Rapide- hopeless packaging

[superlightr]

dazzalse said:

I think you are missing the point of the Rapide, we have had ours now since May and it replaced a DB9 Volante, we have 2 small children 5 & 7 and they were outgrowing the small seats in the Volante, I'm 6ft and think the driving position is great, however we dont use this as a everyday car but when the 4 of use it there is loads more room and comfort then the DB9 for the children, we also run a 4x4 and a California and I think you will find that most people running one of these will have others cars in the garage, for info I think it is one of the best oking an d packaged cars on the road.

Interesting.

I love the look of the DB9 but have 3 small children 2x 6yrs 1 x 2 yrs. We also have a Disco 3 family wagon for the wife/kids and me. Somethimes I need/like to take the 3 kids but not the wife hence DB9 may have done but reading here that even that would be too small, hence the thinking of a Rapide one day. Having done the Pork, M's etc currently in a 3 cab which works well with the 3 kids but doesnt scratch the DB itch, a Rapide sounds like a perfect option.

[Murph7355]

hartley said:

... but that is no excuse when others can get it right ...

Who better meets your comfort criteria though?

As mentioned, I actually found it perfectly acceptable and would happily accept a lift from a 5'10" driver in one That's the bit I don't understand - I'm significantly larger than you, and found it OK...whether the Earth's flat or round (it's surely flat?), that doesn't make any sense.

[roughrider]

hartley said:

I know what you mean Murph - what I meant was I could get comfortable in the front - very similar to my DB9 - but at the expense of getting myself very uncomfortable behind that seating position.Admittedly I could take the view that as it is impossible to be in the front and the back at the same time - this should not worry meBut I was just hugely disappointed by what was on offer.

Do I really need a bigger car - how long is a Rapide compared with a Range Rover Sport for instance - I would guess there is not much in it - the issue is just-IMO- poor design and packaging

IMO- you need to be shown a proper driving position. I am 6', and have spent several hours travelling in the back of a Rapide behind tall drivers. Take it for a test drive, and ask the salesman to drive you back to the dealership, with you sat behind him. The design and packaging will all begin to make sense..............

[hartley]

Murph , and roughrider ( is the clue in the name ? )I think where our experiences meet is that nobody is claiming you can put your feet down comfortably in the back
behind the driver.Our relative size is perhaps irrelevant - if you can't put your feet down comfortably in my book you are travelling on RyanAir and that is not good enough for a £120k plus so called 4 seater.
Who does it better ? I am going to try out the alternatives but from memory the Quattroporte ,the Grand Turismo ,the CL , the Panamera,the Scaglietteli,BMW M3,XF,
all have proper room in the back.I know the Aston looks better but why did they not just add 6 inches to the floor plan and do the job properly ?

[Adam2S]

hartley said:

Murph , and roughrider ( is the clue in the name ? )I think where our experiences meet is that nobody is claiming you can put your feet down comfortably in the back
behind the driver.Our relative size is perhaps irrelevant - if you can't put your feet down comfortably in my book you are travelling on RyanAir and that is not good enough for a £120k plus so called 4 seater.
Who does it better ? I am going to try out the alternatives but from memory the Quattroporte ,the Grand Turismo ,the CL , the Panamera,the Scaglietteli,BMW M3,XF,
all have proper room in the back.I know the Aston looks better but why did they not just add 6 inches to the floor plan and do the job properly ?

I dont think the CL, the M3 or the XF are really in the same group as the Rapide! Why not throw a Range Rover into the group too - Ive heard they have lots of leg room in the rear! There is also a big difference here in being able to sit confortably in the rear of a super fast GT / sports and being able to put your legs out / up. What you are looking for is a luxury limo I think.

I was also going to suggest perhaps you dont have the seat adjusted properly because from what Ive seen with a correct seating position (bottom fully into the back of the seat whilst legs still slightly bent when fully depressing the pedals) there would be ample leg room in the rear of a rapide. I suspect you have your seat way far too back for a correct and safe driving position - either that or you have very very long legs indeed!!! Hmmm, do you have any daughters?

If you dont like the car then thats fair enough its your money so spend it elsewhere, but the point you are making here on this forum just doesnt seem to stack up to everybody else's observations???

