The Aston Martin Vantage Roadster Is Back With 656 Horsepower And A Way Nicer Face

If you were asked to picture a cool Aston Martin, a DB9 would probably pop into your head. For those of us who were around to see the first generation of cars on the VH platform when they were new, it feels like Aston Martin hit peak cool in the 2000s, before falling off a bit with the DB11 and the old Vantage. Sure, the DBS Superleggera still looked great, but compared to the gorgeous cars of the 2000s, the mainline models of the late 2010s didn’t have that iciness to them. Well, it seems that Aston Martin is back on the image climb, and a revamped Vantage Roadster is just the latest sign.

When the Mercedes-powered iteration of the Vantage was unveiled in 2017, it looked a bit, well, bland and awkward from the front. The almond-shaped headlights looked a bit small, and shoving all of the grille area into a dark, protruding frame may as well have been cramming it into a black hole, and then epoxying that black hole to the front bumper. Stylistically, it was a miss, but Aston Martin seems to have learned from its mistakes.

Like the coupe variant, the new Vantage Roadster returns to riff off the classic slatted grille, adding some much-needed positive space to what’s otherwise a large opening. What’s more, the grille now stretches up to the leading edge of the front bumper and doesn’t feature a heavy-handed surround, meaning this two-seater no longer looks trout-mouthed. In fact, once you account for the tall new headlights, there’s an air of One-77 to the new Vantage. If you’re going for an evolutionary statement, why not get inspired by one of the greatest supercars of the credit crunch era?

A face to match the rest of the sheetmetal is a brilliant start, but what about the interior? When you’re spending exotic car money, the old Mercedes-Benz switchgear of late-2010s Astons just isn’t it. Thankfully, the new Vantage Roadster pulls a leaf from the DB12’s book because just about everything you see in the cabin is all-Aston. The switchgear, the screens, the software, it all looks leagues more expensive than what you would’ve got five years ago. An optional Bowers & Wilkins Hi-Fi is a nice touch too.

As for the horsepower war, 656 ponies under the hood ought to do the trick, yeah? The Vantage Roadster still rocks AMG’s four-liter twin-turbocharged V8, but the wick’s been turned up thanks to the same larger turbochargers, new camshafts, and adjusted compression ratio found in the Vantage coupe. Power goes to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transaxle with a new electronically variable limited-slip differential. That ought to help put power down in a straight line for a claimed 3.5-second zero-to-60 mph time and let you get sideways in the bends.

Add in Bilstein DTX adaptive dampers, 16.1-inch carbon ceramic front discs, Michelin Pilot Sport S5 tires, and an ever-so-slightly rear-biased weight distribution, and the new Vantage Roadster looks like a treat. However, its most outlandish figure isn’t its 202 mph top speed or the fact that it weighs 132 pounds more than the coupe. No, it’s the fact that Aston Martin claims it can drop its electrically operated Z-fold top in just 6.8 seconds. That’s quicker than most cars’ zero-to-60 mph times, and crucially, quick enough that you won’t feel a bit silly getting caught lowering the roof. Building a fast car? Lots of manufacturers can do it. Significantly reducing shame? Now that’s a trickier feat.

Pricing for the new Aston Martin Vantage Roadster hasn’t been announced yet, but if it’s within a stone’s throw of a Mercedes-AMG SL 63, I reckon it’s worth a punt. With more elegant styling, a fresh interior, and loads of juice, the Vantage Roadster finally looks like the sophisticated, suave drop-top barroom brawler it was always meant to be.

(Photo credits: Aston Martin)

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