aston martin rapide 2010 cars end intirior

aston martin rapide 2010 cars end intirior

The 2010 Aston Martin Rapide marks the return of a 4-door sedan to this exotic automaker's lineup. Rapide comes in a single trim level with rear-wheel drive. The sole powertrain teams a 470-horsepower 6.0-liter V12 engine with a 6-speed automatic transmission offering steering-wheel shift paddles for manual gear selection.


Available safety features include ABS, traction control, antiskid system, curtain-side airbags, and front-side airbags. The Rapide's standard features include leather upholstery, heated front and rear seats, navigation system, wireless cell-phone link, and 1,000-watt Bang & Olufsen audio system.


Among the options are cooled front and rear seats, dual-screen DVD entertainment, and distinct wheels and trim. This evaluation of the 2010 Aston Martin Rapide is based on a brief test drive.

The Rapide features a hand-built 6.0-liter V12 engine producing 470 horsepower with peak power being delivered at 6,000 rpm and 443 pound-feet of peak torque at 5,000 rpm. A specifically tuned six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission allows the driver to change gears automatically or manually via the steering column-mounted magnesium paddles.

As one can see, the production version is very similar to the concept car, but does swap out quad-air intakes for upper and lower grilles. The rear of the car has strong family ties to other Aston Martin models, and sports 'smoked' rear taillights.

Given a strong interest in the Rapide, Aston Martin says it will build between 1,000 and 2,000 units per year, up from an original estimate of 500 or less.
Like Aston's other models, the Rapide is built on the company's VH (Vertical/Horizontal) architecture -- the same that underpins the DB9. The Rapide will also borrow its twelve-cylinder powerplant from the DBS, DB9 and Vantage models -- although power will be increased from 450 horsepower to 470.