Aston Martin Vanquish driven: Britain's new brute of a sports car costs £300k and is an assault on your senses

There's no beating around the bush. The new Aston Martin Vanquish is a brute.

An old-school brute. A noisy brute. A powerful brute. And a brute who’s massive V12 petrol engine exudes awesome raw power and those politically incorrect but nevertheless intoxicating exhaust fumes so frowned upon today in some quarters.

Those of a certain vintage who remember the deodorant adverts will remember the slogan: 'It’s the great smell of brute'.

But the British sports car is an even greater assault on your senses when you have the privilege to take to the wheel.

Aston Martin's all-new Vanquish driven: Ray Massey has taken to the wheel of Britain's latest GT sports car ahead of deliveries to the lucky 1,000 customers

What does it cost?

Prices start from a whopping £300,000.

Customers can also customise their cars via the bespoke ‘Q by Aston Martin’ personalisation service – pushing the final price up to beyond £400,000 and closer to £500,000.

A maximum of 1,000 a year will be built to be 'uncompromising' - says Aston bosses - and sets a new benchmark for ‘refined comfort, supercar performance and pinpoint dynamics’ and is ‘the most potent flagship in its 111-year history.’

So having driven it extensively on all manner of roads, and with order books open now ahead of imminent first deliveries, let’s see if it lives up to the billing.

Prices start from a whopping £300,000. Customers can also customise their cars via the bespoke ‘Q by Aston Martin’ personalisation service – pushing the final price up to beyond £400,000 and closer to £500,000

Performance: how does it drive?

This car is a beast. Think of it as a thug in a well-cut suit.

Powered by a mighty 835 horsepower twin-turbo-charged V12 petrol engine, which is linked to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, the new Vanquish accelerates from rest to 62mph in 3.3 seconds - and boy, do you feel it. And hear it.

It feels tauter, tighter, and faster than the Vanquish of old. But you do need to keep your right foot under control if you want to keep hold of your licence.

It apparently has a top speed of 214mph - the highest ever in one of its non-special edition production cars – so short of getting out on a track I’ll have to take that on trust.

And even then, I’m not sure I’d have the nerve to test it to its limit.

The rear-wheel drive car has five main driving modes: GT, Sport, and Sport-plus, Wet and Individual.

Powered by a mighty 835 horsepower twin-turbo-charged V12 petrol engine, which is linked to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, the new Vanquish accelerates from rest to 62mph in 3.3 seconds

It feels tauter, tighter, and faster than the Vanquish of old. But you do need to keep your right foot under control if you want to keep hold of your licence, Ray warns

GT is great for relaxed grand tour cruising but is actually pretty sporty in its own right.

Sport tightens the sinews and takes matters to another level. Suddenly those far-away cars on the horizon are looming up right in front of you – as if they were moving in slow motion.

Sport-plus simply blows your socks off. It’s the automotive equivalent of ‘11’ on the Spinal Tap amplifier.

Wet really does refer to weather conditions and individual allows personalised settings.

And if that’s not enough, it also has a ‘boost-reserve’ function for ‘added power delivery’ to give it added oomph – and a roaring exhaust pipe soundtrack to match.

Short of attempting warp speed, I’m not sure when you’d use it.

For the first time on a front-engined Aston Martin, the German-made ZF auto transmission is paired with an electronic rear limited slip differential. This gives greater stability and composure through fast sweeping curves. Seems to work.

As you might expect from any Aston Martin, this thing is a real looker...

The new rear end design gives a more menacing presence. This is a car with product placement potential for a Batman film rather than a Bond movie

Exterior. How does it look?

It’s a real head turner with proper presence and eye-catching appeal. You’ll be notice.

My car was in a fetching silver shade called Aluminite. It certainly combines contemporary elegance with a well-toned physique and a rakish profile.

The assertive design and a bigger grille add to its macho feel.

Flush-fit door handles deploy electronically towards the hand with a simple press of the handle or the remote key.

A 10.25-inch driver display is clear, and the centre console has been lowered for greater convenience

Inside: a first-class interior – with knobs on

The luxurious interior is a significant step up – from business class to first class. While cosseting, it still feels roomy.

Looking out on the world through the very wide windscreen was almost cinematic.

My Vanquish had a sumptuously smart dark green leather interior that smacked of a gentleman’s club in Pall Mall, contrasting well with the exterior silver paint. Very Bentley-esque in its execution.

For the first time the new Vanquish has a full-length panoramic glass roof which allows the light to flood into its ultra-luxury interior.

And in a welcome change from the modern trend of many carmakers to make everything digital, it prioritises practical physical knobs, dials, and buttons where these are a better option than often distracting touchscreens.

So, the most used controls can be operated intuitively and without the need to take your eyes off the road.

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Though a two-seater, there’s a handy car-width shelf behind the seats and bespoke luggage to fit.

A 10.25-inch driver display is clear, and the centre console has been lowered for greater convenience.

The solid machined metal rotary dial for drive mode and gear selection, along with rollers and exposed fixings - for the likes of heating and ventilation – are practical and reassuringly cold to the touch.

Like a piece of automotive jewellery, the illuminated glass engine start/stop button sits centrally within the centre console.

The automatic gearbox is controlled using a new central lever to select Drive, Neutral and Reverse.

A separate ‘Manual’ button allows the driver to override of the automatic gearbox ‘for a more involving driving experience’ through the steering wheel-mounted paddles.

The new Vanquish is the fourth model to feature Aston Martin’s next-generation infotainment, an entirely bespoke system and developed in-house from scratch.

For comfort, the car is equipped as standard with Sports Plus seats though even sportier carbon fibre performance seats are available as an option.

Fetching new quilting patterns are used on standard seats and the rear parcel shelf. If a carbon roof option is selected, the quilting from the rear parcel shelf is mirrored on the headlining.

Leather luggage sets are available as an accessory.

Other interior features include 3D mapping; wireless Apple CarPlay; and a top Bowers & Wilkins sound system.

The Vanquish get a new corner braking system designed for the track, but it also helped Ray keep a tighter line on the anchors entering a bend

Stopping power

With so much forward thrust at my toe-tips I was thankful for the carbon ceramic brake system which balances the equation by providing sufficient stopping power.

Although not built for the racetrack, a corner braking system helps the car hold a tighter line into bends.

Despite the awesome power, it’s designed to stick to the road, with a newly engineered chassis featuring an 80mm longer wheelbase.

Its tear-shaped structure combines a lightweight extruded aluminium body with carbon fibre panels, a bespoke chassis with state-of-the-art dynamics technology.

Riding on big 21-inch forged allow wheels shod with noise-cancelling Pirelli P ZERO tyres (that can cut interior noise by up to half).