Aston Martin Vanquish – Review
By Liam Bird, August 2026
If, upon first acquaintance of Aston Martin’s latest Vanquish, your musings are the same as those of the majority of the people who’ve stopped to chat to me while it’s been in my possession, it might perhaps be best if we start with some figures first. Sooner or later everybody asks. And let’s face it, what’s the point of something that looks as good as the Vanquish does if the numbers to go with it aren’t as equally astonishing?
Beneath the Vanquish’s gargantuan super-formed aluminium bonnet sits a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12. It produces 824 bhp at 6,500rpm and 1000Nm of torque (that’s 738 lb-ft in old money) between 2,500rpm and 5,000 rpm. Honestly, I’m old enough to remember when that was exclusively the stuff of Formula 1 cars.
Coupled to an 8-speed automatic gearbox that mighty hand-assembled mill – now helped to keep cool by a grille that’s 13% larger than on any other Aston we’ve seen before – launches this near two-tonne (once you’ve added passengers, liquids, and luggage) two-plus-two coupe to sixty mph in a whisker over 3 seconds. Keep your brogue buried in the carpet and you’ll be doing over 100mph just 3 seconds later. Furthermore, should you know of anywhere where such things are possible, and you can hold your nerve for long enough, flat out, the Vanquish is said to be capable of 214mph.
“Looks a million dollars”
The Vanquish’s wheelbase has been extended by an extra 80mm between the A-pillar and the front axle line in order to improve handling and further fine-tune front-to-rear weight distribution. The tyres are a whopping 275/35/ZR21 at the front, a near steam-roller wide 325/30/ZR21 at the rear. The fuel consumption? The figures are as yet to be fully officially confirmed. The price? £334,000.
That’s the asking price before you add any options, incidentally, and since when did anybody ever buy a base model, bog-standard, Aston Martin? Come to think of it, do such things even exist?
And on the subject of options: Titanium exhaust: £11,000. Extra carbon fibre, lower body: £13,000. Extra carbon fibre, upper body: £9,500. Metallic paint: £4,400. Umbrella? £400. I spent less on my first whole car; engine, gearbox, wheels, seats, paint, the lot – and I taxed it as well. Let’s not talk about how much it is to tax a Vanquish; you could buy a nice little second-hand hatchback for a similar sum.
Whether your budget runs to such things or not, what surely can’t be quibbled over is that, in the metal, the Vanquish looks a million dollars. If ever there was a bodyshell that blends muscularity, menace, and delicacy so perfectly, surely this is it? It’s like a prize fighter in a Savile Row suit. One look at the Vanquish is all it takes to tell you that beneath those perfectly creased lines lies an almighty punch.
“Front-engined flagship”
And yet, if you’re the kind of driver that likes to let both motor and gearbox barely break a sweat, the Vanquish will happily play the relaxed cruiser role all day long. 60mph equates to little more than 1400rpm in 8th gear.
The ride is superb; firm, but underlined with a compliance – a softness even, especially so at the rear – that’s become all too rare in machinery of this type. Sit back, relax, and luxuriate in the Vanquish’s new and vastly superior interior with its wonderfully tactile switches and acres of buttery soft leather. Who knows? You might even see 20mpg.
However, that’s not really what the Vanquish is all about. Aston Martin refer to this, their front-engined flagship, not as a grand-tourer, but as a hyper-GT. It’s been built with the intention of crushing intercontinental distances with ease and at high velocity; breakfast in Greenwich, dinner in Geneva. It’s ferociously fast, so much so that in certain instances you feel as if you’re having to hold it back. They’ve made the steering sharper and more communicative, there’s more grip, more poise, more fun.
“Insatiable thirst”
It’s not perfect of course. Like all modern Aston Martins, it’s almost impossible to see the extremities of that slinky body from the driver’s seat – kerbing an alloy, or nicking a panel on a parking barrier would be the stuff of nightmares. The boot space is, shall we say, modest – best pack light, or send the luggage on ahead. And then there’s the range.
Like many a glamorous icon, the Vanquish has a near insatiable thirst. So much so in fact that every 300 miles or so, your grand tour will be rudely interrupted by the need for yet another £140+ tank of super-unleaded.
Ultimately though, and whichever way you look at it, the Vanquish has been built for those for whom the drive is every bit as important as the destination. And those fortunate enough to experience such things will very quickly discover that it is, inevitably, far greater than the sum of its parts.
Aston Martin Vanquish
Engine: 5.2 litre, 48 valve, twin-turbo V12. Petrol
Transmission: Transaxle. ZF 8-speed auto, rear wheel drive
Power: 824 bhp @ 6,500 rpm
Torque: 738 lb-ft @ 2,500 – 5,000 rpm
0-62mph: 3.2 Sec
Max Speed: 214 mph
CO2: 312 g/km
MPG: TBC (best not to ask)
Price: from £334,000 (before options)
Liam Bird first stepped into automotive journalism in 2009, and since then has gone on to write motoring-related content for numerous titles. A former approved driving instructor – he also holds a motorcycle, and a HGV licence – Liam is a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers and, despite being born on the other side of the border, is treasurer of The Welsh Motoring Writers. He lives in the South Shropshire Marches with his partner Rebecca, her VW Up!, and his ever increasing collection of cars both large and small. When he’s not writing, more often than not, Liam can be found test-driving something worryingly expensive.
@bird_liam
