Aston Martin Rapide
The world’s most elegant four-door sports car - the Aston Martin Rapide: elegant,
functional yet luxurious, provides space for up to four adults combined with an
engaging driving experience synonymous with all Aston Martins.
Instantly recognisable as an Aston Martin, the Rapide assumes its extra doors gracefully
to visually remain every bit a sporting coupe as its sister models. The four ‘swan
wing’ doors open up and out at 12 degrees avoiding scuffs and scratches when parked
next to a raised walkway, while serving the dual purpose of allowing easier access
to the front and rear cabin. The opening angle of the doors has been increased to
70 degrees to allow easy ingress and egress. Front on, the new polished alloy upper
and lower grill adorn the Rapide to give it presence on the road while the new front
lights house a single lens bi-xenon headlight with innovative light tube sidelights
subtly distinguishing the Rapide to other road users.
Specification
As the culmination of the Aston Martin range, Aston Martin’s engineers have gained
much experience and learning from the development of the DBS, DB9 and Vantage range
of sports cars – this wealth and breadth of experience has all been channelled into
Rapide to produce a four door with unrivalled sports car characteristics. The basic
ingredients have already been proven: the powerful engine, the lightweight yet stiff
understructure, the honing in the toughest environments around the world and the
exhaust note which is always evocative no matter which model. Applying these characteristics
to Rapide alongside a car which is a practical four-door, was the engineers’ greatest
challenge to date. The result is a car that feels every bit a sports car as its
siblings, yet provides versatility in a beautiful package.
With the six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic gearbox mounted to the rear of the car
on the transaxle, the Rapide’s weight balance is near perfect at: 51:49, contributing
to its outstanding dynamics. This provides the driver with an engaging drive on
twisty roads, and a refined, relaxed and effortless drive on motorways and main
roads. The 20” wheels are clad with Bridgestone Potenza S001 (Front: 245/40 R20,
Rear: 295/35 R20) but specifically for Rapide feature a taller side wall to help
dial out vibration and contribute to a quieter cabin.
Technical Specification
Body
- Four door body style with 4 individual seats
- Extruded bonded aluminium VH body structure
- Aluminium, magnesium alloy and composite body
- Extruded aluminium door side impact beams
- Single bi-xenon headlamps with integrated LED side lights and direction indicators
- LED rear lamps and side repeaters
Engine
- All alloy quad overhead cam 48 valve 5935cc V12
- Front mid-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive
- Fully catalysed stainless steel exhaust system with active bypass valves
- Compression ratio 10.9:1
Performance
- Max Power 350 kW (470 bhp / 477 PS) at 6000 rpm
- Max Torque 600 Nm (443 lb ft) at 5000 rpm
- Acceleration 0-60 mph in 5.0 seconds; 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 5.2 seconds
- Max Speed 184 mph (296 km/h)
Transmission
- Rear mid-mounted ‘Touchtronic 2’ six-speed gearbox with electronic shift-by-wire
control system
- Alloy torque tube with carbon fibre propeller shaft
- Limited slip differential
- Final Drive Ratio 3.46:1
Steering
- Rack and pinion, Servotronic speed-sensitive power-assisted steering, 3.0 turns
lock-to-lock
- Column tilt and reach adjustment
Suspension
- Front Independent double wishbone incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil springs,
anti-roll bar and monotube adaptive dampers
- Rear Independent double wishbones with anti-squat and anti-lift geometry, coil springs,
anti-roll bar and monotube adaptive dampers
- Adaptive Damping System (ADS)
* Winter pricing is applicable on hires between 1 October and the end of February.