Aston Martin Rapide S (Part 1)

Gaydon’s four-door grand tourer gets more power and panache

Aston Martin’s mission to bring us the most beautiful four-door in the world has hit second gear. Four years into the life of this intriguing coupe-cum-saloon, a mid-cycle refreshed version has arrived. However, the Rapide S is a much more altered animal than those terms imply. There’s a whole new front-end structure here, a revised engine, a reinforced body, a reappraised chassis, a freshened-up cabin and a thrusting new grille.

Aston Martin Rapide S

Here, then, is a chance for Gaydon to cast memories of the first Rapide’s troubled early years - of outsourced production, slow initial sales and punishing residual values - to the dustbin of history. This car may not quite be all new but, rest assured, it’s much newer than it looks.

This car, says Aston, pushes the company’s four-door through two performance watersheds: it takes less than 5.0sec to hit 60mph and is capable of 190mph flat out. It has 17 per cent more power than before and 10 per cent more torque at 2500rpm. It has a heavily revised chassis, too, and offers big gains in refinement.

Is all that to be believed? Read on for the only verdict that matters.

History

Aston first showed the Rapide concept at the 2006 Detroit show. It was a dead ringer for the production version that emerged in 2009, except for show-car touches like the magnum of champagne recessed into the boot floor. The car was built by Magna Steyr in Austria until 2012.

Rapide name was used on Lagonda models in the 1930s

Four-door antecedents include the wedgy Towns-designed Lagonda (1976- 1989) and the Brown-designed DB4-based Lagonda Rapide (1961-64), but the Rapide name was used as far back as the 1930s by Lagonda itself.

Design & Engineering

Ratings: 4/5

The Rapide’s design is still utterly recognizable as Aston Martin’s five-meter-long four-door car, but there have been subtle tweaks throughout.

On the outside, the most obvious is the new grille, which is bigger and, Aston says, “more assertive” than before. And our survey said? It’s more Ford Fiesta-like, but we suspect Ford will gain from the association while the Rapide will lose out not one bit.

Overall, there are seven new body panels, including a new bonnet, bumper and front wings surrounding that new grille, and new headlights, but you’d be hard pushed to spot all the differences because the proportions are largely unchanged.

It’s a similar story beneath the aluminum paneling. The VH extruded and bonded aluminum architecture has been changed a little to ensure that the engine sits lower in the chassis, but you’re looking at broadly the same hardware that underpinned the original car.

Not that that is necessarily a terrible thing; it’s difficult for Aston to communicate changes because people ostensibly see the same thing every time they revisit the product, but beneath the undeniably attractive exterior a myriad of small changes have been effected to reduce steering kickback and increase torsional rigidity, for example. It’s not unlike the way the aerospace industry improves its products. It seems to us, though, that it just doesn’t quite sit with how some people perceive cars.

Take the drivetrain, for example. It is ostensibly recognizable from before, with a naturally aspirated 6.0-liter V12 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, but it now makes rather a lot more power than it did previously. From 470bhp, which we mooted at the time could have done with being a little higher, it has increased to a very solid 550bhp. That’s a 17 per cent increase, and more than you’ll find in a DB9. It’s just short of the Vanquish’s output, in fact.

Bonnet louvres - body addenda often made from plastic, even by exotic brands are high-density zinc. That’s the kind of material richness you probably wouldn’t get from a more mainstream brand.

Bonnet louvres are high-density zinc.

Alloy wheels are 11in wide at the rear, 8.5in at the front, and 20in in diameter. These are the 10-spoke silvered rims; there are two other designs and various finishes.

Alloy wheels are 11in wide at the rear, 8.5in at the front, and 20in in diameter.

Side strakes are classic Aston hallmarks. In the Rapide S’s case, they’re machined from aluminum and incorporate the indicator repeaters.

Side strakes are classic Aston hallmarks.

Aston’s carbon fiber exterior styling pack adds these door mirror covers and a carbon fiber front splitter. They’re nice touches and are likely to add at least some value at resale time.

Aston’s carbon fiber exterior styling pack adds these door mirror covers and a carbon fiber front splitter.

‘Flip^’ spoiler is the most obvious update to the rear end’s sheet metal. Apparently it makes a telling improvement to the aerodynamic profile and improves efficiency.

‘Flip^’ spoiler is the most obvious update to the rear end’s sheet metal.

CEO Ulrich Bez likes to compare Aston Martins to Swiss watches. Little touches such as this chrome boot release are detailing nods in that direction.

If you don’t see the front grille, it probably won’t be until you see this boot lid badge that you recognize Aston’s updated four-door, new from old. For a $225k purchase, we think that’s a shame.

 ‘Boomerang’ rear lights feature on all of Aston’s current models, but the Rapide’s aren't as striking as those on the Vanquish or One-77.

How big is it?

How big is it?

Visibility test

·         Front: Passenger side pillar restricts more of your view than driver’s side - but neither blocks very much.

·         Headlights: Good on dipped beam, very good on main beam. And typically joyful to behold.

Visibility test

Wheel and pedal alignment

Straight-legged driving position would make any pedal offset hard to spot, but the Rapide S doesn’t have one. Right- biased location of both pedals is very comfortable for your right foot, as it should be. Great wheel positioning, too.

Wheel and pedal alignment