Latest news with #VanquishVolante
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
RAY MASSEY: New Aston Martin would leave Bond shaken and stirred!
The suntan I earned should tell you everything. Spent mainly in glorious sunshine with the roof down, my day behind the wheel of Aston Martin's new open-top Vanquish Volante was both exhilarating and exciting. Hailed by Aston Martin as the jewel in its crown, the two-door, two-seater drop-top sportscar is supposedly 'the fastest, most powerful open-top series production Aston Martin to date', and 'the world's fastest, most powerful front-engined convertible' on sale today. But does it live up to the billing? To find out, I drove it through some of Britain's most beautiful scenery – the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire moors. This is Herriot Country, after the vet James Herriot of All Creatures Great And Small fame. Fitting, really: the new Volante is one big beast that deserves respect. Push that accelerator hard, and the power – fed from the vast engine to the rear wheels via an eight-speed gearbox – is truly awesome. Propelled by an 835hp, twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 engine, the new Volante accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.4 seconds, up to a top speed of 214 mph. That's just 0.1 seconds slower than its hard-top coupé sibling, developed alongside the cabriolet and launched last autumn. The standard GT grand tourer cruising mode offers effortlessly long-legged performance, but I quickly graduated to the more responsive Sport mode as my default setting – rationing the dynamic Sport+ mode for those moments of really letting rip. But while the rip-roaring blast gives an instant thrill, it also tires you out. Despite its power, the Volante entices you to sit back and take in your surroundings – especially on the winding roads of this region. First convertible deliveries will start in the autumn, with prices from £361,000 – a £27,000 uplift on the hard-top. The car I drove cost nearer £400,000 due to extras including dark Chimera Blue metallic paint, and orange brake calipers and livery. Inside were comfortable 16-way adjustable Sports Plus seats and a heated steering wheel. If new James Bond director Denis Villeneuve is looking for a sexy Aston Martin supercar for 007's next big-screen outing, he could certainly do worse. A convertible without compromise Aston Martin said designing and engineering both the hard-top Vanquish coupe and open top Volante variant simultaneously allowed them to create a convertible car without compromise while maintaining the design - whether the hood is raised or stored – and retaining maximum rigidity with minimum weight gain. The car's Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and suspension helped give me extra confidence, grip and stability negotiating tighter corners. A newly developed stainless steel exhaust system with quad tailpipes allows occupants to experience the full V12 howl – though my car was fitted with the optional 10.5kg lighter titanium exhaust system, which uses a smaller muffler to give an even louder and distinctive roar. Putting up the acoustically enhanced fabric roof creates a snug cabin that feels little if at all different from the metal-top Vanquish coupe thanks to comparable levels of thermal insulation. Retracted to a height of just 260mm the roof can be stowed under the tonneau behind the seats without interrupting the car's flowing lines. Aston Martin's next generation infotainment system - with a Bowers & Wilkins 15-speaker surround sound system - combines a digital 10.25-inch driver display and the integrated 10.25-inch touchscreen system with single and multi-finger gesture control. A machine-knurled rotary dial surrounding the illuminated Stop/Start button made it easy to select my desired drive mode. Push button switches for Chassis, ESP, Exhaust and Park Distance Control meant I could operate the most used controls without taking my eyes off the road. Putting up the acoustically enhanced fabric roof creates a snug cabin that feels little if at all different from the metal-top Vanquish coupe thanks to comparable levels of thermal insulation Retracted to a height of just 260mm the roof can be stowed under the tonneau behind the seats without interrupting the car's flowing lines Aston Martin engineers worked with tyre partner Pirelli to develop a new Pirelli P ZERO Summer and Winter tyre designed specifically for Vanquish Coupe and Volante. A carbon ceramic brake system weighing 27kg less than conventional iron discs is fitted as standard to provide 'suitable stopping ability.' Smaller and sleeker frameless door mirrors aid the aerodynamic profile. Electronically deployable flush-fit door handles retain the smooth lines of its