2018 Aston Martin Rapide Reviews

Peter Barnwell road tests and reviews the 2014 Aston Martin Rapide S with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

THEY say Aston Martins all look the same, and they have a point. When you spy one you immediately know it's an Aston -- they're that distinctive -- but was it DB9 or a DBS? A V8 or a V12? You seldom see two together, so it's hard to tell.However, I'm at Phillip Island race circuit surrounded by more than 40 examples representing every facet of the line-up. It's the first track day organised by the company in Australia and could be the largest gathering of Astons down under.Many owners have driven their cars interstate to be here, and some have flown in from New Zealand. When they're all together like this -- the cars, that is, not the owners -- it's surprising how the differences leap out at you. They're at least as different from each other as, say, Porsches.The Aston range has just been expanded by one and it's the most different of the lot. The Rapide is Aston's first four-door sportscar after it joined the rush to design slinky sedans. This segment, pioneered by the Mercedes-Benz CLS and Maserati Quattroporte, is growing rapidly. The Porsche Panamera is another newcomer while Audi and BMW both intend to make ``four-door coupes''.DESIGNSo far, the Rapide is the one that has made the transition from two doors to four with the fewest compromises on shape. A Panamera is more commodious in the rear but looks ugly from behind and bulky all over. Aston struck a different balance.The Rapide sticks to the concept that surprised the Detroit motor show in 2006, which looked like a stretched DB9. Side by side, it's obvious there was a bit more involved than that.It's bigger in all dimensions to the brand's pin-up 2+2, but most obviously longer, by 30cm. The Rapide retains all the brand signatures, including ``swan'' doors that swing upwards slightly to lift them clear of kerbs. But every panel is different while ingredients such as the headlights and side strakes are longer. It also gets a unique face with a grille on the lower air intake and main-beams garnished with a string of LEDs.Aston says it's the most beautiful four-door sportscar, and it's hard to disagree. Some of the effect relies on visual tricks. The rear doors are much larger than the actual openings; some of what they conceal is structural. It's a squeeze to get in and, once there, it's tight but bearable for full-sizers, better for children. The rear seats fold for carrying long stuff, which is just as well because cargo space is a relatively miserly 317 litres.One question mark concerns the car's assembly, which is being done away from the English Midlands at a special facility in Austria. Transplanting the brand's craft traditions appears to have worked; the car I drove was beautifully hand-finished to a high standard. As usual, what appears to be metal is metal, including the Bang & Olufsen speaker grilles and magnesium gearshift paddles behind the wheel. The Rapide just seems a little more lavish.TECHNOLOGYThere are no dud notes here, although the centre console, which is borrowed from the DB9, has fiddly buttons and the control system is rudimentary compared with the best of the Germans.In technical terms the Rapide follows the DB9, with the same engine and six-speed automatic transmission located at the rear axle. As with the two-door, most of the Rapide is aluminium and Aston claims the bonded chassis has been stretched without compromising rigidity. Weight increases are the penalty, with the Rapide 230kg heavier than a DB9 at a whisker under two tonnes.The Rapide chalks up a few firsts for the brand, including an electronic park brake and dual-cast brake discs in cast iron and aluminium. It also installs adaptive dampers from the DBS to its double wishbone suspension.DRIVINGAs well as being the largest and heaviest Aston, the Rapide is also the slowest. At 5.2 seconds to reach 100km/h, it's 0.4 seconds slower than a DB9. It gives up sooner, too, with a maximum speed of 296km/h, 10km/h less than a DB9. However, among four-doors these figures are no disgrace.With a starting price just $13,000 more than the DB9 Coupe automatic, Aston executive Marcel Fabris expects to sell 30 Rapides by the end of the year. Globally, the company will deliver 2000 a year.My first drive is a delivery run of sorts. The night before the track day, the Rapide needs to be relocated from the brand's Melbourne showroom to Phillip Island so that it can be shown off to owners and a score of invited prospects. I've driven these 140km before and they are not very exciting. It's already dark and raining, so I focus on negotiating Melbourne's home-bound crawl and getting there without drama.It's easy to get comfortable and the steering makes a favourable impression immediately. It's direct, precise and terrifically weighted. It makes shuffling this 5m-long, highly visible piece of exotica through tetchy traffic a breeze.Cabin quietness and ride quality