RE: Aston Martin Rapide S: Review
Discussion
Very Classy motor. I thought they were pointless when they were released but having seen them around they blow an S class or 7 series into the weeds in terms of presence..
it really is new class of car and I think Aston were the only ones to get it spot on. The Panamera is an ugly lump and the quattroporte, for all its noise and style, is just a big saloon.
it really is new class of car and I think Aston were the only ones to get it spot on. The Panamera is an ugly lump and the quattroporte, for all its noise and style, is just a big saloon.
I really want to love the Rapide, It is a thing of beauty.
But it is an awkward thing, in reality.
Inspite of what PH said, it really is not an adequate 4 seater. Only small people can be comfortable in the back. And it's awkward to get in and you feel like you are sitting inside a leather clad shoe. Viability for rear seat passengers is poor.
A 2 door Gran Turismo is actually a far better car for carrying four people.
The Rapide has not sold too well. It was originally meant to be made on contract in Austria but volumes did not meet targets so they took it in house in the UK.
It may be much prettier than a Panamera. But in terms of fulfilling the brief of carrying 4 adults long distances in comfort, the Panamera whoops the Aston.
It is still very pretty. If you only need occasional rear seats, or only carry kids, it is perfect.
But it is an awkward thing, in reality.
Inspite of what PH said, it really is not an adequate 4 seater. Only small people can be comfortable in the back. And it's awkward to get in and you feel like you are sitting inside a leather clad shoe. Viability for rear seat passengers is poor.
A 2 door Gran Turismo is actually a far better car for carrying four people.
The Rapide has not sold too well. It was originally meant to be made on contract in Austria but volumes did not meet targets so they took it in house in the UK.
It may be much prettier than a Panamera. But in terms of fulfilling the brief of carrying 4 adults long distances in comfort, the Panamera whoops the Aston.
It is still very pretty. If you only need occasional rear seats, or only carry kids, it is perfect.
toppstuff said:
But in terms of fulfilling the brief of carrying 4 adults long distances in comfort, the Panamera whoops the Aston.
It is still very pretty. If you only need occasional rear seats, or only carry kids, it is perfect.
Assuming that is the brief. In reality, I suspect the latter is more true.It is still very pretty. If you only need occasional rear seats, or only carry kids, it is perfect.
The thing is that given the choice of arriving like fresh linen in a Panamera and arriving slightly creased in a Rapide, it's still not actually any competition because one still looks like the unhappy spawn of a Type 3 VW boinked by a Mondeo.
In 30 years time, nobody at a classic car show is going to be going "Wow, a Panamera". Sometimes beauty is the whole point.
I'm not a fan of the new grille but the Porsche would still not even enter the reckoning (yes, even if it was the world's greatest drive) and you'll never see a diesel Rapide (I hope...though this would certainly increase sales and that is what Porsche would have done had they owned AM and I think that pretty much defines the difference).
toppstuff said:
I really want to love the Rapide, It is a thing of beauty.
But it is an awkward thing, in reality.
Inspite of what PH said, it really is not an adequate 4 seater. Only small people can be comfortable in the back. And it's awkward to get in and you feel like you are sitting inside a leather clad shoe. Viability for rear seat passengers is poor.
A 2 door Gran Turismo is actually a far better car for carrying four people.
The Rapide has not sold too well. It was originally meant to be made on contract in Austria but volumes did not meet targets so they took it in house in the UK.
It may be much prettier than a Panamera. But in terms of fulfilling the brief of carrying 4 adults long distances in comfort, the Panamera whoops the Aston.
It is still very pretty. If you only need occasional rear seats, or only carry kids, it is perfect.
But this car is not about complete practicality, if it was the S class and 7 series would top any of the cars in this "class"....it's supposed to be a 4 door supercar, performance and style...its the only one out of the 3 that delivers this.But it is an awkward thing, in reality.
Inspite of what PH said, it really is not an adequate 4 seater. Only small people can be comfortable in the back. And it's awkward to get in and you feel like you are sitting inside a leather clad shoe. Viability for rear seat passengers is poor.
A 2 door Gran Turismo is actually a far better car for carrying four people.
The Rapide has not sold too well. It was originally meant to be made on contract in Austria but volumes did not meet targets so they took it in house in the UK.
It may be much prettier than a Panamera. But in terms of fulfilling the brief of carrying 4 adults long distances in comfort, the Panamera whoops the Aston.
It is still very pretty. If you only need occasional rear seats, or only carry kids, it is perfect.
The Porsche falls short on looks and the maserati is, in reality, just a big saloon.
Before the Rapide and Panamera came along no one was thinking of it as a 4 door super car, it was just a stylish S and 7 rival...then top gear test all 3 and decide to run them over a 30 second lap so it didn't get absolutely destroyed around the full circuit.
Zod said:
off_again said:
seriously tempted by a slightly older DB9 at £40k or so. A bit of a risk I know, but for looks like that, who wouldn't?