side profile. VERDICT Given the choice of the metal-roofed Vanquish coupe or the open-top fabric roofed Volante, I'd go for the latter as it offers a more fun and flexible option whether we're in a heatwave or enduring a deluge – and recently we've enjoyed or endured both. WILL IF FIT IN MY GARAGE? Price: from around £361,000 (a £27,000 uplift on the hard-top coupe) My car as driven: around £400,000 Style: 2-seater convertible Doors: 2 On sale: Now First deliveries: Autumn Convertible roof: Opens in 14-seconds, closes in 16-seconds at speeds up to 31mph Length: 4,850mm Width: 2,120mm (including mirrors) Width: 2,044mm (mirrors folded) Height: 1,296mm Wheelbase: 2,885mm Weight: 1,880kg Engine: 5.2 litre Twin Turbo V12 Power: 835horse-power Gears: 8-speed ZF automatic, with manual paddles. 0 to 60mph: 3.3 seconds 0 to 62mph: 3.4 seconds Top speed: 214mph MPG: TBC (expect circa 17 to 20mph) Boot space: Roof closed: 219 litres Roof stowed: 187 litres Extras on my car: Exterior:Chimera Blue metallic paint Gloss black grille Tinted carbon exterior tweaks Titanium exhaust Satin black 21-inch star-spoke wheels Orange brake calipers and livery Interior: Sports Plus seats with adjustable 16-ways with heating and ventilation Obsidian Black carpet Satin dark chrome highlights Heated steering wheel
Top Gear
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Review 2025
You thought BMW was into big grilles? Just have a look at the faces of the current Aston Martin range. The new Vanquish Volante is an absolute stunner though, and everything about this open-topped, self-proclaimed 'Super GT' is big. The mouth itself is apparently 13 per cent bigger than the one on the previous DBS Superleggera Volante. That's to help with cooling, of course, but we reckon the designers didn't mind having to go large. There's also a 25mm wider rear track and an extra 80mm in the wheelbase compared to the old car. Heck, just look at the length of the carbon bonnet. Advertisement - Page continues below What's under that bonnet? Has Aston been downsizing? Absolutely not. Said bonnet hides a twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 that sends a terrifying 824bhp and 738lb ft of torque to the rear wheels through an eight-speed auto gearbox by ZF. Aston freely admits that it wants this car to be just a little bit scary, and it's got the proportions of a proper old school muscle car. Oh, and if for some reason you can't see the roof, you'll be able to tell the Volante apart thanks to its lower rear lip spoiler. The floating 'shield' is still there on the rear though and can be specced in myriad different ways. So, is it fast? Absolutely. The Volante may be saddled with an extra 95kg over the Vanquish coupe thanks to the roof mechanism and some extra body strengthening, but it's still alarmingly quick. That should be obvious with an on-paper 0-62mph time of 3.4 seconds (one tenth slower than the coupe) and a top speed of 214mph. But it's the way it gets there that's so visceral, particularly if you spec the lightweight titanium exhaust option and spend 14-seconds dropping the neat 'K-fold' roof. Advertisement - Page continues below And it's not just straight-line speed either, the big Aston gets an e-diff on the rear axle and will go round corners too. Click through to the Driving tab of this review for all the detail. And it's not just straight-line speed either, the big Aston gets an e-diff on the rear axle and manages to shrink itself when things get twisty. This is a near two-tonne car so it's not the last word in steering feel, but it's got a sharp front end and drive modes that allow you to change its character. Click through to the Driving for a full debrief. Tell me more about that roof… Ah yes, that's why you're here isn't it? Aston has gone for a fabric top that can pop back up again at the touch of a button in just 16 seconds. You can operate it both ways at speeds of up to 31mph, and while stowed it sits at just 260mm tall so the rear deck can remain remarkably flat. It also has many layers of insulation, and Aston claims that it offers 'a level of thermal insulation directly comparable to Vanquish Coupe'. Blimey. How much does it cost? Prices should start at around £15k more than the Vanquish coupe, so you're looking at an entry price of around £345,000. Yikes. And you'd better ask the bank manager for even more than that, because the options list is endless and Aston says that over 70 per cent of Vanquish coupes sold so far have had some form of bespoke work carried out by its special Q department. You'll want to get in quick too, because Aston will only build 1,000 examples of the Vanquish each year, with the coupe and convertible both contributing to that overall number. It's probably worth noting that you will actually be saving