are better than expected, too, and the days when Astons came without cruise control have long gone. All the comforts and conveniences are here, including heated seats. If there's an irritation it's the control system and its small buttons, which make finding a suitable radio station a chore.That's not an issue at the circuit the next day, when the weather has cleared and Aston owners are patiently sitting through driver briefings. More than just a chance to experience their cars at speed, this event is modelled on ones in Britain, Europe and the US in which professional race drivers ride shotgun with owners to coach them on getting the best from their car. Three instructors have come out from Britain, where the brand has been offering performance driving courses for a decade. The rest are locals with years of motorsport experience.Under the expert guidance of Brit Paul Beddow, I take the Rapide out first. I've never driven an Aston on a circuit before and the experience is something of a revelation. The Rapide doesn't feel like a sedan but something smaller and more agile -- you could almost be in one of the coupes. The steering I liked on the road is even better here, while the brakes are excellent and gearshifts quicker than expected. This V12 engine is a lovely unit that doesn't mind working hard. It may not be the quickest Aston, but the Rapide doesn't feel slow.During the course of the day there's a chance to sample the rest of the Aston range, and when you drive them back-to-back, as when you see them side-by-side, it's the differences that stand out. The Rapide is the refined and civilised member of the range, surprisingly relaxing to drive even on the track, yet strong and capable. Grip levels and cornering speeds are high.VERDICTThe Rapide bookends the renewal that began with DB9. That car helped Aston break its habit of borrowing parts from previous owner Ford, and trading on a reputation that was part racing history, part Hollywood action hero.After expanding its line-up with the less expensive Vantage V8, Aston's ownership base has increased enormously. It's now large enough in Australia to make events such as the one at Phillip Island possible. Most of the owners were experiencing their car on a track for the first time. And most I spoke to would do it again in a flash.The Rapide should help expand the reach of Aston even further. The least likely circuit warrior in the line-up will make future track days more likely, not less. And when the owners turn up to put a Rapide through its paces, they will be pleasantly surprised.While for Aston trainspotters, at last there's an easy one to pick.ASTON MARTIN RAPIDE - $366,280 plus on-road costsVEHICLE: Luxury sedanENGINE: 5.9-litre V12OUTPUTS: 350kW at 6000rpm and 600Nm at 5000rpmTRANSMISSION: Six-speed automatic, rear-wheel driveRead more about prestige motoring at The Australian.

YOU may not be familiar with the name Fritz Tscherneg. In fact, unless you live in Graz, Austria, he is to the world an anonymous collection of 14 letters.  But Mr Tscherneg's name is under the bonnet of an Aston Martin Rapide in Perth, carrying on Aston's tradition of identifying the engine builder. So you can ring him up and go off your nut if anything goes wrong, presumably.But the Rapide breaks Aston's tradition in one important way: it's not made in England like its ancestors but in Graz, hence the sudden prominence of Mr Tscherneg.A handful of trainspotters picked up on his name in the tiny Benedictine town of New Norcia, 120km from Perth and 13,246km from Graz, as Australia's first Rapide opened itself up in WA's countryside.Body and appearanceThis is Aston's first four-door for almost four decades – and it is everything you expect from Aston but with a slightly different spin.  For those who go weak at the knees at the sight of an Aston Martin, they will be similarly enamoured by the Rapide. The most striking and unexpected - feature is the integration of four doors within the familiar and beautiful C-pillar, flanks and boot line.  It is a remarkable job and at first glance, could be mistaken for a two-door Vantage or DB9 coupe. The style leads to comparisons with the Porsche Panamera that, side by side, looks bustle-tailed, awkward and heavy from the same rear three-quarter angle.The Aston is all about aesthetics. The Porsche is about purpose.  Porsche applies a clinical technique to its products. There is almost an arrogance in its relationship wit the buyer, captured in the 1970s by serving up its 911s is a rather uncomplimentary colour palette from baby-poo brown to Kermit green and traffic light orange. Later, it unveiled the Cayenne SUV.Aston Martin doesn't share its rival’s philosophy. It is, by comparison, a very small company that is privately held. It is acutely aware that the risks of travelling the less-worn path in car design could wipe it out.So, like Jennifer Hawkins, its look is its fortune. For that reason, the nose cone and the forward section of the turret are DB9. The signature C-pillar and shoulders that brood over the massive 295mm wide Bridgestone Potenza rear tyres are also lured from the pen of the DB9 designer.  