The Aston Martin Vantage is a coupe that combines drop-dead looks with a brawny engine from AMG. While few owners will drive their Vantages in winter conditions, the automaker is taking the time to log some serious miles with it in northern Finland.

Aston Martin is probably still a few months away from letting journalists go wild in its latest sports car, but Carfection managed to get some seat time in it. Needless to say, on the frozen tundra, things got very, very sideways.

The trip wasn’t just to show the outlet how fun the new Vantage is, but is a way to display how Aston Martin puts its vehicles through its paces to see if its cars have what it takes to survive even the most adverse of conditions. The journos also spoke with Aston Martin’s Chief Engineer, Matt Becker, to get some background on why the brand does its testing in such an inhospitable area.

The Vantage on hand is a VP-level car, which means it’s pretty close to being a production model; the only thing missing is the steering software of the production models.

Aston didn’t just bring one Vantage up to Finland, but two. The other car is busy doing its cold environment testing, where it will complete 20,000 kilometers (roughly 12,400 miles) on Finland’s local roads. On the other side of the spectrum, the Vantage is also tested in hot environments, though that task (naturally…) takes place in Arizona.

The goal of all of this is to ensure that Aston Martin has covered all of the bases to make sure the new Vantage is reliable, durable and enjoyable to drive regardless of where its owner might live.

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