Rapide Review

Hey all, thought I'd post a copy of my recent Rapide review. Sorry there's no pics in this post but it's long enough as is. If you'd like a .PDF of the actual article with photos, go here: http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BwzzYlx-q2p9ZjY3OWJiZDAtNjMyYS00YTg5LTgzNmItNzU1Y2Q1ZGQ5Yzkz&hl=en

Here's the text only version:

2010 Aston Martin Rapide Experience
by Chuck Hawks

Today is a good day. Why you ask? Because I got to visit my friends at Foreign Cars Italia (FCI) in Charlotte, NC for a brief encounter with the all new Aston Martin Rapide. If you have not been to either of FCI’s locations (Greensboro and Charlotte, NC), I highly recommend paying them a visit when in their vicinity if for no other reason than to treat yourself to a nice experience in a well maintained dealership of amazing vehicles. FCI is an authorized Aston Martin dealer and keeps a nice selection in stock to choose from. They also sell other brands but today we’ll stay on the British stalwart.
The sample they had for me to experience is actually an Aston Martin factory program car set aside just for such purposes. When I arrived at the dealership I was greeted by a friendly and informative Nic Azzonlina. He stayed with me throughout the experience to answer all my questions.

The Rapide, like any Aston Martin presents very well and is simply a thing of beauty to behold. The lines are so fantastic that even though this is a full on four door sedan, witnessing it in person gives you the experience of being in the presence of a race bred sports coupe. This particular just over 600 mile on the clock version was black with tan leather (as if there’d be any cloth) interior. Pardon my camera work on the external photos but I was using my cell phone to snap pictures. The interior pictures are courtesy of Aston Martin and carpictures.com.

The quality of craftsmanship is unmistakable when one approaches such a car. Even though it is almost 12” longer than its design cousin, the DB9, it does not seem so long as to be foreboding or unapproachable. W while standing outside it though, one might conjure up worries of making right on reds and other tight turns thanks to this added length. The overall visual experience, like any other modern Aston Martin, is simply that of breathtaking automotive beauty. If they get nothing else right (and of course, they do), they seem to have a knack for nailing the visual and stunning the viewer.
The lighting on this car is absolutely amazing! Like many other luxury cars out there, they have gone with the LED lamps for corner markers, tail lights, and headlamp surrounds and set themselves apart with “eyebrow” lights and distinctive layout. The result is crisp, sharp lines with outstanding visibility and illumination – seen extremely well even on a cloudless day. Again, we wouldn’t expect anything less from the AM coachworks but witnessing the results will still never fail to impress and awe.
The rear end of the car is simple and elegant while making a bold statement that this is a high-brow sporting experience, reserved for those with great taste and motoring passion. The front is a bit more bold and screams Aston Martin. All vents, and grills are fully functional, so beauty is not just skin deep. This is a car that says “Drive Me… Pile your friends in and Drive Me!”

Once inside the Rapide, it only gets better. I am ever astounded by how AM continues to find ways to improve their fit, finish and nuances features. Personally, I’d like to see more driver accessible storage space and a better rendition (read useful) of a cup holder but this car makes up for such shortcomings in the way it feels under hand and foot. Again, the finish quality on the inside is that of master craftsmen doing their best work – something we shouldn’t be surprised at coming from the gang at AM. Back to that leather lined cup holder; it will fit a 12oz. can and pretty much little else without risk of spilling under acceleration or the reach of a front occupant’s hand. But it is leather lined! LOL. I can’t imagine spending so much money on a car only to put a sweaty soda can against fine leather… something about that just seems so wrong. Perhaps the key fob makes up for this British style oversight though. Nic told me that the butt end of the electronic key, which plugs into a receptacle in the upper center of the dash, is made of sapphire crystal and the unit itself costs $800. This may sound like an astronomical amount to some for a simple key fob that does the usual functions like lock/unlock, etc. but trust me, when you see this baby plugged into the dash, those thoughts transition to “daaayuuummmm, that is sweet looking!” Besides, those who are in the market for a $200,000 “family car” are doubtfully worried about the price tag of a replacement key fob.

