2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage S - Car and Driver (blog)
The S trailing the name of this Vantage stands for “sport”—hardly astonishing news—but the differences between sport and standard (one simply cannot employ so mundane a descriptor as “base” in connection with an Aston Martin) are a bit elusive. S means a little more motor, a little more brake, a little more rubber, a little less weight, some small trim distinctions, and, of course, a little more money. The engine is Aston’s familiar 4. 7-liter aluminum V-8, with improved intake airflow, new mufflers, and new programming that keeps the exhaust system’s bypass valves open longer. The net is 430 hp and 361 lb-ft of torque, gains of 10 ponies and 15 lb-ft. Although it’s a small gain in output, the S’s new transmission (more on that in a moment) should help it whittle the Vantage’s 0-to-60-mph time down from the 4. 3 of the last example we tested to about four flat. Engine output flows through a new single-clutch seven-speed Graziano automated manual to a limited-slip rear differential. (The front tires measure 245/40-19. ). There are no chassis rigidity distinctions between Vantage and Vantage S, and none was needed. But the elements attached to the tub—dampers, springs, and bushings—are a bit more stern than those in the, uh, everyday Vantage. Source: www.caranddriver.com
