Latest news with #V12engine
Car and Driver
23-07-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
2026 Vanquish Volante Drive: The Aston Martin of Aston Martins
Posh, high-performance coupes and convertibles have long been Aston Martin's stock in trade. Modern Aston Martin's pursuit of growth—part of its quest for profitability—has seen the brand expand into sports cars, supercars, SUVs, and ultra-low-production variants thereof. But ultrafast, ultraluxe, and ultralovely grand touring coupes and convertibles remain at the brand's core. Cars like the new Vanquish, which arrived last fall as a stunning coupe, and now the Vanquish Volante, its open-top counterpart. Both stand as the ultimate expression of Aston Martin–ness. That means the Vanquish occupies a loftier perch than the thematically similar DB12, which also is available in Volante form. Differences versus its penultimate sibling can be summarized as: size, style, and motivation. Befitting its status, the Vanquish is the most grandly proportioned of Aston Martin's grand tourers. It is 6.5 inches longer overall, and its wheelbase extends 3.1 inches inches further than the DB12's. All of that extra wheelbase is situated between the base of the windshield and the front axle, as the front of the car effectively stretches forward, a visual totem of the Vanquish's other great differentiator: its V-12 engine, which nestles entirely behind the front axle. view exterior photos Aston Martin The twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V-12 is a fresh design, even as this engine configuration dwindles to a tiny dot in the firmament of modern powertrains. But it burns more brightly than ever, boasting 64 more horses than Aston's last V-12, its 823 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque sent rearward to an eight-speed ZF transaxle, which incorporates an electronic differential. Unleashing that much thrust on public roads (particularly in the crowded environs of New York City) is a challenge, and for a while, we're only able to delve partway into the accelerator's long travel. After crossing the Hudson, we succumb to brief bursts on the Palisades Parkway. They reveal a ferociously reactive powertrain that lets loose a refined roar when provoked. We flap the paddles to extend the music, which is more vocal in Sport than in the standard GT mode, although you can also switch to the louder exhaust mode via a button on the center console. Far outside the city at last, we're able to give the Vanquish Volante more leash. The ZF gearbox—a torque-converter automatic rather than a dual-clutch—manages to be both ultraquick and supersmooth. Powering out of corners or pummeling empty straights, the V-12 just pulls and pulls, with tremendous torque across a wide band—max grunt is available from 2500 rpm. Even at go-directly-to-jail speeds, there's still so much more. Aston claims a top speed of 214 mph. Carbon-ceramic brakes, which were optional on the DBS, are standard on the Vanquish. With just one set of hardware to tune for, Aston's engineers were able to dial in fantastic brake-pedal action that responds more to pressure than to travel and yet doesn't feel overly touchy. It perfectly complements the accelerator-pedal effort and even the steering heft, creating harmony among the major controls. view exterior photos Aston Martin There are four drive modes—GT, Sport, Sport+, and Wet—as well as an Individual setting to mix and match from among them. But the changes they effect are subtle. In any mode, the steering remains perfectly weighted and more relaxed than darty. The Aston Martin–blend Pirelli P Zero PZ4s (275/35ZR-21 front, 325/30ZR-21 rear) are certainly low-profile, and yet this Aston never feels harsh, even over broken pavement—of which we encountered plenty in our drive from midtown Manhattan out to the hinterlands and back. The Vanquish is utterly composed over lumpy, twisting two-lanes tackled at extralegal speeds, the chassis tuning allowing enough compliance to keep from upsetting the car. This is a grand tourer, not a racer. view exterior photos Aston Martin Simon Newton, Aston's director of vehicle performance, says that the convertible was developed alongside the coupe, and that