Advantage ASTON?

When the stepping stone to the revered Aston Martin brand packs more power than a Ferrari Enzo, it makes one take the "entry Aston Martin" tag a lot more seriously. We head to the hills outside Pune in the British marque's newest super sports car

- Jim Gorde

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU DID something for the first time?' I asked myself as I woke up at 4.30 am after a couple of hours of slumber, anticipating what the day would have in store for me.

The new Aston Martin Vantage was in Pune and some twisty hill roads beckoned at daybreak-a worthwhile location to try and unleash the British Bulldog's latest small sibling. This also happened to be my first time behind the wheel of an Aston Martin, so I'll try to keep it real.

There is a lot to love about Aston Martin, other than Fernando Alonso's face plastered on the website, especially when it comes to their approach towards building cars. Their focus is on delivering sport-luxury cars with a natural tilt towards sport without any perceivable lack of luxury. Unlike Bentley, whose cars are much heavier, and Rolls-Royce, who leave no stone unturned, making them both heavy and outrageously expensive, Aston Martin have adopted a more no-nonsense approach. This makes the Vantage able enough to pose a threat to the Porsche 911 Turbo S as well as those who want a little less car than what Bentley will deliver pound-for-pound, all while going toe-to-toe with Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Maserati as well.