Rapide- hopeless packaging
Discussion
Just tried out the front and back cabin in a Rapide .I was trying to convince myself I could trade in the DB9 and the 4x4 now the kids are away and travel everywhee in a Rapide.
Absolutely hopeless packaging - I am under 5' 10" and a decent driving position renders the back seats almost useless - genuine Ryan Air ,black hole of calcutta experience .
How can you get it so wrong ? Car makers are either incapable of designing a big car to look good or they have not realised most people have feet at the end of their legs that they prefer to place flat on the floor !
I suppose it is not as bad as the Panamera which manages to be ugly and tight in the back but then it really is hopeless in the back even compared with the Porsche.
Any suggestions - apart from keeping the 4x4 or surgically removing my passengers feet ? Has any body made this move successfully ?
Absolutely hopeless packaging - I am under 5' 10" and a decent driving position renders the back seats almost useless - genuine Ryan Air ,black hole of calcutta experience .
How can you get it so wrong ? Car makers are either incapable of designing a big car to look good or they have not realised most people have feet at the end of their legs that they prefer to place flat on the floor !
I suppose it is not as bad as the Panamera which manages to be ugly and tight in the back but then it really is hopeless in the back even compared with the Porsche.
Any suggestions - apart from keeping the 4x4 or surgically removing my passengers feet ? Has any body made this move successfully ?
Audi's a great looking car but it's not in the same league as the Aston - I'd miss the 'je ne sais quoi ' of the DB9 .
Old Aston is tempting but I could not live with the lack of reliability.Looking at the classic section at the V8's however the 4 door Lagonda caught my eye . It proves that you can design a big Aston four door with fabulous lines.
Old Aston is tempting but I could not live with the lack of reliability.Looking at the classic section at the V8's however the 4 door Lagonda caught my eye . It proves that you can design a big Aston four door with fabulous lines.
I think you chaps are in denial - did you all come up on Lotus Elise standards of access and comfort. Murph you think I must be an odd shape and then go on to explain how your passenger manages to squeeze himself into the space behind you as long as he gets his feet either side of the seat
This is a £120k plus luxury car we are talking about not a motorcycle and side car. I am in love with Aston as well but come on !
Fair comment if you need a car which can take young kids in the back but sadly the grand children have not arrived yet and I was labouring under the misapprehension that a 4 door car meant four decent seats.
Surprised nobody has mentioned the Grand Turismo or even the Quattroporte - only problem is they are not Aston's - on the plus side you don't need to be a contortionist to get in the back.;)
This is a £120k plus luxury car we are talking about not a motorcycle and side car. I am in love with Aston as well but come on !Fair comment if you need a car which can take young kids in the back but sadly the grand children have not arrived yet and I was labouring under the misapprehension that a 4 door car meant four decent seats.
Surprised nobody has mentioned the Grand Turismo or even the Quattroporte - only problem is they are not Aston's - on the plus side you don't need to be a contortionist to get in the back.;)
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 me
But 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
But 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
GlynMo said:
hartley said:
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
But they aren't comparable, they're designed and packaged with totally different aims. I wouldn't want to take the Rapide off road, and I wouldn't want to take the RRS round the Ring!Guys this feels like trying to convince the flat earth society that the world is not flat. I am sorry but if your feet ( size 9 before you ask )don't fit in the back of the car without effort it does not matter how many cod liver oil tablets you take - that is crap packaging in a £120k plus sports car which looks almost identical to a DB9 ( no bad thing ) with the one distinguishing feature ,the one raison d'etre , the one unique selling point over the DB9 being that it can seat four people in comfort - and the truth is it can't.
The only sensible rationale I have heard on this thread is that it works for you when your small kids get a bit bigger.
I understand Murph that the car is lower and this creates challenges for the designers but that is no excuse when others can get it right for not meeting the brief IMO
I am a 'believer' in Aston as well as you are but kidding ourselves that this is a comfortable four seater is self delusional -IMHO
The only sensible rationale I have heard on this thread is that it works for you when your small kids get a bit bigger.
I understand Murph that the car is lower and this creates challenges for the designers but that is no excuse when others can get it right for not meeting the brief IMO
I am a 'believer' in Aston as well as you are but kidding ourselves that this is a comfortable four seater is self delusional -IMHO
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 ?
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 ?
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
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?
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.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 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 - 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 ?
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 ?
Exactly my point . Of couse the Rapide is fantastic looking - -because it's a DB9 stretched .There is nothing inevitable about there not being much room in the back as the |Grandturismo proves - they just missed a massive market in my view- snatched defeat from the jaws of victory . Had they got even another 3 inches in to the rear floor area I , and I suspect many others would buy one like a shot.
On the oft repeated comment that I should be in the front seat anyway if I was a 'real ' Aston enthusiast - duh -I dont have to sit in the front seat to be happy with the Rapide - I just stay sat in the front seat of a DB9
On the oft repeated comment that I should be in the front seat anyway if I was a 'real ' Aston enthusiast - duh -I dont have to sit in the front seat to be happy with the Rapide - I just stay sat in the front seat of a DB9
AKA8 said:
I hesitate to suggest this - at the risk of being banned from the forum -but as press stories suggest even Aston bosses were not satisfied with the room in the back during development - why don't they get the team that packaged the IQ ( half the size same accommodation ) to have a look at the next edition !!!
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).
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).
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