Aston Martin V12 Vantage | PH Used Buying Guide

• Available for £180,000
• 5.2-litre V12 petrol twin-turbo, rear-wheel drive
• Said to be the last V12 Vantage
• Fast on the road, but not in a firecracker Ferrari-style 
• Looks inside and out won’t be for everybody
• Good so far on reliability but the odd quality control issue
• Big new-car premium over the V8 has almost completely vanished 

This time around we’re looking at the 2022-24 Aston Martin V12 Vantage, the productionised version of the 2007 V12 Vantage RS Concept and, according to Aston Martin, the last V12-powered Vantage that you’ll ever be able to buy new from a showroom. With 690hp and 555lb ft of torque from its twin-turbo’d 5.2-litre DBS Superleggera engine the 2022 V12 Vantage became the most powerful Aston to carry this evocative name since the first modern-era appearance of the badge in 2009, when the 6.0-litre naturally-aspirated V12 had a mere 510hp at its disposal. 

The smaller-displacement but brilliant Mercedes-AMG turbo V8 used in the V8 Vantage had deflected the limelight away from the V12 somewhat but that didn’t stop Aston Martin having one last go at a V12 for 2022. At £265,000 it was £115,000 more expensive than the dearest V8 Vantage, and only marginally quicker over the 0-62mph than the V8 Vantage F1 Edition, but unless there’s a seismic shift in Aston’s future plans it will be a landmark model. 

The new V12 was available as a Vantage coupé or Roadster convertible. At 1,795kg the coupé was over 100kg heavier than the previous model. Production was limited to 333. The 1,855kg Roadster convertible was 0.1 second slower through the 0-62mph than the coupé at 3.6 second. 249 Roadsters were scheduled to be built for deliveries starting in the fourth quarter of 2022. Every example of both variants was snapped up on deposit before the official order book was opened. 

Revised suspension, wider tracks and new lightweight carbon fibre and composite bodywork that generated meaningful downforce turned the new V12 Vantage into a weapon to be reckoned with. Physically it was the smallest Aston but it had the biggest engine, a nice recipe for fun if not fear.

One mag called it ‘startlingly fast’ and saw it as an entirely credible track vehicle. We called it ‘hugely likeable’. Beneath the surface of most of the positive reviews however there was an undercurrent of ‘but’, usually revolving around uncertainty about whether 690hp might be a bit too much for the chassis. For many PHers that sort of thing sounds more like a plus than a minus so we’re not going to get too hooked up on that. 

There’s been some squirming among marque enthusiasts about AM’s dropping share price. Some of this has been attributed to the company’s future based on the viability (or otherwise) of using two plants to produce a small number of cars. In light of an uncertain future and the low mileage typically accumulated by these cars, the current £180k entry price for a used V12 Vantage doesn’t look all that silly. Indeed, you might see it as a golden opportunity to pick up a nearly-new, limited-edition, milestone Aston for two-thirds – or less, depending on extras – of the new car price. 

Engine: 5,204cc V12 48v twin-turbocharged petrol
Transmission: 8-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 690hp@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 555@1,800-6,000rpm
0-62mph (secs): 3.5
Top speed (mph): 200
Weight (kg): 1,795
MPG (official combined): 20.9
CO2 (g/km): 315
Wheels (in): 21
Tyres: 275/35 (f), 315/30 (r)
On sale: 2022 – 2024
Price new: £265,000
Price now: from £180,000

Note for reference: car weight and power data is hard to pin down with absolute certainty. For consistency, we use the same source for all our guides. We hope the data we use is right more often than it’s wrong. Our advice is to treat it as relative rather than definitive.  

The 5.2-litre turbocharged AE31 60-degree V12 was rated at 690hp, enough to push the coupé or the Roadster through the 0-62mph in more or less the same, entirely achievable, mid-three second time and then go on from there to a top speed of 200mph. 

Despite its 20 per cent power-to-weight advantage over the V8 Vantage and its shorter gearing and final drive, the new V12 somehow never felt explosively fast. That was a reflection of its power delivery and its transmission. The big gearbox from the DBS that would have been needed to handle the V12’s potential power wouldn’t fit into the smaller Vantage package, so Aston went for a combination of trimmed-back outputs and the V8’s ZF 8HP 8-speed torque converter gearbox with new software and a degree of adaptability to human whims and driving styles. Maximum torque was 108lb ft less than it had been in the DBS Superleggera, but by way of compensation the full might of the 555lb ft chimed in at 1,800rpm and only began to tail off at 6,000rpm – a remarkably wide spread. 

