Aston Martin Turned the 2025 Vantage Into a Dang Muscle Car

• The Aston Martin Vantage is thoroughly updated for 2025.
• Twin-turbo V8 now produces more than 650 horsepower.
• Updated interior should be much easier to use.

What's under the Vantage's hood?

Peel back the Vantage's bonnet and you'll find the Mercedes-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 that powers that current model. But Aston engineers have tinkered under the hood, adding larger turbos and more to boost output from a respectable 503 horsepower and 505 lb-ft of torque to a lofty 656 hp and 590 lb-ft. Despite the huge bump in power, however, the Vantage's claimed 0-60 mph is 3.4 seconds — just a tenth of a second quicker than the current version. While larger turbos could increase the spool-up time, we think the culprit here is traction off the line. Even though the new Vantage's tires are wider (up 20 mm in the front and 30 mm at the rear), this is still a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car, and that's a lot of power to send to two wheels. The power increase should reap benefits in other metrics, like the quarter-mile time or — dare we say it — during an Edmunds U-Drags race.

Aston says there are more enhancements than what's on a specs sheet. Torsional stiffness is increased at the front and rear, and the results are said to improve steering feel and handling. The adaptive dampers are also retuned in the name of greater performance. The upgrades should help give the new Vantage a more defined purpose; the current model suffers from both an uncomfortable ride and wallowy driving dynamics. Though Aston might not have done anything to improve the former attribute, leaning into the performance edge could transform the Vantage into a capable sports car.

How's the Vantage's interior?

Completely overhauled. One of our primary complaints about the outgoing Vantage is the visually overwhelming center stack, with more buttons and dials than the cockpit of a Boeing 767. For being a driver-focused coupe, the Vantage's climate, audio and driver controls demand a lot of attention to use properly.

The new Vantage features a completely reoriented control panel, with climate controls on the top portion of the center stack, driver settings on the lower right, and rarely used driving assistant buttons on the lower right. The transmission shifter is now a low-profile toggle rather than four separate buttons. We also see a new touchscreen sandwiched between the control panel and new slim air vents. Vantage owners also get a redesigned steering wheel, but thankfully, the giant shift paddles remain.

How's the Vantage's tech?

The 2025 Vantage replaces the outgoing model's Mercedes-based infotainment system with an interface of Aston's design loaded onto a 10.25-inch touchscreen. It debuted on the DB12 grand tourer, and our impressions were positive on a prototype drive last year. The connected navigation system means you can even send a destination to the car through your phone's Aston Martin app. Rounding out the tech offerings are wireless Apple CarPlay and a choice between an 11-speaker audio system or a 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins upgrade.

A more thorough update than we expected

Most vehicles are fully redesigned every five to six years. But high-end sports cars don't play by those rules. They're expensive to make and are produced in low volumes, so manufacturers have to keep them around for a while to recoup their investment. For example, the previous-generation Vantage was sold from 2006 to 2017.

The current Vantage has been on sale since 2019, and by typical sports-car lifespan standards, we'd expect to see an updated version right about now. But what Aston has in store for the 2025 Vantage is more than just a light refresh. These mid-lifecycle updates typically do bring more power but are often in the dozens of horsepower, not the triple-digit increase of the Vantage. The redesigned center stack and dashboard is another surprising wholesale change. Unless you compared the exteriors side by side, you might think this was a next-generation sports car.

Of course, the exterior of the Vantage is retouched as well. The body is wider to accommodate the larger tires, and the grille is nearly 40% larger for increased cooling. There are also new air intakes below taller headlights that alter the hood shape, and air vents on the rear bumpers just aft of the wheels.

Edmunds says

The changes to the 2025 Aston Martin Vantage are significant. With a lot more power and a completely reworked interior, this refresh really amounts to something of a partial redesign. The focus on performance means the Vantage might have finally found its footing as a true sports car.