Aston Martin’s V8-powered Vantage is one of several big-engined models in the brand’s lineup. Click for more photos

Aston Martin Vantage S

Aston Martin’s V8-powered Vantage is one of several big-engined models in the brand’s lineup.
  • Aston Martin’s V8-powered Vantage is one of several big-engined models in the brand’s lineup.
  • Aston Martin’s V8-powered Vantage is one of several big-engined models in the brand’s lineup.
  • Aston Martin’s V8-powered Vantage is one of several big-engined models in the brand’s lineup.
It's tricky at first glance to separate the Aston Martin V8 Vantage S from the brand's other new model, the Virage, as they are parked side-by-side outside a hotel during the launch of both cars in southern Spain.
Visually, the pair take strong cues from the rest of the Aston Martin range and inside there's little to tell them apart. And there the resemblance ends.
Where the Virage shows the British brand's softer side with its immensely likeable mix of precision, class and everyday civility, the new "S'" version of the V8 Vantage is an out-and-out bully, kicking sand in the faces of lesser performance marques with its corrupting power and a gloriously gruff bark.
A new seven-speed single clutch transmission sits at the heart of the V8 Vantage S, saving weight and complexity over the dual-clutch solutions favoured by many competitors. The addition of an extra ratio over the standard V8 Vantage's six-speed gearbox enabled Aston Martin to set up seventh gear with a higher ratio suited to highway cruising, while shortening the distance between the first six gears to create a model that's ideally suited to track days or a Sunday morning blast on the road of your choice.
In practice, there's a slight hiatus between gearshifts in the V8 Vantage S when you accelerate swiftly, with the car losing momentum and passengers pitched mildly forward in their seats. It's particularly evident when the car is left to choose its own ratios in "Drive" mode, and can be minimised by choosing to shift your own gears using the steering wheel-mounted steering wheel paddles.
It's a small but significant quibble - given this transmission forms the centrepiece of this new model - in an otherwise mostly unblemished performance by the V8 Vantage S during a road loop and subsequent track session that formed the model's international launch.
The Vantage's V8 engine may lack the cubic capacity of the Virage's V12 but more than makes up for it with belligerence and bravado, snarling into life at the press of the centrally mounted start button. There's forward thrust in any gear you choose thanks to a serve of power and torque to rival the best Australian-made performance cars.
But the Aston Martin quickly singles itself out as something more special with its startling balance and poise. Even when forcibly pitched into tight corners, the V8 Vantage S unflinchingly follows wherever you point its shapely nose.
The steering is on the weighty side but loads up progressively and sends plenty of feedback to the driver's fingertips. The brakes - steel, not the high-end carbon-ceramic specials that the road-oriented Virage is surprisingly endowed with - stop with assurance but fade noticeably over the course of numerous track laps of the demanding Ascari Resort circuit.
Left in "Normal" mode, the V8 Vantage S will allow a good degree of latitude before crashing the party with stability control intervention. Depressing the "Sport" button adds some attitude to the latitude, sharpening throttle response and giving the rear end permission to do a little dance before the stability gods gather everything up and deliver you safely into the next corner.
It's possible to dull or even eliminate the stability control safety net, but on the technical 5.5km Ascari track with its 26 bends, and with a degree of freedom already afforded, the stability button was left well alone.
The metallic rasp from the exhaust - aided by a bypass valve that opens at higher revs to build to a banshee wail - is ever-present and provides a gloriously sonorous soundtrack to proceedings.
All of this performance potential doesn't come at the expense of comfort or opulence, either. While lacking a few of the Virage's luxurious touches, the V8 Vantage S adds a few tricks of its own, with front and rear diffusers made from carbon fibre (just be oh-so-careful around gutters) and sporty seats that strike a good balance between comfort and weight savings.
It's no stripped-out track special - there's still lashings of luxurious stitched leather and a smattering of aluminium around the cabin. But its neutral stance and not-overly-harsh ride on a road loop show the V8 Vantage S is a performance-focused car you could live with every day.