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Aston Martin Rapide priced at 199,950

Sherlockian

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Originally Posted by Germanicus
You've got to see the cars in RL, everything else is just speculation. I didn't like the pictures of the Panamera, but when I saw it on the street I liked it very much. That said, I'm acutually disappointed but the Rapide's stats, they should've given it the DBS motor.

Perhaps this is the difference between something looking imposing and being beautiful. I have seen a Pagani Zonda on the streets of London, and it looked very impressive and imposing. However, I don't find it a beautiful or elegant design in the way that, say, some Ferraris or Aston Martins are.

I agree that the Rapide's stats seem a little disappointing, at least by the ever-escalating standards to which we've become accustomed in recent years. 20 years ago, 0-60 in under 5 seconds was the domain of only a very select few standard road cars, and 500 BHP...even the F40 and launch Diablo weren't quite there. That a big heavy lump like the Panamera Turbo could reach 60 in 3.7 or better is, frankly, quite astounding.
 

JayJay

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Auto Week did a nice review of the Rapide in this week's issue. This is such a nice looking car and has a terrific engine. I wouldn't mind having one.
 

TheFoo

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Both cars look too snouty. I'd pick an AMG S-class, Maserati, or Bentley if I wanted (and could afford) a super sedan. To me, the Rapide and Panamera are like the leather blazers of the car world: strained attempts to make an old form appear more casual or sporty without actually improving upon the underlying function.
 

imageWIS

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Originally Posted by mafoofan
Both cars look too snouty. I'd pick an AMG S-class, Maserati, or Bentley if I wanted (and could afford) a super sedan. To me, the Rapide and Panamera are like the leather blazers of the car world: strained attempts to make an old form appear more casual or sporty without actually improving upon the underlying function.

Interestingly enough the AM and the Porsche are both about the size of short wheelbase S-Class.
 

suited

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In addition to the S class, I think the CLS looks better than both of these vehicles.

new-generation-cls-c_460x0w.jpg
 

RJman

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Originally Posted by ama
Its even uglier from above.
It looks like a squashed Cayenne, which is to say, like squashed mephitic Teutonic ass.

Originally Posted by suited
In addition to the S class, I think the CLS looks better than both of these vehicles.
I think Mercedes have been overdesigned for the last ten-15 years (they all look like the Waterman Serenite pen), but I have no
foo.gif
in this fight. I am not a big fan of the Aston, it looks like another stretched out coupe, but it looks less like ass warmed over than the Panamera.
foo.gif
, I'm stepping out of this threak, so your tar baby is powerless against me.
 

JayJay

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Originally Posted by suited
In addition to the S class, I think the CLS looks better than both of these vehicles.

new-generation-cls-c_460x0w.jpg

I hadn't seen pics of the new CLS until now. My first impression is positive.
 

JayJay

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Originally Posted by RJman
I think Mercedes have been overdesigned for the last ten-15 years...
I definitely feel this way about the current generation of C, E, and S Class.
 

TheFoo

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Originally Posted by RJman
I think Mercedes have been overdesigned for the last ten-15 years (they all look like the Waterman Serenite pen), but I have no
foo.gif
in this fight. I am not a big fan of the Aston, it looks like another stretched out coupe, but it looks less like ass warmed over than the Panamera.
foo.gif
, I'm stepping out of this threak, so your tar baby is powerless against me.


I agree with assessment of Mercedes design. But the E-class previous to the newly introduced generation was one of the best-looking contemporary cars on the road.
 

oneeightyseven

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Originally Posted by mafoofan
I agree with assessment of Mercedes design. But the E-class previous to the newly introduced generation was one of the best-looking contemporary cars on the road.

really? The E's that youre talking about just look like a bigger C class. I thought they were atrocious.
 

TheFoo

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Originally Posted by oneeightyseven
really? The E's that youre talking about just look like a bigger C class. I thought they were atrocious.
What, this beauty?
lrg_article_9002-img_0.jpg
Best looking Benz of recent years--amongst the best looking sedans by any manufacturer, in my opinion. Who cares if it looks like the C-class (although I don't see a particularly strong resemblance)? A Benz should look like a Benz, and the current C-class is a nice looking car.
32194250087_large.jpg
 

oneeightyseven

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not that c-class, obviously the c-class of the same era.

03-c32-hero.jpg


137bfe5007.jpg


Also, the pictures you provided are of the 63s, both of which are accented by AMG body kits. That undoubtedly improves the styling of the car and makes it look better than the regular models (which you see FAR more often). Overall, the styling of the e-class is not particularily eye catching and its banal aesthetic makes it blend in with every other single car on the road.
 

TheFoo

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^^^ The old C-class was ugly, but that E-class--AMG or not--was a very elegant, tidily-proportioned car. Some of the details are similar, but the C was shaped like a wedge of cheese, with ill-defined surface areas, strange head lights, too-small wheel arches, and a too-high rear-end.

It's very hard to design a car that doesn't have anything wrong with it, but still has a distinctive presence. I think Benz accomplishes that more frequently than any other car company. The last 15 years were not it's best, but even then, it does better than most.
 

oneeightyseven

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some details? The cars are practically identical and, to one who is not familiar with the brand, can easily be confused for one another. If you have to closely inspect the differences between two cars, and all you come up with are the wheel well sizes and the fact that one's headlights are touching, then it can safely be deduced that the cars look the same.

Also, the old c-class is the model that the old e class looks like. You can't compare current generations to previous generations; that's a pointless comparision. They will inevitably look different
 

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