Do it. I did a few years ago and it was no less reliable than any BMW I've owned. It's an experience you owe to yourself!
Definitely do it though! I know I would if I had the cash!
toppstuff said:
A 2 door Gran Turismo is actually a far better car for carrying four people.
It is worth pointing out that the boot on the GT is so stupidly small that it may be able to carry four people in comfort, as long as they only pack a change of underwear and a wash bagtoppstuff said:
The Rapide has not sold too well. It was originally meant to be made on contract in Austria but volumes did not meet targets so they took it in house in the UK.
It may be much prettier than a Panamera. But in terms of fulfilling the brief of carrying 4 adults long distances in comfort, the Panamera whoops the Aston.
It is still very pretty. If you only need occasional rear seats, or only carry kids, it is perfect.
I have no argument with this. The Panamera is growing on me and it's only really the rear end I don't like, but I think that's been revised slightly. When they make it look like the concept they previewed last year, it'll actually look really smart. The Rapide is a very different beast though. Having said all of this, very few of us in the position to buy any car we choose would approach it with anything like full rationality.It may be much prettier than a Panamera. But in terms of fulfilling the brief of carrying 4 adults long distances in comfort, the Panamera whoops the Aston.
It is still very pretty. If you only need occasional rear seats, or only carry kids, it is perfect.
DanS said:
beautiful car, back seats are useless though, they tempt you with possibilities, but in reality only small kids and double amputees need apply. now if they made a LWB version I would see it very differently....
It's already well over 5m long!It's not a limo. I think the rear seats are fine other than for long journeys.
I took the plunge 6 months ago and sold the A8 and the 964 for a £40k DB9, whilst the children are still small enough to fit in the back. Although there is always the spectre of something horrible happening, it's an 8-year old car that has been well looked after. I think I'd be no more unlucky on a major mechanical failure than the S4 V8 I had that porous heads, or the SLK my wife had with utterly random electrics.
Suffice to say I still grin just opening the garage door, in auto mode it wafts down the motorway, in manual mode it's as crazy as my old Griffith 500 for smiles. On top of that, people of all sexes, races and economic positions are, so far, entirely positive everywhere I go. It's a real feel-good experience as well as a driving pleasure.
When the time comes when the four of us can't fit in, we're already wondering if we can afford the trade up to a secondhand Rapide as everything else looks dull. 612's are relatively ugly and have scary running (servicing) costs, and the Maserati (QP or GT) doesn't quite have the elegance inside or out.
Yes - the Aston bug has bitten, but I have no complaints.
Suffice to say I still grin just opening the garage door, in auto mode it wafts down the motorway, in manual mode it's as crazy as my old Griffith 500 for smiles. On top of that, people of all sexes, races and economic positions are, so far, entirely positive everywhere I go. It's a real feel-good experience as well as a driving pleasure.
When the time comes when the four of us can't fit in, we're already wondering if we can afford the trade up to a secondhand Rapide as everything else looks dull. 612's are relatively ugly and have scary running (servicing) costs, and the Maserati (QP or GT) doesn't quite have the elegance inside or out.
Yes - the Aston bug has bitten, but I have no complaints.
David87 said:
Garlick said:
Were I in a position to do so I would buy one of these immediately.
I used to want a Range Rover as my daily, that changed to this at launch. Love them
Couldn't agree more - they are absolutely stunning.I used to want a Range Rover as my daily, that changed to this at launch. Love them
Nick644 said:
Personally, I still think the New Range Rover, especially the V8 diesel autobiography I test drove the other week, is far more practical and I love the all round vision you have with its command position seating. Never quite understood the need for a 5metre plus car to drive like a sports car and there's no where for the dog to go! It is very pretty though and definitely something different and unique.....and you don't look like a chauffeur as with the Mercedes S class!
A lot of people don't see the need for a dumb mutt at all, surprisingly. 
0-62 in 4.9sec...thought it would have better figures than that. I like the look of the Rapide and love the DBS, though the interiors are terribly dull, like a Ford Mondeo. I always thought the Maserati Quattroporte GTS had more style and desirability.
Those rear seats are also not for travelling any distance, just for joy rides to envious passengers.
Those rear seats are also not for travelling any distance, just for joy rides to envious passengers.
AudiRS6 said:
0-62 in 4.9sec...thought it would have better figures than that. I like the look of the Rapide and love the DBS, though the interiors are terribly dull, like a Ford Mondeo. I always thought the Maserati Quattroporte GTS had more style and desirability.
Those rear seats are also not for travelling any distance, just for joy rides to envious passengers.
Sows how subjective it all is. I find Aston interiors special in a way that Audi, BMW and Mercedes cannot match. I also find Maserati interiors fussy and afflicted with some poor quality materialsThose rear seats are also not for travelling any distance, just for joy rides to envious passengers.
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