Vantage F1 - small writeup

[NathWraith]

Got a F1 Vantage loan car whilst my DBX is in for a service. Had it two days now and give it back on Friday.

Changes over the regular Vantage are:
- Aero kit
- 21” wheels
- Revised suspension & bump stops
- Under panels aero & thickness
- Revised gearbox settings
- Power up from 503bhp to 527bhp
- Carbon roof, bonnet vents, mirror caps & side gills.
- Alcantara/leather interior

Some observations, mainly in comparison to my NSX.

- Car feels stiff, 21" wheels & P zeros make it so.
- Steering is fast but plenty of feel
- Brakes (these are steel) are particularly good, 400mm discs so up to the task
- Engine has lots of low down torque as to be expected from the AMG 4.0 but can overwhelm the rears in these conditions. Revs beautifully, not too dissimilar to my DBX and sounds sweeter at the top end compared to my old C63. Negative is that these cars now have OPFs which do restrict the sound vs earlier cars.
- The ZF gearbox is great, no complaints here, super quick on the downshifts and the paddles are so special to use.
- Looks, I love the gloss green with the carbon bits and wing but I would lose the black stripe. I actually prefer the bright grill & wheels in person now vs the black. Even the lime green is growing on me.
- Interior, dark but very spacious for a 2 seater, way more storage than my NSX especially the boot, you may call it mildly practical! I don't love the stuck on screen but nearly every car has these currently so whatever.
- Infotainment, and old merc system, its familiar to me, does the job, never been one to buy a car based off infotainment so its fine by me.


The driving experience is great. genuinely feels special to get in (thanks to those trick doors) and just drive around normally. The engine is great at low revs too, letting you know there’s a big V8 up there. Handling is ultra-sharp, I would say even sharper than the NSX, the price to pay is the stiffness, not crashy but stiff. It's really a car you have to get under the skin of, feed the throttle in gently, keep on top of that fast front end, where you'll find so much grip and the rear will do it's job.

I'm finding it a more rewarding car to drive quickly than the NSX even if it isn't as fast. Also more fun at normal driving speeds however I'm not sure it is a capable when you really go 10/10s. I'd love to take it on track and see what it can do out there.

The issue is, I'm looking at £60K to change and the honest truth is that it’s not £60K better, or really "better" at all, just different & newer.

I do really like it though! They are only taking orders for the F1 edition until the end of this year with a total production of circa 100 cars for the UK. So whilst not limited in build slots, it is by nature so could prove to be better on residuals than a regular Vantage.

I did drive a 19.5 model year “regular” Vantage recently and the F1 is considering more focussed, more than the journalists let on. However the older car sounded a lot better, pre OPF of course. With good spec “older” new vantages sitting at around £100K they are looking like a great buy, alas not a special looking as the F1 to me.

If this was my car, I’ do the OPF delete & get it on PS4s tyres straight away.

Some pics:

 

[NathWraith]

The updated front end really suits the car much more than the earlier Vantage. I think it looks really classy without the lip weirdness and with the bright grille.

I was really surprised by the "cooking" Vantage so I can only imagine what a more focussed one is like. As you say, immensely practical for what they are with the relatively huge boot and a decent space behind the seat. A quick bit of comparison at the dealership convinced me that the Vantage would be roughly similar to the DB11 in terms of boot space but of course with the DB11 you have the rear seat area to use as well. I'm not sure I'd swap an NSX and 60k for one though...

EDIT: Just to add on the depreciation side of things, AM were doing stupid deals on the Vantage early on like £1k deposit, £1kpcm for 24 months. You can see this in the sheer volume of stock that dealers have of these cars. When I was looking around them both they had quite a few on the forecourt but a car park round the back with loads of them just waiting to be prepped or held back for whatever reason. Even at £90k they seem very likely to suffer heavily in the near future.

Agreed on the front end, a lot better. I didnt hate the "hunter" style but it didn't look elegant enough for an Aston imo.

Yeah the justification on the cost to change isn't there, even if the F1 may hold it's residuals better. The NSX however can only go up (hopefully).

 

[NathWraith]

Cost to change is quite a bit, is that based on a trade in at Aston or sell privately? NSX's values are back over 100k now and I know a few trade people who give quite good prices on nice cars, so if you were considering selling the NSX Nath, drop me a message and I'll put you in touch with a couple of guys who might get another 5-10k your way for the NSX.

The NSX is like the ultimate road car, a little like the F-Type SVR was for me, though I'd say the NSX is even better, engine in right place and all that and the NSX will always attract a crowd, so rare on the road.

I moved away from fast and easy because as I've got older I am appreciating more involving cars to drive more and have zero interest in anyone who may try to race on the road or driving like someone possessed 100mph plus on country lanes. The Aston is more involving, it will give you thrills at much lower speeds, safer for the license and all that.

It is nice to see that Aston finally got the new V8 Vantage looking as good as the old one, and I must say that looks incredible, I think if you got one and went with your spec, bright silver wheels and no stripe it would look incredible. If an older model is 100k, this is 160k but very limited it is probably fair to say if you sell it in a few years then you make take a 30-40k bath, but if you keep it long term it may end up not depreciating much at all over a longer term, sound wise, like you say just get an OPF delete or tweaked exhaust, the sound will be back.