yourself some cash if you go for the Vanquish over its main rival, though. That's the £366,500 Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider, which also features a whopping V12 engine but does without turbocharging. Your call. Failing that, the bargain bin option is the Bentley Continental GTC. Not something we ever imagined saying about a Bentley. Or a V8 hybrid with more power than a Le Mans Hypercar. But here we are. What's the verdict? ' It doesn't feel as though chopping the roof off has had an adverse effect on the ride and handling ' The Vanquish Volante's headline figures and muscle car looks might make you think that it'd only tell a bedtime horror story, but this is actually a car with a real breadth of ability. It'll sing you a nice lullaby too if you ask it nicely and stick with its softer GT mode. We're yet to drive it back-to-back with a coupe, but it doesn't feel as though chopping the roof off has had an adverse effect on the ride and handling, and it just means that booming V12 sound is even more accessible. Plus, even though it's a fabric roof you could still comfortably cross continents in this thing while still chatting to a passenger or making hands-free calls. Just remember to hang up when things get twisty, because with over 800bhp heading to the rear wheels, the Vanquish still has the ability to transform into a supercar that demands your full attention.
Motor 1
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Motor 1
The Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Defies Logic: Review
It might be a mistake to look at the new Aston Martin Vanquish Volante too rationally. With a starting price of $489,700, it's crazy expensive both at face value and relative to Aston Martin's other cars—the excellent DB12 Volante is over $200,000 less. But why look at the Vanquish Volante rationally when you could just, well, look at it . Is there a better-looking convertible on sale today? Is there anything with quite such panache and presence? Is there anything with such an evocative name, with the performance and soundtrack to back it up? For my money, probably not. Quick Specs 2026 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Engine Twin-Turbo 5.2-Liter V-12 Output 824 Horsepower / 738 Pound-Feet 0-60 MPH 3.3 Seconds Base Price / As-Tested $489,700 / $595,300 That's how Aston Martin hopes people will see the Vanquish Volante. We can't call it Aston Martin's flagship, as the company will soon launch the 1,000-plus-horsepower Valhalla hypercar. But the Vanquish is the pinnacle of the traditional Aston—a gorgeous, imposing grand tourer with a monster V-12 up front. This carbon-bodied car will be rare, too. Aston Martin will only make 1,000 examples per year, 400 of which will be open-top Volantes. It recasts the V-12 as something a lot more exclusive than it was before, something for those who want it badly enough to pay the enormous premium. There's nothing like a V-12. That high-pitched starter-motor sound that gives way to a flare of revs settling down into a smooth idle never fails to make you feel like a million bucks. Aston essentially redesigned its twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V-12 for the Vanquish, and the result is 824 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. Which is a lot. Photo by: Chris Perkins / Motor1 Photo by: Chris Perkins / Motor1 Photo by: Chris Perkins / Motor1 Pros: Outrageous Speed, V-12 Soundtrack & Smoothness, Stunning Looks Aston Martin threw all of its technical know-how, a very advanced traction and stability control system, wide tires, and an electronic limited-slip differential at the problem, but 824 hp and 738 pound-feet of torque is a lot for two rear Pirellis. The first time you try to get the power down hard out of a slow corner, you realize just how much this V-12 has. Like the new Vantage, too, the Vanquish is pretty stiff at the rear, so it can feel skittish at times. Be measured with your throttle inputs, though, and the rewards are massive. This car is effortlessly fast. Shift around 4,000 rpm and you won't think you're doing much until you look down at the speedometer. Rev the V-12 out and then things get really exciting, with all sorts of pace and a hard-edged (if ever-so-slightly turbo-muted) soundtrack. As with the DB12 and Vantage, the Vanquish uses an eight-speed automatic transaxle at the back, and it shifts quickly and smoothly, though not as crisply as dual-clutch on downshifts. Simon Newton, Aston's head of vehicle dynamics, said that with its other new models, the company reduced the final-drive ratio to provide more in-gear punch. With the V-12, the Vanquish didn't need that tweaking. It's got plenty of punch, and that taller final drive gives it the classic striding GT car feel. At 2,000 rpm in 