they aimed to deliver the same driving performance between the two. They adjusted for the slight weight difference (Aston says the Volante is about 200 pounds heavier with a claimed 50/50 weight distribution) by increasing the rear spring rates and front anti-roll-bar stiffness each by 7 percent. On the subject of stiffness, the convertible adds a structural crossbrace behind the front seats, and there's extra structure across the top of the rear suspension and in the sills. Like the coupe, the Volante's bonded-aluminum architecture is draped in carbon-fiber body panels. And what panels they are. The Vanquish is, quite objectively, a stunner, no less so in Volante form than as a coupe. The compact-stacking fabric top doesn't interrupt the graceful bodywork when tucked away, and it stows in just a claimed 14 seconds, a feat that can be performed on the move at low speeds. Raise the top (in 16 seconds), and it provides eight layers of insulation from the world outside. view interior Photos Aston Martin The world inside is leather lined and beautifully finished. Like the coupe, the Volante is strictly a two-seater. Those seats are comfortable, and without over-large side bolsters, ingress and egress aren't needlessly challenging. Behind them, small coves can accommodate a small backpack or handbag. You sit deep in this car, with the beltline up around shoulder level and a fairly high cowl. The slope of the dashboard, scooped-out door panels, and a console that's lower than in the DB12 keep the interior from feeling confining, however. The long hood falls away from view, which can be somewhat disconcerting when parking in close quarters, but there is a dedicated hard button to instantly summon the parking cameras (with a choice of views), which is helpful. view interior Photos Aston Martin Aston has retained physical switchgear in the Vanquish, and that's part of what makes this car so welcoming to the driver. Its most future-techy aspect is the standard integration of Apple CarPlay Ultra. The system takes over not just the central touchscreen but the instrumentation display as well. And while you don't have to hop out of it to operate climate controls or other screen-based vehicle systems, it was otherwise unimpressive. We found the system to be glitchy, Siri to be obtuse, and the phone-based navigation to be useless when we were out of cell range. We ended up quitting out of it in favor of the native navigation. Really, the Vanquish Volante is about classicism, not the latest gadgetry. The beauty of long-hood-short-deck proportions, the sound and fury of a V-12 engine, and the experience of open-air driving—those are what's central to this car. These desirable elements make the Vanquish Volante the grandest of grand tourers, one that comes at an equally rarefied price: $489,700 (inclusive of destination and, ahem, gas-guzzler tax). The upcoming supercars are sure to be still more expensive, but while you can pay more for an Aston Martin, this grandest grand tourer strikes us as the ultimate Aston Martin. view exterior photos Aston Martin Specifications Specifications 2026 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door convertible PRICE Base: $489,700 ENGINE twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 48-valve V-12, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection Displacement: 318 in3, 5204 cm3 Power: 823 hp @ 6500 rpm Torque: 738 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm TRANSMISSION 8-speed automatic DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 113.6 in Length: 192.5 in Width: 78.0 in Height: 51.0 in Trunk Volume: 7–8 ft3 Curb Weight (C/D est): 4500 lb PERFORMANCE (C/D EST) 60 mph: 3.3 sec 100 mph: 6.7 sec 1/4-Mile: 11.2 sec Top Speed: 214 mph EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST) Combined/City/Highway: 16/13/21 mpg Reviewed by Joe Lorio Deputy Editor, Reviews and Features Joe Lorio has been obsessed with cars since his Matchbox days, and he got his first subscription to Car and Driver at age 11. Joe started his career at Automobile Magazine under David E. Davis Jr., and his work has also appeared on websites including Amazon Autos, Autoblog, AutoTrader, Hagerty, Hemmings, KBB, and TrueCar.
