2025 Aston Martin Vanquish vs. DBS Superleggera: Should You Upgrade or Just Get a Ferrari?

That’s quite a shuffle, and while it may seem confusing, it worked out well for Aston Martin, which have established themselves as an authority when it comes to performance-oriented luxury grand tourers, along with Ferrari. Sure, you can throw Bentley in there too, but the Continental GT isn’t as supercar-like as some might want.

I think the DB9-based DBS sort of gave birth to what we recognize today as modern Aston Martin grand tourers. The car was first seen in the 2006 James Bond film ‘Casino Royale’, Daniel Graig’s first outing as Agent 007. It also returned for an awesome pre-credits car chase in Quantum of Solace, a sneaky pick for one of the 5 best movie chases ever.

The British carmaker took everything they learned from the DBS and imported it to the second-generation Vanquish, which all of a sudden had a big bad wolf to fight off in Ferrari’s exceptional F12berlinetta. When the latter gave way to the 812 Superfast in 2017, that’s when the DBS Superleggera stepped in for the second-gen Vanquish.

While based on the V12-powered DB11, the DBS Superleggera is certainly its own animal. The styling is excellent and the 5.2-liter twin turbocharged V12 engine roars to the tune of 715 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. In the limited production DBS 770 Ultimate, you get even more muscle – 759 horsepower.

Today, we welcome its replacement in the all-new 2025 Vanquish, and immediately you’ve got to ask yourself this: Does it sufficiently improve upon the DBS Superleggera/770 Ultimate, or should you just get the new Ferrari 12Cilindri instead? Or perhaps stick with your DBS? Since it’s an exceptionally good car too.

Let’s dive in, starting with the obvious – the way these two Aston Martin grand tourers look.

Exterior styling

I think that both these cars are so stupidly beautiful, Victoria’s Secret might as well strap bathing suits on them and take some catalog pics. Both are 10/10 in the styling department, but the design language isn’t the same.

The DBS Superleggera features a striking fusion of aggression and elegance. You have a massive grille dominating the front end, flanked by slim LED headlights. This is a very modern-looking Aston Martin, which is an important point to make, because even when its predecessors were brand-new, you could still identify several classic (if not retro) design elements that made them feel and look timeless.

The modern-day DBS boasts a modern design through and through. It’s literally what Daniel Craig’s Bond should drive, whereas the all-new 2025 Vanquish harkens back to a time when 007 was a little more classy and less brutish.

This was obviously done by design and it’s a trend that several supercar-makers are promoting. Just look at the 12Cilindri and how much “cleaner” it looks compared to the more aggressive 812 Superfast. Or the Lamborghini Temerario with its simple and more timeless design, compared to the outgoing Huracan. Aston Martin have followed a similar recipe, and we can clearly see that the new Vanquish is nowhere near as aggressive looking as the DBS Superleggera.

I’m not big on just how much they stretched the front end of the car though – specifically the distance between the A-pillar and the front axle, which has been extended by more than 80 mm (about 3.15 in) to make the hood look as long as possible, within reason. The problem I have is that it is now, perhaps, too long.

As for the rest of the body, it’s more sculpted than what you get with the DBS. There’s a lot less drama (for better or worse), so it’s up to you, the buyer, to decide whether you want your luxury GT to look more timeless or “more sporty”. You can certainly have it both ways, but I’m not sure the all-new Vanquish is interested in pleasing everybody.

Interior design

Aside from liking the steering wheel of the DBS more than the one in the new Vanquish, it would be impossible to prefer the former’s interior over the latter. What’s great about the Vanquish’s interior is that Aston Martin steered clear of using touchscreens in excess. All key driver controls are centrally mounted and within reach via physical buttons – gear selection, drive selection, heating, ventilation.

Meanwhile, the digital 10.25” TFT driver display and the 10.25” Pure Black infotainment screen are both superior to what you get in the older model. Superior from a quality and connectivity standpoint.

According to Aston Martin themselves, they took everything positive that they’ve learned from their current models to design the dashboard of the 2025 Vanquish and it shows. Perhaps the only downside is the fact that the layout looks a bit too “German”, whereas some buyers might have expected a more exotic/emotional design.

Performance

To make this comparison as “fair” as possible, we should throw the DBS 770 Ultimate at the new Vanquish, since it’s got the most power. We’re talking 759 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque courtesy of a 5.2-liter twin turbo V12 engine (44 hp more than in the Superleggera).

In a straight line, it’ll get you from zero to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, before maxing you out at 211 mph. The “regular” Superleggera is slower to 60 mph by just 0.1 seconds and has the same top speed as the 770 Ultimate.

So how does the 2025 Vanquish compare? Quite favorably, although there really isn’t all that much between them. The new Vanquish, also powered by a 5.2-liter twin turbo V12, is putting down 824 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. It can hit 60 mph in 3.2 seconds, while its top speed is an impressive 214 mph.

Price

Here’s where the problem comes into play. The all-new Vanquish is expected to retail from around $430,000, which is Ferrari 12Cilindri money. Meanwhile, holding onto your DBS Superleggera or your 770 Ultimate won’t cost you a dime, and if you’re looking to buy one of the latter two at auction, well, it’s a bit tricky.

We just saw a low-mileage 770 Ultimate sell for $353,555 a few days ago. That’s still a lot of money. However, if you’re good with purchasing a used Superleggera, it’ll only set you back around $200,000, unless it’s got delivery miles or something, in which case, maybe $250k or so. Which way are you leaning?