The engineers couldn’t pull off the miracle of making the twin-turbo engine sound as emotional as the old naturally-aspirated unit. Reined in by the strictures of legislation, the new unit was noticeably softer-edged than before, a trait that might have become a sales issue if a larger number of buyers had been sought by Aston Martin. There was no button to ramp up the exhaust noise. A straight pipe from the likes of Quicksilver Exhaust made you realise what you were missing. 

The way the engine masked the turbo boostiness was unique and different. It felt odd to start with but it didn’t take long to grow into the way the engine and turbos worked together. Using all the available revs didn’t make much difference to the rapid rate at which the car covered the ground, or to the sound it made while that was going on, but it was nice to have the option.

The gearbox’s smoothness on upshifts allied to the engine’s equanimity for short-shifting made the V12 Vantage very suitable for touring, but only if you didn’t mind frequent stops. The 16-gallon tank kept the realistic between-fills range well below the 300-mile mark. No official combined fuel consumption figure was published but journalists were reporting averages of around 14mpg. Single-figure readings were not unusual. 

It’s early days of course but so far the reliability record looks very good. V12 Vantages built between the end of September 2022 and July 2024 were recalled to deal with the potential bursting of an engine oil cooler hose. Poorly protected coil packs leading to misfires and spark plug corrosion were a thing with the V8 Vantage but not, as far as we know, with the V12. Same went for the V8’s whining rear diff. That wasn’t an issue on the V12. 

Besides being 40mm wider across the axles the new V12’s chassis was also somewhat stiffer than before. A suspension tower strut brace at the rear plus fuel tank bracing raised the bodyshell’s resistance to twisting by nearly 10 per cent. The coil springs were stiffer too, by 50 per cent at the rear and 40 per cent at the front, with lower-rated secondary ‘tender’ springs at the back to maintain driver comfort. 

The anti-roll bars were 5 per cent more stern than the V8’s at the front but, interestingly, 41 per cent softer at the back. Three-way Skyhook adaptive damping, a mechanical limited-slip diff (the V8’s was electronic) and recalibrated, slightly meatier steering completed the physical chassis package, with Dynamic Torque Vectoring as the cherry on top. 

The V12’s three driving modes of Sport, Sport Plus and Track sounded one step up on the V8’s GT, Sport and Sport Plus but some launch journalists found that, if anything, the 12 felt softer than the 8. One mag praised the suppleness of its vertical body control. There again, some others called it ‘too stiff for the public road’ or ‘crazy stiff’, leaving readers bemused and confused.

There might not have been universal agreement on the new car’s ride quality but one aspect of the V12’s suspension revision that most testers agreed on was that you could use Track mode without having your eyeball jelly wobbled into mush over every bump. Some owners went further, saying that Track mode really brought the car to life. 

The steering was pleasingly accurate, which was a nice surprise if you were expecting something else from the extra weight sitting over the 12’s front wheels. It would be an overstatement to say that the feel at the rim was inspirational – it was electronic and over-assisted in town – but when you added its decent precision to the well-judged efforts of the stability control system the result was a high level of competence on road or track, with strong body control and enduring grip from the Pilot Sport 4S tyres under both acceleration and braking. The main downsides were a more or less ever-present road roar and an uneasy awareness of the engine’s potential to overwhelm its underpinnings despite the LSD. Slow in, fast out was the best way to get a quick lap time. 

Carbon ceramic brakes (410mm + six-piston calipers front, 360mm + four-piston calipers rear) were standard. These could be a bit honky in town but once you were up to speed, or coming down from it anyway, they quietened down and were brilliantly effective. They also chopped 23kg off what the car would have weighed with a steel system. Forged lightweight wheels in satin black were available, saving another 8kg. 

Plenty more weight-saving measures were applied in the body department. Carbon fibre was used at the front for the bumper, clamshell bonnet, front wings and side sills. The rear bumper and body lid were composite and the battery was lightweight. The ‘horse-shoe’ vent in the bonnet was meant to echo the Vantage GT12, Aston’s roadgoing homage to the V12 Vantage GT3 racer. The carbon splitter was aggressive. The roof could be made of carbon. 

From the front you could immediately tell the V12 from the V8 by its gaping grille, which was 25 per cent bigger than the little ‘un’s. From the side, you could see the additional length of the 12’s carbon front end. The view from the back was dominated by the massive diffuser and the centrally located twin-tip exhaust in lightweight 1mm gauge stainless steel, which saved 7.2kg on the V8’s corner-exit quad pipe system.

All good for weight, then, but not everyone was convinced by the looks. Some detractors felt that it didn’t have enough elegance for the marque. Others thought that was putting it mildly, preferring to use stronger terms such as ‘dog’s dinner’, ’lashup’, ’messy’ and ‘monstrosity’. It was quite colour-sensitive, more sombre hues doing a better job of hiding add-on bits like the blades, vents, and black bonnet that inevitably festooned the press vehicles. Through AM’s Q service you could get tinted lacquers for the carbon parts. These changed the car’s appearance in different light conditions.

