Aston Martin Vantage vs Porsche 911 Turbo: status quo or pecking order reset?

But that’s not all it’s about, is it? Cars like this should be an event to drive, not just an exercise in applying g-force. But if all you did was look at the Aston’s spec sheet, you’d assume this new Brit was doing nothing more than chasing speed. The last Vantage – Aston’s entry-level model let’s not forget – developed 503bhp from its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. Now it has 656bhp. A whopping 30 per cent gain. Last time round we tested it against a regular Porsche 911 GTS, now it’s meeting the fastest 911 of all. And the price… well that’s gone up from £121k six years ago to £165,000.

Photography: Jonny Fleetwood

Aston is repositioning the Vantage. Repositioning its whole model range in fact, taking everything further upmarket having realised the quest for volume isn’t working. Does this mean it now appeals to a different audience? I don’t think so. They might be paying more, but limiting supply should support residual values. That said, I’m not sure that was the last Vantage’s main problem. It was a serviceable car, but when we tested it against the GTS, (plus a McLaren 570GT and AMG GT R) it didn’t really stand out in any area. It needed more charisma, more impact, more spirit. To be more of an event.

To that end the new Vantage has been thoroughly overhauled. Same chassis underneath, but stiffer and reinforced, with less focus on refinement, more on communication and feedback. The DB12 does the grand touring stuff, this, according to Aston Martin, is ‘engineered for real drivers.’ The cockpit design and layout is lifted almost wholesale from the DB12 and there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s the best Aston’s ever done. Even if you might want a magnifying glass to see the fonts and icons on the screen. And the gearshift indicator on the dash display, come to think of it. And don’t get us started on the steering wheel swipe pads. Just because Ferrari has them doesn’t mean they’re a good idea.

But as a car to get into it feels more expensive and upmarket than the Porsche. Yes the 911 is probably better built, but it’s not as exciting inside and would be considerably less dramatic if it wasn’t fitted with the hound’s tooth cloth of the £5,106 Heritage Design package. It’s well laid out in here, easier to operate as well, but for knocking on £200k as tested, it needs to be more special. Maybe that will come in 2025, when the facelifted 992.2 Turbo version arrives, but glamour has never been the 911s schtick.

The best you can say about the exterior is that it has stance. Driving behind it, the back end hunkers down into the road so well, gives a sense of the power and drive it can deliver. The shape is classic, the surfacing sophisticated, but it’s not beautiful. The new Vantage is genuinely beautiful. There’s something about this shape that you have to see in the flesh to really appreciate, and it’s all to do with that rear haunch and the way the shape flows towards the tail. The musculature has developed – this looks like a 650bhp car, not a 500bhp car.

It might come as some surprise to learn it still uses the same AMG-sourced base engine as before, just with bigger blowers and other upgrades that give it a slight power advantage here. Doubtless Porsche will correct that imbalance when the next gen car comes along, but whether it needs to is a moot point. The Turbo has always punched above its weight for two reasons: it has amazing traction, and it doesn’t weigh much. Actually, that’s not quite the right phrasing – it’s not light exactly, it’s just lighter than the opposition. Aston is sensitive about the Vantage’s weight. They, like Ferrari, have a habit of quoting dry weight, which means absolutely nothing but allows them to knock about 150-odd kilos off the scales.

What’s more important is that this twin-turbo engine is a belter. It’s like it’s been uncorked. It isn’t straining to deliver the power, and above 3,000rpm there’s no lag whatsoever, you’re simply thrust along by this progressive wave of power that’s sustained all the way to 7,000rpm. It sounds open and ferocious, and packs an enormous punch. Once it’s got full traction it’s almost as fast as the Turbo S (just 0.7secs slower from 60-130mph in our tests), but crucially it actually feels the faster of the pair.

And that’s because it’s not as well controlled. There’s way more squat and suspension movement in the Aston, and with all that power heading through the rear wheels, it’s a wild ride. But not in a bad way. The Aston can’t quite contain itself, is just showing you how hard it’s having to work. In the Porsche you can just point and go and the only thing you have to be mindful of is the lag.

