and Ferrari 12cilindri, it is this: These two European GTs are the only front-engine V-12 supercars currently being built. Yet, these two are very different from each other in both the tangible and intangible ways that make British and Italian sports cars so wonderfully distinct from each other.
Before you say we forgot to mention the Bentley Continental GT among the front-engine V-12 club, we didn’t. That car’s engine was the unique W-12 configuration that only Bentley used, which, OK, might be splitting hairs. But that point is moot anyway, because Bentley has replaced the W-12 with a new twin-turbo V-8 plug-in hybrid powertrain. And don’t mention the Lamborghini Temerario, because its V-12 sits behind the driver, not in front.
With that business out of the way, let’s step into the Aston Martin Vanquish.
– Aston Martin
824 Horsepower. Any Questions?
The new Vanquish has a new V-12 heart that shares only its 5.2-liter displacement with the engine used in recent Astons. The new twin-turbo V-12 musters an enormous 824 horsepower. For the record, the Ferrari 12cinindri’s naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V-12 clocks in at 819 hp. At that level, an added 5 horses does not have the effect it would for, say, a 1960s VW Beetle.
The more significant difference between these two is torque. The Vanquish twin-turbo belts out a rather massive 738 lb-ft. of twist versus the Ferrari’s 500 lb-ft. at a much higher 7,250 rpm. While Aston Martin did not indicate the engine RPM for that torque peak, with twin turbos, it will be low. You will get that turbo kick in the seat of your pants just by brushing your foot to the accelerator. Regardless of what road-test stats on these cars ultimately reveal, you will absolutely feel a difference in the way they feel to drive.
You Might Want New Roads for This
The Vanquish twin-turbo V-12 drives the rear wheels via carbon-fiber driveshaft to a rear-mounted eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. It’s a torque-converter automatic, not a dual-clutch unit. You’ll get lightning-quick shifts for performance, yet with the smoothness that even the best dual-clutch units don’t quite match. An electronically controlled rear differential (E-diff) ensures all that torque does not go up in tire smoke through the curves.
Aston Martin claims 0-to-60-mph in 3.2 seconds and 0-100 mph in 6.2 seconds for the new Vanquish, along with a 214-mph max velocity. Ferrari claims 211+ mph for the 12cilindri, but seriously, it’s an academic difference. Both cars will floor you with their performance.
Another Knockout Aston Martin Design
The new Vanquish drapes a carbon-fiber body over an aluminum structure, so yes, fender benders will be costly. More importantly, we think this new Aston Martin Vanquish is a knockout. The design theme is familiar, as it also defines the automaker’s new DB12.
The Vanquish emphasizes the long-hood look to an even greater degree, thanks to a 3.15-inch wheelbase stretch over that model. The added length is between the A-pillar and front wheel centers, a trick that American carmakers used in the 1960s and 1970s to get bragging rights for “longest hood”. (Pontiac General Manager John DeLorean made sure the 1969 Grand Prix snagged that title.)
Like the DB12, the Vanquish wears a huge grille, and when the car is viewed in profile, you can see the pronounced forward lean of the prow above it. Combined with how the headlights are integrated into the fenders, the result seems to create the face of a hungry shark. Aston Martin says the large grille is needed to give the twin-turbo V-12 sufficient cooling air.
Overall, the body lines are quite smooth and flowing, a subtle homage to Aston Martin’s DB models of the 1960s. A non-opening glass panoramic roof is standard on the Vanquish. The optional carbon-fiber roof blocks the sky view in exchange for shedding 23 pounds.
The rear view shows a subtle but unmistakable tribute to the 1965-1971 DB6 with the vertical LED “light blades.” The panel between the taillights “floats” off the main surface, which is why Aston calls it “the shield.” Buyers can choose different colors or carbon fiber for that. The exhaust outlets are huge, likely as much (or more) for cosmetic purposes than functional requirements. Perhaps it’s a sneer at the pipe-less look of EVs?
What’s Underneath the Vanquish?
The Vanquish chassis seems up to the power at hand. The front and rear multi-link suspension uses Bilstein DTX adaptive shocks, which were first used on the DB12. The driver-selectable GT, Sport, and Sport+ drive modes alter the damping force in ways the mode names might suggest. The driver can adjust the traction control to one of eight levels or even turn it off if doing donuts is your thing.
The standard carbon-ceramic brake rotors are huge, at 16.1-inch in front and 14.2-inch in the back, and the standard wheels measure in at 21 inches. The super-low-profile Pirelli P Zero tires, 275/35 in front and 325/25 for the back, look like thick rubber bands wrapped around the wheels.
Comfort, Command, and Control
The Vanquish cockpit is like the DB12’s, sharing much with that model, but even plusher. Subjectively speaking, the Aston Martin’s cockpit appears elegant-modern in Bentley-esque way but with a tighter sporting feel. The fitted set of saddle leather luggage seen in the photos is a must-get option for the coolness factor alone. Aston Martin says production of the new Vanquish is limited to 1,000 a year. The first ones are due to arrive stateside by the end of 2024. Well played, Aston Martin .
