By Kerry Hayes, photography Nic Baleta
Late last year I test-drove the Aston Martin Virage, a sleek and powerful vehicle that ignited my passion for supercars and sportscars that I didn’t realise was patiently biding its time. I have spent much time since then, cladding my basic knowledge of cars and motoring with more substantial facts and figures – which led me to spending a day in the sister of the Virage – the Rapide sedan.
I had some preconceptions of a four-door car: family-orientated, submissive, reserved. Those preconceptions were thrown to the wind as Aston Martin General Manager, Rens Rademeyer, led me to the silver-bronze beauty parked outside the Daytona Group collection of showrooms, in the heart of Sandton.
The unmistakable design of the Aston Martin had evolved into something more fantastic – the aluminium body lines swept in long luxurious curves, streamlining the Rapide to cut through the air; powered by a six-litre V12 engine, which is hand-built and delivers impressive power and immense torque, with 477 PS and 600Nm at its peak.
Always a touch wary at the beginning of a test drive, I eased the 2011 model onto the fast-pace roads of Sandton, while getting my bearings inside this elegant, confident beauty. The interior trim was a deep, rich bitter chocolate colour in hand-stitched leather, which extended throughout the vehicle, and was complemented by a mahogany veneer on the dash, touching various focal points in the whole interior. Being a rule-honouring citizen, I had paired my phone to the Aston’s bluetooth, which was easily manageable through buttons flanking the steering wheel. These were accompanied by volume control and menu, ensuring that full attention could be given to the road while communicating in the vehicle.
I had started my journey from Daytona to my office in Rosebank listening to a talk radio show, but quickly progressed to a high-energy music station as the contained power of the Rapide seeped through the heated seats and infected me. The sound was amazing – as is expected from a Bang & Olufsen BeoSound sound system, and 15 carefully placed speakers – but was strategically tempered by the Garmap navigation system, which guided my direction with absolute accuracy.
I switched effortlessly to manual drive, hardly noticing the changing gears so smooth and quick were the transitions; and when I flipped into Sports drive…well, I can’t see why anyone would drive any other way.
I found a little stretch to test the Rapide’s handling, and with “Touchtronic 2” transmission, adaptive damping and lightweight dual-cast brakes, she was collected yet pliant on the road, making one forget that you are driving a sedan and not a smaller coupé.
After a space of separation from the Aston, where I spent some time in the office, I jetted off to fetch my three-year-old from school. Her comment when she saw the car made me nod and smile with appreciation: “This car is very cool, Mommy!” She spread out in the very spacious backseat, with Isofix included for booster seats, and proceeded to adjust the individual aircon to the temperature of her liking. I didn’t get much response from her on my questioning about her activities of the day, as she explored the textures of the fine stitching, the plush upholstery and – to her delight – two 6,5-inch LCD screens (integrated directly into the rear of the front headrests, displaying input from a six-DVD changer, MP3 players, games consoles or other auxiliary devices) which she commented should be playing her favourite cartoons.
After dropping her at home, I cruised through to the streets of Saxonwold, where photographer Nic Baleta took some beautiful shots of the car for this article. In a moment of fun, I hopped into the 317-litre boot (which can be extended with the back seats folded down to 886 litres), and was surprised at how much space there was to pack your luggage for a drive to the coast or the Cape winelands.
A day well spent, I’d say – and a fantastic car for the sportscar-lover who has a family to drive around. Comfort, control, refined beauty and the heritage of the Aston Martin, are all encompassed in one finely-tuned package; and the cherry on top? The Swarovski crystal ignition key lighting up to a glow at that first purr.
With thanks to Daytona Group for arranging the test drive.
Love the Aston Martin Rapide? Tell us why, and get talking about it on Twitter #Rapide. If you’re also a fan of powerful cars, check out my Supercars & Sportscars board on Pinterest, @kerryhayessaho
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