The big carbon wing seemed to be the worst visual offender for many, but buyers (who after all were the only ones that mattered) could delete that at the ordering stage. That wasn’t a bad shout actually as the car certainly looked less shouty and therefore more Aston-y without it. In addition you got a better view out of the back window and you didn’t lose much aero effect without it, Aston claiming that much or most of the downforce came from underbody tweaks. Having said all that about the Vantage’s looks, those who saw it in the flesh rather than on a screen or a page often found themselves jumping to its defence.

Again there was a fair bit of negative comment about the V12’s new cabin which was considered to be too ‘Star Wars’ (a deliberate date reference which you’ll understand when you look at the central infotainment screen) and not enough ‘Aston Martin’. Everything in there, including over 30 buttons, looked a little scattergun rather than like components of a cohesive design. The busy appearance of the driver’s side of the dash was unflatteringly contrasted by the yawning emptiness of the passenger’s side. Woven leather or Alcantara seat inserts, trim inlays and anodised rotary dials in the centre console could be coloured to match or contrast with the exterior body or graphic colour. 

The ventilated seats in semi-aniline leather worked well. Carbon fibre buckets with manual seat base and electric backrest adjustment were a £4,300 option if you wanted to cut the car’s overall weight by 7.3kg, but it wasn’t easy to jockey your way into them without discombobulating yourself on the unforgiving side sections, a tricky operation for anyone, not just the more portly ones among us. 

Some owners found the controls in general and the sat nav operation in particular to be less from intuitive. We’re not sure if this was true of the V12 but to use the sat nav in the V8 the radio needed to be on as the display screen didn’t work independently of it. Oddly for a car of this value, Apple Carplay wasn’t standard but it could be added. You couldn’t do that in the V8s, or the pre-refresh cars at least. 

Visibility wise the A-pillars were fairly intrusive. Luggage wise you could squeeze a couple of soft bags under the hatch. This main space was supplemented by two more smaller spaces, one behind the seats and the other above the main cargo area. There was a recall for ’24 and ’25 MY Astons including the Vantages to sort out an obstruction in the reversing camera image when reverse was engaged. 

Was the V12 Vantage dynamically good enough to warrant its in-your-face styling? Could something weighing 1.8 tonnes ever be classified as a ‘sports’ car? Should Aston Martin have toned the V12 down in both power and looks to bring it more in line with what long-term Aston fans were hoping for and could get on board with?

These are questions we’ll never know the answer to because the new V12 Vantage as we see it here was what Aston built from 2022, and they sold every last one of them irrespective of what we ordinary folk might think. That was impressive because rivals that could trump the V12 Vantage weren’t hard to find. Ferrari’s 812 Superfast was 100kg lighter and 100hp more powerful than the V12 Vantage, and it was packed with at least as much heritage appeal – although for some, of course, only an Aston Martin would do.

If you’re in that group, despite the strong likelihood of the latest 150kg-lighter M177 4.0 V8 Vantage being every bit as real-world quick as the V12 on public (and probably private) roads, having had the biggest boot up the backside in AM history – up from 503hp/505lb ft to 656hp/590lb ft in its 2025 model year refresh – the V12 promised a different kind of power. Not just in the numbers on the spec sheet, but also in terms of its legacy as the last 12-cylinder Vantage. If that doesn’t guarantee some sort of place in Aston history then we’re not sure what does. The V12’s wider body killed off some of the Vantage’s compact B-road useability but the model made up for that by feeling mechanically special. 

You’ll pay extra for that V12 privilege on the secondhand market, but maybe not as much as you might think. The big new car price gap between the V12 and the V8 has telescoped right down used. Not all the way: early refresh-model V8 Vantages start at around £170k, and as of March 2025 you wouldn’t be able to find a V12 for that money.

You would however only need another £10k or so to get into an early/higher mileage V12. Cars at that £180k price point are admittedly quite thin on the ground, but they are out there. You’ll uncover more ’22 or ’23 examples at the £190k mark and despite the V12’s relative rarity, we’d imagine vendors would be open to a spot of haggling on that if their customers were looking for a quicker sale. Low-mile (500 or less) cars will range between £210k and £220k.

The three most affordable V12s on PH Classifieds at the time of writing in March 2025 were all 2022 coupés, and all of them were within £10 of £200k. We’ll highlight this Irridescent Emerald one for no other reason than the fact that it looks great, but then so does this Cosmos Orange one and, well, so does this one in Supernova Red.