Aston Martin Rapide S

Step inside this luxury British sedan and you’d be greeted with full-grain leather interior with stitch accent removes any sense of plasticky feel. The seats are lower, the sill wider, windscreen quite shallow—so are the side windows, and the rear window is quite compact which makes it difficult to see out. Maybe that’s the tradeoff for having a sleek design. The dashboard is typical Ashton Martin with the center control cluster a bit too busy with its round dials and buttons that are not particularly logically laid out. The dated 6.5-inch infotainment does not help either. But at least it has a satellite navigation system, smartphone mirroring technology for Apple CarPlay, and is partnered to a 1000 W Bang & Olufsen BeoSound audio system.

The most compromised of the interior design would probably be the rear seats. The pair of bucket seats separated by a transmission tunnel prevents this English car from maximizing the seating capacity. Besides that, low seats, thigh support, and a shallow headroom can make the rear seats feel claustrophobic for full-grown adults.

The Aston Martin Rapide S features a sleek, assertive design beginning with its imposing full-face aluminum grille to match its re-profiled front bumper. It retains however the upswept elongated headlights with daytime running lights but also features a new front wing. On the side are elongated side gills with chrome details. And at the rear is a new upswept tailgate with a mid-rear mounted spoiler for a more dynamic look. The dual tail exhaust pipe completes the sportscar profile. The new extruded aluminum bonded vertical-horizontal (VH) architecture under the exterior paneling has also been tweaked to improve structural rigidity while at the same time making the engine sits lower in the chassis to get a lower center of gravity, enhance aerodynamics, and provide better stability control which all contributes to better engine performance.

This Aston Martin sports car rides on a set of 20-inch multi-spoke alloy silver painted with diamond-turned finish rims wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza tires. The Rapide S measures 5,020 mm long, 2,140 mm wide, 1,360 mm tall, and has a wheelbase of 2,989 mm.

The Rapide S is well-balanced. The steering response is accurate and offers excellent feel, thanks to its hydraulic rack. There are no turbocharges for the engine when running at low revs, but still works fine, and frankly, not needed. The engine works superbly at high speed and can shift seamlessly from high to low and vice versa despite the high amount of torque it can produce. And despite its full-size, this English luxury sedan is truly a sports car by heart as it can move easily with so much speed. The suspension system consists of independent double wishbone, coil springs, anti-roll bar, and single-mode adaptive damping system (ADS) provides for a cushioned, smooth ride despite rough pavement and occasional potholes. The luxurious leather seats are a perfect complement as well as the low levels of NVH. Rear seats are best reserved for small passengers—maybe children or teens as it can feel tight on the rear with the massive transmission tunnel occupying the center.

The Aston Martin Rapide S is equipped with the all-new AM29 6.0-litre V12 48-valve engine capable of delivering a staggering 560 PS of power at 6,750 rpm and peak torque of 630 Nm at 5,500 rpm. This British luxury sports car can go from zero to 100 km/h in just 4.4 sec and can reach a top speed of 306 km/h. The all-alloy, quad overhead camshaft, front mid-mounted 5,935 cc engine is paired with a rear mid-mounted ‘Touchtronic III’ eight-speed transmission with an electronic shift-by-wire control system. The gearbox sends power to the rear wheels. For fuel efficiency, EPA gave it 14 mpg or 17 L/100km for city driving, 22 mpg or 11 L/100km for highway driving, and 17 mpg or 14 L/100km for combined city and highway driving.

For an engine that can go super-fast, Rapide S needs a massive amount of stopping power. This is handled by 398 mm diameter dual-cast discs with six-piston calipers for the front wheels and 360 mm diameter dual-cast discs with four-piston calipers on the rear. To aid the brakes, there’s the dynamic stability control with track mode, anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), emergency brake assist (EBA), traction control (TC), hydraulic brake assist (HBA), positive torque control (PTC), and electronic park Brake (EPB).

For safety, driver-assist, and convenience technology, this Ashton Martin luxury sedan, just like the other vehicles in its portfolio, is adequate. It has dual-stage driver/ front passenger front airbags, cruise control, security alarm and engine immobilizer, and remote-controlled central door locking and boot release. The front and rear parking sensors and rear camera are critical features since the set-up of the windows and windshields for the Rapide S and low seats mean the driver will need all the help s/he could get when maneuvering this English luxury car.

The Aston Martin Rapide S is a better version of the Rapide in terms of design, drive, and feel. And it is these small changes that keep the Aston Martin so desirable. The attention to detail, and improving on what they do best—create a powerful engine that delivers an exhilarating driving experience that overshadows some design areas that could be further improved, more specifically, maximizing interior space.