Certified Benz & Beemer Compares 2011 Porsche 911 VS 2011 Aston Martin Near Phoenix, AZ

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Porsche 911 Coupe are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Aston Martin Vantage doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Vantage cannot safely hold a rear facing infant safety seat, the only safe, legal way to transport babies from birth to one year old. Because the Vantage has no rear seats, the only unoccupied seat faces the passenger side airbag, which can injure or kill a baby in a rear facing safety seat. The 911’s rear seat is safe for a rear facing infant safety seat and the 911’s passenger side airbag has a weight sensor switch to disable it.

The 911 offers all wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Vantage doesn’t offer all wheel drive.

Both the 911 and the Vantage have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four wheel antilock brakes, traction control and electronic stability systems to prevent skidding.

The 911 comes with a full 4 year/50,000 mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car. The Vantage’s 3 year basic warranty expires 1 year sooner.

The 911 comes with free roadside assistance for 4 years 50,000 miles. Porsche will send help if you run out of gas, need a jump start, lock your keys in or need any assistance on the road. Aston Martin doesn’t give free roadside assistance for the Vantage.

There are almost 17 times as many Porsche dealers as there are Aston Martin dealers, which makes it much easier to get service under the 911’s warranty.

The 911 has more powerful engines than the Vantage:

As tested in Car and Driver the Porsche 911 GT3 is faster than the V-12 Vantage (manual transmissions tested):

As tested in Motor Trend the 911 Turbo PDK is faster than the V8 Vantage Manual:

In a Car and Driver race course test, the Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe Carrera 4 was clocked 2.4 seconds faster than the Aston Martin V-12 Vantage Coupe (93.2 sec. vs. 95.6 sec.) at an average lap speed 1.7 MPH faster (65.7 MPH vs. 64 MPH).

For more instantaneous acceleration and better engine flexibility in any gear, the 911’s engines produce their peak torque at lower RPM’s than the Vantage:

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the 911 lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability. The Vantage doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the 911 GT2 RS gets better fuel mileage than the V8 Vantage Manual (16 city/23 hwy vs. 12 city/19 hwy).

For better stopping power the 911 Turbo/GT3/GT2’s optional brake rotors are larger than those on the Vantage:

The 911 offers optional heat-treated ceramic brake rotors, which last ten to twenty times as long as conventional cast iron rotors, don’t rust, don’t fade during repeated high speed braking, and their lighter weight contribute to better braking, handling and acceleration. The Vantage doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

The 911 stops much shorter than the Vantage:

For better traction, the 911 GT2 RS Coupe’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Vantage (F:245/35R19 & R:325/30R19 vs. F:235/40R19 & R:275/35R19).

The 911’s optional 235/35R19 front and 295/30R19 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series front and 30 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Vantage’s 40 series front and 35 series rear tires.

The 911 has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Vantage’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The 911 offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Vantage’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The 911 GT3 handles at 1.05 G’s, while the Vantage Coupe pulls only .91 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The 911 Cabriolet handles at .92 G’s, while the Vantage Roadster pulls only .87 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The 911 Coupe goes through Road & Track’s slalom 7.3 MPH faster than the Vantage Coupe (75.9 vs. 68.6 MPH).

The 911 Coupe executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Vantage Coupe (22.9 seconds @ .9 average G’s vs. 24.5 seconds @ .79 average G’s).

The Porsche 911 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 100 to 500 pounds less than the Aston Martin Vantage.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the 911 Sport Chrono has an electronically controlled liquid-filled front engine mount. A computer-controlled electric current in the liquid changes its viscosity, allowing the mount to dampen the engine completely at all RPMs. The Vantage uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The 911 has standard seating for 4 passengers; the Vantage can only carry 2.

The 911 has 12 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Vantage (64 vs. 52).

The 911’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge – which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Vantage does not have an oil pressure gauge.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the 911 offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Vantage doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The 911’s outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. The Vantage doesn’t offer heated side mirrors.

When the 911 with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Vantage’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The 911 offers optional automatic dimming rear and side view mirrors which automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Vantage has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The 911’s optional air conditioned front seats cool the driver and front passenger and help take the sting out of hot leather in Summer. The Vantage doesn’t offer air conditioned front seats.