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Aston Martin Vanquish $228,000No matter how many times we say it, it still sounds sweet: zero to 100 in 10 seconds flat. Yes, the 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds doesn't sound quite as impressive--there are Corvettes that come close to that mark. But 10 seconds to 100 miles per hour is truly remarkable, with very few production cars ever coming close to providing that kind of acceleration.
Drive the Vanquish like an old man, though, and you'll be surprised how docile a supercar can be. It's no Honda Civic, but steering action is smooth and even light at slow speeds. For around-town driving there's the auto-shift mode, so you don't even have to think about shifting when you're commuting in your Vanquish. Also, there's a quite comfortable interior, with plenty of legroom, leather everywhere (you can, of course, choose whatever material you want, and what color) and large, easily navigable controls. So your eyes are never off the road for very long. Still, you may wonder how this car stacks up versus the Ferrari 575 M, and although it's a valid question, we hardly think it matters. See, the devoted Ferrari buyer is someone who we don't think would even consider this car. Also, if you can actually afford a Vanquish, you might well be able to get both cars and compare for yourself. One thing we can say--the Aston Martin doesn't sound like a Ferrari at all, with a deeper exhaust note and an almost guttural growl. For that reason alone, the Aston is worth every penny.
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But what struck us when we drove the Vanquish, and what still impresses us having driven other supercars since, is just how easy this monster is to tame, even at ferociously high speeds or under that hammer of crushing acceleration. It corners with ease, and finding the outer limits of any turn can only be achieved on a racetrack, since otherwise the Vanquish is just rock-solid.
