We herald the arrival of the much-anticipated Roadster variant and it does not disappoint.
About The Vantage Roadster
The Vantage Roadster shares the Vantage Coupé’s absolute commitment to driving thrills. Powered by Aston Martin’s 4.0L twin-turbo 510PS (503bhp) 685Nm V8 engine and driving through an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, this gorgeous Roadster accelerates from 0-60mph in just 3.7sec and is capable of 190mph with the roof up. Although necessarily heavier than the tin-top sibling, the weight increase is minimal thanks to a new, lighter Z-fold roof mechanism and optimised exterior and chassis revisions throughout.
With a typically no compromise approach to feel or refinement, the roadster offers Adaptive Damping, Dynamic Stability Control, Dynamic Torque Vectoring and an Electronic Rear Differential. There is a bespoke tuning set-up for the rear dampers, Adaptive Damping System software and ESP calibration.
Driving
As is expected from a dedicated sports car, the Vantage offers a choice of Sport, Sport Plus and Track chassis modes (also tuned specifically for the Roadster) giving the driver full control of the car's dynamic character and behaviour. Working in harmony with the power-train modes the set-up offers the ability to progressively increase the car’s overall responsiveness and excitement, meaning the Roadster has a tremendous breadth of ability and feels equally at home on the road or the race track. There is also a new range of optional alloy wheel designs in a choice of finishes. Old-school enthusiasts will also welcome the manual 7-speed transmission being offered as an option.
Comfort
The tautly-tailored fabric hood features a compact, powered Z-fold mechanism that ensures rapid operation (lowered in 6.7 or raised in 6.8 seconds at speeds of up to 50kmh/31mph). In fact, the roof of Vantage Roadster has the fastest full operating cycle of any automatic automotive convertible system, apparently. An impressively low stack height when lowered creates a seamless rear profile with minimal impact on the Roadster’s luggage space. Indeed, with a boot capacity of 200 litres, it is possible to stow weekend luggage or a full-sized golf bag and accessories.
The interior is, as can be seen from the images, the usual mix of traditional style and brand new technology. The seats are superbly ergonomically designed for maximum comfort and hold. The oblate steering wheel, with paddle-shift, offers fingertip control for some functions and the rest fall easily to hand in the driver-focussed cockpit.
This car is not cheap to be fair, but with the Vantage range starting at £114,850, not as expensive as some. If any of the cars in the Aston Martin range are of interest perhaps we here at MHH International can help.