The boot lid is long, creating a hatch as in the Panamera, though its yawn isn't as obviously large when snub tailgate is closed.It would be easy to say the Rapide is a DB9 that has been stretched. It isn't. It sits on a new platform incidentally about 250mm longer than the DB9 - that shares its extruded aluminium design and some suspension components.Interior and fit-outBut sit in the driver's seat and what is ahead of you is all Aston DB9.  The push-button selection for six-speed auto gearbox is above the cente of the dashboard. Minor switchgear is similarly familiar, as is the gauges and console.Turn around and there's a repeat of the front cabin. The seats are the same deeply scalloped buckets, though the backrest is split halfway to fold to boost the modest luggage capacity.The centre console extends, rising between the front seats to create individual vents for the rear passengers. Those in the back get separate airconditioning controls and volume for the Bang and Olufsen Beosound 1000-Watt audio, cupholders, a deep centre storage bin and DVD monitors with wireless headsets - set within the head restraints of the front seats.More importantly, they get room. The shape of the Rapide doesn't accurately reflect the available headroom good enough for a 1.8m passenger and though the legroom is at the whim of the front seat occupants, only tall people may feel constrained.  Rear seat comfort, however, is unlikely to be top criteria for owners.Driving This is a car to drive. The doorstop-heavy glass key slides into the gap in the centre console, just below the gear selector buttons. Press hard and there's a pause, like a conductor's hesitation before his baton is struck down and the orchestra erupts in full noise.There's 12 angry pistons sliding in 12 honed cylinders and their concert puts out 350kW and 600Nm of torque and lots of booming, staccato bass background.  You select either the D for drive button or pull on the steering wheel's right-hand paddle shifter.And despite the near two-tonne mass, the Rapide jets to 100km/h in a respectable five seconds in a blur of exhaust roar.  That's not as quick as the DB9's 4.8 seconds and the specs show that while they share power and torque, the Rapide's extra 190kg trims back its acceleration just a touch.p>Not that you'd really notice or care.  It's a beautiful power delivery, full of noise and torque. The speedo and tacho needles swing in opposite directions, so it's not an easy set of gauges to glance at and get a feel of what's happening beneath the bonnet. It's that mix of engine and exhaust noise that'll guide the driver.But it's not just the engine. The gearbox is a simple six-speed automatic unit no clutchless manual here that gets the power down smoothly and relatively quickly.The steering is well weighted, so it transmits the feel and contours and all the irregularities of the road to the driver's fingers, so the driving experience becomes tactile.And the brakes are colossal, firm to press but responding with confidence.  It doesn't take long to dismiss this as a four-door, four-seater express car. It feels like a two-seater coupe.The balance is lovely and the ride is surprisingly compliant and except for tyre roar on coarse-chip road sections very quiet. Communication with the rear passengers is absolutely no effort, even at the legal road speed.Where it shines on the open road there are some dull points in the city. It is a long car and it's low, so parking requires patience and familiarity. The turning circle is large, so it's not a nimble car.Live with it. For a car that bore snickers and sneers when showcased as a concept, the Rapide shows that simple, traditional cars can find a place and that bespoke manufacturers can win the throw of the dice.ASTON MARTIN RAPIDEPrice: $366,280Built: AustriaEngine: 6-litre V12Power: 350kW @ 6000rpmTorque: 600Nm @ 5000rpm0-100km/h: 5.0 secondsTop speed: 296km/hFuel economy (tested): 15.8 l/100kmFuel tank: 90.5 litresTransmission: 6-speed sequential automatic; rear driveSuspension: double wishbone, coilsBrakes: front - 390mm vented discs, 6-piston calipers; rear 360mm vented discs, 4-piston calipersWheels: 20-inch alloyTyres: front - 245/40ZR20; rear 295/35ZR20Length: 5019mmWidth (inc mirrors): 2140mmHeight: 1360mmWheelbase: 2989mmWeight: 1950kgScore: 90/100RivalsMaserati Quattroporte GTS ($328,900) 87/100Porsche Panamera S ($270,200) 91/100Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG ($275,000) 89/100

