Aston Martin Rapide
Debut: 2010 |
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Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez said Rapide is "the only four-door sports car in the world". A bold statement it might sound, but I think it is true. The most sporting 4-door performance cars currently on the market are Maserati Quattroporte and Porsche Panamera. They are very fast and capable, unquestionably, but neither are built on sports car platforms - in the case of Porsche, it is even built on an SUV platform. Aston Martin's latest four-door offering is different. It is derived from the VH platform of DB9, employing much the same V12 engine, double-wishbone suspensions and even exterior design ! See it as an extension of DB9 and it won't be far off. Nevertheless, the statement of Dr. Bez has the flip side. It implies Aston Martin, now under new owners, lacks fund to develop a dedicated 4-door platform. The fact that no one else builds "four-door sports cars" is because their market demand is questionable, or at least unproven. If Dr. Bez is given sufficient funding, do you think he would still be determined to do a 4-door sports car ? It goes without saying that a 4-door based on sports car platform would have to compromise on accommodation, comfort and luggage carrying capability. Think what would happen if Porsche derived 911 into a 4-door. Or Aston Martin's own Lagonda became a four-door version of V8 Vantage.
However, given the financial constraints, you can't help admire what Aston Martin has achieved with Rapide. This car looks gorgeous. It keeps the emotion of DB9 intact in a much longer package, and even inject some extra thrill with four butterfly doors which open outward and slightly upward (note: Dr. Bez used a more romantic description instead, swan wings). Its interior is very well crafted. Rear passenger space is not as bad as imagined, and on the run its refinement is even surprisingly good. Above all, it feels more exclusive than Porsche and Maserati. I would say not even Bentley has that sense of occasion. This is probably what Dr. Bez wants most. The Rapide started life from DB9. As its aluminum VH platform is flexible to expand both longitudinally and transversely, some 250 mm has been inserted into its wheelbase and 55 mm has been added to its width. The roof is raised by 40 mm in order to make room for rear passengers without corrupting the flowing roof line. The whole car now measures in excess of 5 meters long and weighs nearly 2 tons. Ridiculously, it weighs the same as Porsche Panamera Turbo, which employs steel monocoque chassis and incorporates four-wheel drive.
The aluminum space frame chassis by extrusions has another disadvantage: to achieve the same strength as steel ones, its structural parts have to be larger, eating more space. As a result, the rear door apertures are unusually small, even though the doors look large enough from outside. Entering the rear seats takes special precaution - step across the sill, put one foot into the tight foot well, thread your body into the deep bucket seats while keep your head from hitting the sloping roof. No other four-door saloons are more difficult to get into. The rear seats are mounted close the floor because of the low roof line. This mean the seating position is not as comfortable as that of a conventional saloon. However, there is enough head and leg room if you are no taller than 6 feet. Inevitably, the environment feels snug, thanks to a huge transmission tunnel separating the seats and the shallow glass all round, also the fact that the rear passenger's vision is seriously blocked by the front headrest. Sitting at the back is somewhat like captured in prison, albeit a prison luxuriously trimmed in stitched leather and real alloy. The front vision problem may be overcome by ticking the optional DVD entertainment system, which adds LCD screens to the back of the front seats. It looks more economy class than first class though. The large transmission tunnel doubles as armrest for the rear passengers. It also provides a control panel on which you can control the entertainment system, air conditioning and seat adjustment. Following the control panel is a couple of cup holders, elegantly trimmed in alloy and leather. The decoration is classy enough to convince adults to spend an hour or two at the back. How about cross-country trips ? No thanks. It's best leave to kids.
The Rapide has a hatchback door and its rear seats fold to expand luggage space. It is unlikely to be used as airport express though, because the boot measures only 317 liters, smaller than your family hatch. Even with the rear seats collapsed, luggage space is still less than 900 liters. As expected, the dashboard comes straight from DB9. With plenty of bespoke buttons, wood and alloy, it looks classier yet more traditional than its mass market competitors. The only let down is the Volvo-sourced satellite navigation, which is at odds with the surrounding expensive materials. Unlike DB9, the dashboard of Rapide is decoupled from the windscreen via foam to eliminate squeaks. Similarly, to isolate the cabin from road harshness, the rear subframe is now mounted to the chassis via rubber bushings. The steering column is rubber insulated as well to reduce kickback. Double glazing windows and new window sealing technology are employed to insulate wind noise. Such NVH engineering know-hows are elementary to most other luxurious car makers, but they are new to Aston Martin and took it a lot of time to learn.
