At the rear we have a lip spoiler. The five-spoke, lightweight Farallon forged alloy wheels are stunning to say the least! The alloys are available in either Sparkle silver or Technical grey finishes. Optional on the XJR is the a Sport pack grille with chrome surround and black mesh. The XJR is available in ten shades : Polaris White, Ebony, Ultimate Black, Stratus Grey, Lunar Grey, Rhodium Silver, Cashmere, Caviar, Carnelian Red and Black Amethyst.

Inside, Jet leather trim is available with a choice of either Ivory, London Tan or Red Zone inserts on the seat facings. The R theme continues inside with embossed R logo.

The all-aluminium quad-cam engine makes 550PS and 680Nm of torque. The 5.0 litre supercharged engine boasts of direction injection ( spray-guided direct injection-SGDI) and variable valve timing (dual independent variable cam timing-DIVCT) that deliver stunning performance and appreciable fuel efficiency. The aluminium block is stiffened with cast iron liners.

The transmission is another example of how intelligent the XJR is. The transmission, when in auto mode can understand the driver’s mood and adjust shifts based on his/her requirements. Corner Recognition knows when the car is negotiating a turn and will hold the correct gear until the turn is complete. The system similarly holds gear when overtaking.

Electronic Active Differential and Dynamic Stability Control systems have been calibrated to handle the additional power.

Design

The front grille is now a single piece full-face aluminium grille. We’re sure Aston Martin would’ve continued with the older grille if not for the pedestrian safety norms. The new grille moves backward in case of an impact with a pedestrian as it absorbs the energy of the impact. This enables Aston Martin to retain the aluminium hood while the others in the industry move to other materials that are more easily deformable.

The side profile is largely similar and the at the rear you have a more pronounced lip spoiler that reduces lift at high speeds.

While we aren’t big fans of the new grille, multiple sources claim that those who’ve seen the Rapide S in person have nothing negative to say about the looks of the new four door Aston. The grille is said to be menacing and aggressive.

Interiors

The Rapide S uses more leather than any other Aston in the history of the marque. The attention grabbing leathers in use this year are Aston’s exclusive new perforated duotone black and red leather with pure black top surface with a subtle red undertone. Two new interior styling packs, Piano Black and Carbon Fibre are available to order.

Engine, Handling

The Rapide S is built on Aston Martin’s VH architecture, which means the chassis is constructed from lightweight aluminium and bonded with sophisticated epoxy resin. The V12 powerplant of the Rapide gives way to the Gen 4 AM11 Rapide powerplant which shares a major part of its design with the powerplant of the new Vanquish. 558 PS of power and a peak torque figure of 620 Nm. The power has increased by 81 PS while the torque has increased by 20 Nm relative to the Rapide. While the numbers themselves are phenomenal, the new mill also wins hearts for 40Nm more torque between idle and 4000rpm, and 50Nm more at 2500rpm. These figures translate to improved driveability.

The engine is now placed 19mm lower, which lowers the centre of gravity as well as improves pedestrian safety. The increased gap between the engine and the hood makes for a more effective crumple zone of the hood.

The Rapide S gets Gen4 Adaptive Damping. In addition to last generation Rapide’s Normal and Sport mode, there’s also a new Track mode. This also means that the Normal mode is now more plushy, if you can use that word when talking about an Aston Martin.

Oh, lest we forget, there’s also the new alloys. These optional 10 spoke lightweight forged alloy wheels are unique to Rapide S. The alloys are 11% lighter than the standard wheel. The alloys are available in a Silver or Black Diamond Turn finish.