FIRST DRIVE: New 656bhp Aston Martin Vantage Too Much Power

Aston Martin never seems to be stable, with every bit of good news followed by bad. Fernando Alonso has signed a long-term deal with its Formula 1 team… but the on-track results aren’t a patch on 12 months ago. After the facelift Vantage we drive here, a revised version of the DBX SUV follows… but in this transition phase to new models, Aston’s Q1 2024 sales dropped by a quarter. And on and on it goes. If the new Vantage is to break that cycle, it needs to be a sure-fire hit, with no ‘ifs’ and no ‘buts’. To do that, Aston has moved it out of Porsche 911 GTS territory, upping the old car’s twin-turbo V8 from 503bhp to 656bhp. It’s now more powerful than a 911 Turbo S – and with only two driven wheels, quite a starting point for an ‘entry level’ Aston Martin sports car… The looks are lairier too, and banished is the creaky Mercedes-sourced infotainment system, replaced by Aston’s own tech. But it’ll count for nowt if the overhauled chassis can’t handle all that power. To find out whether