Mr. Bond, Your Four Door Aston Martin DB9 Has Arrived
01-04-2006, 04:00 PM
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Mr. Bond, Your Four Door Aston Martin DB9 Has Arrived http://detroit-auto-show.autoblog.co...from-top-gear/
And it's called the Aston Martin Rapide. What a sexy mama this thing is. Looks like the award for classiest looking 4 door just went from the Audi S8 or Maser Quattroporte over to this sucker. The Merc CLS doesn't stand a chance in the looks department against this thing. The only vehicle which might be able to tackle the Rapide in the design department is the rumored Porsche Panamera.
I have to say, I LOVE the new Aston Interiors. It seems as though Ford heard the criticisms of the DB7 and the V12 Vanquish and how their interiors were nothing more than the best from the Ford's parts bin. It's true. The interiors of the DB9 and the baby V8 Vantage have interiors and dashes which FAAAARRRR outshine the one found in the flagship V12 Vanquish S. The gauge cluster on its own with it's reverse tach that swings counter clockwise is a work of art in and of itself. And check out the console and radio/HVAC controls in the pic. That clock is pretty snazzy. w00t.
Mechanically speaking this thing uses the same 5.9L V12 as the DB9 but tuned to 480hp instead of 450 to help move the extra 300 or so lbs. My guess is that since AM has ditched the base 450hp Vanquish and only builds the 520hp Vanquish S, the DB9 will get a the 480hp engine in a year or so since there is now a 70hp gap between it and AMs big dog flagship. From the paddle shifters in the pic, I'm guessing that the Rapide uses the torque converter ZF 6 speed automatic which comes standard in the DB9. This should give it an edge in the trans department since some people have said the Quattroporte's 6 speed F1 sequential manual is a bit lazy in automatic mode. While I doubt it would happen, I'd love to see the DB9s optional Graziano 6 speed manual in the Rapide. Chances of that happening are next to zero. The Automatic DB9 debuted before the 6 speed manual car, and if memory serves me right AM expects only 15% of the DB9s it sells to be equipped with a manual transmission. That number probably shrinks significantly for a 4 door so don't hold your breath.
Nonetheless this is a sexy car if you ask me. Although I must say that while I find the car attractive (obviously anything that resembles a DB9 will be attractive) it is essentially just a stretched DB9. I do wish that AM chose to give a car perhaps a different or altered set of tailights or maybe a slightly more reworked front end to differentiate this thing from it's 2 door brother. As hot as this thing is, let's face it, it's a DB9 clone with 2 more doors. Kind of how the V8 Vantage is a scaled down DB9 with 4 less cylinders and a crease running down the side of the car. While I love the current Ian Callum derived designs of AM that date back to the DB7 which he designed before he left AM for Jaguar, all of their cars now look the same in the same way that all Porsches currently resemble each other. It would be nice to have a little derivation from model to model. In any case, for those who ever wanted a 4 door DB9 here it is. Lagonda this car is NOT.
And it's called the Aston Martin Rapide. What a sexy mama this thing is. Looks like the award for classiest looking 4 door just went from the Audi S8 or Maser Quattroporte over to this sucker. The Merc CLS doesn't stand a chance in the looks department against this thing. The only vehicle which might be able to tackle the Rapide in the design department is the rumored Porsche Panamera.
I have to say, I LOVE the new Aston Interiors. It seems as though Ford heard the criticisms of the DB7 and the V12 Vanquish and how their interiors were nothing more than the best from the Ford's parts bin. It's true. The interiors of the DB9 and the baby V8 Vantage have interiors and dashes which FAAAARRRR outshine the one found in the flagship V12 Vanquish S. The gauge cluster on its own with it's reverse tach that swings counter clockwise is a work of art in and of itself. And check out the console and radio/HVAC controls in the pic. That clock is pretty snazzy. w00t.
Mechanically speaking this thing uses the same 5.9L V12 as the DB9 but tuned to 480hp instead of 450 to help move the extra 300 or so lbs. My guess is that since AM has ditched the base 450hp Vanquish and only builds the 520hp Vanquish S, the DB9 will get a the 480hp engine in a year or so since there is now a 70hp gap between it and AMs big dog flagship. From the paddle shifters in the pic, I'm guessing that the Rapide uses the torque converter ZF 6 speed automatic which comes standard in the DB9. This should give it an edge in the trans department since some people have said the Quattroporte's 6 speed F1 sequential manual is a bit lazy in automatic mode. While I doubt it would happen, I'd love to see the DB9s optional Graziano 6 speed manual in the Rapide. Chances of that happening are next to zero. The Automatic DB9 debuted before the 6 speed manual car, and if memory serves me right AM expects only 15% of the DB9s it sells to be equipped with a manual transmission. That number probably shrinks significantly for a 4 door so don't hold your breath.
Nonetheless this is a sexy car if you ask me. Although I must say that while I find the car attractive (obviously anything that resembles a DB9 will be attractive) it is essentially just a stretched DB9. I do wish that AM chose to give a car perhaps a different or altered set of tailights or maybe a slightly more reworked front end to differentiate this thing from it's 2 door brother. As hot as this thing is, let's face it, it's a DB9 clone with 2 more doors. Kind of how the V8 Vantage is a scaled down DB9 with 4 less cylinders and a crease running down the side of the car. While I love the current Ian Callum derived designs of AM that date back to the DB7 which he designed before he left AM for Jaguar, all of their cars now look the same in the same way that all Porsches currently resemble each other. It would be nice to have a little derivation from model to model. In any case, for those who ever wanted a 4 door DB9 here it is. Lagonda this car is NOT.
Last edited by bruddah_man_matt; 01-05-2006 at 01:59 AM.
Definitely a hot sedan. It and the Maserati Quattroporte are the most badass 4doors on the planet IMO. 