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Aston Martin Rapide S car review – four doors, but not really for the school run

The ‘S’ denotes a revamp for Aston’s 4-door coupe. It looks sharper, and goes rather faster than before.
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14 August 2013

Aston Martin Rapide S
The addition of the ‘S’ together with a new look at the front tells you that this is the updated Rapide. What you can’t see from the outside is the more powerful V12

Aston Martin Rapide S

What is it?

It’s the latest update to Aston Martin’s four-door Rapide, which is now suffixed by an ‘S’.

You can tell a Rapide S from a standard Rapide by its new lights, bold grille and more powerful 6.0-litre V12 engine.

But there are plenty more subtle changes that are aiming to make this four-door Aston Martin Rapide S more of a hard-edged supercar than a relaxed GT.  

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Yes it’s got 4 doors, but the Rapide is a serious supercar even if Aston couldn’t quite resist allowing it to ride beautifully too

 

Aston Martin Rapide S
There’s a new ‘Track’ mode when you fancy a day’s racing

What’s hot?

  • Despite Aston’s insistence that the Rapide S is now more focused than before, it gets new adaptive dampers that provide a really fantastic ride. In Normal mode it flows over cracks and bumps with ease.
  • A new Track mode for the dampers will allow owners to exploit the Rapide S on the track, but it does feel too firm for public roads.
  • By mounting the engine 19mm lower than before and retuning the steering, Aston has managed to make the Rapide S feel a lot more responsive than the old model. Turn-in is quicker and there’s even less body roll than the outgoing Rapide.
  • The 6.0-litre V12 has had power upped from 470bhp to 550bhp, which in turns lowers the 0-62mph time from 5.2 seconds to 4.9 seconds. It feels seriously quick, but in a manageable and sensible way – not like the bonkers Ferrari FF or even the Porsche Panamera Turbo S.
  • An update to the Rapide’s looks wasn’t necessary but the more aggressive grille and larger rear spoiler have only served to make it more beautiful.
  • You get a great reaction driving around in an Aston – we even had one young man chasing us down the road while he set up his camera for the perfect shot.

 

Aston Martin Rapide S
Shabby it is not, but the interior hasn’t been updated in the ‘S’ revision. For £149,550 there are some aspects you could nitpick

What’s not?

  • It’s a shame that Aston didn’t think the interior was in need of an update. The amount of buttons is confusing, the infotainment seems outdated and some of the stalks feel a bit cheap.
  • There’s really not that much room in the back seats, so if you’re planning on carrying adults for long journeys you might want to look elsewhere.
  • Fuel economy of 19.9mpg is pretty dreadful and you won’t find many cars with worse CO2 emissions than the Aston’s 332g/km figure.
  • The £149,550 price-tag will keep this car exclusive but it also places it on the same plane as some seriously impressive performance cars from the likes of Ferrari and Porsche.

 

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Matt Morton

Matt Morton

Matt Morton is an automotive content writer for Business Car Manager

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