Aston Martin Rapide S
What is it?
It’s the latest update to Aston Martin’s four-door Rapide, which is now suffixed by an ‘S’.
You can tell a Rapide S from a standard Rapide by its new lights, bold grille and more powerful 6.0-litre V12 engine.
But there are plenty more subtle changes that are aiming to make this four-door Aston Martin Rapide S more of a hard-edged supercar than a relaxed GT.
What’s hot?
- Despite Aston’s insistence that the Rapide S is now more focused than before, it gets new adaptive dampers that provide a really fantastic ride. In Normal mode it flows over cracks and bumps with ease.
- A new Track mode for the dampers will allow owners to exploit the Rapide S on the track, but it does feel too firm for public roads.
- By mounting the engine 19mm lower than before and retuning the steering, Aston has managed to make the Rapide S feel a lot more responsive than the old model. Turn-in is quicker and there’s even less body roll than the outgoing Rapide.
- The 6.0-litre V12 has had power upped from 470bhp to 550bhp, which in turns lowers the 0-62mph time from 5.2 seconds to 4.9 seconds. It feels seriously quick, but in a manageable and sensible way – not like the bonkers Ferrari FF or even the Porsche Panamera Turbo S.
- An update to the Rapide’s looks wasn’t necessary but the more aggressive grille and larger rear spoiler have only served to make it more beautiful.
- You get a great reaction driving around in an Aston – we even had one young man chasing us down the road while he set up his camera for the perfect shot.
What’s not?
- It’s a shame that Aston didn’t think the interior was in need of an update. The amount of buttons is confusing, the infotainment seems outdated and some of the stalks feel a bit cheap.
- There’s really not that much room in the back seats, so if you’re planning on carrying adults for long journeys you might want to look elsewhere.
- Fuel economy of 19.9mpg is pretty dreadful and you won’t find many cars with worse CO2 emissions than the Aston’s 332g/km figure.
- The £149,550 price-tag will keep this car exclusive but it also places it on the same plane as some seriously impressive performance cars from the likes of Ferrari and Porsche.