2018 Aston Martin Rapide S Review

The Rapide S is Aston Martin’s first four-door sports car and while it may not offer cutting-edge mechanical and technological features anymore, the stunning looks and beguiling V12 engine make for a very desirable package. Updates to the infotainment system and some additional standard features have been introduced for the 2018 model year.

What’s it like inside?

The Rapide’s interior would not look out of place in the latest Blade Runner and the level of craftsmanship and quality of materials is superb. This focus on design and style does lead to some compromises when it comes to the amount of space that is available for passengers, especially in the rear. The sculpted rear glass and angled doors make getting into the rear pair of seats a trick best performed by seasoned yoga professionals. Leg and headroom are severely restricted too but such is the price of beauty. The trunk at least offers enough space for a couple of bags and the available split-folding rear seat option is recommended.

How does it drive?

For such a large sedan the Rapide offers sharp responses and is quite capable of tackling challenging roads with ease. The engine requires some revs to give its best but this is no hardship as the exhaust note fills the cabin and the gearshifts are quick and lag free. The ride can be overly firm when in its sportiest setting and remains taut and a little unyielding even in comfort mode. Over smooth road surfaces however, it cruises along in silence and the Rapide S is a capable grand tourer despite its dynamic abilities.

What about the performance?

The Rapide S received a mid-life update to its internals a few years ago and it this updated 6.0-liter 560 horsepower V12 that still powers it in its current configuration. Torque output is rated at 465 lb-ft and an 8-speed automatic and rear-wheel drive are standard.The 0-60 mph time is a claimed 4.2-seconds which trails a number of newer competitors and when it comes to cold hard figures the Rapide S is left chasing cars like the Panamera Turbo and Mercedes CLS AMG. The driving experience is quite something else though, and unless you regularly plan on lining up next to these mega-horsepower competitors at the lights, the Rapide’s lag-free naturally aspirated V12 and intoxicating soundtrack will rarely have you yearning for more power.Few owners will be to fussed about the fuel consumption figures but for the record, the Rapide offers a claimed combined 17 mpg in city/highway driving.

What are my options?

There is one basic trim level for the Rapide S, although calling it basic is not quite accurate as the list of standard features would embarrass most other luxury sedans. Notable standard features include a 6.5-inch LCD screen with satellite navigation, smartphone and Bluetooth integration, premium leather interior, heated seats with power function for the front pair, cruise control, surround park sensors, LED ambient lighting, 20-inch alloy wheels, adaptive damping and a limited-slip differential.A number of packages are available, the Performance Pack offers a sports exhaust, 3-stage adaptive dampers, black tailpipes and a power increase to 573hp while the Entertainment System Pack offers rear screens a remote control and wireless headphones. When it comes to personalization the Rapide S offers a wealth of options, saddle leather floor mats, luggage sets, carbon fiber trim, seat embroidery, personalized sill plaques and quilted seats and door inserts are all on offer.

The Verdict

The Aston Martin Rapide S may not measure up to the latest opposition in purely mathematical terms, but at this rarefied level, looks, style and personalized opulence play a big role in buyers’ decision-making processes.When that is taken into consideration, the Rapide S’ beautiful styling both inside and out as well as its sumptuous cabin puts it ahead of most of its competition.

The Aston Martin RapidE Will Ditch The V12 For An All-Electric Powertrain

The EV revolution has come to Gaydon.

It has begun, at least for Aston Martin. The UK-based sports car company has just confirmed it will build the all-electric RapidE beginning in 2019. However, production will be limited to just 155 units. The RapidE will be Aston Martin’s first all-electric model, spearheading the company’s Second Century Plan that will eventually see additional low- and zero-emission vehicles. Based on the Rapide AMR, which was first shown last March at Geneva, the RapidE ditches the 6.0-liter V12 for an electric powertrain, details of which will be announced later.

So we know the RapidE will be a sleek four-door sedan – just like the Tesla Model S. Coincidence? We think not. The Rapide is the ideal first car for Aston Martin to make all-electric because it’s also its largest and most conventional model. Williams Advanced Engineering has been brought in as lead engineering partner, which is another sign that Aston Martin is dead serious about this whole EV thing; it’s laying the initial groundwork for an EV future. “Having revealed the RapidE concept back in October 2015 we reach another milestone with the confirmation that we are now putting the first all-electric Aston Martin into production,” stated CEO Dr. Andy Palmer.