8th, you'll be doing 97 mph; at 3,000, you'll be doing 145 mph. To use a technical term, the Vanquish Volante has legs. Photo by: Chris Perkins / Motor1 Cons: Firm Low-Speed Ride, Too-Familiar Interior, So Expensive It's not power without finesse either. Aston developed a new feature called 'Boost Reserve' that juggles the throttle opening and wastegates to keep the turbos spooled up when you lift the accelerator. You can actually hear the turbos whistling away on the overrun with the top down, and the feature works amazingly well. There's no perceptible lag from behind the wheel. The Vanquish Volante isn't just an engine with some car attached, either. The chassis is a wonderful thing on its own. This is a big, heavy car, but it doesn't drive like it. And not in an artificial way, with rear-wheel steering or active anti-roll bars trying to compensate for the size—just very good spring and damper tuning. Photo by: Chris Perkins / Motor1 Being a convertible, there's a bit of cowl shake over rough surfaces, and in general, the low-speed ride can be firm, but the dampers do a wonderful job of rounding off any hard edges. And as you build up speed, the car seems to free up a bit, flowing with the road beautifully. There are three damper settings, but frankly, I see no need to switch them from their softest 'GT' mode, which provides the right amount of control and compliance. Aston Martin has also done a great job with the steering, too. It's heavy, yet in a natural way, with weight building in concert with load increasing on the front tires. And while the Vanquish has a super-sharp front end, with a rear that follows very quickly, the steering is never nervous. Unlike in a Ferrari, where you really have to be measured with your inputs, the Vanquish feels intuitive. When you're not engaging in a bit of grand touring, the Vanquish Volante is perfectly usable as an everyday car. Roof up, it's admirably quiet, and while you're always conscious of the size, it's not unwieldy. There's also no low splitter to scrape, and the visibility is quite good for a car like this. Photo by: Chris Perkins / Motor1 Photo by: Chris Perkins / Motor1 Photo by: Chris Perkins / Motor1 The interior is lovely, trimmed with rich-smelling leather everywhere you look. Although it doesn't look or feel that different from the cabin of a DB12 or Vantage. Those cars have lovely interiors, too, but for the extra $200,000-plus, there isn't much that sets the Vanquish apart. Still, Aston has smartly integrated a lot of physical knobs and buttons that feel wonderful and increase ease-of-use, and Apple CarPlay Ultra integration makes all infotainment functions a cinch. Though note that it's only as good as your phone—you'll need a relatively new iPhone for it to work at its best, and if your phone overheats in the wireless charger, you're out of luck. It would be an extravagant car to daily drive, of course, but with that V-12 constantly humming along, it would be a hell of a lot of fun too. Just don't expect to fit much in the trunk, especially with the top down. Photo by: Chris Perkins / Motor1 Really, the choice between coupe and Volante is a matter of personal preference. I don't think the drop-top looks quite as good as the coupe, but it's still one of the most beautiful, striking cars on sale today. And while there are some dynamic compromises from losing the roof, they're hardly great enough to spoil the car. Park the Vanquish Volante next to a DB12, and it doesn't make a ton of sense. But just look at it. Listen to it. Drive it. Say the words 'Aston Martin Vanquish Volante.' Suddenly, it makes all the sense in the world. More on Aston Martin 2026 Aston Martin Vantage S Revealed: More Power, But Softer Suspension We Tested Apple CarPlay Ultra. It's Great—But There's a Catch Competitor Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider Gallery: 2026 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Review Aston Martin Make: Aston Martin Model: URL: Aston Martin 46 Source: Chris Perkins / Motor1 2026 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Engine Twin-Turbocharged 5.2-Liter V-12 Output 824 Horsepower / 738 Pound-Feet Transmission Eight-Speed Automatic Rear Transaxle Drive Type Rear-Wheel Drive Speed 0-60 MPH 3.3 Seconds Maximum speed 214 Miles Per Hour Weight 4,421 Pounds Seating Capacity 2 Cargo Volume 9.15 Cubic Feet Base Price $489,700 As-Tested Price $595,300 On Sale Now Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
The Drive
7 days ago
- Automotive
- The Drive
2026 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Review: Like Riding a Pegasus
