Aston Martin Vanquish 2014

Specifications

1. A 6.0L V12 engine makes 565 hp and 457 lb-ft of torque. 2. The car’s body is mad entirely of carbon fiber. 3. 0-60 takes 4.1 seconds 4. The car’s interior is made up of seven cow hides and one million stitches. 5. The Vanquish starts at $279,995.

Preview

This model sits at the top of the brand’s standard range, a so-called "super grand tourer." It’s also something of a halo car for Aston Martin. Thankfully it’s got the performance chops to back up this angelic clam. Aside from a little divine inspiration, it’s also an engineering masterpiece. Beauty and brains; how do you top that.

The Vanquish’s structure is made of an intoxicating blend of aluminum, sorry, aluminium and carbon fiber. In fact the rear one-third of the vehicle is constructed of the feather-weight polymer, as are all of its body panels. Interestingly buyers can spec what parts they want unpainted; things like the roof and door panels can be left as exposed, revealing the material’s geometric weave.

Of course the Vanquish’s rear decklid is constructed of the pricey polymer and it’s hand made, taking a full two days to create. They even had to develop a special way of painting this particular part because of all the aerodynamic nooks and crannies it has. We suspect the process involves neither a brush nor a can of Dutch Boy.

Interior

Naturally the Vanquish’s interior is just as stunning; everything is covered in top-shelf leather from the door panels to the dashboard to the headliner. It takes seven cow hides to complete one cabin; additionally thanks to a quilting pattern on the seats and elsewhere there are more than one million stitches in there.

As nice as the cabin is there are a few downsides to the car and they’re pretty much all inside. First, the Vanquish is very hard to see out of; the sightlines are worse than a battle tank. But let’s be honest, this car is all about being seen, not necessarily seeing. Additionally, the navigation screen completely washes out in bright sunlight, something that renders the backup camera useless, aggravating the first problem mentioned. Oh well, if you can afford one you can afford a circle driveway so reversing is completely unnecessary.

Under The Hood

The Vanquish’s engine is more organic than the meat counter at Whole Foods. There are no hormones, byproducts or unwanted chemicals to be found. The powerplant is 100 percent naturally aspirated, meaning it lacks a turbo or supercharger. That should make environmentalists happy, right? They like "all-natural" things, don’t they?

Cylinders are a something of a status symbol these days as automakers continue to downsize; they more you’ve got the better off you are. Here Aston Martin drivers are treated to a full dozen of them. The Vanquish’s V12 engine displaces 6.0-liters and it puts out like a porn star. There are 565 brake horsepower to play with while torque clocks in at 457 lb-ft.

A six-speed automatic gearbox does all the shifting and is controlled by pushbuttons on the dashboard or paddles on the steering column. Burying the accelerator results in a zero to 60 romp of just four seconds. Hot? Yeah, it’s scorching.

The Vanquish’s exhaust note is more intoxicating than polishing off a fifth of Scotch on a work night; it practically demands that you to dip into its rich reserve of power for shot after shot, time after time. Other than the gaping stares from passersby, it’s one of the car’s most appealing attributes.

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2014 Aston Martin Rapide S

Specifications

1. A 6.0-liter V12 sends 550 HP and 457 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels. 2. One transmission offered: a six-speed push-button automatic. 3. The Rapide S has room for four passengers but the rear seats are cramped. 4. The model provided for AutoGuide’s evaluation cost $217,449.

Preview

Arguably, Aston Martin is most famous for its two-door and drop-top cars, products like the DB9 or Vanquish Volante. In fact they only build one sedan, the Rapide S, but just because this car has twice as many access portals as other Astons doesn’t mean it’s a disappointment. It’s still a design masterpiece with performance that’s difficult to beat.

The Rapide’s body is tremendously sculpted, with wide hips, a tapering roofline and long hood that seems to stretch outward to the horizon and beyond. Its bodywork is simply gorgeous. This is a car that doesn’t just get looks from passersby, it commands attention from pedestrians and other motorists. It’s a wonder there aren’t more crashes near it because of distracted drivers trying to snap pictures with their cell phones.

Like other Aston Martins, the Rapide’s exterior door handles are flush mounted with the body skin. They require a light push of the finger in order to pop out the graspable portion of the lever. It’s an exceedingly cool touch that makes the car feel that much more special and probably aids in aerodynamics as well.

Of course all of this loveliness hasn’t escaped the eyes of people at Aston Martin. Their consumer website boldly proclaims the Rapide S to be “The World’s Most Beautiful 4-Door Sports Car.” Is that an overstatement? Perhaps, but walk around it a few times and you might be inclined to agree with them.

The Rapide S is built atop the company’s bonded aluminium VH architecture, which stands for “vertical horizontal.” It’s a nice, stiff structure that rewards the driver in many ways.

Interior

The Skyfall Silver Rapide S provided for evaluation was dressed to kill, as was its interior. The cabin was trimmed in buttery soft leather; just about every surface was covered in the fragrant material, from the dashboard, to the seats to the door panels. The vivid crimson hue splashed throughout is called Chancellor Red (it’s one of more than 30 available colors) and it’s accented with contrast stitching.

For all of the interior’s opulence there are a few curious missteps. The radio and climate-control display for instance is pixilated and grainy. It would look more appropriate in a decade-old Toyota Camry than in this six-figure supersedan. The same is true of the small screen in the instrument cluster, which is reminiscent of a graphing calculator, though the 220 mile-an-hour speedometer proves this car means business!

The key slots into a mortise located at the top of the center stack; you push it in and hold it to start the engine. This slot is flanked by a series of push-buttons that control the transmission.

Though not quite claustrophobic, the driving position is narrow and confined. Similarly, the view out is obscured by large blind spots. The windows are small and looking through them is like holding a hand in front of your eyes and peering through the gaps between your fingers. A backup camera and ultrasonic parking sensors do make things a little easier.

While far from a machine designed to haul cargo the Rapide S does offer a surprising amount of room for luggage, given how tight its passenger accommodations are. The rear seatbacks fold down as does the cargo divider, which provides a nice, flat storage space that’s probably generous enough for a pair of golf bags. Still, this car is designed to haul ass, not junk.

Under The Hood

And if posterior could be packaged into uniform-sized parcels the Rapide S would be able to transport a lot more than many other road-going vehicles. It’s powered by 6.0-liters of naturally aspirated displacement spread across a dozen cylinders.

This powerplant is extraordinary; it’s one of my favorite engines EVER built by any manufacturer. It’s so unbelievably smooth and linear. No matter where the tachometer needle is pointing there are absolutely no lumps, bumps or jerks; it’s almost completely free of vibration and harshness. Best of all it sings like a choir of angels, with a melodious exhaust snarl that forces you to rev it up just to hear the glorious cry.

Hyperbole aside this machine delivers an advertised 550 brake horsepower with 457 lb-ft of torque. All of those goodies are routed to the Rapide’s rear wheels through a well-mannered six-speed “Touchtronic 2” automatic transmission.

Other manufacturers have moved beyond gearboxes with only half a dozen ratios but this unit is hard to fault. It’s silky smooth when you need it to be, but can bang off rapid-fire up-shifts when you want it to.The transmission conspires with the car’s V12 to deliver a zero to 100 km/h sprint in just 4.9 seconds. 

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