Genuine space for five and their chattels in a solidly
crafted cabin and the styling – possibly the best iteration of the new E’s
otherwise divisive design – sees the AMG ably treading the line between
businessman and beast.
It’s a line the M6 Gran Coupé needs to tread. It’s a
transitional species that, along with vestiges of saloon bearings such as four
doors and a decent-sized boot, the svelte yet purposeful M6 adopts a
lower-slung, more dorsally curved stance that blurs the line between super
saloon and sportscar. Barring our car’s garish Sakhir Orange hue, it’s
immensely pleasing to the eye.
Aston Martin
Rapide S
The cabin is the most eventful of the bunch thanks to the
swathes of carbon-fibre trim, stitched leather on that sweeping center section
and a chunky, tactile steering wheel. The only blot against true super-saloon
packaging is the shortage of rear headroom as an upshot of that dramatic curved
roofline.
Dynamically, there’s little to touch the M6. It may tip the
scales a few kilos lighter than two tonnes, but the manner in which it
transmits its power to the road is unrivalled here. The body control is superb;
it’s balanced and composed and, despite its electrical assistance, the steering
is direct and pleasantly weighty. There’s also a wonderful cohesion between the
flexible powerplant and a dual-clutch transmission with lightning-fast manual
shifts. Its only negative is an inability to creep at low speeds, requiring a
measured foot in tight manoeuvring. The car’s huge degree of drivetrain configurability
is initially intimidating, but it lends it a chameleon-like ability to match
its surroundings. But it can’t match its fellow four-door coupé for sheer
grunt...
Aston Martin
Rapide S’s interior
Aston Martin Rapide S’s specs
·
Output: 410 kW / 620 N.m
·
0-100 km/h: 5,39 secs
·
Top speed: 306 km/h
·
Laptime: 1:17,3
·
Max speed: 161 km/h
Planting all four paws on the ground may sound like an
evolutionary regression, but the Audi RS7 is probably the most advanced of its
breed. Turn to the chart on page 66 and look for the member of this line-up
that tops almost every performance category. You’ll probably do a double take
similar to ours when the RS7’s figures beamed up on the telematics screens
trackside. Finished in appliance-white paintwork that masked the neat interplay
of swooping roofline and Bauhaus-sharp cuts, the Sportback was rendered largely
anonymous in this company; you’d expect nothing of the RS7 but it delivered a
wake-up call of note.
The 4,0-liter twin-turbo V8 is a flexible, free-revving unit
that packs a fearsome punch in the low-to-mid range.
But it’s the RS7’s dynamic poise that catches you off-guard.
Yes, there’s limpet-like grip off the line and in sweeping bends, but otherwise
it refuses to behave like an AWD. The steering is heavy but engaging enough,
but it’s the interplay between the car’s torque vector apportioning drive fore
and aft and sports differential between the rear wheels that all but nixes
understeer.
You can barrel the RS7 towards a bend, stamp on the anchors
and then plant the throttle mid-corner before catapulting out of the corner.
