After spending the weekend with the Aston Martin Rapide I can safely say that nearly everybody who either looked at it or rode in it summed it up in one word: amazing.
From the boy in the service station who wouldn’t move until I started it up, to my neighbour who went a little bit quiet as the Rapide made a familiar piece of road suddenly seem much shorter, to my niece who actually took it one stage further by proclaiming it, as only girls of a certain age can, as “ay-may-zen”, the Aston Martin Rapide appears to have more than its share of admirers.
From the boy in the service station who wouldn’t move until I started it up, to my neighbour who went a little bit quiet as the Rapide made a familiar piece of road suddenly seem much shorter, to my niece who actually took it one stage further by proclaiming it, as only girls of a certain age can, as “ay-may-zen”, the Aston Martin Rapide appears to have more than its share of admirers.
It’s pretty easy to see why too. OK so the Rapide is not the kind of car you spot everyday but there is something special about the way it looks.
In the metal it may be slightly longer than you were expecting it to be but somehow it retains the elegant shape and coupe roofline of its fellow family members.
The nose and tail are every inch an Aston Martin and despite its longer wheelbase there’s no denying that the Rapide carries the same muscular and purposeful stance of the DBS with which it’s shares most of its DNA.
By stretching the modular the chassis that underpins all modern Astons the designers at Gaydon have created the marques first production four door sports car.
Instead of having just two trademark swan wing doors the Rapide gets two more, and two more full size hand stitched leather clad sports seats to go with them. And just for good measure each one is individually heated or can be folded flat in-order to create a relatively capacious load space should you need to carry goods rather than people.
As with all four seaters leg-room is better in the front but it’s not that bad in the back either. You wouldn’t want to carry four prop-forwards and their kitbags, but anyone under six foot should find Rapide’s rear quarters perfectly accommodating for up to couple of hours provided neither driver or front seat passenger aren’t uncommonly tall, and once in they’ll all appreciate the interiors luxury.
Soft Scandinavian leather covers nearly every surface. Bang and Olufsen provide the tunes and at night the rev counter and 220mph speedometer glow like the faces of Jaeger-LeCoultre wrist-watches.
Individual LED reading lights provide just the right level of interior illumination and as the suspension dismisses minor road imperfections both passengers and driver can relax in exquisite surroundings as the Rapide soaks up the miles, slushes through the gears, and slips silently up the road whilst barely breaking a sweat.
However, the Rapide has a dark side. It may be the ultimate cross continental cruiser but by pressing the button that firms up the dampers and selecting Sport mode you can transform Aston Martin’s super saloon into a snarling, fire-breathing demon.
As the revs rise and the purr of the 6litre 470bhp V12 turns in to a growl the Rapide shrinks around you. The horizon suddenly seems a lot closer and what at 1900kg plus is an undeniably large car, begins to feel lithe and agile.
You forget it’s a four seater and it becomes the super-car you always thought it would be. By switching off the traction control and changing ratios yourself you can indulge in over-steering heroics to you heart's content. Either that or you can just leave it on and let it the Rapide maintain its composure as just a hint of understeer and the tell-tale dashboard light let you know you’re pushing hard.
But despite its designer suit looks, epic performance and bespoke luxury the Rapide is not without its faults. The switches for the heater are small and distracting. The column stalks are from a Fiesta. The A pillars block your view at roundabouts. The sat-nav is infuriating.
And why does one of the best stereos in the business lack a digital option? But they’re just minor niggles. People say the Rapide is amazing, I tend to agree.
By Liam Bird
In the metal it may be slightly longer than you were expecting it to be but somehow it retains the elegant shape and coupe roofline of its fellow family members.
The nose and tail are every inch an Aston Martin and despite its longer wheelbase there’s no denying that the Rapide carries the same muscular and purposeful stance of the DBS with which it’s shares most of its DNA.
By stretching the modular the chassis that underpins all modern Astons the designers at Gaydon have created the marques first production four door sports car.
Instead of having just two trademark swan wing doors the Rapide gets two more, and two more full size hand stitched leather clad sports seats to go with them. And just for good measure each one is individually heated or can be folded flat in-order to create a relatively capacious load space should you need to carry goods rather than people.
As with all four seaters leg-room is better in the front but it’s not that bad in the back either. You wouldn’t want to carry four prop-forwards and their kitbags, but anyone under six foot should find Rapide’s rear quarters perfectly accommodating for up to couple of hours provided neither driver or front seat passenger aren’t uncommonly tall, and once in they’ll all appreciate the interiors luxury.
Soft Scandinavian leather covers nearly every surface. Bang and Olufsen provide the tunes and at night the rev counter and 220mph speedometer glow like the faces of Jaeger-LeCoultre wrist-watches.
Individual LED reading lights provide just the right level of interior illumination and as the suspension dismisses minor road imperfections both passengers and driver can relax in exquisite surroundings as the Rapide soaks up the miles, slushes through the gears, and slips silently up the road whilst barely breaking a sweat.
However, the Rapide has a dark side. It may be the ultimate cross continental cruiser but by pressing the button that firms up the dampers and selecting Sport mode you can transform Aston Martin’s super saloon into a snarling, fire-breathing demon.
As the revs rise and the purr of the 6litre 470bhp V12 turns in to a growl the Rapide shrinks around you. The horizon suddenly seems a lot closer and what at 1900kg plus is an undeniably large car, begins to feel lithe and agile.
You forget it’s a four seater and it becomes the super-car you always thought it would be. By switching off the traction control and changing ratios yourself you can indulge in over-steering heroics to you heart's content. Either that or you can just leave it on and let it the Rapide maintain its composure as just a hint of understeer and the tell-tale dashboard light let you know you’re pushing hard.
But despite its designer suit looks, epic performance and bespoke luxury the Rapide is not without its faults. The switches for the heater are small and distracting. The column stalks are from a Fiesta. The A pillars block your view at roundabouts. The sat-nav is infuriating.
And why does one of the best stereos in the business lack a digital option? But they’re just minor niggles. People say the Rapide is amazing, I tend to agree.
By Liam Bird
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