Auto Express
23-07-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Express
The world's best looking car just got even better
The V12 engine may not be long for this world, meaning in open-top Volante form, the Aston Martin Vanquish should be celebrated. Dropping the multi-layer fabric roof brings you even closer to that theatrical twin-turbo engine, yet without any discernible trade-off to the driving experience, you can live with the cabrio as easily as you would the standard tin top. If there's a better-looking new car currently on sale, we've yet to set eyes on it. Advertisement - Article continues below On looks alone, the Aston Martin Vanquish Volante could, quite rightly, sit at the top of any man, woman or child's lottery-win wishlist. Building on the aggressive but elegant profile of the Vanquish coupe, the drop-top pushes the six-figure supercar into new, uncharted territory. At the front, you get that recognisable, gaping grille and sharp LED lighting signature, plus the wide arches and 21-inch wheels hiding standard-fit carbon ceramic brakes – all lifted from the latest Vanquish coupe. But it's from the A-pillar rearwards where things get interesting; the 'K-Fold' fabric roof lowers at speeds of up to 31mph, tucking away discreetly in just 16 seconds. Aston says that roof requires just 260mm (a class-leading figure, we're told) to stack behind the front seats, and adds only 90kg to the car's weight. But by stiffening the front end and adding greater support at the rear courtesy of slightly higher spring rate, the company's engineers claim the car offers 'the same overall driving experience' as the coupe. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below View Focus View Kodiaq View Kuga View Sportage They also insist that the Volante is 'the fastest, most powerful front-engine production car on sale today' and 'the fastest, most powerful open-top series production Aston Martin to date'. The numbers largely speak for themselves: 824bhp and 1,000Nm sent only to the rear wheels, via an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. Advertisement - Article continues below It's just one-tenth of a second slower to 62mph than its fixed-roof sibling, completing the benchmark sprint in 3.4 seconds and not slowing until it hits a frankly absurd 214mph. WLTP fuel consumption figures are still being homologated, not that it's likely to matter all that much to anyone shelling out around £360,000. As with the coupe, the twin-turbo V12 is the so-called 'jewel in the crown' and the centrepiece with which the Vanquish Volante justifies its estimated (but still not confirmed) starting price. In a world of downsized engines and electrification, Aston's flagship sits within a rapidly diminishing class of cars still available with an atmospheric V12. Of course, the ability to lower the roof – but still keep things calm, with the neatly-integrated wind deflector – only brings you closer to the theatre. That's not something any 12-cylinder Aston lacks, but the Vanquish elevates this with a full, rich sound that, as with its smaller Vantage sibling, has an almost muscle car-like feel to it. The car we drove was fitted with the optional titanium exhaust, enhancing the experience even further. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Aston has worked hard to make the engine highly reactive, and there's no denying that this is an incredibly quick car if you let the revs build past 2,500rpm. It's not as linear as a naturally-aspirated Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider, but it's no chore to work through the gears and pull the next cog home via the tactile column-mounted paddle. Advertisement - Article continues below The brakes are strong, and the steering quick, while the electronic differential integrated into the rear transaxle allows you to put the power down early and slingshot out of tight corners. Squeeze the throttle as much as you dare; licence-losing speeds are possible in the blink of an eye. It may sound like a bit of a cop-out, but you'd need to drive the coupe and convertible back to back over familiar but challenging roads to notice any discernible difference in the way these cars handle. While that line about Aston aiming for the 'same overall driving experience' might sound like marketing hyperbole, in our experience of the cars (and this backside), the engineers appear to have come incredibly close. Scuttle shake is almost non-existent; our fast, flowing, north Yorkshire test route threw up some pretty rough surfaces and only the very deepest potholes made themselves known via reverberations through the chassis. Not only is the Vanquish Volante physically larger than its DBS predecessor, it's noticeably stiffer, too. