Aston Martin Rapide- For the Discriminating Hoon

The idea of a saloon car holds great appeal, especially if that saloon car is as sexy as the Aston Martin Rapide. Mixing in with the red heads at last month’s abbondanza Ferrari event was a champagne-colored four door sporting a winged badge and lines that were slinkier than the Victoria’s Secret models in the window of the store-front behind it. In case y’all hadn’t had a chance to check one out up close, I snapped some pics, so feast your eyes. After feasting your eyes however, please remember that eye burps are a common social faux pas. At 197.6 inches long, the car casts about the same shadow as the 195.7-inch Panamera, but the Aston carries its size like it’s wearing a well tailored suit, while the Porsche feels kind of off the rack. The engine in the Rapide is Aston Martin’s smooth-revving 5,935-cc V12 which is good for 470 brake horse power. The transmission is a six speed shift-by-wire unit mounted in back, contiguous with the limited slip differential and connected to the twelve via a carbon fiber prop shaft. All the mechanicals are controlled from a simple and elegant driver’s station surrounded by enough buttery soft leather to make a fetish shop patron swoon. The Rapide is a no-compromise four seater with plenty of room in the back buckets to satisfy those falling under 95th percentile specifications. There’s also more of that leather and plenty of buttons to play with back here. The center stack is awash in chicklet-sized buttons that reminded me of an ’80s Sony TV remote. There’s also still some Volvo in there, although the knobs and switches are reasonably well integrated. Around back the Rapide shares the family rump as well as a small boot opening. The car’s factory estimates of a 5-second zero to sixty time, and 184-mph top end will mean this is will be the most common view other motorists get of the big girl. And big she is, with a 4,299 lb kerb weight it’s about 70 pounds heavier than the four door Porsche. Check out the full gallery below for more shots and start saving those pennies- the Rapide costs just north of two hundred grand.

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