Aston Martin Rapide S, the world’s most beautiful 4-door sports car has been officially launched in India at a staggering price of Rs. 4.4 crores (ex-showroom, Mumbai). This car is the facelifted version of the Aston Martin Rapide which was launched in India back in 2011. The biggest change on the Rapide S when it comes to exteriors is the redesigned fascia where the grille is no more split in two and is replaced by a single piece grille. This heightens the aggressive stance of the luxury sports car. The car also gets a revised rear lip spoiler.
The Aston Martin Rapide S now gets a new engine with the power output bumped by nearly 17 percent from 470 BHP at 6000 RPM to 550 BHP at 6750 RPM. The torque on this car has also been increased from 600 Nm to 619 Nm at 5000 RPM. In compliance with the new pedestrian-protection regulations, the engine is placed 90 mm lower under the front hood. Fuel efficiency of the Rapide S has also been improved by a small margin of nearly 5 percent. The 6-speed ZF automatic transmission is the same as that on the Rapide except that it has now been calibrated to provide more comfort in comfort mode while offering more sportiness in sport mode.
The Rapide S now gets new suspension settings courtesy Bilstein. This suspension setup features adaptive suspension system where the driver can choose between comfort, sport and track modes at the touch of a button. The car can also independently adjust each individual suspension using the sensors that continuously feed the inputs to the car. Aston Martin recently conducted a road show in different cities across India to create brand awareness and hoping to rake in at least 10-15 customers in each of the cities.
The price of the Rapide S has been hiked in comparison to the outgoing Rapide owing to the increase in customs duty and depreciating Rupee. The Rapide sold 55 units since 2011 and Aston Martin which had its centenary celebrations this year aims to sell at least 20 units of the Rapide S in South India by the end of next year. This is by far, the most powerful 4-door sedan on sale in India.
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