Aston Martin Vanquish (2025 - ) review

We’re giving this £350,000 super GT a surprising two stars for running costs because we got almost 30mpg out of it on a two-hour motorway trip, which surprised the hell out of us. Admittedly, it was mostly thanks to the fact that three-quarters of the M25 now appears to be governed by 50mph limits, so we happily trickled along. But still. Apart from those decent fuel returns, you can expect the expected bad news of sky-high insurance, sky-high tax, sky-high servicing and repairs, and so on. But you probably won’t care too much if you have this much money for a car sitting in your piggy bank to start with.

Aston Martin reliability has thankfully improved dramatically over the past 20 years, and the last two generations of the Vanquish stand out on owner forums for good reports. Drivers also rate Aston Martin customer service, both for its efficiency and willingness to sort out faults. We’re not convinced, however, by the software. We spent a two-hour trip with our test Vanquish with no radio or music from Apple CarPlay after the car refused to give us any volume and, on the next trip, the bass had cut out entirely, which was very annoying because the sound system is one of the great features in this car. When you’re paying over £350K for a car, you don’t expect any niggles though let’s just say experience of rivals at this level suggests these things aren’t unique to Aston Martin. Interestingly, the three-year warranty comes with unlimited mileage.

We’re very impressed by the visibility for the driver in this car, with a wide view unencumbered by pillars out of the front, and great three-quarter rear view for turning out of tricky T-junctions. Unlike other Astons, which are smaller, it doesn’t feel too wide for the roads. In short, you feel confident driving and parking this car on small local roads. You also get all the driver support you want, including parking sensors and cameras, and blind-spot and lane-departure warning systems. And we like the fact that you can turn everything off at one push of a button, or customise what you want and don’t want quite easily.

What, no rear seats? Not even a weeny bench for your coat? That’s just mean in a very big, very expensive grand tourer, and would make us veer back towards the Bentley Continental GT or fond recollections for the quirky four-door Aston Martin Rapide for anyone who remembers that. The interior design also pales into insignificance compared with that of a Bentley, both in terms of the Vanquish’s cluttered styling and also the materials used. Aston always seems to forgo elegance and refinement in favour of bright silver metals, carbon fibre and black leather. It doesn’t even go for innovation like technical weaves in sustainable fabrics, wool, or non-plastic leather alternatives. It just whacks in more mid-2000s slabs of carbon-fibre and metal. The digital dials, with their bog-standard black font on white background, smack of a rushed afterthought. What happened to those beautiful gun-metal analogue dials they used to have? Honestly, the interior of a Hyundai is a more pleasant and interesting place to sit these days. Thumbs up, however, for fiercely heated and cooled seats, and an enormous amount of leg room for passengers, which leaves you feeling relaxed after a long journey in this car, which is surely the ultimate aim of a GT.

We don’t like the tiny, fiddly Mercedes-supplied thumb pads on the steering wheel but love the large physical buttons scattered over the dash, which makes selecting functions both easier and safer. You get a cracking (when it works) audio system from Bowers & Wilkins, however, and the infotainment system is a step up from previous versions. Apple CarPlay connects easily without a wire, and there’s a well-judged cruise control system. Best of all Aston has retained its exhaust button that just makes the already thunderous noise of the tailpipes LOUDER. This is an excellent look-at-me car, so why not lean into it.

You can’t fault Aston here, both for the outrageous power on tap and also the way the Vanquish delivers it to your foot. Shifts through the eight-speed automatic are whip-fast, and the horizon is behind you before you blink, accompanied the aforementioned sonic boom from the exhausts. This is a car to get you out of trouble at all times, which is both exhilarating and supremely relaxing. Suffice to say you need never fret about lane changes or joining traffic – the car sniffs the gap and hunts it down. The numbers are suitable for this last twin-turbo, 5.2-litre V12 dinosaur as well. 824 horsepower is more than the Bentley and the Ferrari 12 Cilindri and 0-62mph disappears in a trivial 3.3 seconds. But the best bit? You can just as easily trundle round your local town at 30mph, popping the car over minor speed humps with no sweaty palms, reversing it into parking spaces with ease. It’s the everyday, super expensive grand tourer you never knew you needed!