Auto blog

Aston Martin considers offering new Lagonda Taraf outside of Middle East

Aston Martin officially took the wraps off its new Lagonda sedan in Dubai on Monday, revealing the luxury limousine in all its glory and revealing its nameplate as Taraf – derived from the Arabic word for "luxury" (not for some Kurdish starlet). A fitting name, since it will only be offered to select customers in the Middle East, where a large number of its '70s-era predecessors have found homes. But while the model was clearly and emphatically targeted at the Persian Gulf clientele, Aston Martin is reportedly considering offering the Lagonda Taraf in other markets as well. Both Car and Top Gear are citing Aston's new chief executive Andy Palmer on the matter from the unveiling in Dubai: "I can confirm today that we are also evaluating the opportunity to offer this Lagonda in other markets." Whether it would carry the Arabic name along with it, we don't know. Nor do we know, for that matter, if the US would be among those markets which Aston would consider selling the sedan. "We have enjoyed excellent levels of interest in the Lagonda and we are investigating possibilities for other markets besides the Middle East," said Matthew Clarke, the company's spokesman for the Americas, in correspondence with Autoblog. "However, we can't add any more or be any more specific at this very early stage." Understandable, of course, but we hope to hear good news in the near future.

Tesla Model S squares off against Aston Martin Rapide S

Can the Tesla Model S electric motor's 443 pound-feet of torque from zero rpm and equivalent of 416 horsepower trump the Aston Martin Rapide S V12's 457 lb-ft from 5500 rpm and 550 hp? Autocar attempts to answer that question by drag racing them - which only leads us to ask more questions. Which is the fastest around a race track? Is the Tesla's relatively low top speed of 130 miles per hour (the Rapide S can reach 190 mph) forgivable in light of its astounding torque? Does that even matter?
We hope Autocar's Steve Sutcliffe will pit the Tesla and the Aston Martin against each other again in the near future to answer those questions, and pick once and for all which one is the preferred luxury sedan. But until then he entertains us in the video below by raving about the Model S's attributes, pitching it into medium-speed sweepers and getting it a bit sideways with nothing but road and tire noise permeating the cabin - something people in the UK can experience for themselves once right-hand-drive cars go on sale there this spring.

2019 Aston Martin V8 Vantage First Drive Review | A sportier bark and bite

Aston Martin's 21st century renaissance kickstarted with the DB11, a high-dollar grand tourer that upped the outgoing DB9's dynamic envelope while keeping one foot firmly planted in the brand's aesthetically elevated roots. The sequel to Aston's bid for relevancy is the V8 Vantage, a more agile and track-focused two-seater, perennially the company's best-seller that guns for the heavyweight in the segment, the Porsche 911. With a completely updated design language and laser-like focus on performance, the 2019 Aston Martin V8 Vantage is arguably the most important modern car to come out of Gaydon in... well, forever. Forget everything you know about the late, great V8 Vantage (and its sublime V12 counterpart). The 2019 model is a completely re-imagined beast, built from the ground up with around a turbocharged engine from an unexpected source. The old Vantage V8's naturally aspirated V8 is gone, and in its place is a Mercedes-AMG-sourced twin-turbo 4-liter V8 producing 503 horsepower and 505 lb-ft of torque (up from the old 4.7-liter mills' 430 hp and 361 lb-ft). The new donor powerplant receives a re-tuned intake and exhaust to give off a slightly different aural impression that's slightly raspier than the thumpy AMG. Unlike its AMG counterpart, the Aston version adopts a wet-sump oiling system, with the benefits of sitting lower to the ground and improved fuel economy due to the system's slightly reduced parasitic losses. Senior Vehicle Engineering Manager Craig Jamieson says that his team's learnings developing the wet sump system in the V12 Vantage enabled them to fine tune this setup for track duty. The engine mates to the ubiquitous ZF 8-speed automatic gearbox, which comes equipped here with stationary paddle shifters. Power is routed through Aston's first use of an electronic differential at the rear transaxle, which helps achieve a balanced 50/50 weight distribution. Seventy percent of the bonded aluminum chassis, which is derived from the DB11's, is unique to Vantage. Its dry curb weight is 3,373 pounds (a more standard wet curb weight wasn't available at press time), and it'll sprint to 60 mph in a claimed 3.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 195 mph. Though much of the Vantage's design direction comes from the obvious decision to depart from the brand's bygone era, a few choices were informed by function – most controversially, those squinty LED headlamps which some detractors have slammed as being "Mazda-like".