“RapidE represents a sustainable future in which Aston Martin’s values of seductive style and supreme performance don’t merely co-exist alongside a new zero-emission powertrain, but are enhanced by it.” For EV skeptics and other haters, Palmer did reiterate that the “internal combustion engine...will continue to be (at the heart of Aston Martin) for years to come.” Successful change takes time.

Aston Martin Set To Produce Rapide E Next Year

Relaunched electric four-door will pack 700 lb-ft of torque.

With everything Aston Martin has going on these days, it'd be all too easy to forget about the Rapide. But the automaker hasn't. In fact it's gearing up to relaunch the four-door as its first fully electric vehicle.

Previewed in concept form back in 2015, the Rapide E is now slated to enter production towards the end of 2019. And in confirming its intent, Aston has revealed some rather juicy details – not the least of them the twin electric motors that will combine to deliver over 610 metric horsepower and 700 lb-ft of torque.

That's more than any internal-combustion version of the four-door sports car to date, whose 6.0-liter naturally aspirated V12 produces as much as 603 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque in the latest AMR spec. With even more muscle on tap, the Rapide E is projected to reach 60 in under four seconds, run from 50-70 mph in just 1.5 seconds, and top out at 155 mph. All the while it aims to deliver over 200 miles of range under the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure. To reach its goals, Aston is working with Williams Advanced Engineering to fit an 800-volt battery array producing 65 kWh.

Pirelli is developing a unique set of P Zero tires, Integral Powertrain is working on the electric motor, and Xtrac the transmission – to name just a few of the partners the British automaker is teaming up with on the project.

“Environmental responsibility and sustainability is a global challenge faced by us all,” said Aston's CEO Andy Palmer. “As our first all-electric production model, Rapide E will fast-track our knowledge and help us ensure the character and high-performance capabilities of our future EV models and enhance the unique qualities found in all Aston Martins as we know them today.”

Aston is slated to begin producing a limited run of 155 examples of the Rapide E in the fourth quarter of 2019 at St Athan – the facility which the automaker is currently converting from a military base in Wales. The site was already confirmed to produce the DBX crossover, but has now been announced as the hub for both Aston's electric-vehicle program and its forthcoming relaunch of the Lagonda marque as an electric luxury brand. St Athan will become the third site to produce the Rapide, following its earlier assembly by Magna Steyr in Austria and Gaydon in England.

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Aston Martin CEO Gives Us First Look At Electric Rapide

Well, its batteries anyway.

As much as we love the Aston Martin Rapide, we have to admit it's getting a bit long in the tooth. Aston recently revealed the Rapide AMR, which ups the V12 engine's output to 580 horsepower, but is still lagging behind far cheaper sedans from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes. We've known for quite a while that the V12-engined Rapide is a bit of a lame duck model for Aston, that will continue until it is replaced by an all-electric model. So far, we haven't heard much about Aston's upcoming EV - rumored to be called the RapidE - but company CEO Andy Palmer Tweeted a photo that gives us our first look at the EV sedan.

Unfortunately, the photo only shows the car's battery drivetrain, so we have no way of knowing if this new car will keep the styling of the old Rapide, or adopt the new looks of the DB11 or Vantage. Palmer also gave an explanation of the electric drivetrain, saying it will use "800v battery technology when launched end 2019. The higher voltage facilitates fast charging times as energy E=VxIxt (V is voltage, I is Current & t is time). Faster charge time t=E/(VxI) achieved by increasing Voltage. Nerdy but bloody good!" We'll put Palmer's words into simple English - the RapidE will charge faster than other EVs.

Palmer went on to say that Aston Martin will sell just 155 units of the car at the end of 2019, so we still have well over a year before the car actually arrives. He also added that more information is still to come, but the purpose of the car is to “have the ability to a have usable performance for laps of Nurburgring and a top speed of 155 mph.” Track range has been the Achilles heel of many EVs, but the RapidE will use kinetic energy and regenerative braking technology to help it lap a racetrack without running out of juice. Output figures haven't been announced, but rumors point to around 800 hp with a 200-mile range.