The interior is surprisingly spacious – which was the design goal of the Rapide, providing the experience of an Aston Martin to more than the usual two while everyone is relatively comfy. “Relatively?” you’re thinking? Well, yes. At 5’9” I’m a relatively short stature person, as was my cohort in test drive crime, Nic. So when he got in the front seat and move the drivers’ seat into a proper position, I had plenty of room in the back. Were Nic or I a 6+ footer, one of us would be tapping out like an exhausted MMA fighter whose been on the mat in pain way too long. While there’s little pain to be experienced in the front seats, a taller person my cry for their uncle if seated in the back. This is one place where the competition (read Maserati) may have a leg up on the Rapide. The Maserati four-door solutions provide a good bit more room in the back while also providing that high-end sportster experience. But where the Maserati’s tend to be softer sprung and lean more toward the luxurious ride, the Rapide screams taught, deft handling capability and firm ride experience. More on that in a bit. The creature comforts back there are over the top. Individually controlled (wireless and dash remotely controlled, mind you) entertainment solutions with video screens and headphones for each seat! Heated and cooled seats and a separate climate control from the front passengers’ will as well. There’s a small console storage area between the seats and like the front doors a nicely appointed large storage well in each door. The luggage space in the back is actually quite large, especially considering we’re talking a sports car here. This is a car that could easily be taken on a family mountain trip with luggage for all four, as long as everyone is efficient in their packing. If this is a getaway meant to leave the kids behind but take more toys, the tops of the rear seats fold down to accommodate even more luggage storage. Those guys at AM were really using their collective noodle when creating this finely crafted payload area. However, I must note that the back seats seem to lack any further adjust-ability than this folding feature. That said, they are incredibly supportive, even if there could be a little more seat bottom extended under one’s legs. Those in the back should feel firmly planted during those spirited drives through the twisty bits.

If you have less luggage and/or the rear passengers are worried that said luggage may come to visit them on spirited stops, the rearmost skid panel folds up to create a storage fence, keeping the trunk separate from the seating area. See what I mean about that using the noodle thing? Way cool!

The last thing I’ll mention before we move into the fun stuff (the drive) is the traditional AM upward swinging doors. You may have noticed in my external photos that the car is parked pretty doggone close to the curb and walk on the left. Nic said he does this intentionally to show how this unique design that is signature Aston Martin keeps the doors up and away from high curbing, protecting them from inadvertently being banged into such obstacles outside. Very nice. All the doors have a stiff feel at onset of movement but then seem to magically gain an assist once the door has determined that you really want to change its mode. This is thanks to multiple pneumatic struts mounted to each door. The result is a solid, well-built feel that is intuitive and luxurious. All double glaze windows are of course auto-up & down and recede all but their entire existence into the door when in the down position. My only beef on the back seat to door/window interface is the same that I share with many about the Mercedes CLS series – the roof-line comes down so low that your view is obstructed by the headliner, forcing you to look down (or crouch slightly) to see out. This is a very small price that I am more than willing to pay for such a mega-sexy body design. I feel kind of the same with the CLS but its headliner is maybe a little too intrusive for me. An example of what I’m talking about here: you know how the windows in an airliner are just too low to look straight out of, such that you have to resort to Cirque’ du Soleil-like contortionist positions to wave at those still in the gate? Yeah, that’s the feeling you get attempting to look out from the back seat of one of these jewels. Just the CLS epidemizes the experience and the Rapide only offers a minor trade-off.

Now, let’s crank the 470hp V12 and get to the real reason you’re reading this - and I was invited to come see the beauty and beast rolled into one. On initial startup, the engine lets everyone in the immediate vicinity know that the Aston has been awakened! A throaty rotund lets loose and then simmers down to a benign, almost silent idle as if to say “yeah, I thought so…” to those lesser modes of transportation in the area. Rev it up though, and the beast once again howls out like a werewolf at the full moon. Oh, what a joyous sound! Ugh… I just have to sit and revisit it in my mind for a moment.

