The Aston Martin Rapide has always been our favourite of the ubër-expensive four-door luxury sports coupés. While still trundling along with the same ancient V12 engine under their bonnet, some of Aston Martin’s fast GT cars suffer from a lack of modern day dynamism.
The Aston Martin Rapide gets around that by being bigger, more relaxed, luxurious and therefore less inclined to want to go quickly. If you can afford one, it is quite simply one of the coolest cars you can be seen in.
Aston Martin has revamped the four-door car we love so much and have debuted it at the Geneva International Motor Show. Don’t let the ‘S’ designation fool you: the Rapide S, is not a sportier version but it is its sole, revamped replacement. And would you look at what they’ve done to its face? It looks like a boxer with a mouth guard.
We’re surprised there isn’t a skull and crossbones painted across the gaping black grille. They’ve mostly ruined it haven’t they? The bits they haven’t ruined are the same as they were before. Aston Martin say the S is distinguished by this new front fascia because it complies with pedestrian safety regulations.
The 6.0-litre V12 now sports a heftier 410 kW and 620 Nm of torque compared with the outgoing model that was 17 % less powerful. The engine has gained dual camshaft timing, hollow cam shafts, knock sensing and fully CNC machined combustion chambers and has been placed 19 mm lower in the chassis.
The Rapide S is now 0.3 seconds faster to 100 km/h, which it can dispatch in 4.9 seconds, and its top speed exceeds 305 km/h. It cuts its CO2 emissions from 355 to 332 g/km. Despite the increased performance, the engine is more efficient as it averages 14.1 L/100 km. So it is quicker and sportier, and only slightly less harmful to the environment, despite it not needing to be any sportier.
The VH platform is 10 years old, but the new fourth generation architecture forms the basis of the revamped saloon, which is also fitted with a new dynamic stability control system and the ADS adaptive damping with three modes (Normal, Sport and Track) calibrated especially for the Rapide S.
The interior also receives some minor updates including additional sound deadening material and a darker instrument panel surround. New options include two-tone perforated leather seats, piano black trim and a bespoke design service called ‘Q by Aston Martin.’
The Aston Martin Rapide S headlined the stand at the Geneva International Motor Show because they say it is the most powerful four-door Aston Martin has ever built, and the most beautiful four-door car in the world. Well, not any more it isn’t.
