Aston Martin V12 Vantage generations: what one generation actually changed
There is 1 generation. Production of that generation is 2009-02-01 to 2017-10-31. Body type is Coupe. The generation lists 6 versions, all named 5.9 MT or 5.9 Sportshift.
There is 1 generation. Production of that generation is 2009-02-01 to 2017-10-31. Body type is Coupe. The generation lists 6 versions, all named 5.9 MT or 5.9 Sportshift. There is no second generation in this dataset to compare years, bodies, or a restyle against, so the buyer comparison is inside this one Coupe run: three power levels on 5.9 MT, two 5.9 Sportshift calibrations, and two 5.9 MT 517 hp cars that differ by kerb and gross mass rather than by gearbox type.
Aston Martin V12 Vantage specs: engines, horsepower, bhp, gearbox
Every version displaces 5935 cm³. Peak power in the table is horsepower as given (the same figures people search as bhp). Engine position, bore × stroke, and some other cells are not measured on later rows; that is a gap in the record, not a different layout.
| Version | hp (kW @ rpm) | Nm @ rpm | cm³ | Fuel | Cylinders / layout | Boost | Gearbox / gears | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.9 MT 517 hp, 1680 kg | 517 (380 @ 6500) | 570 @ 5750 | 5935 | Gasoline, 98 | 12, V-shaped | No | Manual, 6 | RWD |
| 5.9 MT 573 hp | 573 (421 @ 6750) | 620 @ 5750 | 5935 | Gasoline, 95 | 12, V-shaped | No | Manual, 7 | RWD |
| 5.9 MT 600 hp | 600 (441 @ 6500) | 690 @ 5000 | 5935 | Gasoline, 95 | 12, V-shaped | No | Manual, 6 | RWD |
| 5.9 Sportshift 573 hp, 3.9 s | 573 (421 @ 6750) | 620 @ 5750 | 5935 | Gasoline, 95 | 12, V-shaped | No | Robotic, 7 | RWD |
| 5.9 MT 517 hp, 1760 kg | 517 (380 @ 6500) | 570 @ 5750 | 5935 | Gasoline, 98 | 12, V-shaped | No | Manual, 6 | RWD |
| 5.9 Sportshift 573 hp, 4.1 s | 573 (421 @ 6750) | 620 @ 5750 | 5935 | Gasoline, 95 | 12, V-shaped | No | Robotic, 7 | RWD |
Engine position is Front, longitudinal on both 5.9 MT 517 hp rows and not measured on the 573 hp and 600 hp rows. Bore × stroke is 89 × 79.5 on both 5.9 MT 517 hp rows and not measured on the rest. Specific output from the same 5935 cm³: 5.9 MT 517 hp is 87.1 hp per litre; 5.9 MT 573 hp and both 5.9 Sportshift rows are 96.5 hp per litre; 5.9 MT 600 hp is 101.1 hp per litre. The 600 hp 5.9 MT adds 83 hp and 120 Nm versus either 517 hp 5.9 MT, and 27 hp and 70 Nm versus the 573 hp cars. Torque peak drops from 5750 rpm on the 517 and 573 hp engines to 5000 rpm on the 600 hp 5.9 MT. Fuel grade is 98 only on the two 517 hp 5.9 MT cars and 95 on the four 573/600 hp cars.
Do not treat “5.9 MT” as one car: the catalogue uses that name for 517 hp with 6 gears, 573 hp with 7 gears, and 600 hp with 6 gears. Do not treat “5.9 Sportshift” as one car either: both are 573 hp Robotic 7-speed RWD, but they are not the same on time to 100 km/h, top speed, mass, or consumption.
Aston Martin V12 Vantage 0–100, top speed, mpg (fuel use)
Time to 100 km/h is measured on all six. Top speed and consumption are not.
- 5.9 MT 517 hp (1680 kg): 4.2 s, 305 km/h, city 24.3 / highway 11.7 / mixed 16.4 L/100 km, CO2 388 g/km.
- 5.9 MT 573 hp: 3.9 s, 330 km/h; city, highway, mixed, and CO2 not measured.
- 5.9 MT 600 hp: 4.0 s; top speed, city, highway, mixed, and CO2 not measured.
