Aston Martin V8 Vantage S stands for 'souped up'

There aren't too many drivers on the planet who would complain about an Aston Martin Vantage being too slow, but that hasn't stopped the company injecting the car with a cocktail of enhancements in the V8 Vantage S edition.

The Vantage S boasts a host of "driver-focused" features including a boost in power and torque, a newly developed Sportshift II transmission, styling cues from its Vantage V12 big brother and a sportier engine note.

The car uses the same 4.7-litre V8 engine as the standard V8 Vantage, but it now delivers 430bhp and 490Nm of torque -- 10bhp and 20Nm more than the V8 Vantage N420. This, according to Aston Martin, blesses the V8 Vantage S with a top speed of 189mph -- 10mph more than the original car.

Aston Martin has yet to confirm the S' 0-60mph sprint time, but the new paddle-operated Speedshift II gearbox should provide an improvement on the original car's 4.7-second record. Aston Martin says the new seven-speed transmission is 24kg lighter than its predecessor, changes gear 20 per cent faster and has an automatic mode, which should make the car easier to drive around town.

Speaking of city driving, the V8 Vantage S now comes with a hill-start assist function, which holds the car stationary on a hill for up to two seconds, allowing drivers to transition their feet from the brake to the accelerator without rolling backwards into unsuspecting cars.

Aston Martin says the V8 Vantage S should handle better than its predecessors. The car has tweaked suspension, bespoke Bridgestone Potenza RE050 tyres that are 10mm wider at the front and rear, as well as a modified steering rack that sports a tighter ratio, so the wheels are more responsive to the driver's turning inputs.

The car improves on the previous model's braking performance. The V8 Vantage S comes with larger diameter front brake discs (380mm compared to 355mm), along with six-piston calipers and a more modern brake control -- an electronic unit designed to help reduce stopping distances.

It all sounds -- and looks -- pretty good to us. Aston Martin's yet to confirm pricing or availability for the car, but we'll let you know as soon as that information becomes available. In the meantime, have a gander through a few photos in our gallery above.

Update: The V8 Vantage S Coupe will cost £102,500, while the roadster version will cost £110,700.