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Yet that doesn't come at the expense of comfort or compliance. While we wanted to explore the extent of the car's performance window during our time in the driver's seat, we also drove the car at slower speeds around town – both with the roof up and down. Knock the Vanquish into its default GT mode – whereby the huge slug of torque is electronically managed in gears one to four – and it'll cruise beautifully. Advertisement - Article continues below With the eight-layer 'acoustically enhanced' fabric roof raised, the Vanquish Volante is impressively hushed. That's thanks not only to the trick top, but also the bespoke Pirelli P-Zero tyres with active noise-cancelling tech that have been specifically tuned with a level of inherent damping; it's not as quiet as the coupe, but it's still a fantastic grand tourer. Ergonomically, the Vanquish Volante is about as good as it gets. You sit nice and low, and there's enough adjustment in the wheel to allow you to pull it really close to your chest for added engagement. It's got a lower centre console than the old DBS, and while there are still plenty of buttons, it feels as if it's skipped an entire generation when it comes to usability. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Not least because, like the recently-updated DBX SUV, all Vanquish Volantes will be delivered with Apple CarPlay Ultra, giving iPhone users even greater access and slicker integration with the services and apps on their mobile device. It means you can now make calls and send text messages, as well as adjust things like the climate control and other vehicle functions, without swiping back to the car's main infotainment screen. This extends to the instrument cluster, and compliments the set-up so well that if you'd not been told, you'd never know it wasn't Aston's native layout. Advertisement - Article continues below But even if you don't use CarPlay, or prefer to press buttons and flick switches, the Vanquish's dashboard layout is among the best on offer – at any price. That low centre console grants you access to everything from the engine start-stop button to the gear shifter, temperature and fan controls, parking cameras and more – all without feeling overly cluttered. The screen itself is responsive, with a row of easy-access shortcut keys directly underneath. It might seem trivial to talk about practicality on a £360,000-plus, two-seater convertible, but it's only right that owners wishing to test the Volante's GT credentials might want to use their car for a weekend away. If you're prepared to travel with the roof up, you'll have 219 litres to play with – a figure that shrinks only slightly (to 187 litres) with the top down. That's quite a bit more than you'll find in a Bentley Continental GTC, and should be enough for a couple of soft bags. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Quality is by and large, very good indeed. We're not talking Rolls-Royce or even Bentley levels of craftsmanship, but Aston can closely match any modern-day McLaren, and come within spitting distance of Ferrari for overall fit and finish. Advertisement - Article continues below As standard, every Vanquish Volante gets high-end kit including matrix-LED lights, those aforementioned 21-inch forged alloy wheels and carbon-ceramic brakes, plus a stainless steel exhaust and a suite of driver-assistance systems. Inside, you'll find Alcantara and Semi Aniline Leather seats that are heated and electrically-adjustable in 16 different directions. There's twin 10.25-inch screens, a 1,170-watt Bowers & Wilkins stereo and wireless phone charging, too. Nothing you wouldn't expect though, given the eye-watering cost of entry. On top of this, our test car, which you can see in the pictures, added a number of options from the firm's Q by Aston Martin bespoke car personalisation programme. These included Chimera Blue paint, satin-black wheels and Vivid Orange brake calipers, plus a gloss-black grille, carbon-fibre trim elements and even enamel badges. As you might expect, Aston Martin wouldn't give us a price as tested; if you need to ask, you probably can't afford it… Did you know you can sell your car through Auto Express ? We'll help you get a great price and find a great deal on a new car, too . Model: Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Price: £360,000 (est) Powertrain: 5.2-litre V12 twin-turbo petrol Power/torque: 824bhp/1,000Nm Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive 0-62mph: 3.4 seconds Top speed: 214mph Economy/CO2: TBC Size (L/W/H): 4,850/1,980/1,296mm On sale: Now View DBX View DBX View DBX Share this on Twitter Share this on Facebook Email MG4 and MGS5 EV prices slashed in reply to Government Electric Car Grant MG4 and MGS5 EV prices slashed in reply to Government Electric Car Grant In order to boost sales, MG is announcing its own a £1,500 grant for some of its EVs Range Rover's secret mid-size EV: Inside its £500m factory Range Rover's secret mid-size EV: Inside its £500m factory We take an exclusive look inside JLR's revamped Liverpool site as the brand gears up for EV production Chinese cars will take over as Britain's best sellers Chinese cars will take over as Britain's best sellers With a dramatic rise in sales, Mike Rutherford thinks it's only a matter of time before Chinese cars outsell all other countries in the UK