OK, I’m back. No craftsmanship was spared in the presentation under the hood. It is a masterpiece of detail and precision. Back behind the wheel, we are dealing with a push button automatic transmission that has 6 speeds which are manually selected only through the fixed paddles mounted on either side of the steering wheel. The buttons for gear mode selection mounted high on the center console/dash allow for Park, Reverse, Neutral, and Drive with the key fob receptacle in the middle. Press “D” and the intelligent tranny will do gear selections for you. Any operation of the paddle shifters takes the car out of automatic mode and gives gear selection duties to the driver. While in Auto mode, I noticed shifts were a bit telegraphed, especially in downshifts, which provided a noticeable deceleration. I won’t call it jerky but it’s not as smooth as some other cars that offer an auto mode. The temptation to use the paddles will likely override this for most but you wouldn’t want an open drink cup in the back during one of the more aggressive renditions of a downshift created by the tranny’s Sport mode when tooling about in Auto. For my short drive, we left the Sport mode on so I can’t speak to whether this anomaly would subside when Sport mode is off. There is also a Sport mode for the suspension marked by a button with an icon of a damper (or shock/strut as we in the States might call it.)

The ride is firm but not too firm, even in sport mode. I prefer a more telling ride quality myself, so I could see me leaving it in sport mode all the time. Speaking of ride, we did press that little button with the damper on it a few times during our drive. The difference between Sport and what I’ll call “comfy” modes is more than readily apparent and onset is amazingly immediate – especially for an air operated system. When in comfy mode, road irregularities are smoothed out to the point that the driver has the information but the sleeping passengers keep dreaming. Press that button again when you want to wake Little Aston Riding Hood, because when in Sport mode, you can feel every detail of the road in the wheel, the seat, the floor… pretty much everywhere. Again, some may find this to be too stiff but for me – I’m a car guy and this is a sports sedan. I like it – a lot! I thought it was a sporty ride without being annoying. Compared to the Porsche Panamera, for me it conveys more information, the less back seat friendly Porsche being, well maybe more refined but at the risk of being removed. You for sure feel anything but removed in the Rapide.

As for acceleration… hey, it’s a 12 cylinder Aston Martin, need I say more? OK, since you insist. The fly-by-wire throttle is touchy at onset from a stand still. The car feels eager to be driven but will calm down immediately if you are in stop & go traffic or just touring the shop fronts in town. This is a car that can be driven every single day in total comfort. That said, romp it and speed comes instantly and effortlessly. We only had a few opportunities to test “Go! mode” but I can tell you this car gets beyond 60mph before you know it and easily attained 80 on the entrance ramp to the interstate. Make no mistake, I had no intention of getting above the speed limit here but acceleration is so smooth and effortless that you truly are there before you know it and forward visibility is good enough that the sensation of speed it somewhat muted. Final word here – this is a sedan not a Coupe, so while you won’t get Supercar level 0-60 or above acceleration, you will not want for power or torque. This is a very fulfilling car to drive in a spirited way.

Back to that amazing sound system –and not the kilo-watt (seriously – 1000 watts!) Bang & Olufsen one, the one under the hood: there’s this interesting phenomenon that occurs when accelerating up from 0. If you are not WOT from the beginning, you get that “Hey everyone, I’m here!” announcement when you first start off and then it settles down to a milder note, only to come back for an all-out high energy encore the likes of a Bruce Springsteen concert gone wild. This car sounds amazing when opened up. Indeed, it’s got to be one of the 5 sexiest sounding street cars out there right now. Again comparing with something like its immediate competition, the Maserati Quattroporte, there is a deeper more basso rotundo with the Rapide where the Maserati is a more throaty tenor – more Ferrari like… imagine that.