Edited by Adam2S on Wednesday 1st September 22:31

[hartley]

My question is why are the CL63AMG ,XF 5 litre , and even an M3 not comparable - they are just as fast,only one has 4 doors but they are all more comfortable in the back.
I will have another fiddle in the back of a Rapide but I think you guys are all in denial
Daughters all spoken for I am afraid - their feet might fit in the back of a Rapide but probably better with a Japanese Lady with the old bandages

Adam2S said:

hartley said:

Murph , and roughrider ( is the clue in the name ? )I think where our experiences meet is that nobody is claiming you can put your feet down comfortably in the back
behind the driver.Our relative size is perhaps irrelevant - if you can't put your feet down comfortably in my book you are travelling on RyanAir and that is not good enough for a £120k plus so called 4 seater.
Who does it better ? I am going to try out the alternatives but from memory the Quattroporte ,the Grand Turismo ,the CL , the Panamera,the Scaglietteli,BMW M3,XF,
all have proper room in the back.I know the Aston looks better but why did they not just add 6 inches to the floor plan and do the job properly ?

I dont think the CL, the M3 or the XF are really in the same group as the Rapide! There is also a big difference here in being able to sit confortably in the rear of a super fast GT / sports and being able to put your legs out / up. What you are looking for is a luxury limo I think.

I was also going to suggest perhaps you dont have the seat adjusted properly because from what Ive seen with a correct seating position (bottom fully into the back of the seat whilst legs still slightly bent when fully depressing the pedals) should yeild ample leg room in the rear of a rapide. I suspect you have your seat way far too back for a correct and safe driving position - either that or you have very very long legs indeed!!! Hmmm, do you have any daughters?

[famoussas]

I think the Rapide demands some compromise in ownership which I'm sure most will question. I would say few if any Rapide owners really care if it's a little 'cramped' in the back. That is one very minor (and debatable point) of a great car. I took someone out in it the other day and they said 'it's not very practical is it?'. I said why not? It has 4 doors, four useable seats and a decent enough boot. Besides that there are 3 other cars on the drive for any occasion which doesn't fit the Rapide.

As I said before, it's not one to be your family mode of transport but then going by what Aston label it, what sports car is?

[Murph7355]

hartley said:

My question is why are the CL63AMG ,XF 5 litre , and even an M3 not comparable ..

We're getting to the root here

Because these are ugly arsed saloon cars that are built for a very different market segment. If they are more for you, so be it (though I would bet I'd be no more comfortable in the back than I would in a Rapide. Perhaps 6" does make all the difference after all )

I think you need to look at this sort of car as a "slightly more practical" DB9 rather than a "slightly less practical" Merc/Audi/Range Rover.

If you want something in the Merc/Audi/BMW/Range Rover league, then there are plenty of alternatives. But I don't think it's the market Aston are looking for in the Rapide.

As for being in denial, I hate 4 seaters. Look at my profile! But as 4 seaters go, the Rapide is the first that appeals (should I ever have to!).

[hartley]

Famoussas - argument appears to be that four doors and some rear seats are better than two - fair enough but not the point I am making . It should have been better.

Murph - you conveniently ignore the Maseatis , the Ferrari etc that do it better to go off on a rant about ugly assed saloon cars . Do you think these are ugly as well ? My question is still why did they not stretch it another 6 inches and solve the rear accomodation problem ?

In the interests of fair play I went back to my Aston dealer and did the exercise again.To be honest I did get more comfortable by adjusting the seat level but the problem remains that there is not a shoe length between the back seat and the front seat and you therfore have to get your feet in sideways and ram them under the seat to get them enough space and my knees are very very close to the front seat whilst my left shoulder hangs over the high centre console .You can get comfortable - ish but it's in the same way you can get comfortable in a whole body scanner or Ryam air.

Saying I am looking for a luxury car not a compromised super car with crap rear acommodation is not addressing the point.Why can't I have decent comfort in the rear of my Aston ?

[V8LM]

Maser QP or Aston V8 Lagonda from the 70s.

Rapide is well packaged for what it is, but pretty useless for what you need it to be.

[famoussas]

hartley said:

Why can't I have decent comfort in the rear of my Aston ?

Because you should be driving it

[Guycord]

Cant see the point of this post.

The OP does not like the Rapide, many others do. Points of opinion given on both sides. AM are not going to change because of one potential seller, nor for thier percieved niche for the car, nor for thier marketing.

Move on and get a different Marque of car.

[andyxxx]

Guycord said:

Cant see the point of this post.

The OP does not like the Rapide, many others do. Points of opinion given on both sides. AM are not going to change because of one potential seller, nor for thier percieved niche for the car, nor for thier marketing.