There’s more of it in the flat-six than the V8. Hit the throttle at 3000rpm in the Porsche and there’s a pause while it draws a breath. And then it goes. The turbos are gustier here, more part of the experience, but you do have to get them spinning, and they don't spin brilliantly at low revs. Instead, you have the anticipation of their impact. Once they hit, you have absolute confidence the car has control of the situation. Its body control is absolutely faultless and the twin-clutch PDK gearbox is the best in the business. It helps make the 911 a tough, angry, accurate, dismantler of roads. Yet there is enough fluency in its suspension to make it comfortable. If there’s a weakness it’s refinement, more specifically tyre noise on coarse surfaces.

The ride itself is firm but settled. The Aston is a bit more turbulent although it helps if you ramp the dampers up a notch. But the Vantage is meant to be a sports car, and that’s how it comes across. It will do distance comfortably enough, do it at 30mpg thanks to its long eighth gear, but that’s not the sweet spot of the driving experience. It loves turning into corners. It’s got a really trustworthy and connected front end. Understeer is simply never an issue, the front wheels go exactly where you point them, and they turn fast because the Vantage is short and wide.

Technically speaking the Porsche is better everywhere other than turn in. Its brakes are peerless (the Aston’s carbon ceramics need heat in them and are still a little dead underfoot), the steering sharp and from the apex onwards you can bury the throttle and feel all four wheels tease out every last nibble of grip from the tarmac. But turn-in? In the Porsche you have to get the technique right, brake deep to keep the weight on the nose or it won’t bite properly.

Ruthless, that’s the word I keep coming back to for the Porsche. Addictively ruthless. And yet you look at it and it seems relatively mundane and ordinary. Nothing special. The windscreen is tall and upright, the bonnet level is low and the view out exceptional because there’s no engine in front. You can carry a pair of people in the back, or a lot of luggage. There’s not much a 911 can’t do – and do very easily indeed. I know it’s taken Porsche decades of development, but putting the engine in the back is fabulous for all-round packaging.

Apart from carry extra people, the trad layout Vantage is practical though. There’s a big hatchback boot, with up to 346 litres of space (twice what the Porsche’s nose bay offers) which makes it handy in a way the boot-slot DB12 isn’t. And yeah, it’s a bit more challenging to see out of than the Porsche, harder to nail apexes on roundabouts, but this is a very proud performance car. Where the Porsche hunkers down and focuses in, the Aston is more garrulous, an entertaining trumpeter. Driving the Porsche I found myself shaking my head in admiration of its capabilities, in the Aston Martin, I was just hooting with laughter.

This is exactly what the Vantage should be. It‘s pointless to chase Porsche down the control-and-connection route. No-one does it as well as them. To get the most out of the 911 you need to appreciate engineering. The Vantage is all about earthier pleasures. The noise and drama and excitement that driving can deliver. Where the Porsche is always tight, the Aston is more laid back and generous. But still focused enough to convince as a sports car.

Which is better? Depends how you appreciate these things

The current Porsche Turbo is epic, but I’m not sure it justifies the massive price step from lesser 911s. £180k is fierce money. It makes the £165k Aston appear decent value. Aluminite Silver with Satin Bronze wheels? Didn’t think it would work, but it’s a knockout combo. And the new 1,170-watt, 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins hifi is a belter. All in with options at £189k? Whether that actually is good value only time and corresponding residuals will tell. However, I think you’d come out to this car each day and massively admire it. Spend an extra moment gawping at the bodywork, sigh as you settle into it.

Which is better? Depends how you appreciate these things. The Porsche’s artistry is in the engineering. It remains sublime to drive. Love that? Then there’s your winner. And ours, by a slender margin. But an Aston Vantage has never pushed a Porsche 911 as hard or as close as this. Last time we tested the Vantage it pretty much came last, I criticised it for not having a particularly overt personality, found it a bit too safe. That’s changed fundamentally. These cars should be an event, not just to drive, but to live with and own. And the new Vantage absolutely is.