With this kind of power at hand, of course we need to be concerned with stopping the all but 4300lb beast. The brakes are huge even inside their surrounding 20” wheels – six piston calipers up front and four pistons in the back. Aston Martin has employed a new braking system in the Rapide using a dual casting approach of steel and aluminum to reduce rotating mass. They claim the system is more discreet in its intervention thanks to a new braking control module but I have to admit I found it anything but discreet. As compared to DB9s and Vantages that I have driven, I found the particular model I experienced to be touchy and insistent. With very little pedal effort the car suddenly decelerates rather unexpectedly and only then does it calm down and become more progressive. I would not call it linear either. The brakes seem as eager to invoke as the throttle does to accelerate, which wouldn’t be an issue at higher speeds but tooling around town at slow speeds seems to provide the same touchy experience. I won’t call it unpredictable or annoying but it does take some getting used to and being smooth across the entire braking invocation spectrum is challenging to the point of needing practice, if attainable at all. Not since the SLR have I found a braking system so twitchy and high strung. This to me is the weakest point of the drive that I was so privileged to get. If asked my least favorite point of the Rapide, I think you’d know by now what my response would be.

Let’s talk handling, Sport mode suspension discussion notwithstanding. OK, admittedly, our test drive route was wrought with traffic and low speed limit neighborhoods and back streets containing little, if any challenging turns. So while I can’t speak to all out handling capability, I again return to: it’s an Aston Martin – it’s bound to be good. The few turns we could test handling on, the Rapide felt confident and confidence inspiring with never a trace of doubt about road holding ability. Steering feel is superb. There is an ever so slight delay off center that you want on a car with this much speed ability but not so much as to be numb. Once the front tires join in on the movement, the feel is like that of a go-kart; a pretty amazing feat for a 4300lb 4-door beast of a car. I had heard that while driving one could not feel the difference of the extra real estate compared to that of the DB9 and now I can confirm such from personal experience. This does not feel like such a large car. The boys back at AM have done a fantastic job of creating a smaller sports car experience in a large, carry four adults in comfort sedan. It simply does not feel its size or weight; period. Amazing! The closest to a minor complaint I can lobby here is rearward visibility but that too is nitpicking. The rear window, due to its slope does not offer a wealth of visual information but you do have what you need. The side view mirrors allow plenty of outward adjustment to avoid adjoining lane blind spots and combine with the rear view mirror enough to keep you safe. Adjust the side view mirrors in so that you can see down the side of the car at your own risk… but this is improper in ANY car (you should not see any portion of your own car in the side view mirrors from drivers’ position unless backing up in tight quarters – period; but that’s another topic altogether. Don’t get me started&#8230 and the Rapide has nice, large side view mirrors that stay out of the way for forward viewing but provide plenty of information to the rear.

But hey, this is an Aston Martin – the only reason to look behind you is to see how much distance you’ve put between you and whatever that flash was that you just passed, right? Just kidding… sort of.

All in all, Aston Martin has really knocked this one out of the park. They’ve provided a four-door sedan that drives like a two-door sport coupe while not skimping on luxury anywhere. And it’s been well sorted before review, the company testing the concept in extremes of desert and arctic alike while in development. The few apparent shortcomings in my book are relative nuances compared to the overall experience. I can conquer twitchy brakes, limited non-luggage storage space , and low-line visibility out of the only slightly smallish back seat for this kind of never-gets-boring unless I want it to, all-out sexy driving experience. If you are comparison shopping, the Maserati will give you more space in the back, a smoother, more luxurious ride, and an banshee howl engine note. The Rapide’s firmer and more capable ride with less body roll, more luxury toys like the rear seat entertainment system and phenomenal sounding B&O stereo, excellent AM navigation, and a big bad wolf monster engine dragon growl on steroids announcement is perhaps for a different audience. My personal taste for body/coach design has me lean to the ultra-sexy Rapide lines over that of the Quattroporte but don’t get me wrong, they are both beautiful. It all comes down to application. The Maserati has class and speed but the Aston Martin has that and the distinction of the feel of a much smaller sports coupe. I can say that I’ve had the Maserati on track, the Rapide I have not. I look forward to that day for sure! I might change my story then but honestly, at this point I doubt it.

Chuck Hawks is a Pro-Driver, Coach ,and Instructor in performance and race driving. He’s located in Charlotte, NC and is the founder of rEvolution Performance.

Cheers & C U @ d'Track!!
C

Chuck Hawks,
Pro-Driver, Coach, Instructor & Facilitator
DreamsFulfilled, LLC & rEvolution Performance Driving System ©