The latest car news, reviews, and features. The 2026 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante is a triumph of automotive artistry. The design, inside and out, is an exceptional blend of quintessential supercar with refreshing new fixtures. Half the joy of driving it is just appreciating how pretty it is as you walk up to it. The other half? A twin-turbo V12 that'll take you up to 214 mph. The Volante experience is what I imagine riding one of those magical flying horses is like. Y'know, a pegasus. The 12-cylinder Aston Martin Vanquish has historically been, and is once again, the British brand's flagship. The madcap Valkyrie hypercar and extreme Valhalla supercar are more purely performance- and cash-flow-focused. The super grand touring coupe and the drop-top Volante are most emblematic and essential Astons on the road right now. Aston Martin proclaims this is 'the world's fastest, most powerful front-engine convertible,' substantiating that with some head-spinning specs: 824 horsepower, 738 lb-ft of torque, 0-62 mph in 3.4 seconds, and a top speed of 214 mph. According to Aston's Vehicle Performance Director Simon Newton, the top speed is not governed by the position of the roof. I'm sad to say my test loop in and around New York City did not allow me to rate the wind chill at that speed. Aston Martin The V12 sends its power to the rear wheels only, with a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission allowing the driver to shift via the paddle shifters. Despite the engine's impressive size and the car's very long hood, Newton said the weight balance was close to 50/50 front and rear because the motor's packed mostly towards the cabin. The drop-top is about 209 pounds heavier than the coupe, but my test car tried to compensate by sporting the lighter $14,400 titanium exhaust. 'Stainless [exhaust system] is a little more, fuller, more rounded,' Newton told The Drive . 'Titanium has a higher-pitched, sense of urgency.' Both the coupe and convertible were developed in parallel. Differences between the two, besides the roof, are reportedly just minimal rigidity enhancements underneath and a 7% increase in spring stiffness on the convertible. Trunk's cargo space is not particularly generous, but there's plenty for a couple's weekend luggage. The rest can be shipped to their vacation villa or luxury hotel ahead of time, after all. The gauge cluster and infotainment screens are substantial, but not annoyingly large, and more importantly, very nicely integrated into the dashboard. Interesting shapes of carbon frame the screens and give them some depth, while Apple CarPlay Ultra lets you run automotive functions like driving modes and climate control without leaving the Apple interface. Refreshingly, quite a bit of the car controls are accessed through beautiful knurled metal knobs that are as much fun to spin as they are nice to look at. The Vanquish Volante's starting price is about $480,000, and personalization can quickly send that way north. A set of 21-inch satin black wheels is $6,700, custom interior colorway is $11,200, and interior carbon trim pieces $28,300. You can get carbon exterior bits too, for about another $33,000. The cheapest option I saw was an umbrella (made in England!) for $600. At this level, it's not about value for money. It's all about vibes. The new Vanquish face and silhouette will be pretty familiar to anyone who has ever seen an Aston Martin, but I absolutely love what the designers did with the unique taillights, exhaust, huge fender vents, and intense hood sculpting. This generation Vanquish does a great job adding just enough unexpected flourishes to make the car feel fresh and interesting while retaining its classy and classic persona. Aston Martin The interior is similarly appointed. Beautiful knobs and switches crafted from exceptionally elite materials abound, and a few key decorative features do a lot of heavy lifting to differentiate the design from everything else out there. Those little wings around the gauge cluster and the gorgeous center console knobs are super cool. I will admit, I felt a little skittish burbling through Manhattan in a convertible car this loud—and I'm not just talking about the exhaust. There were quite a few eyes on me while I idled at stoplights. I assume those who noticed me were trying to figure out if my dad was famous or what—but this is not a machine for a wallflower. Things got a lot more comfortable when I started steaming up alongside the Hudson River. The Vanquish ride is not plush, but it is compliant. NYC potholes are pretty rough, but I didn't hit anything jarring while leaving the city. Once I broke out of the boroughs, I stepped on the throttle a little more and felt the absolute abundance of power accompanied by an insistent intensity of the titanium exhaust note. The exhaust has a loud-mode button, but it's not as instantly dramatic as similar systems I've tested on Porsches and other vehicles. Idle, low-speed