Wednesday 13th August 2014

Aston Martin Rapide S MY15: Review

Does the eight-speed gearbox finally make good on the Rapide's potential? PH takes a drive

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Complaints about the previously facelifted Aston Martin Rapide S could be divided neatly into the objective and the subjective. The chunky stitching, the out-of-place Ford switches and the overall weirdness of a five-metre long four-seater coupe are all just matters of opinion. Subjective. But the six-speed 'box with its wide ratios and sluggish responses was not good. It was a very objective fly in Aston's Beluga Caviar.

New Fiesta called, wants its grille back

And now it's been plucked from the dish and replaced by the same, fantastic, drivetrain as we tested recently in the similarly updated Vanquish.

Driving the MY15 Rapide S is an occasion in itself. Like most of the cars in this price range, the cockpit inspires an emotional response, for better or for worse. Surely, you'd have to be made of Scottish granite to ignore the melodious bark of 12cylinders firing up.

Eight times better
From the insertion of the pretentiously titled Emotional Control Unit - otherwise known as a 'key' - the stark roar and urgent fast idle from cold are not for the shy and retiring, though it soon drops to a typically smooth V12 tickover. The novelty of such a theatrical procedure may not always be welcome but such are the necessities of the emissions regulated warm-up.

Engine and eight-speed - match made in heaven

In relaxed driving, the response of the updated 560hp engine and gearbox is absurdly smooth. It might only be 2hp up on last year, but the new ECU is a big change. And while the magic Sport button isn't quite so important when you're just floating along luxuriously, enjoying the efforts of Messrs Bang & Olufsen, it's always waiting for you.

When attention shifts from inside the Rapide to outside, and you've successfully navigated the frankly bewildering center console to enable sport mode and sport damping, then it all gets quite exciting.

Pushing this massive car through lanes and around hairpins is a lot easier than you'd ever think. Darting changes of direction, confident levels of grip from entry to exit. And that massive, top-end chorus of philharmonic V12 surge standing ready to push the rear tyres to their limits on every exit.

Previously compromised Rapide now more convincing

We said it of the Vanquish, and we'll say it here too. The quick to change and tightly-spaced eight-speed ZF gearbox is the best thing to ever happen to this car. It suits the delivery and nature of the AM29 engine perfectly. Scooting up to seventh and eighth in automatic modes maintains an economy unheard of in such a gratuitous 6.0-litre beast (21.9mpg combined, 31mpg extra-urban!). And the short gaps between ratios mean you can keep the motor on the boil when required. No dropping out of the power here. The Rapide S will even top 203mph now, a massive increase over last year's 190mph.

That this experience can be shared with three full-size adults, with only the slightest trade-off in performance versus a two-seater, is impressive.

With significant objective faults eliminated, the Rapide S might have reached a pinnacle right now. It's relatively safe to assume that this could be the last naturally-aspirated Rapide S ever. Over the horizon lurks AMG power, and behind that the global might of Mercedes Benz. Will it just be AMG engines that get shared with AML, or will the CLS-building Germans want a bigger slice of the pie?

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ASTON MARTIN RAPIDE S
Engine: 5,935cc, V12
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 560@6,650rpm
Torque (lb ft): 465@5,500rpm
0-62mph: 4.4 sec
Top speed: 203mph (electronically limited)
Weight: 1,990kg
MPG: 21.9mpg (claimed)
CO2: 300g/km
Price: £147,950

[mrclav]

Although there will predictably be posts on here saying "they need to change the styling/it doesn't look as good as the original" etc this is still one hell of a nice car; there's an older lady who shops in my local Waitrose who drives Concours Blue one and I must say the car turns my head every time. I think it's a lovely day-to-day proposition.

Edited by mrclav on Wednesday 13th August 12:27

[mrclav]

NickZ4 said:

Can you get me her number?

If you saw her you might want to run... to the hills. All joking aside, she's married; her dude rocks a Ferrari 612 as his daily!