Move on and get a different Marque of car.

Thats ridiculous.
The point of any Forum is to discuss, argue, air ones view.
I'm sure Hartley realizes AM will not alter the car because of his opinion.

You obviously only want to read positive comments

[Jonara]

I have a Granturismo that I use as a daily driver. I have driven the family from Rome to London in it with no complaints, although admittedly the rear seat passengers were 6 and 7 years old..

I have been on a few 100 miles or so trips with four adults, and whilst it is never going to be as comfortable for the rear seat passengers as, say the A8 LWB mentioned above, I think it is about as good as you will get for this type of car (unless you opt for the Maser QP which has more space).

When I bought the car I looked at various options, including DB9, XK, 612, and the GT seemed to have the best packaging overall. Rapide wasn't out at the time and I haven't been in one yet, so I can't offer a direct comparison with that. I didn't look at the Panamera on the grounds that it is wilfully ugly.

One word of warning - the boot is a joke, so you need to be able to travel light!

[Murph7355]

hartley said:

...
Saying I am looking for a luxury car not a compromised super car with crap rear acommodation is not addressing the point.Why can't I have decent comfort in the rear of my Aston ?

Looking at the comment about the Maser above, it would seem you probably can't no matter what brand you buy.

There's always going to be compromise in a 4 seater car that's designed to be overtly sporting (the 612, for example, only has 2 doors). If the compromises don't work for you, you buy something else.

I'd still be happy to be driven in the rear of a Rapide. Though would probably prefer to be in the front seat

I think you might have to resign yourself to an A8, a pipe and some slippers

[AKA8]

I don't think that the OP's gripe is unusual, I'm surprised that quite a few cars aren't packaged more efficiently.

I have no experience at all with Rapides but have found Flying spuds, Panameras, S8's and all the other quick german luxo barges (and to a lesser extent 612, CL, maybe Granturismo) to be more than capable of transporting four 6'+ people and swallowing massive amounts of luggage. Surely it's bad for Aston if they don't offer enough space relative to their rivals. The same goes for the Range Rooney sport; massive car but with terrible interior space for its size.

Is it simply that the Rapide is more driver focussed than any of them? I can't remember reading anything which says that it's so far ahead of the others on driver appeal that it can compromise on passenger space (not to say that reviews of this nature don't exist, I just haven't read any).

[jonamv8]

Sat in the back of a rapide when I picked up my Vantage, I'm 6ft and it felt pretty cramped for me behind the drivers seat, which incidentally I had set up before getting in the back.

Still loved it though...

[Guycord]

andyxxx said:

Thats ridiculous.
The point of any Forum is to discuss, argue, air ones view. I'm sure Hartley realizes AM will not alter the car because of his opinion. You obviously only want to read positive comments

hartley said:

My question is why are the CL63AMG ,XF 5 litre , and even an M3 not comparable - they are just as fast,only one has 4 doors but they are all more comfortable in the back. I will have another fiddle in the back of a Rapide but I think you guys are all in denial

No it's just logical from the comments that have been posted. Hartley does not feel comfortable with the Rapide, he is a seasoned DB9 owner and knows Astons. Other people have differing opinions but question that there are no comparable vehicles to a Rapide. Hartley feels the Mercs, Jags and Bemmers ARE comparable. Fair enough, The Rapide aint going to change its spots to strips and if the OP feels that Mercs, Jags, Rangers or Beemers suit his needs better, then so be it.

A pints a pint and a half litre, a half litre. But they are not the same and extended debate wont change that fact!

Edited by Guycord on Friday 3rd September 17:08

[roughrider]

Please buy a Panamera/Maserati/Audi/Bentley or Mercedes, then part-ex it on a Rapide when you've realised your mistake...........................

[AKA8]

I don't think that the OP's gripe is unusual, I'm surprised that quite a few cars aren't packaged more efficiently.

I have no experience at all with Rapides but have found Flying spuds, Panameras, S8's and all the other quick german luxo barges (and to a lesser extent 612, CL, maybe Granturismo) to be more than capable of transporting four 6'+ people and swallowing massive amounts of luggage. Surely it's bad for Aston if they don't offer enough space relative to their rivals. The same goes for the Range Rooney sport; massive car but with terrible interior space for its size.

Is it simply that the Rapide is more driver focussed than any of them? I can't remember reading anything which says that it's so far ahead of the others on driver appeal that it can compromise on passenger space (not to say that reviews of this nature don't exist, I just haven't read any).