The 2026 Aston Martin Vantage, especially in drop-top Roadster form, is not what you imagine. It doesn’t feel or drive the way you expect it to. It confounds expectations, shredding them in a cloud of tire smoke leaving only a bombastic cackle in its wake, as you stare, dumbfounded by what just happened.
For most people, what comes to mind when you mention Aston Martin? First and foremost it’s James Bond. It’s 007, secret agents, spies, Saville Row, ejector seats, hidden machine guns, revolving licence plates, and other Q gadgets. Depending on your age, you imagine either Sean Connery leaning against a silver DB5 somewhere in the Alps, or Pierce Brosnan with his Aston Vanquish, or Daniel Craig with, well, the list is long: the DB5, V8, V12 Vanquish, DBS, DB10 concept, the DBS Superleggera or the fleeting glimpse of the Valhalla in No Time to Die.
Because of the Bond connection, you probably imagine a car that’s suave, dignified, powerful and handsome. On the (less charitable) flip side of that coin, perhaps you imagine an Aston Martin is car that’s a bit vain, nothing but an expensive and beautiful machine for rich guys who want to cosplay as a fictional spy — looks good but it’s ultimately harmless.
And, if that’s what you imagine a modern Aston Martin is like, you’re dead wrong.
So, What Is the 2026 Vantage Roadster?
The new Vantage is fast, monstrously fast, and also slightly unhinged. It’s not like the gentle Astons of the Connery era. Let’s start with the numbers, because they tell a big part of the story. Compared to the previous Vantage, this one makes an extra 150 horsepower, bringing the total up to 656 hp from the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8. Yes, it’s still sourced from AMG, but Aston has done a lot of massaging to get this mill up to those power figures. The engine powers the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic and an electric rear differential. To save weight, it uses a carbon-fibre prop shaft.
Those numbers alone propel the latest Vantage into a new league. It no longer feels like an entry level sports car, but a firecracker, a genuine giant slayer.
And when you slip behind the wheel, into the buttery leather cocoon of the cabin that oozes exotica, you do genuinely feel like you’re driving a serious machine. Put your foot on the throttle with conviction and the massive rear Michelin tires (235/30s on 21-inch wheels) simply have no hope of containing all the torque. Even with all the electronics switched on in Sport mode, the Vantage Roadster snakes and squirms under power. You really feel like it’s struggling to contain all 656 ponies. (The default driving mode isn’t “GT” anymore. In fact, there is no GT mode. The default is Sport, and it’s telling of this car’s intentions.)
Having driven the Vantage coupe last year on a racetrack in Europe, we can confirm it is a wicked track-day weapon too.
Gas it around an innocuous 90-degree bend and it’ll snap into oversteer before the electronics rein it in again. Pull back on the spindly carbon-fibre paddles — matte finish, and cold to the touch — and the gearbox delivers a purposeful kick. It’s not trying to be smooth or gentle. It’s not catering to the quiet tastes of retired gentleman. The new Vantage — indeed all new Astons — feels fun, raucous, and a little bit rude. They’re rowdy and playful and thrilling in a way that a certain rear-engine German sports car simply is not.
And That Cabin… *Chef Kiss*
Let’s just list some of the things that are leather or suede here: the centre console, the door cards, the top of the door where you rest an elbow, the full dashboard, the back of the seats, inside of the storage bins in the door pockets, the inside of the cup holders, the A pillars and the top of the windshield, and the steering column. The steering column! Are you kidding me!? Everywhere you look it’s leather and suede or carbon fibre. It oozes luxury. It oozes bespoke. And the leather is so buttery I suggest you walk into a dealership and have a feel for yourself.
Interiors haven’t usually been a strong point for Aston Martin, but this is lovely. Does the shiny black plastic on the centre console buttons show too many scratches? Yes. Should the black plastic on the steering wheel be carbon-fibre, or leather, or really anything but plastic? Yes. But the rest of the cabin is such a lovely place to be that we can let those minor gripes slide. Even the door pull is a solid chunk of cold-to-the-touch metal. We love to see it.
Somehow, despite the extreme power and performance of this machine, the ride quality is excellent. At low speed in the city, there’s real cushion coming down from speedbumps. It’s a genuinely usable machine.
How Much Does the 2026 Aston Vantage Roadster Cost in Canada?
Prices start at $259,700 for the drop-top Vantage Roadster. Our test car had the obligatory B&W stereo ($12k) and carbon brakes ($18k) as well as more than $15k in carbon fibre extras and a $13,700 “Monotone” interior. These alloys are another $8k. All told, the price for the car you see here comes to $374,700 before taxes.
Prices in the luxury-car market have, admittedly, gotten rather ridiculous. Blame the post-covid hangover? But in a world where the (admittedly more powerful) new Porsche 911 Turbo S starts at $325,000 in Canada, then, yes, the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster price seem about right. We’d argue there’s real value here.
So get rid of that genteel image of Aston Martin you might have formed by watching too many Bond movies. This is a hardcore driver’s machine. It’s not just good on the silver screen, but out on narrow mountain passes and big racetracks too. Under $400,000, if we’re spending our own money on a drop-top sports car in that price bracket, this would be the one. It’s just so good to look at, so special to sit in, and so laugh-out-loud entertaining to drive, how could you not pick this one?
FEATURE IMAGE BY MATT BUBBERS.