Aston Martin Rapide Shooting Brake Is A $4 Million One-Off

It’s the last car ever built by Bertone before the company went bankrupt in 2014.

Back in 2009, legendary Italian styling house Bertone built a one-off Aston Martin concept known as the “Jet 2 shooting brake” based on the DB9 platform. This attracted the attention of entrepreneur and Aston Martin fanatic Barry Weir, who contacted the design house requesting to buy it only to be told it was a one-off built for Lilli Bertone and wasn’t for sale.

A few years later, Bertone contacted Weir in 2012 offering to build another Jet 2 shooting brake, only this time the car would be based on the Rapide sedan. The final Aston Martin Jet 2+2 concept was unveiled a year later at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

Under the hood is the same 5.9-liter V12 that powers the regular Rapide, but the one-off shooting brake arguably looks even more elegant than the standard car while offering more luggage space and a large glass roof. Weir has owned the Aston Martin Jet 2+2 since he bought it in 2012 but is now selling it along with the original mould. According to Top Gear, he spotted the mould and tooling at an auction after Bertone went out of business and snapped them up before putting them into storage.

“When the car was built, Bertone were keen to build 10 cars and then Aston Martin wanted to put a version into full production,” Weir told Top Gear. “Unfortunately, Bertone went bust and it never happened. It meant, however, that mine became a unique example of an Aston Martin, an entirely new production car which consisted of just one vehicle.”

This one-off shooting brake is very significant, then, since it’s the last ever car ever built by Bertone before the company went bankrupt in 2014.

“Part of me would love to see it reproduced but another part likes the idea that it remains a unique one-off as part of automobile and Aston Martin history,” he said. While a regular Aston Martin Rapide S will set you back just over $200,000, its one-off shooting brake sibling is reportedly being sold for around $4 million according to Top Gear.

Aston Martin Killing Off Rapide After Porsche And Mercedes Launch Competitors

Well, it's keeping the body for an all-electric version, but the V12 will soon be dead and gone.

Porsche hit the stage at the most recent Geneva Motor Show and brought with it a new high powered Panamera along with a wagon version of the four-door. Then Mercedes brought a four-door concept that confirmed rumors speculating a sedan version Mercedes-AMG GT was coming to take on the Panamera. With this most recent volley of four door sports cars, it could lead anyone to think that the segment is poised for growth. However, Motoring begs to differ with its latest report on Aston Martin.

Speaking with Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer, the Australian auto site heard that the four-door Rapide will be getting the axe. Well, at least its fossil fuel-powered versions will. Instead of a signature V12 engine under the hood emitting a glorious exhaust note, an electric drivetrain will take its place. Dubbed the RapidE, this new four-door Aston Martin will come in 2018 and stand as a symbol of what’s to come from the automaker as it strives to lower its emissions and follow the rest of the industry to electrification. “So obviously there’s a platform for the electric Rapide, so it has life in front of it, but the Rapide as you see it today is also going to be replaced by the DBX on one hand and the Lagonda on the other,” said Palmer.

By making this move, it appears that Palmer and his company will be expanding the lineup to satisfy more customers. The DBX will offer an alternative to the new class of attractive and luxurious SUVs that have been coming from Bentley, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, and soon, Lamborghini. As for the Lagonda, we previously heard that Aston Martin would be reviving the badge as a sort of ultra luxury marquee that could compete with Bentley and Rolls-Royce super sedans. In our minds this leaves one massive gap in the segment, namely, the four-door sports car that the Rapide once was, the only car in Aston Martin’s lineup that could compete with the Porsche Panamera and Mercedes-AMG GT 4.

Two pieces of hope we can cling to are the RapidE’s performance, which could top out around 800 horsepower, as well as the fact that Palmer made sure to mention that the name Rapide was originally a Lagonda nameplate, implying that one of the upcoming Lagonda-badged models could be the four-door sports car we so crave. Those wanting a final taste of the gorgeous sedan can snap up the Rapide AMR in order to help Aston Martin give one of the prettiest and most functional cars a proper sendoff.

You Can Buy An Aston Martin Rapide For Less Than Half Of Its Original Price

Depreciation really hits these old Aston Martin models hard.

