WCampbellAZ

I just spent some time with the new 2019 AM Vantage and am heavily considering it. However I love the looks of the AMG GT and you can pick up a barely used one for far less than I can get the new Vantage for. I know the motor is essentially the same aside from the headers/exhaust and manifold. I have yet to actually get behind the wheel of the GT and am curious if any of you GT owners have driven the new Vantage as well? If so how did it compare in your opinion. Styling of course is subjective, I'm more interested in opinions on the driving dynamics and usability.

thecutter64

grizzly111

I've spent time with both. Not an AMG GTR but a GTC coupe which is a fairer comparison. Really wanted to like the GTC as I was ready to purchase after selling one of my weekend cars.
The Aston kills it in terms of interior quality - AMG was not much different in terms of quality than my C-coupe. The rear subwoofer cover was very cheap flimsy plastic which suprised me for a Benz AMG. Looks are subjective but I personally prefer the Aston (esp. the rear) - looks more special. From the front the GTC looks far more aggressive though. Ride-wise the Aston is better - in fact the GTC was dissapointingly harsh but did have the dynamics package. Aston again beats it in the sound department. Whatever Aston have done with the exhaust works. The GTC coupe sounded like the exhaust sound was continually echoing around the rear trunk area - almost artifically so. Steering-wise the Aston is also more precise. The GTC felt a bit vague off-centre. Nice, big shift paddles in the Aston were appreciated. Seats in the Aston are MUCH more comfortable than the sports seats in the GTC. Paint finish quality on the Aston is tremendous - nil orange peel. Not sure on how hard the clear coat is on the Aston and hence durability, because I really like Benz paints in this respect. Wheel choices on the Aston are rubbish. Much prefer AMG here. Also the options list on the Aston is lengthy and expensive for what you get.
Also don't forget this is the entry-level Vantage. An 'S' version is expected as well as a V12.

Overall the Aston is in a different price bracket once optioned fully but is truly fantastic.

thebishman

surfah

AMG 17GT

grizzly111

A Jaguar Ftype SVR sounds better in my opinion than either the Aston or AMG. It won't be easy for Aston to get away from the whole 'engine from a C-Class' thing though amongst the purists.
I was expecting that large expanse of mesh to ruin the front end but in real life it doesn't. What detracts from the front end is the sheer simplicity of the design and lack of aggressiveness to be honest. It's supposed to have cues from the Aston Martin Vulcan. In reality it can be viewed as contemporary and elegant but I can see why it has caused so much controversy. I suspected Aston wished to broaden their appeal to a female audience; this was confirmed in a recent publication I read. It does need some hood vents to break things up a little. Time will tell if it will be a winner.

MalibuScott

Agree on the looks of the front end. In an attempt to make the new Vantage look a little different they made it look unfinished. The other angles and the interior are superior to the GT in my opinion.

Wolfman

okbarnett

if you just drive around town a aston would be ok, but can you imagine trying to go across country and finding a dealer when you break down? I will depend on MB for my security and convenience

Banzairacer

The 8 Cyl vantage (AMG engine) is a beautiful sounding machine, the exhaust notes are amazing. still the GTS provides a more unique styling - depending on where you live you may not have that many.
The suspension on the GTS is a bit more forgiving than the Vantage. there are Aston Martin Drivers and AMG drivers...... both hvae their followers. its a good dilemma to be in...

benzbell

Some have heard this and some haven't. There's an old joke that goes like this. Why do the British drink warm beer? Because they have Lucas refrigerators.

MalibuScott

I restored and owned a 1947 MG TC. Even after a complete restoration all of the Lucas wiring, connections, bulbs and parts (I was restoring to original) were sh*t.

Joseph Lucas was known as The Prince of Darkness.

Gojirra99

To me, the new Vantage is the ugliest new Aston model in the last 2 decades, for the price, no thanks !!

Banzairacer

Agreed Bish, it looks unfinished for some reason. They did do the great departure of the signature grill when FORD started putting it on the FOCUS.... changes to the iconic should be better thought out.

AtTheGlen

As some of you may know, I canceled a GT C Roadster order last year because of the dealer's view of what my GT S Ed1 could be worth when the GT C arrived about 4 months later. I purchased an A-M DB11 instead because I liked the gearhead sales guy and wanted one V12/600 HP/200-mph car in my lifetime. That said, I did price a GT C Roadster again a couple months ago but was too underwater on the DB11 lease, so I'll wait. I drove a Vantage briefly at an A-M owners' event and again a couple of weeks ago when I had one as a loaner for about five days. A buddy of mine with a YouTube channel ("Auto Focus") and I did a video while I had the car. On the video, you'll be able to hear the exhaust sound (even though the car had dual exhausts instead of the quad sport exhaust - still the sound was awesome) plus some driving and walk-around scenes. I loved my AMG GT S so that and our current 991.2 GT3 were the benchmarks. Too bad I couldn't figure out how to post videos :-( so to see the Vantage video and driving videos with the GT3 and DB11, please go to YouTube and search for "Auto Focus Vantage" or ...GT3 or ...DB11. My buddy Chris would be delighted if you were to subscribe and leave comments. He has lots of other SoCal-typical car videos there.

