2014 Aston Martin
Vanquish Center Stack
A tad more revolution in this evolution, then, and a
properly intoxicating one at that.
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Specs
Price
·
$319.840,96
Engine
·
5935cc 48v V12, 568bhp @ 6650rpm, 465lb ft @ 5500rpm
Gearbox
·
Eight-speed automatic, rear wheel drive
Performance
·
3.8sec 0-62mph, 201mph, 22.1mpg, 298g/km CO2
Weight
·
1739kg
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Aston Martin Rapide S
New ’box, bigger brakes, bit more power… light tweaks
add polish to Rapide S
As with the Vanquish, changes visited upon the 2015
model year Rapide S constitute everything but a facelift. And that’s great
news because, as even designer Marek Reichman concedes, the
Rapide’s frill free couture is so perfectly wrought that it really will brook
no tinkering.
Also as with the Vanquish, the interior is another matter,
and – new finishes including a quilted rear parcel shelf that reflects strongly
enough in the rear screen to make it seem almost opaque aside – is as badly in
need of an overhaul as is the former’s.
The new Rapide S benefits from every engineering tweak
granted the Vanquish except for the toughening of the suspension, whilst it
alone gains uprated front brakes featuring 11mm thicker discs with a diameter
enlarged 10mm to 400mm.
Timeless view
distracts from ageing interior
The same glorious V12 and new eight-speed gearbox
installation as that of the Vanquish here delivers 16bhp less, and identical
torque, in a machine which weighs some 251kg more. This still equates to
0-62mph acceleration in 4.4 seconds, and the full George of 203mph. The
powertrain is even more lethargic in ‘Normal’ mode than that of the Vanquish,
but responds with near-equal verve with the loud button stabbed.
The suspension changes reserved for the Vanquish have
created a far more perceptible character chasm between the two machines, which
is a Good Thing. With the former now largely attaining the hooligan status
demanded of it, the way is paved for the Rapide S to become the preeminent
long-haul Aston.
Aston Martin
Rapide S
With steering every ounce as engaging as that of the former,
stacks of grip and even greater poise over rough surfaces, the Rapide S will
hitch up its petticoats and hold its own with almost anything else out there.
Better yet, at 105mph in eighth gear, the engine is ticking over at little more
than 2000rpm, and chatting with your popsy is an option.
So, whilst the Vanquish proves the perfect machine with
which to bully the German campervans punctuating the Scottish Highlands like
giant plastic milestones, the Rapide’s more pliant ride and marginally less
aggressive response to throttle inputs makes it the ideal machine in which to
spank the map. Of Europe.
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Specs
Price
·
$245.190,14
Engine
·
5935cc 48v V12, 552bhp @ 6650rpm, 465lb ft @ 5500rpm
Gearbox
·
Eight-speed automatic, rear wheel drive
Performance
·
4.4 sec 0-62mph, 203mph, 21.9mpg, 300g/km CO2
Weight
·
1990kg
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