The suspensions are basically the same as DB9's, except with beefed up lower wishbone up front to take on the increased weight. Bilstein adaptive dampers are once again standard. As for braking, Brembo supplies the latest dual-cast brake discs, whose lightweight aluminum hubs should help improving ride quality. In the engine bay is the high-torque version of Aston Martin's 5935 c.c. V12. Since its birth on DB7 Vantage some 11 years ago, this engine hasn't changed much, just like some good old British traditions (ridiculously, it is actually built at Cologne by Ford). It still goes without modern technologies like variable valve timing or direct injection. What it has is plenty of displacement, and an angry roar that sets it apart from the smoother, higher-pitched Ferrari V12. In the high-torque version, maximum torque is lifted to 443 lb-ft at 5000 rpm, compared to 420 lb-ft / 5750 rpm on DBS. The trade-off is less top end power, i.e. 470 hp at 6000 rpm instead of 510 hp at 6500 rpm. Aston believe few people want a manual transmission in a four-seater like this, so the only one offered is ZF's 6-speed automatic, completed with manual mode and shift paddles, of course. On the Road
On the road, the Rapide is not as rapid as its name suggested. 0-60 mph in 5.1 seconds is hardly headline today. Porsche Panamera Turbo does that in less than 4 seconds. Maserati Quattroporte GTS is about the same as Aston, but its rev-hungry V8 makes you feel it is faster and more thrilling. In contrast, the big Aston feels lazier, partly because of its weight, partly because of its linear torque delivery. Sure, the big V12 has plenty of reserve, but it isn't quite as enthusiastic for rev. It is more about effortless performance. However, it must be pointed out that the V12 does produce a stirring noise that not many rivals can match. What really surprises is refinement. The Rapide's adaptive suspension is firm but very well damped over a variety of surfaces, including B-roads. On sharp bumps or small irregularities, I bet it is more supple than the Panamera with air suspensions, let alone the stiffly sprung Quattroporte GTS. That must be a big surprise for its sports car look. Apart from ride quality, its cabin is also pretty well insulated from wind whisper and tire roar. Only at very high speed the large, 295/35ZR20 tires may generate road noise to the extent of disturbing.
But above all, the most outstanding aspect is handling. Despite of its excessive length, the Rapide is actually very well balanced, more so than DB9 and DBS. It flows through a series of bends with poise and composure only available to sports cars with low center of gravity, which it is. Its steering is the best yet for Aston Martin - light yet accurate, engaging yet free of harshness. Faster steering ratio offsets the longer wheelbase, so its turn-in is sharp enough. At the limit, the big Aston runs into light understeer, but by applying throttle you can swing its tail out in classical way. Try this in a Panamera ! On really challenging roads, the Rapide feels smaller than it is. The same cannot be said to Porsche. This effectively rules the latter out of contention as the best 4-door sports saloon in the world, even though it boosts the strongest performance. Only Maserati is on the same plane as Aston. If you need proper cabin and luggage space for four adults, or if your budget is £100,000 rather than £140,000, Maserati will be no-brainer. If you want a four-door saloon with sports car handling and feel, then Rapide will be the only choice. Considering most customers of this class have multiple cars in their garages, most likely including a sports car and a Benz or Bentley, there won't be too many people interested in purchasing a 4-door, 4-seater sports car. That is why Dr. Bez is targeting at 2,000 sales per year, just a tenth of the sales target of Porsche Panamera. As the Gaydon factory does not have enough space, production of all Rapides will be subcontracted to Magna Steyr in Austria. |
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| The above report was last updated on 1 Mar 2010. All Rights Reserved. |
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 Aston Martin Rapide |
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| Performance
tested by: *Autocar,
**C&D, ***R&T |
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