Trans/engine mapping settings (Sport, Sport+, Track) on the Vantage seem farther apart than in the GT S so Sport seems less aggressive than Comfort in the GT S. This would be OK for long trips as the rear axle ratio is a high 2.93 so I was getting 23+ mpg for combo stop-and-go and highway over a 30' period, but it takes conviction to get a downshift to make a move in traffic. Track is very aggressive. Comparable to PDK Sport in the GT3 and likely Race in the GT S. Sport+ is the sweet spot for everyday driving. The ZF 8-speed is good - nearly PDK-like in Sport+ and Track modes. Suspension settings are Sport, Sport+ and Track. Sport seemed more compliant (though still stiff) than the 2016 GT S (see avatar) with the dynamic suspension option although the Vantage sometimes seemed "jouncy" like loaner C-classes that I had with the GT S. There are settings for turning ESP or ESP/TC off completely. Even in normal settings, the e-dif allowed aggressive cornering without serious intervention. The Track setting is as stiff as the upper settings on the GT S and GT3. I was surprised at how good the cornering is. Weight distribution is 50/50 because the engine is pushed back like the GT S. A-M likes to say one feels as if the car is rotating around you. On two of my favorite corners - a tight chicane on a weird onramp and a downhill, off-camber, decreasing radius entrance to our community, I felt that the Vantage was surprisingly close to the GT3 but given the hazards associated with blowing one of these turns, I was probably only at my 8/10 in each car.

AMG GT car vs. Vantage: If I were buying today I'd likely buy a GT C coupe or roadster, but it would be a close call. When I had a 911 Turbo S before the GT3, the GT R would have been the perfect garage/road/track-mate but now with the GT3, a GT C would be a good fit. The Vantage is roomier (I'm 5-10 and drove the AMG GT S with the seat all the way back, which was borderline OK) and the Vantage interior finish is terrific looking. The loaner Vantage with the kind of options that I'd get on a GT C was at approximately the same price - $184K but HP is 503 vs. 550 and although torque at 505 lb-ft is higher than in my former GT S but less than the GT C. As another member mentioned, service and maintenance are scarce compared to M-B and prices for parts and accessories are much higher with the Vantage. The Vantage has the same nav/infotainment system + cruise, etc.) as my 2016 GT S had - so that's fine. I don't think reliability would be as good as the AMG GT cars. Also, two of our several former AMG cars (SL63 and GT S) were F1 Safety Cars as the GT C is now, which I think is cool.

When I had the GT S Ed1, the ratio of comments, videos, high-fives was GT-S=100/911 Turbo S=1. The Vantage is comparable to the GT cars in terms of Wow Factor. One night at the gym, I had about 8 guys with cars like a Nissan Nismo GTR and BMW i8 going crazy over the Vantage. I was sorry to return the Vantage because I like sports cars more than GT cars, I guess. The rear bushings in the Vantage are more solid compared to the DB11 (but also like the new DB11 AMR). I hope these comments help and perhaps stimulate some additional discussion. There are so many cool cars - in fact, I sorta want the new Bullitt Mustang ...and a GT C...and a Vantage - you know what I'm talking about!

AMG 17GT

N-4Speed

I had a AMG GTS for about a year and loved it! I was considering trading it for GTC, GTR or DB11. I ended up trading it for a DB11 V-12 this past summer. As much as I like everything about the DB11, the ZF 8-speed is a slush box. It is so disappointing that I just put it in auto and let it do it’s thing. With my GTS, I would shift gear not because it needed it, but because how I felt, the throttle blips on the down shift sounded awesome and the DCT was so smooth and crisp. I have DCT in my Huracan and Cali T, but IMO, AMG's DCT beats them all.

I test drove the Vantage, the ZF tranny does behave different than my DB11, it is smoother but still not a DCT and I don't think long term I would be happy with it. I do love the rear end but can’t get used to the front. I am now considering trading my DB11 for a GTR. I have not driven a GTR and want to make sure the ride is not too stiff. If it is anything like my GTS, I will do the trade this week.

AtTheGlen

N-4Speed

I feel exactly the same way. The DB11 is my 2nd Aston and last one. Among all the cars I have owned, I feel that the GTS was the best driver car.

Just wondering if you had a chance to drive a AMG GTR and if so, what are your thoughts on the ride quality? Some of the magazine reviews say the GTR is more compliant on the street than the GTS which if true, it would be fantastic

AtTheGlen

I haven't driven a GT R but I, too, have heard that suspension compliance on the new GT S is better than the '16 Ed1 that I owned. I like a stiff suspension and usually drive in Sport, but compared to other sports cars, I felt that the GT S was unnecessarily harsh in comfort mode, which is important when driving over rough surfaces. Others on this forum have posted that the GT R could be a daily driver and, as you mentioned, reviews and forum members' comments indicate that, even with the dynamic suspension, any of these GT cars could be driven everyday. I really like the front camera on Astons for parking and now I heard the AMG GTs will have also. You might want to do what another forum member did - they found a GT R that they could test drive that wasn't unreasonably far away. So you could check out AutoTrader or other service and see if there are any new or used GT Rs in a 50-mile radius that you could drive even if for a couple of miles. Good Luck. I would say that you're heading in the right direction with your decision!