Aston Martin Rapide vs Porsche Panamera

Aston Martin has finally unleashed its Rapide super-saloon. But does it have the pace and luxury to see off the storming Porsche Panamera?

Aston Martin Rapide Porsche Panamera Turbo

April 2010

FEW models make an entrance like an Aston Martin – but the British firm’s range of two-seater sports cars restricts your choice of travelling companion to one.

That’s why the new Rapide is so eagerly anticipated. Its extra pair of doors and seats lets four people share the Aston experience without sacrificing the gorgeous looks for which the brand is famous. The Rapide is what James Bond will drive when he settles down and has a family – but is it the best four-door sports car in the business?

WATCH ASTON"S RAPIDE AND PORSCHE'S PANAMERA IN ACTION HERE

You don’t have to be a secret agent to uncover a raft of rivals aiming to deliver on the same promises as the new Aston. And the best so far is the Porsche Panamera. Technically, it’s a five-door hatch like the Rapide, but its looks are jaw-dropping for very different reasons to the elegant Aston. As with most of Ian Fleming’s baddies, the villain of the piece isn’t good-looking in the conventional sense.

Until now we’ve tested only the rear-wheel-drive V8 Porsche, but here we put the 4WD Turbo flagship through its paces. It’s much cheaper than its British rival – will that be decisive?

For an alternative review of the latest Aston Martin Rapide visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk

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4 Comments

Old Habits Die Hard

The Panamerica is faster, has better gearbox, better comfort and handling balance, is much bigger in the back, has 4 wheel drive yet is more economical, will be probably be more reliable, will be much cheaper to own and costs £50,000 less, but you choose the Aston!

By houseofbroon on 15 April, 2010, 11:01am

Panamera v. Rapide

By any objective standards the Porsche is the better car, except for the non-availability of lurid tailslides. Apart from the dubious advisability of tailsliding 150k of car (at the sort of speeds these cars are capable of), I would question whether the Aston is really the better place to spend your time. There isn't room to swing a cat in the back, the luggage space is pretty ungenerous and, quite frankly, I really dislike the 1960's cocktail cabinet, which Aston persist in installing as the centrepiece of their cockpit.s Everyone else seems to find Aston interiors nothing short of orgasmic; to me, they are overdone and claustrophobic.
Give me the Panamera (please!) and 50K, any day

By Independentopinion on 15 April, 2010, 6:16pm

When you're actually spending your own money...

I was always a Porsche fan, and still have a classic 1974 model parked outside now.

But, when I was finally well off enough to buy a new one, I just couldn't do it. Spending that much money on a car so common and ordinary just seemed wrong.

So, I bought a second hand Aston instead. That was 15 years ago. I've still got the Aston. And, I've never regretted my decision.

Also, the Aston is worth more than I paid for it, the new Porsche would have cost me tens of thousands of pounds in depreciation.

A better comparison would be between a Quattroporte and a Rapide. They're both in the same class. The Porsche is still a little arriviste.

By RundSchneemann on 15 April, 2010, 11:19pm

I guess Auto Express have put a price on character and good looks (£42K in this case). The Porsche looks awkward and the sort of speeds it does are just novelty if the driving experience is only involving at those faster speeds.

Why didn't they make this a three-way test and include the Quattroporte?

By cakewalker90 on 16 April, 2010, 10:08pm

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