The ultra-luxury Aston Martin Rapide is about to face the toughest torture test in motoring.  Even though it is pitched as a four-door four-seater, and has a pricetag beyond $350,000, it is a confirmed starter in this year's Nurburgring 24-Hour race in May.The Rapide will be fielded in stock-standard specification, apart from safety equipment, and the man who runs Aston Martin is confident it will achieve a top-30 placing.  "What we will demonstrate, publicly, is that the car is easy to drive and it is reliable. We will run the Rapide with the automatic transmission — no-one races at the Nurburgring with an automatic," says Dr Ulrich Bez.He has raced many times at the track and is a past class champion with V8 Vantage in the 24-hour race.  "First of all, as a team, we want to have fun. Nurburgring is not a racetrack, it is a country road that is closed.  "We want to show that the Rapide is fast, is reliable, and is easy to drive."He will head a team including engineers from Aston Martin, who have just completed the final sign-off for the start of full-scale production of the Rapide.  Aston is pitching the Rapide as a four-door sports car and Bez admits the rear-seat space is not comparable to a Bentley or even a Benz."We don't talk about the rear-seat passengers. If you drive yourself it is rare to have four people in the car to drive for four hours," Bez says.  "We believe other companies over-stress the importance of the passengers."The Rapide joins the Aston Martin lineup with a similar mechanical package to the DB9 two-door, including its 350 kiloWatt V12 engine, but with an extra 309mm in length, back doors, and two individual bucket seats.It still leaps to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds and has a top speed of 296km/h, as well as traditional English craftsmanship — even though the car is built in Graz in Austria — but is intended for people who want more space and the ability to take extra friends on trips.It is a clear rival to the new Porsche Panamera, and a lineup of other fast four-door luxury cars including Benzes and Bentleys, but Bez says the difference is in the original approach.  "It's a four-door sports car. A sports car is not defined by the number of doors," Bez says.The package for the Rapide runs to Aston's familiar extruded aluminium VH body structure, a front-mounted V12 and automatic gearbox, rear-wheel drive and everything from eight airbags to a 1000-watt Bang&Olufsson sound system.  The first Australian cars will be delivered later this year with a starting price of $366,280, although most will have extra-cost equipment and customisation.DrivingIt is raining as we head out on the first drive in the Rapide.  The car instantly feels taut and responsive, just like the two-door Aston models, with a sharp metallic bark from the exhaust and gorgeous leather trimming in the cabin.Then, as we head for the hills and some brilliant driving roads, it begins to snow.  So there is little chance to crack on at any pace, even if the Rapide is able to shrink straights and fire out of tight turns with a surge of V12torque before the engine hits its stride at 4500 revs for a thundering run to the redline.The car is extremely comfortable and quiet — helped by double-glazed side glass — and the interior finish is even better than the brilliance of Audi.  The back seat space is not brilliant, with less room than a Porsche Panamera, but it's not intended for long trips. And the design work ensures it looks very, very special.It is impossible to say much about the ultimate handling, but the car sits flat at all speeds and responds — if anything — a little more enthusiastically to the wheel than the shorter DB9.Aston Martin RapidePrice: from $366,280Features: eight airbags, anti-skid brakes, ESP stability controlEngine: 6-litre V12, 350kW/600NmTransmission: Six-speed Touchtronic automatic, rear-wheel driveEconomy, CO2: 6.0litres/100km, 142g/kmFuel economy: 14.8 litres/100km (Combined)CO2: 355 grams/kilometreRivalsBentley Continental: from $370,516Maserati Quattroporte: from $296,000Porsche Panamera: from $270,200

Rapide by name, rapid by nature. That is the essence of Aston Martin's biggest step away from its traditional home ground in the company's almost 100-year history. At least the biggest until the arrival of the Cygnet next year.However, do not expect anyone behind the winged badge to budge an inch to any suggestion that this four-door, four-seater is anything but a traditional Aston Martin ... albeit with extra luggage space. "It is a sports car ... that is exactly what it is," Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez says at the company's Gaydon, England, headquarters as Carsguide prepares to be one of the first invited to ride in the radical new Aston. "The seats are real sports seats and when you sit in them you sit like you would in the front seat of the V12. The only thing missing is the steering wheel."There is a degree of licence in those comments — not because the seats are not sporting but rather because you are also missing any real sense of an outside world when tucked in behind the high-backed front seats. There is headroom and shoulder room for an average-sized adult, and leg room for a reasonably tall one ... but somehow it all still feels very tight.To be fair, I lean towards the claustrophobic and am not in the lithe category, but entry and exit to the rear is difficult. "I agree