loping, and free-revs sound pretty much the same, until you get hard on the gas and the open-valve setting is triggered by a little button on the dash. Then the engine note becomes downright dastardly. Aston Martin I'm sure none of you will be surprised to read that an 800-hp car felt fast—but the big takeaway with this Aston V12 is how unbelievably deep its energy reserve feels. There's a huge sensation of thrust with a fairly modest application of gas pedal, and as your foot goes down, it just keeps climbing and never lets off. It doesn't matter if you hit the gas from a slow roll or a canter—there's a tsunami of power at the ready from pretty much any engine rpm. In a way, this much juice is almost more exciting to experience in a luxury touring car than it is in a pure sports car. When you're strapped into a firm seat and riding on stiff suspension, you expect a snappy response on the throttle. When you're surrounded by the luxurious trappings of private jet—and in a convertible, no less—the rocket-ride whoosh of a twin-turbo V12 can catch you by surprise even after you've been driving for a few hours. The car's not difficult to handle (despite feeling enormous from the driver's seat), but it does manage to be delightfully intimidating. You can scare yourself well before the gas pedal makes contact with the carpet, and no passenger will ever question its 200-plus top speed. There is a Wet Mode that softens power delivery, should slippery conditions dare to arise while you're out road-yachting in your Vanquish. I didn't test this, but even decent drivers will appreciate its existence when needed. I enjoyed some exciting twisty roads around New York's Bear Mountain State Park on a lovely sunny day, which I pretty much had to myself in the middle of the week. The car's certainly enjoyable to link turns with and doesn't beg to be driven hard despite its obvious capability. It's a lot of fun to carve corners in at a relatively socially acceptable speed, then briefly surge on straightaways before being easily reeled back in by its enormous carbon ceramic brakes. I don't even want to think about what your local Aston Martin shop charges for a new set of pads on this thing, but again, if you can buy the car, you probably don't need to read price tags. Aston Martin Only two chinks in the Vanquish Volante's shiny armor manifested themselves during my test drive. I found the cabin to still be fairly noisy even with the roof up. Aston's people said there were eight layers of insulation in the quickly retractable roof, but after my test, I can confirm that you shouldn't expect a similar level of isolation as the hardtop. The other thing is cabin cooling. I taxed the air conditioning hard; it was about 90 degrees and very humid that day. Even with the seat coolers on, it was toasty. Considering some of Aston's best customers live in the Middle East, that might be suboptimal. While not the biggest detractors for a convertible, you're kind of left hoping for a bit more out of a $610,000 car. Sidebar: I was not enamored with Apple CarPlay Ultra. The selectable Apple-style main gauges make the car look like a kiddie toy, and I'd rather just split the main screen between my map and car controls. I could easily be impressed by high-dollar hardware because I usually drive jalopies. However, that's not the case. If anything, my real-life basicness makes me even more dismissive of things as conceptually absurd as a half-million-dollar toy. So from a realist's perspective, there's no financially logical reason to buy one. There never is. But an Aston Martin Vanquish Volante is not for people who logically decide their purchases. This is a car for somebody who wants an exceptional motoring experience and can afford it—and I have to admit, it delivers. It's unforgettably gorgeous, fast, smooth, engaging, fun to drive at any speed, and intimidating enough to make you feel alive behind the wheel. If the Pegasus comparison was a little too abstract for you, the Vanquish Volante feels closer to a Fountain powerboat than a car, but considerably less crass. It's hard to imagine a grander touring car. And as far as making the ultimate quintessential Aston Martin, there's nothing I would change about the Vanquish Volante. Aston Martin 2026 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Specs Base Price (As Tested) $483,000 ($610,300) Powertrain 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 | 8-speed automatic | rear-wheel drive Horsepower 824 @ 6,500 rpm Torque 738 lb-ft @ 2,500-5,000 rpm Seating 2 Dry Weight 4,120 pounds 0-62 (100 kph) 3.4 seconds Top Speed 214 mph EPA Fuel Economy (Coupe spec, Volante TBA) 13 city | 21 highway | 16 combined Score 10/10 Spectacularly grand tourer with regal design and a warrior king's bearing.
