Aston Martin Rapide

Aston Martin has long maintained a reputation of producing some of the world’s most desirable cars. And while so many manufacturers base their reputation on 0-60 mile per hour times, top speed claims, G-force abilities and various flavors of outlandish styling, Aston Martin has steadily kept with a formula of understated elegance, a dedication to tradition, advanced technologies and overall performance as complementary to a general package. It’s an enviable, rare and gutsy formula, a blending of various elements that make a desirable car, desirable. And it’s worked at Aston Martin for decades.

Catering to an otherwise discriminating audience appreciative of understated, Aston Martin introduced their first four-door, sans Lagonda association, the Rapide and Rapide Luxe to an excited market hungry for exclusive performance sedans. Adding Luxe to the otherwise well-equipped Rapide gains a client a greater standard array of colors and leathers (although pretty much any color can be had), luggage matched to the leather interior of the car, sportier wheels, glass gear switches instead of plastic, a glass key instead of stainless, specially-engraved door sills, and 6.5-inch television monitors behind the front seat headrests, among other touches. Regardless, however, unless you really know what to look for, the differences between a Rapide and Rapide Luxe are very understated. Which, of course, is very Aston Martin.

Under the long hood resides the famous 470-horsepower 6-liter V12, linked to a 6-speed automatic. Weighing in at a hefty 4,299-pounds, the free revving brute sprints to 60 in less than five-seconds, gaining it a stand among the world’s quickest – especially for a sedan. Equally impressive is the handling prowess the Rapide maintains, which is easily on par with some of the best sports cars in the world. While it’s a sedan, it’s also a GT coupe that seems unaware that it carries two extra doors.

The Rapide resembles a DB9 (and maybe the DBS and Vanquish) in a number of ways, but is truly all new rearward of the bulkhead. The Rapide is even built in Austria instead of England, as the popularity of the Aston Martin brand has maxed out capacity in the UK, calling for a new factory in Europe. Being a four-door, designers were concerned about a variety of things such as curb scraping and ease of entry and exit – their solution was a set of what Aston Martin coined Swan-Wing Doors for their arched angle action. The doors actually swing slightly upward as they swing outward, providing clearance and a fantastic visual effect. However, in spite of the doors and the extra 12.2-inches Rapide has over the DB9, the backseat is still very tight, which is a bit disappointing considering the Aston Martin’s last four door, the Lagonda (1976-1989), offered so much more space, but, many would argue, nowhere near the beauty of the Rapide. The coupe-like design of DB9, DBS and Vanquish is echoed in the use of hidden B-pillars set behind the side glass lending to the image of one big piece of glass instead of two; extremely subtle door handles (again, ala DB9 and friends) that are all but invisible upon first glance, and serve not only to keep the mind guessing, but subtly trick the eye with elongated elements that help the vehicle appear a touch longer than it truly is and build on the signature fender side vents. In the end, the mind knows it’s not a coupe, but the eye is still wondering. All things told, by design, it’s a fabulous execution, only the rear seat room letting it down a bit.

Boasting all the amenities expected of Aston Martin, the interior is a concert of the finest leathers, wood veneers, aluminums and plastics combining to create an elegant, comfortable and exciting experience. Like the exterior design, the interior design reflects Aston Martin family familiarity through design – the dashboard and console design, for example, are absolute modern Aston Martin, while a number of components have been borrowed from the DB9, which is not a bad thing. The seats are supportive and comfortable, clothed in supple leathers with hand-stitched appointments, and in Luxe, all four seats are heated and cooled standard. In keeping with the outlandish sound system found in DBS, Aston Martin opted to bestow an equally outlandish 1,000-watt Bang & Olufsen audio system in the Rapide, giving it an advantage over any other vehicle in, or out, of its class in terms of acoustic entertainment. Can’t always be subtle, lest, become boring, right? And that wouldn’t be desirable at all. •  

2011 Aston Martin Rapide*

BODY:
Material: Aluminum, Carbon Fiber
Overall Length: 197.6 in.
Overall Width: 84.3 in.
Height: 53.5 in.
Wheelbase: 117.7 in.
Curb Weight: 4200 lbs.
Weight distribution (fr/rr): N/A

MECHANICALS:
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Engine: 6.0-liter (360 cid) V8
Horsepower: 470
Torque: 443

PERFORMANCE:
0-62 MPH: 5 seconds
Top Speed: 188 est.

*Manufacturer informational claims