Aston Martin revealed today the high-performance Rapide S, which comes with 17 percent more power than the regular Rapide and with distinctive looks. In fact the Rapide S is going to replace the current Rapide on all markets. The Aston Martin Rapide S is powered by the same 6.0-liter (5,935cc) V12 engine as its sibling, but its peak output is rated at 558 PS (550 bhp) at 6,750 rpm and 620 Nm (457 lb ft) of torque at 5,500 rpm. With the extra ponies, the Aston Rapide S is able to get from nought to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.9 seconds. Even though it was not tested yet, Aston Martin believes that the S version of the Rapide is able to reach a top speed of 190 mph (306 km/h). The engine of the Rapide S is linked to the car's rear wheels via a rear mid-mounted Touchtronic 2 6-speed gearbox with an electronic shift-by-wire control system.
The Rapide S is also equipped with a limited slip differential and it features an alloy torque tube with a carbon fiber propeller shaft. In terms of efficiency, Aston Martin rates the Rapide S with a 19.9 mpg (EU combined cycle) fuel economy and a 332 g/km CO2 emissions level. This means that the S emits 7 percent less CO than the regular Aston Martin Rapide. Some of the new technology brought by the Rapide S includes Dual variable camshaft timing, knock sensing, and a fully catalyzed stainless steel exhaust system. To get a bit of extra stability and improved handling Aston Martin lowered the Rapide S's engine by 19 mm.
Because the Rapide S has quite a bit of extra power in comparison to its predecessor, Aston Martin’s engineers had to recalibrate its DSC and to equip it with the latest generation of the Adaptive Damping System (ADS). The Rapide S comes with three setting for the suspension: Normal, Sport and Track.
The Aston Martin Rapide S comes with a fresh new exterior design. At the front, it features a new full grille, and at the rear it has a more pronounced boot lid spoiler. Aston Martin says that the new Rapide S fully complies with the current European regulations regarding pedestrian protection. Its lowered engine, its new bonnet, new front bumper and new grille all work towards this purpose. The Aston Rapide S can be ordered with the Carbon Exterior Pack, which includes the front splitter, rear diffuser, mirror caps and rear lamp infills.
For the interior of the Rapide S, Aston Martin chose a few discreet design changes, including an optional duotone perforated red and black leather. They also gave it improved NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) characteristics. Some of the new options offered by the Rapide S include a rearview camera, twin screen rear seat entertainment system with wireless headphones, remote control and a 6-disc DVD changer.
The price of the Aston Martin Rapide S has not been announced yet. The full details and specifications of the Rapide S are available here.
Aston Martin Rapide S video:
