Why the Aston Martin Vantage is the track car you didn't know you needed

When you think of cars that perform great on a track, Aston Martins don't immediately come to mind. Why? Well, the brand has never really been known for making pure bred sports cars. People generally think of the brand's cars as cruisers, and they would be right. Astons have a reputation for looking and sounding good, but perhaps slightly lacking in the dynamism department. Being heavily featured as the iconic Bond car perhaps doesn't help in trying to prove substance over style.

But having driven the Vantage around the Sepang International Circuit, we can unabashedly tell you that it's one car you really should take to the track. Here are five reasons why.

Put your foot down and the Vantage just rockets forward, accompanied by a vicious soundtrack

1. It's mighty quick

The Vantage is blisteringly quick, make no mistake about it. The 4.0-litre V8 engine pumps out a monstrous 503bhp and 685Nm of torque, propelling the car from 0-100km/h in just 3.5 seconds. On the main straight of the Sepang track, we managed to eclipse 210km/h quite effortlessly, before having to slam on the brakes to prepare for turn 1. And of course, all that power is accompanied by a vicious and angry soundtrack.

The sharp front end lets you aggressively tackle corners with great confidence

2. It handles with verve

Chuck the car into the first corner and you are immediately struck by how sharp the front end is. You can really dart around and place it exactly as you want. The steering is well-weighted and communicative, and the car responds immediately to your input. Push hard and there's a certain violence in the immediacy in the way the car wants to change direction, but you never doubt the car's ability to stick to the tarmac.

The car's immaculate balance means that there is good flow as you link up multiple corners

3. It's tidier than you imagine

Because of the car's perfect 50:50 weight balance, it's adjustable and tidy in corners, with little to no understeer at all. On long sweeping corners, you can just use the throttle to tuck the car in and tighten up your line. There's also great modularity in the Vantage, whether its from accelerating to braking, or left-to-right transitions. You always feel in control. This is a proper sports car that's perfectly at home on a track.

There's an aggressive intensity about the Vantage that gets better the harder you push

4. It gets better the harder you push

On each subsequent lap that we did, our instructor kept pushing us to go a little faster, brake a little later and carry greater speed through corners. And the harder you push the Vantage, the more you realise that it has much more to give. The taut and communicative chassis is immensely capable, but more importantly, the Vantage is also extremely rewarding on the limit. There's an aggressive intensity about the car that is special.

When you're done driving on track, you can simply dust off and drive your Vantage home

5. It takes you places

There are some sports cars that you just want to drive on a track, but not out on public roads. They may be too harsh, too cramp or just too spiky for everyday use. This isn't the case in the Vantage. Once you're done with thrashing it out on the track, you can just take off your helmet and drive on home. And of course, you'll be doing it in style. It is an Aston Martin after all.