It dazzled me with its straight-line speed, thrilled me with its cornering powers and deafened me with the howl of its new 4.7 litre, 420bhp engine. And it occurred to me that even if it had proved a disappointment, this new Aston Martin V8 Vantage would be impossible to dislike.

Its enduring qualities are its appearance and its name, and apart from new 19in wheels, the former is unchanged in this, the first round of modifications to the three-year-old Vantage design. Aston Martin is too clever to tinker with lines that have made the Vantage so popular. As for the name, I believe no other in motoring (with the possible exception of Maserati) combines such class with so much promise of adventure. For that we should thank film-maker Cubby Broccoli for replacing 007’s original Bentley with an Aston.

There was a time, 15 to 20 years ago, when Aston Martins were terrible, yet still sold to those romanced by the concept. These free-spirited individuals wanted not to be weighed down by the facts but instead to look out on a sunny Sunday and ask: “Shall we take the Aston?”

Then Ford bought Aston Martin, and while continuing to produce handsome cars, it also made them reliable – at last. It’s a doctrine the company has lived by ever since, and it’s perpetuated by this, the first postFord model.

The only substantive complaints fielded about the original Vantage were that it was not quite quick enough – particularly in the midrange – its handling could be better, and the fascia, while looking good, was impossible to use. And here, now, is a Vantage with more power – particularly in the midrange – substantially more control in the corners, and a fresh set of knobs and buttons to twiddle on the inside. Best of all, the price, at £85,000, is only £2,000 more than that of the car it replaces, despite the 19in wheels now featuring as standard equipment.

The car hasn’t been “transformed”, for in truth, it didn’t need it. What was required was for the Vantage to be sharpened up, and that is precisely what has been achieved.

On paper, the 0-60mph sprint is reduced by a mere 0.2sec to 4.7sec, while 5mph is added at the top end to give a 180mph maximum. The new motor is a shade quieter than the 4.3 litre unit, which made an inimitable, ear-shredding shriek, and as such, feels less urgent.

You notice the benefit when you realise you no longer need to change down a gear to squirt past a line of traffic, nor rev the motor till it’s fit to burst to extract the maximum performance. In short, the bark has been traded for bite, which counts as a favourable exchange in my book.

As for the new-found keenness for corners, the car I drove was fitted with the optional £2,500 sport pack, which has stiffer spring and damper settings, and lighter wheels, and there’s a level of precision here that was missing in the past.

Less impressive are the efforts to clean up the dashboard. To swap one mess for another is not progress, and while its ergonomics are a shade less infuriating, that’s like saying chicken pox is preferable to measles, when you’d rather not have either.

And then there’s the new key and fob. Even if you forgive Aston Martin for calling it an Emotion Control Unit (which I never will), what’s unforgiveable is the fact that if you stall the car, you have to pop the key out, put your foot on the very stiff clutch, reinsert the key, press it, then wait for the engine to restart. I stalled while negotiating a U-turn, and it left me stranded, broadside across the road, stabbing desperately at the dashboard slot where this infernal device lives. It did fire, eventually.

I still left the new Vantage in an even more positive frame of mind than I usually have after two days in the sun driving an Aston at silly speeds. True, the Vantage is no more than the car it should have been from the start, and it’s likely to find the going very tough against rivals such as the Audi R8 and Porsche’s imminent heavily revised 911. Even if it loses a little to these in outright ability, Aston will once more be counting on looks and name to make up the difference.

Vital statistics

Model Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Engine type 4733cc, eight cylinders
Power/Torque 420bhp @ 7000rpm / 346 lb ft @ 5750rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel/CO2 20.4mpg (combined cycle) / 328g/km
Performance 0-60mph: 4.7sec / Top speed: 180mph
Road tax band G (£400 for 12 months)
Price £85,000
Verdict A small but significant step forward
Date of release Now

The opposition

Model Audi R8 £78,300
For Even better to live with than it is to drive
Against Looks odd in some colours, name lacks cachet

Model Porsche 911 Carrera S £68,750
For Still the only truly practical everyday supercar
Against Ubiquitous, not pretty, soon to be updated