- 5.9 Sportshift 573 hp (1680 kg): 3.9 s, 330 km/h; city, highway, mixed, and CO2 not measured.
- 5.9 MT 517 hp (1760 kg): 4.2 s, 305 km/h, city 24.3 / highway 11.7 / mixed 16.4 L/100 km, CO2 388 g/km — same speed and fuel figures as the lighter 517 hp 5.9 MT.
- 5.9 Sportshift 573 hp (1745 kg): 4.1 s, 323 km/h, city 27.7 / highway 12.6 / mixed 19.2 L/100 km; CO2 not measured.
The 573 hp 5.9 MT and the lighter 5.9 Sportshift are 0.3 s quicker to 100 km/h than either 517 hp 5.9 MT, and 25 km/h higher at the top (330 versus 305). The 600 hp 5.9 MT is 0.2 s quicker than the 517 hp cars but 0.1 s slower than the 3.9 s 573 hp pair; you cannot claim it is the fastest in a straight line because its top speed is not measured. The heavier 5.9 Sportshift is 0.2 s slower than the lighter 5.9 Sportshift and 7 km/h slower (323 versus 330).
Where mixed consumption is measured, the 517 hp 5.9 MT pair at 16.4 L/100 km uses 2.8 L/100 km less than the 1745 kg 5.9 Sportshift at 19.2. City gap is 3.4 L/100 km (24.3 versus 27.7); highway gap is 0.9 L/100 km (11.7 versus 12.6). The 573 hp 5.9 MT, the 600 hp 5.9 MT, and the 1680 kg 5.9 Sportshift have no consumption numbers to compare, so a “thirstier V12” verdict cannot be applied to those three from this dataset.
Aston Martin V12 Vantage dimensions, weight, wheels
Overall length is not measured on any version. Weight, clearance, tank, and wheels are the dimensional facts that exist.
Kerb mass: 5.9 MT 600 hp 1600 kg; 5.9 MT 573 hp 1676 kg; 5.9 MT 517 hp (first row) and 5.9 Sportshift 3.9 s both 1680 kg; 5.9 Sportshift 4.1 s 1745 kg; 5.9 MT 517 hp (fifth row) 1760 kg. That is a 160 kg spread from lightest to heaviest (1760 − 1600). Gross mass is 2000 kg on the 1680 kg 5.9 MT 517 hp, 1980 kg on the 1760 kg 5.9 MT 517 hp, and not measured on the other four. Payload from the two measured pairs: 2000 − 1680 = 320 kg on the lighter 517 hp 5.9 MT; 1980 − 1760 = 220 kg on the heavier 517 hp 5.9 MT.
Mass per horsepower: 5.9 MT 600 hp 2.67 kg/hp; 5.9 MT 573 hp 2.92 kg/hp; lighter 5.9 Sportshift 2.93 kg/hp; lighter 5.9 MT 517 hp 3.25 kg/hp; heavier 5.9 Sportshift 3.04 kg/hp; heavier 5.9 MT 517 hp 3.40 kg/hp. Ground clearance is 110 mm on all six. Tank is 80 L on all six. Wheels are 255/35 R19 and 295/30 R19 on five versions; on 5.9 MT 600 hp wheels are not measured. Front brakes are Ceramic ventilated on all six. Rear brakes are Ceramic ventilated on both 5.9 MT 517 hp cars and Disc ventilated on the 573 hp 5.9 MT, the 600 hp 5.9 MT, and both 5.9 Sportshift cars.
Which Aston Martin V12 Vantage version to choose
There is no generation-to-generation “what the extra money buys” in this file: one generation, six Coupes, no prices. The extra output, gears, and kilograms are the only trade.
Choose 5.9 MT 600 hp if the ranking that matters is power density and kerb. It is the only 600 hp / 441 kW / 690 Nm car, the only one that peaks torque at 5000 rpm, and the lightest at 1600 kg — 76 kg under the 573 hp 5.9 MT, 80 kg under the 1680 kg 517 hp 5.9 MT, and 160 kg under the 1760 kg 517 hp 5.9 MT. It stays on a 6-speed Manual like the 517 hp cars, not the 7-speed Manual of the 573 hp 5.9 MT. Cost of that peak: 0–100 is 4.0 s, not the 3.9 s of the 573 hp 7-speed pair; top speed, consumption, CO2, gross mass, wheels, engine position, and bore × stroke are not measured. You are buying the strongest, lightest sheet in the table, not the most complete one.