Miami Herald
07-04-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
This is the 823-horsepower 2026 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante
It's been a while since the Aston Martin Vanquish has shown its grille in the world of high-end luxury cars, but now, the performance-driven model has made its triumphant return. Aston Martin showed off the coupe version of the Vanquish in the second half of 2024, and nearly four months into 2025, the British automaker has unveiled the 2026 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante. While other automakers are shifting away from high-powered engines in favor of more fuel-efficient options, Aston Martin is sticking to satisfying consumer expectations. The Vanquish Volante arrives with a 5.2-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine under the hood that powerhouse generates 823 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque, pushing the luxury car to 60 mph in under 3.4 seconds. Aston Martin claims the convertible arrives with a top speed of 214 mph. If that claim is true, then the Vanquish Volante is the fastest series production convertible that the British automaker has ever made. The twin-turbo V12's power is channeled via an eight-speed rear-mounted torque-converter transaxle with an electronically controlled rear differential that improves driver control at high speeds. Inside, the Volante mirrors its coupe twin with a two-tone design and physical controls for important vehicle functions, like stability control and selecting drive modes. Two 10.3-inch displays make up the gauge cluster and infotainment displays. The convertible top, which Aston Martin has dubbed the K-fold, can open in as little as 14 seconds and close in 16 seconds. It can also be operated at speeds up to 31 mph or from the key fob. "The drive to ensure Vanquish Volante delivered the same class leading performance as the Vanquish Coupe meant that, from inception, the engineering team worked on both Coupe and Volante simultaneously, allowing us to retain the dynamic capabilities and character of Vanquish Coupe with no compromise upon removing the roof," said Simon Newton, Aston Martin Director of Vehicle Performance and Attributes. While the Vanquish Volante shares the same chassis as the coupe, it's been modified to account for the convertible's extra weight. New Bilstein DTX dampers also provide better wheel control within each drive mode. The Aston Martin Vanquish is a hot model in both its coupe and convertible forms, but you might have trouble getting behind the wheel of one. The British manufacturer is producing a limited, currently unspecified, number of Vanquish Volante models. Between the coupe and Volante models, Aston Martin plans to keep production below 1,000 cars per year. Deliveries are expected to begin in Q3 2025. There's no word on pricing for the Vanquish Volante just yet, either, but orders are now open. The 2025 Vanquish Coupe isn't cheap by any means, starting at around $425,000, and the Volante probably won't be any cheaper. In fact, the convertible model is likely to start around $475,000, but a half-million dollar price tag isn't out of the question. Those numbers aren't surprising considering that the Vanquish is the legendary brand's flagship model, and this is its first year back after a six-year hiatus, after all. The Aston Martin Vanquish has finally arrived in coupe and convertible forms. The return of the flagship model is a major step for the British manufacturer, and, judging from the spec sheet and design philosophy, it's clear Aston Martin is putting their best tire forward. The twin-turbocharged V12 engine is leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor, and the interior physical buttons are also a nice feature in a world of touchscreens. While we're still awaiting a price, there's no doubt that the Vanquish Volante is a solid flagship model. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
