2025 Aston Martin Vantage

It's hard to find a problem that a 30% increase in power won't solve. So the increase Aston gave the Vantage — from 503 horsepower to 656 hp — will surely be enough to make us quit whining about the little things that kept the previous version from greatness. However, on paper at least, Aston has addressed many of those woes as well. Our griping about the aging infotainment system should be quieted with an all-new system that we've already sampled, and liked, in the DB12. There's a fully restyled interior as well. And a new set of adaptive dampers that offer significantly more authority than those on the old car. The chassis is significantly stiffened and accompanied by a quicker steering ratio. Proprietary 21-inch Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 rubber can only help. So it appears the Vantage is well equipped to play in this performance-rich segment.

It's hard to ignore that the Vantage's starting price is just below that of the somewhat less powerful but wildly capable Porsche 911 Turbo. The Vantage does offer more power than the standard 911 Turbo, but Porsche has the 911 Turbo S on tap with 640 horses. Other considerations include the 670-horsepower Chevy Corvette Z06 and the 1,064-horsepower Corvette ZR1, which should cost about the same as the Vantage.