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Aston Martin’s Vantage delivers  panache & performance.

It’s impossible to encounter an Aston Martin without connecting the fictional British spy. Go ahead, try. I thought so. In fact, when Lotus, then BMW were substituted in Bond films a decade or so ago, it just didn’t seem right. We can tolerate different actors in the lead role, but please leave the car alone.
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I have a friend who’s a C-level technology executive in Silicon Valley who has owned a few new Aston Martins. He grew up in Liverpool, England and when he saw Dr. No, the original James Bond film with Sean Connery driving the stunning DB5 model, he was forever smitten. After pursuing his talent in video game design, he was comfortable enough to buy his dream car. I’m confident he’s not alone.
Sharing to Produce Value

Building supercars in enough volume to support a worldwide dealer network is quite a challenge, especially when a few giant automakers jump in from time to time to put a halo above their luxury brand. So while Aston Martin produces models that retail from $200,000 to $350,000 for the DBX, DB11 and Superleggera versions and $3.2-million for the very limited Valkyrie, our Vantage is where the bit of volume is.

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Aston Martin’s Vantage competes with Audi’s R8, Acura’s NSX and Mercedes-Benz AMG GT from a base price perspective and certainly from performance credentials. Five hundred ten horses pushing just 3,373-pounds make the sprint from rest to 60 mph in just 3.5-seconds and a top speed of 195 is achievable if your private driveway is long and smooth enough. Weight distribution is the perfect 50-50 balance for driver confidence.

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Aston Martin achieved this remarkable combination of performance and value by sourcing the Vantage powertrain (engine and transaxle) from AMG, their German rival who offers similar goods in its GT model. Some purists whine about this sourcing in the supercar category. I assert that a few $2-million-plus rivals do the same thing. And if Toyota’s new Supra didn’t share fundamentals with BMW’s new Z4, we might not enjoy either one of these fun and very different sportscars. That’s just today’s reality.

Making an Arrival

We tasked the Aston Martin with a leisurely drive to the Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, a weekend after the big Monterey Classic Car Week. That’s when it’s fun to arrive at the resort in something really special, the ride you would pick for your school reunion. The Vantage has ample room for the same luggage you might pack for airplane ride plus a bit more if needed.

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I didn’t test the Vantage on a racetrack, but I was able to test the performance with all the switches in full growl. I came away with little doubt that along with grand touring comfort on the road, this is one very competitive supercar. And Aston Martin proves that every weekend in competition. Go ahead, assume a bit of Bond.

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THE FINE PRINT

2020 Aston Martin Vantage

TYPE:  Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive

ENGINE:  4.0-liter Twin Turbo V8

HORSEPOWER:  510 @ 6,000-RPM

TORQUE:  505 lb.ft. @ 2,000-5,000-RPM

BASE PRICE: $149,995

AS TESTED PRICE:  $168,715

FUEL CONSUMPTION:  18-city, 25-highway, 21-combined

For some of us who’ve been around the automotive industry for more than a handful of decades, the term “muscle car” was popularized in the 1960s era of American automakers stuffing big V8 engines into coupes, sedans and a few convertibles. Fast forward to today’s market and, at least for the moment, the only former “Big Three” automaker stuffing snorting V8 engines into passenger cars is Ford. But this hardly means that petrol powered bragging rights are the sole province of the fellas in Dearborn, Michigan.

First a short history lesson. The Dodge brothers built their first car in 1914 and in 1928 their company was acquired by Chrysler. In 1998 the iconic American automaker joined Mercedes-Benz parent to create DaimlerChrysler Motors, an alleged “Merger of Equals”. In 2007 Cerberus Capital Management took control and along with a weak economy, steered the automaker into further distress. After a short restructuring, Fiat acquired a majority stake in Chrysler Corp and in 2014 renamed the automaker to FCA US LLC. Finally in 2021, Fiat and the French PSA Group joined to become Stellantis N.V. with headquarters in Hoofddorp, North Holland.

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I share this very condensed history to enable readers to grasp how challenging it has been for the Dodge product planners to get really competitive cars to market. Today’s Charger is a great example. After successfully positioning Dodge as a provider of rip-snorting, thunderous performance vehicles, the Netherlands-based Stellantis decided that electricity was the best propulsion system for the Dodge Charger. They might have asked Harley Davidson how sales of their battery-powered motorcycle were doing but wasn’t the car business pivoting to plugs? So 2025 was not a banner year for electric Chargers.

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This year Chargers are literally roaring back and while not “yet” with HEMI V8 power, the 3.0-liter, twin-turbo, six-cylinder engine offerings are compelling. Charger’s standard offering produces 420 HP with a deep growl out the twin exhaust pipes. Not enough to make your right foot happy? Option the high-output version and 550 HP is on tap, plenty enough to take on most V8s. And early buyers could acquire a Super Bee Launch Edition with 600 HP and that high-octane bee on the fenders. Sadly, they didn’t send me that version.

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Today’s Dodge fellas position the Daytona as a muscle car rivaling Ford’s Mustang and when applied to the two-door coupe version, that’s fair. But I found this good-looking, well-equipped four-door sports sedan a reasonable rival to a few luxury brands. If you want a GM competitor, it’s Cadillac’s CT5 V, a quite nice sports sedan but you’ll give up 100 HP and some interior space. BMW’s 540i xDrive and the Mercedes-Benz E 450 4MATIC also offer smooth power and handling, but you’ll spend luxury money to sit in those heated seats.

 

Our Dodge didn’t really rival luxury brands in the elevated detail of materials and precision but our Charger continued to impress me with a long list of attributes that are not often found in high-volume models. And the handling characteristics are quite good for a full-size sedan that adds even more utility with a big rear hatch opening and folding rear seats. The new Charger is a welcome offering in today’s utilitarian marketplace.

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THE FINE PRINT

2026 Dodge Charger R/T Plus

TYPE:  Front Engine, all-wheel-drive

ENGINE:  3.0 -liter twin-turbo I-6

HORSEPOWER:  420 @ 5,200 RPM

TORQUE:  469 lb.ft. @ 3,500 RPM

BASE PRICE: $51,995

AS TESTED:  $65,365

FUEL CONSUMPTION:  

17-city, 26-highway, 20-combined

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