Our normal test track was not available, so we used another that does not have as much grip. You therefore need to ignore the 0-60mph time of 4.8sec, because by then the S had barely found any purchase.
A far better clue as to how much quicker the S is than its lesser sibling is the 0-100mph time; even on a poor surface it managed 10.0sec compared with 10.4sec for the regular model.
Slice half a second from that (which would come with a grippier surface) and you’re looking at 9.5sec to 100mph, or a second quicker than the standard car and well into Ferrari F430/ Porsche 911 Turbo territory.
The Vanquish has never been about raw numbers, however. What’s more important is the character it exudes and the noise it makes. For the eruption of sound that occurs as the crank spins past 3000rpm alone, the Vanquish is more endearing than any current Ferrari save, perhaps, the F430.
But when mixed with this level of throttle response, this much acceleration and this much torque across the rev range, the S makes a compelling case for itself beside any rival, at any price.
Despite stiffer springs and dampers and faster steering, the first time you drive the S over a good road you think it’s not sharp enough. Not enough body control, too much effort required to keep it on the straight and narrow. You may even begin to wonder whether there might be something amiss; it’s that softly suspended.
And yet the more time you spend with the Vanquish S, the more you begin to appreciate the suspension set-up. After 500 miles we almost completely revised our opinion on it, and the reason we did so was the ride, which is sensationally good.
What Aston has created is not a cutting-edge sports car but a comfortable GT that will, if pushed, corner hard enough for 99 per cent of drivers. True, it does begin to move around somewhat if you venture beyond the limits but even in extremis it’s a delightfully benign handler.