Accept the fact that it is very much a two-plus-one-and-a-half in terms of rear seat space and there’s not a lot else you can fault this car on in this section.
The new cabin is a massive step up from the original; from the new be-winged sports seats to the gorgeous new door inserts to the smell of the Bridge of Weir leather that greets you the moment you climb aboard, the S exudes that rare atmosphere only a genuine exotic can give off. It feels impossibly expensive and is now exceptionally well made.
It’s also stacked with every conceivable goodie that a wealthy owner would expect (including a bespoke Linn hi-fi), except for a sat-nav system or TV. The latter is not available; the former will unfortunately cost you a little extra, sir.
Active safety is strong, with traction control and anti-lock brakes as standard but, interestingly, there are no stability control or brake-assist systems. Neither were greatly missed during our 500 miles with the car.
You don’t buy a £174,000 Aston Martin and worry greatly about its running costs, but for what it’s worth they’re pretty horrendous. Depreciation is the biggest worry – and it starts the moment you take delivery. A four-year-old S might well be worth less than six figures.
Relative to this, an overall test figure of 13.4mpg hardly seems worth worrying about, nor the group 20 insurance and 35 per cent company car tax rates.