Choose 5.9 MT 573 hp if you want the quickest measured Manual: 3.9 s and 330 km/h, 7 gears, 1676 kg. Versus 5.9 MT 517 hp that is +56 hp, +50 Nm, −0.3 s, +25 km/h, and either −4 kg versus 1680 kg or −84 kg versus 1760 kg. Versus 5.9 MT 600 hp you give up 27 hp, 70 Nm, and 76 kg of lightness, and you gain a measured 330 km/h and a 7-speed Manual. Consumption is not measured, so you cannot pick this row as the efficient 573 hp car.
Choose 5.9 Sportshift 573 hp with 3.9 s if the gearbox must be Robotic and the stopwatch should match the 573 hp Manual. Same 573 hp, 620 Nm, 7 gears, 330 km/h, and 3.9 s as 5.9 MT 573 hp; kerb 1680 kg is 4 kg above that Manual. Versus the other 5.9 Sportshift it is 65 kg lighter, 0.2 s quicker, and 7 km/h faster. Consumption on this Sportshift row is not measured, so you cannot prove it uses less fuel than the 1745 kg Sportshift — only that it is quicker and lighter.
Choose 5.9 Sportshift 573 hp with 4.1 s only if you need a Robotic 7-speed and you need the one Sportshift with published fuel use: 27.7 / 12.6 / 19.2 L/100 km. You pay 65 kg, 0.2 s, and 7 km/h versus the other Sportshift, and 0.2 s plus 7 km/h versus the 573 hp 5.9 MT. Mixed 19.2 L/100 km is 2.8 L/100 km above the 517 hp 5.9 MT pair. This is the documented-economy Robotic car, not the fast one.
Choose 5.9 MT 517 hp at 1680 kg if you want the only combination of 6-speed Manual, 98-grade Gasoline, full consumption (16.4 mixed), CO2 388 g/km, Front, longitudinal placement, 89 × 79.5 bore × stroke, Ceramic ventilated rear brakes, and the larger measured payload (320 kg). You give up 56–83 hp and 0.3 s versus the 573 hp cars. Versus the other 517 hp 5.9 MT you save 80 kg kerb and gain 100 kg payload (320 versus 220) while speed and fuel figures stay identical.
Choose 5.9 MT 517 hp at 1760 kg only if that heavier kerb (1760 kg) and 1980 kg gross are the car in front of you. Performance and economy match the 1680 kg 517 hp 5.9 MT exactly; mass per horsepower is the worst in the set at 3.40 kg/hp. There is no extra power, extra gear, or extra speed attached to the extra 80 kg.
Manual versus Sportshift at 573 hp. Same engine numbers (573 hp, 421 kW at 6750 rpm, 620 Nm at 5750). The Manual 5.9 MT is 1676 kg and 3.9 s / 330 km/h. The lighter 5.9 Sportshift matches 3.9 s / 330 km/h at 1680 kg. The heavier 5.9 Sportshift does not: 4.1 s / 323 km/h at 1745 kg. If you want 7 gears and the 3.9 s figure, Manual and the light Sportshift are equivalent on the clock; they differ by gearbox type (Manual versus Robotic) and by 4 kg.
517 versus 573 versus 600 on Manual. All three are 5.9 MT. 517 hp: 6 gears, 4.2 s, 305 km/h, consumption measured. 573 hp: 7 gears, 3.9 s, 330 km/h, consumption not measured. 600 hp: 6 gears, 4.0 s, top speed not measured, lightest kerb. The 573 hp 7-speed is the one with both a quicker 0–100 and a higher measured top speed than 517. The 600 hp car is the one with more power than 573 but without a measured top speed and with a 0–100 figure 0.1 s behind the 573 hp Manual.
Problems, reliability, engine-for-sale listings, 2026 models, Roadster, V8 Vantage, Vanquish, DBS, 0–60, weight distribution, length, and asking prices are not measured here. The six Coupe rows above are the whole choice.