Aston Martin Vanquish (2014-2018) review

Aston Martin cars are always glamorous, but the Vanquish flagship is more desirable than most, thanks to its One-77 inspired styling, opulent interior and gorgeous carbon fibre body.

The arrival of the new DB11 does mean the cabin and on-board tech is beginning to feel a bit dated, but it's still an achingly beautiful car.

Fire up the Vanquish’s magnificent 6.0-litre V12 and when you unleash its mighty performance via the new eight-speed gearbox and superbly judged sporting chassis it second-rate infotainment system won't matter. 

However you look at it, the Aston Martin Vanquish is a tour de force – which is exactly how it should be.

The Vanquish is a 2+2 supercar that sits alongside the new DB11 is Aston's range. It's powered by a 6.0-litre V12 engine and faces tough opposition from the likes of the Ferrari F12 and Bentley Continental.

The current Vanquish was seen first as the AM310 Concept car at the famous Villa D’Este Concorso D’Eleganza in Italy, before a production version was announced. It features exterior styling clearly evolved from the Aston Martin DBS while also taking design cues from the Aston Martin the One-77 hypercar -which by 2012 was just coming to the end of its extremely limited production run.

It takes its inspiration from the One-77 inside featuring touch sensitive buttons and typically high quality materials throughout. However, Aston already has plans to introduce an all-new Vanquish in 2018. 

12

Under the bonnet is a development of Aston Martin’s long-serving and glorious sounding 6.0-litre V12, which produced 565bhp in cars built up until the end of 2014, and 568bhp afterwards.

That’s the point at which Aston introduced a range of powertrain and chassis upgrades, including a new eight-speed auto gearbox and stiffer suspension.

Power goes to the rear wheels, and the Vanquish was the first Aston Martin to be available with launch control. As well as the standard coupe, the Vanquish is also available in convertible spec as the Vanquish Volante.

Before an all-new version of the Vanquish arrives next year, Aston has launched a 600bhp Vanquish S. With the exception of the One-77, its the most powerful Aston ever produce and the last ever model to powered by the naturally-aspirated 6.0-litre V12 engine.