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Aston Martin presented the DBS Superleggera in 2018, which feels like a generation ago in the automotive timeline. Technology has evolved since, yet the 2025 Aston Martin Vanquish unveiled in 2024 as the DBS Superleggera’s successor mostly shrugs it off. It’s a little old-school, and it’s better for it.
In an era when nameplates often sound like they were spat out of a random-name generator, Aston Martin resurrects the Vanquish moniker last used in 2018. The new model replaces the DBS Superleggera, which replaced the second-generation Vanquish, which replaced the DBS, which replaced the first-generation Vanquish…notice a pattern? It doesn’t take an immense stretch to imagine that a Volante roadster is coming, but right now the Vanquish is coupe-only.
And what a coupe! Although the Vanquish and the DBS Superleggera share proportions, Aston added about three inches to the new car’s wheelbase by increasing the dash-to-axle ratio to accentuate the classic GT lines. Design boss Marek Reichman’s team penned a sleek, elegant silhouette that’s unburdened by bench-sized, race car-like wings, yet the Vanquish isn’t quite what I’d call subtle. It looks fast even when it’s parked. No one is going to assume there’s a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder under the hood. But it doesn’t wear “I’m going to punch you in the nose” styling. Reichman points out that every design cue is functional: the huge grille increases airflow by 13%, for example.
Aston Martin Vanquish: V-12 and purity
The carbon-fiber body’s pure lines set the course for the rest of the Vanquish. Here’s what you won’t find on the specifications sheet: a hybrid system, rear-wheel steering, and a head-up display. It’s just the essentials, including a big, front-mid-mounted V-12 and jumbo-sized carbon-ceramic brakes. Like rivals Ferrari and Lamborghini, Aston Martin is fighting to keep the V-12 alive for as long as possible. It’s not a concern about heritage or a way to highlight its rebellious side. It’s more of a business decision.
It’s not like Aston Martin doesn’t have a smaller engine in its arsenal. While the Vantage and the DB12 use a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 borrowed from Mercedes-AMG and tuned in-house, the Vanquish receives a home-grown twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V-12. Its predecessor ticked this box as well, but Newton stresses that his team only kept the old engine’s bore, stroke, and V-angle. Engineers updated just about everything else to unlock more power while keeping emissions in check. The engine block, the connecting rods, and the cylinder heads are among the new parts, and the turbos now spool faster. The numbers speak for themselves: the new Vanquish delivers 825 hp and 740 lb-ft of torque, up from 715 and 663, respectively, in the regular-production DBS Superleggera. The V-12 spins the rear wheels via a rear-mounted 8-speed automatic transaxle and a carbon-fiber driveshaft.
The 825-hp output is massive, but it’s the torque that you feel first. The V-12 develops its peak horsepower at 6,500 rpm while peak torque is on tap from 2,500-5,000 rpm. It’s happy hour at the torque counter: the curve is shaped like a coffee table, not like a mountain range. That gives the Vanquish relentless acceleration that’s only interrupted by the transmission’s quick, smooth shifts.
Aston’s claimed 3.2-second sprint from 0-60 mph feels brutally accurate. Newton’s explanation that his engineers only weave in technology when there’s a good reason for it echoes through my mind as the road opens up and I accelerate from 45 to 75 mph in the blink of an eye. Where’s the turbo lag? There’s a microscopic amount of it if you really want to nitpick, but the new Boost Reserve system keeps it in check. In the brand’s words, this feature “increases turbo boost pressure above what would normally be required for any given part-throttle position, so it is ready to go when full power is needed.” You don’t feel this happening, it’s not taking away boost to set it aside for later, but you know it’s there when you floor it and the engine responds with fire alarm-like urgency.
And yet, there’s much more to this car than numbers.
