Aston Martin's 2018 Vantage Is A Sultry 503HP Sports Car With 007's License To Kill

The Aston Martin Vantage family has been with us since 2006, so it is well past time for a thorough redesign of the V8- and V12-engined entry-level sports car from one of Britain's most storied auto manufacturers. Thankfully, Aston Martin has answered magnificently with an all-new Vantage, and well, just look at it!

The new Vantage is instantly recognizable as an Aston Martin, but it takes up the current design trend of fitting new cars with huge gaping maws. This design theme isn’t for everyone, but we think that the huge grille is somewhat flattering on this car's face. The sides of the car are heavily sculpted, although we're not sure to what to make of the arrowhead-shaded contrasting panel between the front wheel well and front door on the neon green/yellow car.

Out back, you'll find thin taillights that extend across the rear of the vehicle and flow up into the rear deck lid. Quad exhausts are housed within a rather aggressive rear valance panel. Overall, we prefer the more classic looks and monochromatic theme of the grey car over the "Hey, look at me" style of its sister-ship.

On the inside, Aston Martin has outfitted the Vantage with a thoroughly modern cabin with carbon fiber- and leather-lined trim. There's a "tacked on” 8-inch display for infotainment/navigation/vehicle settings and push buttons for the transmission.

But what about performance? We're glad you asked. The new 2018 Vantage is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine pumping out 503 horsepower and 505 ft-lbs of torque. The car can rocket to 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds and can reach a top speed of 195 mph.

All of this sounds great, but there's one downside to this performance -- the engine comes backed exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Granted, the ZF unit is arguably one of the best automatic transmissions on the planet, but it will never offer the same amount of control as a true manual or a dual-clutch transmission.

Deliveries of the all-new Vantage will start during the second quarter of 2018, with the base price in the U.S. coming in at $149,995.