What do the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Mercedes-AMG GT S have in common? Yes, they are both front-engined sports cars but they also share the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine.
Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz announced a partnership back in 2013 which would see the British car manufacturer source its engines and electronic systems from the German powerhouse. We’ve become so accustomed to the boosted V8 of the new Vantage that it’s easy to forget that it is the same basic engine powering a host of AMG models, most notably the AMG GT S.
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During Top Gear’s 26th season, the final one to star Matt LeBlanc, the new Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Mercedes-AMG GT S were pitted against each other to see which is superior. While the duo feature the same powertrain, they do appear to drive quite differently and obviously look completely unlike each other.
When comparing the two, Top Gear lined them up for a drag race and discovered that the AMG GT S is a little more accelerative. The Mercedes is also the car which LeBlanc himself would rather own.
One thing which the Aston Martin V8 Vantage does have over the AMG GT S is that it can be purchased with a manual transmission. For the moment, Aston Martin has restricted the six-speed stick-shift to the limited-run Vantage AMR model but from 2020, the standard Vantage will be offered with the same transmission. If we had the money, that would be the AMG-powered two-door sports car which we would buy.