2019 Aston Martin Vantage review: New sports car is predictable, but in a good way

The 2019 Vantage is an integral part of Aston Martin's "Second Century Plan."Aston Martin

Over a decade after the last Vantage came out, Aston Martin has finally produced a successor to its 2003 entry level sports car. The new 2019 Aston Martin Vantage is largely the typical Aston vehicle — sleek, fast, and predictably good-looking — but, it also has newer design features that set it apart from older Aston cars.

The older V8 Vantage, although it was undoubtedly a good car, had room for improvement. Even so, Aston Martin waited years before replacing it, despite its various components being already miles behind those in newer cars.

The new Vantage, however, is not a complete overhaul of the older one. For one thing, it is still similar to the older Vantage in terms of its proportions. However, the 2019 version is a little longer and wider, and certain design details like the positioning of its headlights or the lack of air vents in the hood mark the new model as a different car from the V8 Vantage. Still, the 2019 Vantage bears the grill design characteristic of Aston models, and its powertrain is similar to that of the Aston Martin DB11.

However, the interior of the car is where the biggest changes are. The 2019 Vantage sports more electronics and gadgets than the older Vantage, which came out before such electronics were available on the market. There is an LCD screen on the center console, and the car is capable of satellite navigation and can even have WiFi. Other than that, the rest of the interiors still have a classic Aston Martin look.

According to Aston Martin, the 2019 Vantage can go from zero to 60 in 3.6 seconds, with its top speed being 195 miles per hour. This means that even though the 2019 Vantage has 503 horsepower like the DB11, it has better performance. After all, the Vantage has weight-saving options, and its engine is also more compact. In comparison to the DB11, Aston Martin also says that the Vantage is likely to be more responsive.

With the 2018 DB11, Aston Martin launched its "Second Century Plan." This scheme, launched by Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer, included plans to replace the DB11, the Vantage, and the Vanquish by 2019.

Aston Martin is expected to start rolling the 2019 Vantage out by June of this year, and it is set to cost $149,995.