Aston Martin has finally made it to Russia officially, albeit with a noticeable delay. We didn't wait long and immediately went for a test drive of the relatively affordable V8 Vantage coupe. We got a tremendous thrill from driving a supercar on the snowy streets of Moscow.

We had been waiting for the British to appear on our market for quite a long time. Ferrari, Lamborghini, and even 1001-horsepower Bugattis are already selling well, but Aston Martin has only now turned its gaze in our direction. Has it arrived too late to claim a share of that coveted pie called Luxury? The answer to this question will become clear in a year when the first sales results appear. For now, our task is to get acquainted with the legendary supercar and evaluate it without bias, without thinking about commercial prospects.

As soon as we learned about the test, the first thing we asked about was the color of the car — for a supercar, this is almost the main characteristic. On the phone, I wanted to hear "red," but my imagination refused to picture a red Aston, and it seems I wasn't alone. "The color is mouse gray," they told me. So, no sacrilege happened. But then a question arose: who would want to shell out 158,000 euros for a gray car that should emphasize the owner's status? We decided to find the answer in person and were not mistaken — the V8 Vantage looks gorgeous. Assertive but without aggression, bright but not flashy. Perhaps some people won't even notice the Aston driving by, which can't be said about a Ferrari, but that's a matter of taste. But you can't take away Aston's sense of style. You can get out of it in sneakers or an expensive suit — the V8 Vantage will understand and only emphasize the owner's image, no matter what role they play. It sounds trite, but Aston Martin wants to be called James Bond's car, which can save the world, firing from two Uzis, or leisurely play poker.

Enough of the lyricism — it's time to open the door of the "eight"... However, you can't do it with one hand; you need skill. For the sake of aerodynamics, the designers hid the door handles flush: first you need to press one edge, then pull the other. Not very convenient, but you can't confuse the Aston with anything else — style and tradition have always been the foundation of British automotive culture. The doors also open unusually: they not only move to the side but also rise slightly. As a result, an Aston with open doors looks more like a butterfly than a guillotine, unlike the Lamborghini.

Sitting in the soft but grippy seat, you immediately remember what every Aston Martin press release insists on — all cars are hand-assembled. That's true, at least when it comes to the interior. Whether this is good or bad, everyone decides for themselves. If you need perfectly even stitching, it's better to turn to more mainstream brands. Aston is for those who feel the warmth of the hands that upholstered the dashboard with the finest leather and crafted the wooden insert on the console. There is almost no plastic in the cabin — only natural materials: leather, wood, aluminum.

The main star of the interior is the instrument panel: at first glance it is almost uniformly gray, but on closer inspection you can see crystals adorning the dials. When the backlight is on, it resembles a jewelry store. During the day, reading the readings is not as convenient as at night. However, information can be obtained in other ways: the speed is duplicated on a small display in the center of the panel, and the engine revs can be unmistakably guessed by sound.

At the very bottom, the engine emits a low-frequency rumble characteristic of a "V8," which is mesmerizing and provokes you to drop a couple of gears, raise the revs, and let the naturally aspirated engine breathe deeply. As soon as the tachometer needle, rotating counterclockwise, passes 4500 rpm, the engine reveals its true, daring character. All 410 Nm and 385 "horses" hurl the car forward with powerful acceleration. There is no hysteria or heart-rending screams, as in the Audi R8 or Ferrari F430: the acceleration is fast but without strain. The car maintains composure and confidence, recalling the old British saying: gentlemen are never late and never in a hurry. Even at speeds well over 200 km/h, the V8 Vantage remains calm. Although it's worth holding the steering wheel tighter: it's still a supercar, not a executive Mercedes.

The suspension primarily surprised us with its comfort. Despite the stylish 19-inch wheels instead of the standard 18-inch ones, the V8 Vantage confidently handles road waves and even speed bumps. Of course, the supercar is completely devoid of body roll. At the same time, the suspension is incredibly energy-intensive. It seems that the Aston is even lighter than the stated 1570 kg. Behind the wheel, the V8 Vantage reminded me of a superlative Mazda MX-5 — also, in essence, a British car. The Aston, like the MX-5, has sporty double-wishbone suspensions front and rear and the lowest possible center of gravity, which saves engineers from fighting body roll through stiffness. For better weight distribution and reduced moment of inertia, the gearbox is integrated with the rear differential, and the engine is equipped with a dry sump lubrication system, which allows the engine to be mounted lower without reducing ground clearance. Opening the hood, you can only admire the engineering genius — we haven't seen such cars before. The body is entirely aluminum, with profiles glued together — this is the lightest and strongest way to join the winged metal. So the impressive rigidity and low weight are not surprising.

Of course, on Moscow's winter roads, a powerful rear-wheel-drive supercar turned out to be not quite in its element. But even in such conditions, driving the "eight" brings a lot of pleasure. The steering is incredibly clear and informative: when approaching a corner, the driver only has to choose how to take it and give the command — the car will do everything itself. If you want, you can roll into the turn and exit it with a slight drift of all wheels; if you want, you can sweep the tail. The stability control system is tuned to allow slight playfulness, and for a real thrill, it can be turned off.

Parting with the Aston after the test is, of course, very difficult. You want to repeatedly aim the coupe at the apex of a turn and exit it sideways, listen to the roar of the engine at different revs, shift gears with the paddle shifters, and in traffic jams study the stitching on the interior details. The only thing we couldn't agree on with colleagues is whether to drive the V8 Vantage year-round or limit adrenaline consumption to the summer months. Installing winter tires is not a problem, the heater is powerful, and there are heated seats and windshield. The question is only about the concept of attitude towards the car. Some believe that driving a supercar in winter is like having doctor's sausage with whiskey. I know for sure that if the Aston were in my garage, it would be very difficult for me to get into any other car, regardless of the season...

Text: Leonid Pavlov

The CarClub.ru editorial team thanks Aston Martin Moscow for their assistance in organizing the test drive.