Buying a new car is a lot of fun, but the second you drive that car off the lot it loses most of its value. That is unless you decide to buy a used car that has already taken a depreciation hit. We are huge proponents of this practice. There are tons of old luxury cars that may be a bit risky, but can be bought for a fraction of the original price. We recently found used examples of the BMW i8, which have already depreciated below half of their original MSRP. Aston Martin always seems to be hit hard by depreciation, which is a good thing for the right buyer.

We have featured several Aston Martin models on our Supercars On A $50,000 Budget series. Models like the DB9, DB7 and V8 Vantage have all dropped well below the $50,000 mark. The Aston Martin Rapide hasn't become that cheap as of yet, but we still wanted to take a moment to talk about how inexpensive they have become. Aston Martin released the Rapide back in 2010, and it became the brand's first four-door model since the Lagonda, which began production back in 1974. The Rapide shared a platform with the DB9, which made it a very unique competitor in the four-door sports car market, with competitors like the Porsche Panamera and Maserati Quattroporte.

Even compared to the competition, the Rapide felt more like a sports car, thanks to its DB9 underpinnings. The Rapide also had one of the most special engines in its segment, a 6.0-liter V12 with 470 hp. The biggest problem that the Rapide had was its insane price.

Back in 2010, a new Rapide would cost just a hair over $200,000. Even compared to the Porsche and Maserati, this was just entirely too much based on the car's performance. 470 hp was not bad, but even at the time, the Panamera Turbo produced 500 hp for around $65,000 less. The Rapide also had some lackluster interior technology, which was dated even at the time, as well as an old-fashioned six-speed Touchtronic automatic transmission. Even with the older transmission, the car had respectable performance figures with a top speed of 188 mph and a 0-60 mph time of 5 seconds. Neither of these numbers is very impressive today, but the car's current price tag is quite fascinating.

We did some searching, and found used Rapide examples for as low as around $60,000. The cheapest example that we found was a 2011 model with 47,000 miles on the odometer for just under $60,000. This mileage is a bit high for such a high-maintenance car, but we did find other examples with under 30,000 miles for less than $70,000. This means that it is now possible to buy a four-door Aston Martin for the same price as a new BMW 540i or Mercedes E43 AMG. Neither of these new cars has as much power as the Aston, and neither can even come close to matching the Rapide on cool factor. It may be a gamble, but the Rapide is finally looking like a good deal.

Aston Martin Rapide AMR Spied Attacking The Nurburgring

This is our first look at the production version of the Aston Martin Rapide AMR after the concept was unveiled last year.

At last year’s Geneva Motor Show, Aston Martin announced its new AMR (Aston Martin Racing) sub-brand offering racier versions of existing models. At the time, the automaker unveiled concept versions of the Rapide AMR and the more hardcore, track-focused Vantage AMR Pro. The Valkyrie hypercar will also be getting the hardcore AMR Pro treatment. Since its reveal, however, news on the Rapide AMR has been slim – until now. Our spy photographers have caught a prototype of the hot four-door supercar attacking the Nurburgring.

Seeing the Rapide AMR at the Green Hell isn’t surprising, since Aston Martin Racing’s European development center is based at the iconic racetrack. After the concept version was shown last year, the spy shots provide us with a first preview of the upcoming production version. It looks to be be largely unchanged from the concept, retaining the same front apron. It also sports new side skirts, an aggressive rear diffuser, and a lip spoiler on the trunk lid. Standard Rapide wheels have been fitted to the prototype, but the final car will ride on 21-inch wheels. The prototype is clearly still a work in progress, as the car is missing its new AMR honeycomb grille quad-exhaust.

Don’t think that Aston Martin is adding a sportier body kit and calling it a day, however. Every AMR model will benefit from performance upgrades, too. Aston Martin is hailing the Rapide AMR as the “world’s fastest and most thrilling four-door” that will be capable of hitting 210 mph. The standard Rapide S is powered by a 6.0-liter V12 producing 552 horsepower, so the output will probably increase to around 600 horses in the hotter AMR version. Production will be limited to just 210 examples. No doubt Aston Martin will reveal more information about the Rapide AMR in the next few months before it arrives later this year.