Power, Beauty, Soul – that is the tagline used for all things Aston, but we’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that the words should be rearranged to Beauty, Power, Soul. There’s no real need to explain why: just look at the Rapide and you’ll figure it out. And whilst beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I believe few would dispute the Rapide’s striking design lines.
Aston Martin says this car is the “most elegant four-door sports car in the world”, and rightfully so. The Rapide competes against rivals like the Porsche Panamera, Maserati Quattroporte, and Ferrari Four, and none look better, or even nearly as good, as the Rapide. You could throw in Bentley and Rolls Royce into the equation of course, but truthfully, we don’t see them so much as driver-oriented machines.
Much of the Aston Martin DNA is present in the Rapide, its overall shape eschewing an elongated DB9. You get the same signature gaping grille, door handles, and an extra pair of swan wing doors. The interior is familiar too; button placement is intuitive, dashboard swathed in acres of gorgeous leather and wood (piano black as spec’d in our test car). Key word here is luxury because as soon as you plant your behind in any one of the four meticulously sculpted seats, you immediately feel special. Worthy of mention is the powerful 1000W Bang & Olufsen BeoSound Rapide system. There are a total of 15 beautifully crafted speakers (with the pair in front rising out in impressive fashion), and are optimized to deliver the best audio quality.
But while the Rapide effortlessly oozes beauty, there are some compromises. Most apparent is the lack of space, especially for passengers in the rear. I’m 5’10 and had some trouble getting both in and out, with the seats just a little too snug to get comfortable. Luckily, the rear occupants get their own LCD displays that run on separate entertainment systems and are paired to their own individual wireless headphone – good for keeping their mind off the lack of space. There’s not very much space in the boot either – just 317 litres, although accessibility is no issue as the boot lid opens up like a hatch. Folding the rear seats down yoga style frees up massive space (up to 886 litres), but this renders them useless.
Powering the Rapide is a 6.0-litre V12 unit, the same as used in the DB9, and is good for 470PS/600Nm. The engine is mated to a six-speed automated transmission that sends all the ponies to its rear wheels, with Zerotohundred dispatched in 5.3 seconds and towards a 303km/h top speed. Yes, the Rapide is less ballistic than either the Panamera Turbo or Ferrari Four, but all is forgotten when the V12 soundtrack comes to life. Our time in the Rapide was short, and we didn’t bother too much with the impressive sound system, opting instead to drive with our foot hard against the accelerator. While the engine is docile at low speeds, rev past 4,000rpm and a powerful bellow erupts as the twelve-cylinder comes to life.
Despite weighing 2-tons, it doesn’t take very much to get in motion (or in excess of it, for that matter). City driving is where the Rapide really excels, racking up points for being a very competent grand tourer – comfortable, well insulated, supple, and easy to maneuver around KL roads. It is during spirited driving that the Rapide begins to truly impress; light-footed and extremely grippy. Steering was a little on the light side, but was precise and provided enough feedback to inspire confidence.
Engaging Sport mode opens up another bag of tricks. What you have by default is a nimble car that rides in a supremely refined manner, as any luxury car would. But press the Sport button, set the damper settings stiffer, and the Rapide takes on a different character. There’s a whole lot more noise and ride is much harsher, but there’s also the extra agility; you do feel the car becoming sharper and more responsive; like a proper sports car. There’s still a little body roll when you attack corners enthusiastically, but this is dealt with quickly. Brakes are 15-inch steels clamped by six-pot Brembos on all four corners, with strong grip and are to modulate.
So what is our take on this four-door Aston? The car does have its fair share of issues – dated gearbox, an instrument cluster that is harder to appreciate in the day, tight cabin space in the rear, but look past these flaws and what we have here is a modern Aston Martin with plenty of tech, top-notch build, and is wrapped in a sleek sheetmetal. Despite being a big car, the Aston Martin Rapide has pace, maneuverability and abilities that belies its size and weight. Suffice to say, we wholeheartedly agree that this is the most elegant four-door sports car around. We’re confident too that, if Bond ever mellowed down and got himself a family, the Rapide would be his weapon vehicle of choice.
The Aston Martin Rapide you see in this article is a unit from Extreme Cars; luxury car importers who are based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Their contact details as below:
Extreme Supercars Sdn Bhd (976956-P)
A-0-16 – 17, Plaza Damas 3
Jalan Sri Hartamas 1
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
+6019 9999 555 (Melvin Tong)
+6012 3727 765 (Gene Chin)
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