It’s no secret that certain British heritage carmakers have been having a bit of an identity crisis lately. Rest assured, that does not seem to be an issue for Aston Martin if the all-new Vantage is anything to go by. Originally announced in February, the consensus from the first people who have driven it seems to be that this is one of the best Astons in years.
Having previously driven the outgoing generation's F1 Edition between the historic factory in Newport Pagnell (now the site of the Aston Martin Works) and the current headquarters in Gaydon, after a few days with the incumbent Vantage I'd have to agree the new generation is a step up in every way.
First of all, just cast your eyes on it. It looks fantastic. Even in the press model’s vivid orange, which is an acquired taste, it was love at first sight. Part of its new stance is down to engineering changes – the new Vantage no longer has a V12 engine option, relying solely on a twin-turbo V8. That engine, however, generates a whopping 656hp, a 128hp increase over the previous generation. That would explain the significantly larger grill, essential to cooling all that action under the hood.
It has also led to bigger headlights – a distinct improvement over the barely-perceptible sliver of a headlight on the predecessor. Its looks are genuinely head-turning – at least five grown men flashed me thumbs up at traffic light during my couple of days with the car.
There are vast improvements in the interior as well. While the previous generation had an infotainment system that felt slightly out of date and laggy, this cabin screams 2025 in all the right ways. The central screen is crisp and responsive – without taking over the entire dashboard. There are also plenty – and I do mean plenty – of buttons and dials on the centre console. At a time when many top-end cars have door-to-door screens in the front and a couple for the passengers in the back, it’s refreshing to still have one excellent screen on the dash and some physical controls to hand that are not buried seven-menus deep in an operating system.
The Vantage is still ostensibly the entry-level Aston, although there is expected to be an increase in price for this new generation, which finds it positioned against the Porsche 911 Turbo and the Bentley Continental GT.
I didn’t get to take the Vantage screeching around a track, but I did pop it into Sport Plus mode – which is engaged through a satisfying turn of a physical knob. When you hit the accelerator in a straight line (and within the speed limit), the results will make you giggle. It's chassis is now stiffer, has revised dampers and other tweaks hat make it feel very responsive. It is quite the beast once all its engineering is engaged – but just as happy to be driven calmly at low rpm while you dot about town.
While other British marques, such as Jaguar, look to a potentially EV-dominated future and have a bit of an identity crisis, Aston Martin knows exactly what it is – a powerful grunting vehicle steeped in motoring and racing heritage packaged sleekly for modern life. It's something quite beautiful.
Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Key Points
- Protests against President Omar Al Bashir enter their sixth day
- Reports of President Bashir's resignation and arrests of senior government officials
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Results
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $36,000 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: RB Money To Burn, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Turf) 2,410m, Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Trophy – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (T) 1,900m, Winner: Secret Protector, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 - Group 2 (TB) $293,000 (D) 1,900m, Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.50pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Zakouski, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (T) 1,000m, Winner: Motafaawit, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh289,000
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
