The 2026 Aston Martin Vantage S Is a Leather-Wrapped Chainsaw: Review

What Car Shoppers Need to Know

• The new Aston Martin Vantage S sees improvements to the chassis and driver feedback.
• The S variant’s power bump is minor but welcome.
• The Vantage remains one of the most exciting, evocative super-sports cars available at any price.

Is there a more evocative letter in all automotivedom than the heady “S”? A little “S” changes everything: Carrera S, Cooper S, Camaro SS! Don’t forget Acura’s Type S. And who doesn’t love a Chrysler 300S?

OK, so it’s a bit of a reach on that last one. But, hey — how about the lovely red monogrammatic badge on the new 2026 Aston Martin Vantage S? Formed from forged brass and hand-filled with genuine glass enamel, that badge is made by Vaughtons, the 200-year-old team of artisans behind Aston’s iconic wings and, among other things, a run of Olympic medals.

Related: 2026 Aston Martin Vantage Roadster Review: Atmospheric Entry (Level)

Never accuse Aston of skimping on the delicate details — though there’s nothing delicate about the wicked, roiling Vantage S. As is the case in the new 2026 Aston Martin DBX S, the Vantage S is positioned as the driver’s choice of the breed, comprehensively honed and hewed for improved feedback, response and capability for those who drive, not display.

Expert Rating: 7.7/10

• Powertrain: 10/10
• Ride quality: 6/10
• Handling: 9/10
• Steering feel: 8/10
• Driver comfort: 8/10
• Interior quality: 9/10
• User interface: 7/10
• Value: 7/10
• Overall appeal: 10/10
• Fuel economy: 3/10

What’s the Difference Between an Aston Martin Vantage and a Vantage S?

• Takeaway: The Vantage S incorporates comprehensive chassis tweaks and other improvements for sharper driver feedback and improved capability.

It really is an exercise in increments; you won’t find the kind of dynamite differences that separate Aston’s Vanquish from a DB12. All the core Vantage ingredients are still here, including a Mercedes-AMG-sourced, Aston-built twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8, an eight-speed automatic transmission and everything else you expect from Aston Martin, both structural and stylistic. The S’ 670 horsepower is up 14 hp over the standard Vantage, and its 590 pounds-feet of torque are left untouched. That’s just a 2% bump in power, owed mainly to revised intake, exhaust and general powertrain calibration.

The chassis is where the S pulls away from the S-less. Again, most of the standard Vantage’s raw hardware remains, but it’s been filed and tightened under a jeweler’s loupe. The Bilstein adaptive shocks are retuned, with adjusted camber, toe and caster at all four corners. The rear subframe is now fixed directly to the body, with solid mounts in place of the vanilla Vantage’s rubber bushings. Any undue harshness from these changes are tamped by transmission mounts that have been softened by 10%.

Put to a number, body rigidity is up 5%, with lateral stiffness swelling by 30%. Downforce is up 97 pounds thanks to a new rear spoiler, and Aston Martin has also recalibrated throttle and traction control. Top speed remains a lofty 202 mph — not that I can verify that claim.

Is the Aston Martin Vantage S Quicker Than the Regular Vantage?

• Takeaway: Thanks to revised launch control, the Vantage S’ 0-60 mph time drops 0.1 seconds, to 3.3 seconds.

What I can verify is that on a hard charge down one of the more open stretches of two-lane road weaving through Malibu, Calif., the Vantage S feels capable of 300 mph. Up 138 hp and 141 torques on the current Porsche 911 Carrera GTS, you’ll need a 911 with “Turbo” script on its rear end if you want to match the Vantage S’ straight-line pace. Unlike a good portion of the other Astons you might find yourself in, the S’ fine leather appointments and graceful athleticism are lost almost entirely in a wave of ferocity. I’ve never found any iteration of this Mercedes-AMG V-8 to be particularly sonorous — it generally sounds of an oily, guttural mechanical lash — but Aston’s interpretation has resulted in quite the rolling thunder. A full-throttle pin in Sport+ will have every cop in a 15-mile radius coordinating capture over radio, and the resulting speed from a 10-second pull should guarantee corporal punishment.

It’s a lovely, dirty, nasty, intoxicating and addicting sound, one that is both fitting and at odds with the Vantage S’ ethereal beauty. Thank goodness for its perfectly stuffed and notably aromatic Scottish leather sport seats, which soak up that tremendous accelerative pressure. Ditto for the bolsters, which prevent your love handles from hanging ten when you explore the new chassis character.

Does the Aston Martin Vantage S Handle Better Than the Regular Vantage?

• Takeaway: Yes, but the differences are subtle.

I cannot and will not pretend to have noticed the dynamic nuances of the S, considering I previously drove a regular Vantage roadster last year, and that was with a passenger in tow. What I can tell you is the new S is very much one of the most capable and thrilling super-sports cars you can spend your many, many monies on. Mechanical grip is preposterous from the Michelin Pilot Sport S 5s, which stretch a meaty 275 millimeters up front and 325 mm in the rear, with fabulously quick steering. The S’ 15.7-inch front and 14.2-inch rear discs are there to catch you when the stick runs out.

You can have those discs in either standard steel or optional carbon ceramic, the latter of which sloughs speed like railroad spikes driven into tarmac. This power is quite welcome in contrast with the Vantage S’ capacity for accelerative violence, culminating in a scintillating combo of finespun interior finishing and powder-keg detonation; imagine a furious bobcat, restrained in a custom-fit Hermes leather duffel.

I had a blessed 25-ish minutes of clear California canyon road before traffic locked it down, but that was enough to burn my cheeks  — from both smiling and G-forces. Already have a model-year-2025-and-up Vantage in your underground car cave? You lucky dog; there’s no need to upgrade. The S is stunningly capable, but so is the standard Vantage.

How Much Does the 2026 Aston Martin Vantage S Cost?

• Takeaway: Prices start at a hefty $199,500 (including destination).

The new S is here to entice new and returning buyers with a better sword, conquesting folks thinking of straying from the increasingly restrictive and inaccessible world of Porsche and Ferrari. Yes, Ferrari: The 2026 Vantage S might start at $199,500, but just a handful of options pushed my test car’s price to just shy of $250,000. You could easily hit the $300,000 mark delving into Aston’s impressive tailoring catalog, thereby exceeding the starting price of a Ferrari Amalfi.

No need to compare. The only thing prettier than an Aston Martin is another Aston Martin. And it doesn’t get much more exciting than the 2026 Aston Martin Vantage S.

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