Aston Martin Rapide S – V12 makes 81 PS, 20 Nm more

Aston Martin Rapide S-07

This is the Aston Martin Rapide S that will replace the Rapide in markets worldwide. More luxury and more power to reassert its position as the world’s most beautiful, and beautifully balanced, four-seat sports car, says Aston. We’re not sure if the bigger mouth and more pronounced boot lid flip improve the Rapide’s looks, though.

Under that long hood is a version of the new AM11 naturally-aspirated 6.0 litre V12 with improved in-gear acceleration and power, which is up by 17%, or 81 PS to 558 PS at 6,750 rpm. Peak torque is up from 600 Nm to 620 Nm at 5,000 rpm. There’s more low end grunt too, as pulling power rises by more than 40 Nm between idle and 4,000 rpm with an additional 50 Nm available at 2,500 rpm.

Naturally, the figures bring swifter performance. The Rapide S shaves three tenths off its 0-100 km/h time, from 5.2 seconds to 4.9 seconds. Top speed stands at 306 km/h.

Aston Martin Rapide S-11

The V12 boasts race car tech – developments derived directly from Aston Martin Racing’s successful WEC GT campaign include fully CNC machined combustion chambers and lighter, hollow, cam shafts. The engine has been lowered by 19 mm versus the position of the powerplant in the original Rapide, with a corresponding reduction in centre of gravity.

Despite the increase in peak power and torque, the Rapide S is more economical than before. CO2 emissions drop by 7% – from 355 g/km to 332 g/km – while fuel economy now stands at 7.1 km/l on the official EU combined cycle.

The Rapide S benefits from the latest Gen4 iteration of Aston’s Adaptive Damping System (ADS), which now offers three distinct settings: Normal, Sport and Track. The damper settings are determined by an ECU which takes readings from the car’s systems, including throttle position, brake position, steering wheel rotation and vehicle speed.

Aston Martin Rapide S-04

For looks, there’s a new optional Carbon Exterior Pack which gives the front splitter, rear diffuser, mirror caps and rear lamp infills the CF look.

Inside, you’ll find new piano black trim, a darker surround in the instrument binnacle and steering wheel with black horn-push surround. The pics here also feature the optional duotone perforated red and black leather.

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • Kalun on Jan 25, 2013 at 10:30 am

    Yes. This is the most beautiful 4 door sport car but the current update zagato style grill make the front look oddly beautiful. The old one has the db5 style grill but maybe they oversize the grill.
    They should make a bigger grill that is bigger than the old one and small than this one.
    Add underlips to make it has the nice proportion.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
  • PauKaya on Jan 25, 2013 at 10:36 am

    aston designers. lazy buggers. they make proton look so hardworking.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 5
    • BMW BEST on Jan 25, 2013 at 5:36 pm

      The current look is already very nice,so it is good that they didn’t change much things.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • theTowermoviedotcom on Jan 25, 2013 at 11:32 am

    They should learn from mazda, to use a happier grille, smiley one will do it just right.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Ramun on Jan 25, 2013 at 12:15 pm

    Why i keep on thinking of new Ford Focus when im looking at this car?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • It still is a beautiful car. But as much as I love Aston Martin design, why on earth have they went for a larger Zagato grill without changing the rest of the car to fit it, in red, it really isn’t any better looking than then the normal Rapide, can even say it look worse. Although power hike is a welcome.

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  • kadajawi on Jan 25, 2013 at 11:12 pm

    Not bad. But this against the Tesla Model S… of course this one has a nicer exterior and interior, and better sound, and better top speed. But the Tesla is much more affordable, offers much much more space (boot in the front, boot in the back, no tunnel in the center, so 5 seats plus 2 for kids in the boot) and is much more advanced. I think I’d take the Tesla. Waiting time is a bit steep though, I think if you order now you’ll get one some time in 2014…

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    • I don’t know, looks are not meant for everyone. I prefer the old face lift version. The mouth is jut too big for me. It’s not ugly with that proportion but it just dose’t fit. unlike the previous car, it may look better in silver, but not that red.

      True the Interior is better looking than the Tesla, but from the review of Top Gear and EVOTV, the Aston is a lot more cramp and the ergonomics are not that good. Getting in through the rear door looks tough. The Tesla has a one screen touch panel interior, makes those tech savvy using it a lot easier. Can’t argue for sound and Top Speed, but the Tesla has a better acceleration, which is more useful in the real world.

      I love the Tesla, it’s easily my favorite sedan of last year. It’s a car from the future, whereas Aston, seem stuck in its past with that aging VH architecture. It’s a good past though.

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