Aston Martin Rapide S (Part 4)

Buying and owning

Ratings: 3.5/5

Aston’s decision not to increase the price of the Rapide, having refined and improved so much about it, is a veiled admission that the original one didn’t quite do enough to justify its $225,000 tag. Within the current Aston range, this Rapide works harder to attract your custom. It is more closely priced to the DB9 than it was, yet in terms of peak power it offers almost as much as the $285,000 Vanquish. As such, whether you need the extra two doors or not, you have to admit that, on paper, there’s much more going for the middle-sitting Rapide than there used to be - and the secondhand market should judge it less harshly as a result.

Aston Martin Rapide S

This is still a big Aston, of course. Just as with any of Gaydon’s V12s, customers will have to be prepared for steeper depreciation than they’d find on some $225k exotics. You’ll have to be prepared to pay $700a year for your tax disc, too, and you’ll have to get used to a sub-20mpg economy return. Our 18.6mpg test average is commendably close to Aston’s 19.9mpg claim for the car, though, and a full 1mpg better than we got from the last Rapide. For a car like this, it’s actually pretty decent.

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.

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.

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

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.

‘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.

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.

Data log

Aston Martin Rapide S

·         On-the-road price: $224,925

·         Price as tested: $254,245

·         Value after 3yrs/36k miles: N/A

·         Contract hire Pern: N/A

·         Cost per mile: N/A

·         Insurance/typical quote: 75/$1795

Equipment checklist

·         Full-grain leather interior: standard

·         Electrically adjustable front seats: standard

·         Automatic climate control: standard

·         Cruise control: standard

·         Tracking device: standard

·         Satellite navigation: standard

·         Boot-mounted umbrella: standard

·         Bang & Olufsen audio system: standard

·         Front and rear parking sensors: standard

·         Tire pressure monitoring system: standard

·         Skyfall silver paint: $5,245

·         Contrast interior stitching: $595

·         Duotone leather seat inserts: $1,045

·         Piano black fascia with black interior: $2,245

·         Rear seat entertainment: $3,745

·         Cooled front and rear seats: $1,495

·         Black brake calipers: $1,495

·         Exterior carbon fiber pack: $7,495

·         Reversing camera: $1,495

·         Privacy glass: $745

·         20-inch 10-spoke alloys: $3,745

·         Options in bold fitted to test car

Range at a glance

·         Engines: V12 Touchtronic

·         Power: 550bhp

·         From: $224,925

Transmissions

·         6-spd automatic: standard

Economy

Test:

·         Average: 18.6mpg

·         Touring: 22.8mpg

·         Track: 7.8mpg

Claimed:

·         Urban: 13.2mpg

·         Extra-urban: 28.0mpg

·         Combined: 19.9mpg

·         Tank size: 90.5 liters

·         Test range: 376 miles

Technical layout

The classic GT layout updated for the modern era. Longways engine up front sends power to a rear-mounted transmission (for the ideal weight distribution) via an aluminum ‘torque tube’. Drive finds its way downstream from the gearbox to the rear wheels via a carbon fiber propshaft and a standard limited-slip differential.

Technical layout

Verdict: 4/5

Despite the revisions to this car, what’s good about the Aston Rapide S in 2013 are the very things that made it good in 2010. Generally, we like the design, the drive and the feeling that it is built with care. But the things that bothered us then are still its shortcomings today: its rear volume, some road noise and the fiddly interior. Things have changed, then, but they’ve also stayed the same. Somebody should write a cliché about that. Perhaps in French.

That being the case, our verdict now is much as it was three years ago: if you can cope with its accommodation limitations, you’ll love the Rapide S. It’s a beautifully styled and brilliantly accomplished four-door GT with a lavish and disarming character. Much as it requires the odd allowance, you’d take great pleasure in indulging it, and in the feeling of indulging yourself with it. And in a $225,000 sports car, such things ultimately matter more than simple practicality.

Small changes keep the Rapide as charming now as it was before

Testers’ notes

Matt Saunders

Most beautiful four door in the world? Not for me. The rear three-quarter aspect in particular seems quite awkward. But with five meter-long saloons, it so often is.

Matt Prior

The Rapide S’s web page reads, “More power, more beauty, same soul.” Same ‘BS’. The power of understatement is something Aston still needs to learn about from its fellow blue-blooded British car brands.

Spec advice

Gaydon says this is its most customizable model yet. Go for mid-tone leather, the carbon fiber exterior styling pack and lightweight sports seats.

Jobs for the facelift

·         Try a more ambitious styling rethink, to better communicate ‘newness’.

·         Find a couple of extra inches of second-row legroom.

·         Fit ZF’s eight or even nine-speed gearbox; it should boost efficiency and performance.