Stunning car, would be a really hard choice for me, but as you have the DBX surely that covers off all your comfort duties needed on the road so something a little more hardcore could be just the ticket and I think if you get confident in one of those on track in the dry or even a limits day the handling and drifting fun you could have would be pretty epic.

Tough choice, very tough!

Yeah you have nailed it there tbh. NSX certainly falls into the "fast and easy" camp more so than this Vantage. The facelift is due 2023 too, so you could end up seeing the F1 upgrades on the regualr cars. Always an unknown.

The thing is, I don't want to sell the NSX, it's just it doesnt make sense to have two 2 seater performance cars like this as one would never get used.

Agree on the DBX comment, the NSX is more comfortable than the F1 but like you said, not as important now as it's not my only car.

 

[NathWraith]

I've passenger'd one on track and my main takeaways were - stiffer / flatter than I expected, gearbox MUCH quicker than I expected, still felt nose heavy, electronics really didn't like being on track (even 'all' the way off the TC went mental quite often).

IMO an AMG GTR is a better version of the same thing, but I appreciate some people love that Aston badge.

Good to hear! Yeah the AMG GTR does nothing for me looks wise. I much prefer the SL style grilled AMG GT. I did drive a GTC a few years back but did not like the driving position. (super long bonnet and cabin felt very small)

 

[NathWraith]

Aston Martin's tend to get under your skin over time, anyone taking one for a 30-60 minute test drive might come away feeling a bit cold, they do take some time to play into and once you have they do tend to be very good and the general public seem to absolutely love the marque.

If I was Nathan personally, just go and buy an 812 Superfast, there is really no better front engine GT car out there that is absolutely bonkers but that is the issue for some they are a little too hardcore/bonkers and the GT tag is not really deserving, but of course 160k vs 260k, where does one stop and of course the Ferrari is not brand new but saying that would come with warranty and have the remaining years of the 7yr service plan left.

I do like the 812 but I’m not enamoured with the Ferrari brand.

£200k for a car is where I’d draw the line. I mean the DBX was mental really but at least I get the use out of it daily.

I’d agree with the Aston getting under your skin comment. They are growers for sure.

Like I said I don’t want to change the NSX, it’s an incredible car. I just like window shopping if you like. The Vantage F1 definitely is on my radar.

 

[NathWraith]

AMG GT R vs Vantage - AM have it nailed when it comes to dealer experience. Exactly what you'd expect for this sort of car/brand As has been recently discussed elsewhere, the Mercedes experience isn't exactly pleasant for most people most of the time.

This makes a huge difference in how the whole car feels as an experience. If buying it is a sour/stressful/rude deal then it sort of taints the car for life.

Yeahi can’t say enough good about AM in regards to the dealer experience. Got a customer for life in me.

 

[NathWraith]

I like everything about the Aston, except for those wheels as others have said.

Why do they feel the need to go overboard in that department. It looks like you could reduce size by 1" maybe even 2" going by the caliper clearance on the photo.

NSX wheels look to be better proportioned.

Yeah the NSX has 19” fronts and 20” rears.

 

[NathWraith]

The NSX is just perfect looking to be fair.

Thanks! I don’t think I did it much justice in these pics though. Looks alittle square aha

 

[NathWraith]

Took both cars out today for an hour blast each. Took awhile to get the cars tyres up to temp being around 4c and dry here.

The Vantage can’t hold a candle to the NSX when you are going maximum attack that’s for sure, nor match the exhilaration when doing so.

I find the NSX smoother and more balanced in a way the Vantage can’t match but it did lean alittle more. Crazy as I’ve never experienced a flatter handling car than the NSX.

The vantage is certainly more challenging to drive quickly and that has its own merits but I still can’t get enough of revving the NSX out & enjoying the sheer pace of it.

I’ll be handing the vantage back tomorrow with a “thanks but no thanks”. Even if it was a straight swap I’m not sure I’m convinced.

I guess that is the difference between a Supercar and a super sports car.

 

[NathWraith]

I've not driven this model so can't comment with any authority but common consensus from those that have is it's another flawed Aston Martin that has taken the components of a great car and made it worse with a better badge, worse interior, slower and far less dynamic.

Are you talking about the F1 vantage in particular or just the new Vantage overall?

I think they are both great cars. If I didn’t have my NSX I’d be going to them with cash in hand for one for sure.

 

[NathWraith]

Can this be specified without the rear wing? The rest of the car looks brilliant, but the wing is at odds with the design IMO.

Probably if you pay them enough!

F1 Vantage. I don’t know who your dealer is but I can recommend HWM near Brooklands. Superb dealership, lots of history and good people.

The vantage as a whole would be a better daily than the NSX just from the practicality of the interior storage and boot etc but the F1 does kill that by being so stiff.

I know what you mean about the interior as the config is locked save for either red, green, black or grey stitching. You can’t be as ambitious as the regular vantage with the customisation. Although this is far better for those buying buses as sometimes people can lack taste. I’ve seen a bright yellow DB11 interior doing the rounds. Not pleasant.

 

[NathWraith]

That’s AM all over. Take a car on an ageing platform, tweak every component a tiny bit, add 10bhp and charge £50k over base for it.
They have been doing this since the DB7

Is the new shape vantage ageing? It’s been out since late 2018. A facelift is planned for next year though.