It’s official. We’ve found a car that even Bruce Wayne would envy. Not only that, we’ve driven it. We speak of the 2025 Aston Martin Vanquish, a vehicle offering up 614kW of power and 1000Nm of torque from its 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12.
Considered the brand’s halo model, it’s devilishly good in so many ways. That starts with the aforementioned engine under the carbon fibre hood, pushing power through an 8-speed automatic to the rear wheels.
Bilstein DTX dampers and an electronic rear diff are paired to 21-wheels sporting Pirelli P Zero rubber that was designed specifically for this car. Bigger than ever before (with an 80mm wheelbase increase over it’s predecessor), it’s quicker than it should be.
The Vanquish gets up and disappears into the horizon from stand still to 100km/h in a scintillating 3.3 seconds and will push on to a top speed of 344km/h. The numbers are astonishing, in a car that somehow feels genuinely stiff and track ready.
Given it’s vibe you would be forgiven for thinking it’s all plush and comfy for the road and potentially slightly compromised or less optimised for race circuits, but even in the “standard” GT driving mode, it feels sharp and responsive.
And that’s before you venture into Sport and Sport+. At first, you’re a bit taken aback, and you’ll find yourself thinking that there’s no way this weapon will handle Sydney’s poor roads – but it does, and you won’t break your spine either – such is its setup.
It’s also fair to say the power delivery can be likened to a the combination of a roller coaster and a bullet, for the average human. A lot of supercars barely come close to matching the insane punch, or pickup, if you prefer, offered by the Vanquish.
This writer has driven the Huracán STO and Bentley Continental GTC S in an official capacity (as well as piloting a Porsche around the Nürburgring), so speaks from some level of experience.
Sure, there’s a slight delay as the turbochargers kick-in and it feels like the power comes on all at once, and it’s nigh on impossible to keep below the speed limit, but that simply demonstrates the fine motor skills required to drive this beast.
A genuine driver’s car, with excellent feel through the seat and steering wheel, the Aston Martin requires a delicate touch in managing your foot placement on the throttle when punting around in traffic or through the myriad of speed camera zones, just to stay safe.
There’s no denying it’s special though, and its styling sets a real benchmark. The Vanquish is one of those cars, and you don’t even need to be a car enthusiast for this, that you can simply stand in front of and stare – for what seems like forever.
Maybe that’s where the name comes from, as it can vanquish all your free time. We even found ourselves washing it every morning just so it looked brand new all the time. It starts with the carbon fibre accents across the exterior.
These really accentuate the lines of the car, from the gill-like vents in the hood to the V12 badge venting on the sides and the carbon panel at the rear. The sharp laser-like tail light design and duck tail like rear wing/lip complete the look.
The front sports a massive and somewhat traditional Aston Martin grille shape, complementing the winged badge and door design to near perfection. 410mm 6-piston carbon ceramic brakes feature up front and a 360mm/4-piston setup on the rear.
They provide incredible stopping power, and look great with bronze covers (an option – more on those in a moment). There’s a bevy of wheel choices too, and our test vehicle came fitted with a Satin Black multi-spoke offering (in 275 wide front and 325 wide rear).
The interior styling equally matches the outside of the car. There is a stunning amount of gloss carbon fibre throughout, with ours coming with the optional two-tone medium and black trim. The digital instrument cluster has a well thought out set of display options.
In a nice touch, the aforementioned instrument panel has exposed carbon fibre, which drops out some of the reflection from the sun. There are premium-feel physical buttons for pretty much everything controls-wise too.
The 10.25-inch touchscreen, which has had an overhaul for 2025 and adds wireless Apple CarPlay (but not Android Auto), looks the good and is easy to use. The steering wheel is of a sporty design, with carbon fibre featuring heavily.
It’s here you’ll find a rather unique joystick-style button for key functionality. There are scroll wheels for volume controls and the wheel itself feels thing and solid in the hand – adding to the car’s bold presence.
The driving position and ergonomics are damn near perfect for long grand touring drives, offering plenty of support and adjustment. The real question though; the genuine struggle every Aston Martin Vanquish owner will face, is something completely different.
It is in fact, whether to listen to your favourite tunes through the stunning 15-speaker double amplified surround sound Bowers & Wilkins audio system, or the car’s demonic titanium exhaust.
Which brings us to the question on everyone’s lips – what’s the cost? Well, in Australia, the standard Vanquish tips the till at $737,000 plus on-roads, and for that yu get a 3-year unlimited kilometre warranty.
Throw in our test vehicle’s optional extras, which included those brake calipers we spoke about, a Twill Gloss extended exterior package, the factory titanium exhaust, the Oberon Black from Q by Aston Martin and the gloss black grille and things increase.
We also had heavy pile floor mats, a lower pin stripe, dark chrome highlights, special seat stitching, that two-tone colour scheme known as Inspire, and the carbon and metal fibre trims (and our choice of wheel) – for a cool $940,250 plus on-roads – as tested.
Now if you do even basic mathematics, you’ll know that with those additional costs, this car is more than $1 million drive away. And yes, we believe it’s worth every penny. The interior and exterior colour options alone are crazy and show the level of customisation on offer.
And that’s what makes this car so special – not just the power, or the noise, or the driving experience, but the fact that there are so many options to make it truly your own, that every Aston Martin Vanquish is one of a kind.
With just 1000 examples produced each year, this car is cool enough to make you get out of bed every day, just to get behind the wheel. Offering amazing power and a truly unique design, it has a character and persona that leaves many rivals wanting.
You can find out more on the Aston Martin website, or by talking to your local dealership. To get a low rate finance quote, talk to Australia’s best reviewed car finance broker; Credit One. To see a great range of vehicles for sale, check out OnlyCars.com.au.
The vehicle tested here was provided by Aston Martin for independent review purposes. Exhaust Notes Australia was not paid to review this vehicle.
