Apple’s first car is an Aston Martin

SINGAPORE – The latest Aston Martin Vantage S is the surprising offspring of Apple’s abandoned car project, if only in spirit – or at least part of the sports car’s brain – in the form of CarPlay Ultra.

This is Apple’s automotive platform, which runs everything – from the driver’s display to key controls to vehicle settings – rather than only projecting the contents of the phone to the car.

Even though Aston Martin’s cars are neither self-driving nor electric, which are the two key attributes of the car project that Apple shut down in 2024, the English brand was in 2025 the first carmaker to incorporate CarPlay Ultra. The Vantage S, which was launched here at the end of July, is the first car reviewed by The Straits Times with this technology. The upgraded car replaces the standard Vantage.

Wirelessly connecting an iPhone to the car is compulsory to launch CarPlay Ultra. Once that is done, the system takes over the driver instrument and the centre display. You can use the platform to control things like the climate control and drive mode settings, in addition to the usual infotainment features. Otherwise, there is Aston Martin’s native system to fall back on.

The operating logic and the look of the icons on the screen will feel instantly familiar to an iPhone user. Besides tapping and swiping the screen, the system can be controlled via the physical knobs and switches in the cabin.

During the brief test drive, the system worked faultlessly. The screen was as responsive as an iPad mini, set in a very tactile cabin with knurled aluminium rollers and physical switches.

In addition to typical infotainment features, CarPlay Ultra can be used to customise the driving mode settings, including the steering, suspension, exhaust and deciding which driving assistants should stay deactivated.

The incorporation of CarPlay Ultra marks the second phase of the overhaul to the Vantage, which debuted in 2018. The earlier update, in 2024, replaced the Mercedes-sourced infotainment system with Aston Martin’s own creation. This includes a 10.25-inch touchscreen display and some beautifully crafted metallic controls.

A toggle switch replaced the PRND gear selector buttons. Made from aluminium with a knurled finish, the selector feels weighty. It sits just behind the rotary drive mode selector, which turns with a satisfyingly well-oiled action.

Hints of Mercedes-Benz remain – if you know where to look – like the touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel spokes. The Blackberry-style optical trackpads, which are unique to the German carmaker, are a dead giveaway. The single column stalk that activates both the turn indicator and wiper functions is another borrowed part. They all work perfectly fine, just different in feel from the Aston-developed switchgear.

Usability has also been upgraded with the addition of a small glove compartment and a wireless phone charging pad. These upgrades are relevant for what is intended to be a sports car for daily use. To reinforce the point, Aston Martin’s representative boasts that the Vantage’s boot is large enough for two golf bags.

Drop into the deeply bolstered seat, embossed with a discreet S motif on the fixed head restraint, and the car’s driver-centric focus is clear. Your hand falls naturally on the flat-bottomed steering wheel, fingers lightly touching the cool aluminium shift paddles, while the Vantage’s wonderfully swollen rear haunches fill the wing mirrors.

Aston is quite low-key when it comes to differentiating the S from the standard model, limiting the cosmetic changes to a pair of cooling ducts on the bonnet, badges on the front fenders and a slim spoiler on the rear hatch.

Then again, the car’s stocky, wide and bulldog-like stance probably does enough to signal to onlookers that it is built for performance. Its wild rear diffuser design and Aston’s signature “swan doors”, which arc slightly upwards when open, are still as dramatic as ever.

The firepower comes courtesy of a 4-litre, twin-turbo V8 engine from Mercedes-AMG, which is tuned to make 671hp. This is 15hp more than the standard car and a significant 86hp advantage over the GT63, which is the most powerful two-door Mercedes-AMG model in Singapore.

Torque peaks at 800Nm. Delivered exclusively to the rear wheels, the Vantage S surges to 100kmh from rest in 3.4 seconds.

On everyday roads, the raw numbers matter less than real-world flexibility. Even to drivers accustomed to the instantaneous punch of performance electric cars, the Vantage S still feels very responsive and alert. On open stretches, when brief opportunities arise to uncork the engine, the roar and vibration from the V8 are compelling reasons for keeping the internal combustion engine alive.

The standard steel brakes are obviously more than up to the job of stopping the car in daily use. The pedal feels firm and progressive, giving the driver plenty of confidence.

Under that heavily sculpted aluminium body is a stiff chassis with near racecar-level torsional rigidity. It is as if the front and rear ends are solidly bolted to the occupant cell, rather than with rubber bushings. Besides boosting the car’s responsiveness to driver inputs, the rigid chassis also allows the adaptive suspension to cope with the changing road conditions and not be distracted by any flexing in the platform.

The car felt surprisingly surefooted tackling the pockmarked and twisting Neo Tiew Road, which is frequented by heavy trucks. The turn-in feels immediate and accurate, matched with an abundance of traction from the rear.

In fact, the suspension in the softer GT driving mode is really well-suited for most driving situations. Twisting the drive mode to either Sport or Sport+ tightens body control, although ride comfort never deteriorates to the point where occupants are jiggling after driving over every bump on the road.

For most of the time, the default GT mode is still the ideal choice. Gear changes are almost imperceptible while the cabin is hush enough to take Zoom calls and get Siri to organise the day’s schedule.

The arrival of the Vantage S marks a clever strategic shift by Aston Martin. With 671hp, the car edges closer in performance to a Porsche 911 Turbo S (701hp) than the regular Carrera models. At $880,000 before certificate of entitlement (COE), the Aston Martin undercuts the flagship Porsche by over $300,000, while offering two more cylinders in the engine and a novel piece of technology from Cupertino.

For those who are not looking to spend nearly a million dollars (after COE) to have CarPlay Ultra in their lives, the good news is that Hyundai and Kia are set to adopt the software next. They are unlikely to have a thumping V8 engine or knurled aluminium climate control dials though.

Aston Martin Vantage S

Price: $888,000 before COE
Engine: 3,982cc, 32-valve, twin-turbo, V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic with paddle shift
Power: 671hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 800Nm at 2,000-5,000rpm
0-100kmh: 3.4 seconds
Top speed: 325kmh
Fuel consumption: 12.1 litres/100km
Agent: Wearnes Automotive
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Comparable considerations

Porsche 911 Carrera GTS ($778,888 before COE)

The Porsche 911 has always been the benchmark for sports cars, with the GTS being the sweet spot in terms of daily usability and driving performance. The six-cylinder twin-turbo hybrid packs 534hp and 570Nm of torque, giving it a 0-100kmh timing of 3 seconds. While it may not be immediately obvious, the Porsche is actually slightly shorter overall than the Aston Martin, yet has a pair of seats at the back.

Corvette Stingray ($868,888 with COE)

Doing without any form of hybridisation, the Corvette is the iconic American supercar. Instead of breathing through turbochargers like the Vantage S, the Corvette gets its 495hp from sheer engine displacement, all 6.2 litres of it. This is enough to get the two-seater to 100kmh from rest in 3 seconds flat.

Lexus LC 500 ($844,800 with COE)

The most exotic-looking car from Japan has a naturally aspirated 5-litre V8 engine paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. It is not particularly quick, taking some 4.7 seconds to get to 100kmh from rest, but that is so the rest of us can take the time to appreciate its stunning design.