that it is not that easy to go in or go out for some people, but in that I would consider it like a Rolls-Royce where you have to also crawl in and crawl out," Dr Bez says. Any suggestion that Porsche's Panamera, a natural competitor for the Rapide, offers a better rear-seat experience is the equivalent of a flame to touchpaper."That is not a sportscar, it is a sedan ... a sports sedan," Dr Bez counters. "Our car is a sportscar. It looks like a sports car, it drives like a sports car, it is a sportscar ... and it is beautiful."Porsche may well take unbrage at the suggestion that their iteration of a four-door 911 is not a sportscar, however it would be difficult for the German meisters to mount a credible defence to the question of which designer has best represented the core product.AppearanceOur chariot for this first experience of the Rapide is a development prototype — a late one, to be sure but still not the finished item. The glass roof will not make an appearance on production models for some time yet and there are still a few tweaks and refinements being made in a bid to make the rear more comfortable for more people."There is some sculpting of trim around the C-Pillar and slight changes to the seat base to include some extra bolstering on the inboard side," Simon Barnes, Vehicle Engineering Manager and the man responsible for shepherding the Rapide through to the culmination of Dr Bez's vision of a true four-seat sportscar.With only a handful of completed Rapides in existence  a total of 35 development cars have been built but most are no longer with us Aston Martin is not about to trust its cars to anyone outside the company just yet. Still, with Barnes behind the wheel, the demonstration of the Rapide's competence as a performance machine is quite probably well beyond any limits an outsider would be prepared to push through a loop of English country roads."We have really set the car up to be on a performance par with the DBS," Barnes explains as the countryside flashes by at what would be an alarming rate in less practiced hands. "I am not about to give any firm performance figures now but there is enough evidence to suggest it will match the DBS ... at least. "There are some compromises to the more luxurious nature of the car  some softer suspension settings and less engine and exhaust noise intrusion  but in no way is the car compromised."That said, Barnes is already planning to incorporate the Rapide's suspension settings into the DB9 and DBS  — ‘they are actually better for handling’  — along with the car's torsional stiffness, an eye-watering 29,500 Newtons per single degree of twist (2500 more than the DB twins). The Rapide sits on a variant of the company's VH platform  according to Dr Bez, an evolving philosophy as much as a physical engineering structure  with a 250mm longer wheelbase than the DB9 and at just on five metres long it has an extra 450mm in overall length.DrivetrainUnder the bonnet is the bespoke Aston Martin 6-litre V12 punching out 355kW and 645Nm. For all its extra size the Rapide weighs in at less than 200kg more than the DB9 and boasts a 51:49 weight distribution. Oddly, Aston Martin will not offer the performance carbon ceramic brake package available on the light DB cars.The boot has just over 300 litres of space with a full passenger complement but with the rear seats folded flat that balloons to close to 1000 litres of useable luggage space."There is a huge variability in how you can use the car," Dr Bez says. "There is a very generous luggage space with the seats folded and even if you have one person in the back you can have the other side folded down for extra luggage."It is innevitable that the Rapide will take sales from the DB9 and DBS 2+2 cars, but Dr Bez says he is hopeful of as much as 80 per cent of the projected 2000 annual sales will be conquest. "Of course DB9 or DBS customers who need a little more space will go to this car, but they are not my main targets. There are many people who are happy to have a 2+2 and don't need anything more."But there are other people who may want to take family or friends on longer journeys where the back of a DB9 or DBS is just not suitable. However, while they need more flexibility they do not need or want a big car  they don't want an SUV or a limousine." What Aston Martin hopes to do is leverage off the brand's exclusivity and desireability."Our car is representative (of succcess and position) and in the same way delivers real freedom of space and sportscar performance. So, I am looking for people who are looking at or already own Maserati Quattreporte, BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S-Class or CLS and (Porsche) Panamera of course. "Rapide is absolutely a conquest vehicle. I would love to have 50 to 80 per cent of conquest with this car, not just the old Aston Martin guys saying `well, now I have something else'. Rapide should open us to a new group of customers who for whatever reason previously could not consider an Aston Martin."