The chassis is especially good when changing direction, highlighting the no-nonsense way the suspension deals with the surface

Possibly for the first time ever, our review of a new V12 engined supercar starts with the back seats. But what else would you expect? As the firm’s first saloon in more than 30 years, the first question to answer about the Aston Martin Rapide concerns the leather-trimmed chairs in the rear. Accessed through Aston’s trademark ‘scissor’ hinged doors – they lift up slightly as they swing open – the seats are mounted low to the floor, and when viewed in profile, are no more than a few centimetres thick. Getting in is not without its challenges, and if like me you are over 1m80 you will struggle to swing gracefully through the narrow door aperture and down into the bucket-shaped seat. Is it spacious enough for four? Not by the standards of its two main rivals: the Porsche Panamera and Maserati Quattroporte. The two sculpted rear seats, divided by a high console, are decidedly snug – good for holding you in place if the driver is inspired by the road ahead, but not great for stretching out. Comfort is limited by the short seat cushions and the acute angle your legs have to adopt due to the lack of legroom, but the rear cabin is high on ambience and the front seats narrow enough to provide a clear view out. I wouldn’t want to be in the back for a long journey but it is a very nice place to be for a short jaunt across town.

Visually the first impression is of a stretched DB9, which is by no means a bad thing, as to my eyes the Rapide’s coupe cousin is by far the prettiest car on sale today. Chatting to the Aston personnel on hand at the Valencia launch of the Rapide, they are all keen to point out that the Aston is designed as a four-door sports-car rather than a sporty saloon. The Rapide’s looks certainly help reinforce this. With a new face, the car evolves Aston’s well established design philosophy.

At the front, there are new lights, and a ‘double deck’ front grille. Vents in the bonnet add a sporty touch, while chrome detailing, and carefully judged additions to the car’s smooth flanks help draw your eye downward, making the Aston look like it rides even lower to the road than it actually does.

From behind the wheel, the sports-car message is reinforced further still. The cabin layout shares much of its look and feel with the DB9. In fact, unless you are reminded of the presence of the rear seats when you glance in the rear-view mirror, it is easy to forget that you aren’t behind the wheel of a two-door Aston. Push the slab of clear crystal that is the Rapide’s key into a slot in the dash and the 5.9-litre V12 bursts into life with an aggressive snarl. Flick the right hand paddle and first gear is smoothly engaged. So what’s it like to drive? Actually it’s brilliant. I covered lots of kilometres over two days and although the taut set-up does take the edge off motorway refinement, and it’s far too sporting to be considered a saloon, it really does drive very well indeed – better than a DB9, better than a DBS. In fact it’s my favourite current Aston bar the V12 Vantage. Its front end is faithful and accurate and although there’s occasional mild kickback through the rim, the ideally weighted steering feels more natural than that of any other recent Aston. Its chassis is especially good when changing direction, which highlights the car’s precision and the no-nonsense way the suspension deals with the surface. The 470bhp V12, comes alive from 3000rpm and pulls cleanly all the way through the rev-range providing a stirring soundtrack; heavy gravelly, glorious – a great companion for the fluent handling and ride combination. The brakes – weight saving dual cast aluminium and iron items – offer impressive stopping power, as well as consistent performance under heavy use.

While the Rapide does excel in many areas it is by no means perfect. Other than the cramped rear seats my main irk is the flawed visibility. The A-pillar is too thick and seems to always block the view of the apex as you turn into a corner. Similarly the wide B-pillar creates a massive blind-spot that makes lane changes a bit unnerving at times. Another area of frustration is that Aston has carried over the horrible Volvo-sourced Sat Nav that it uses in its other models. It has no place in a car of this level and lets the $ 233,174 Rapide down badly.

Not much to complain about then. In the Rapide Aston has succeeded in creating a hugely desirable four-door car that ticks all the right boxes with very few flaws. If that weren’t enough Aston boss Ulrich Bez and a team of three other drivers will attack the gruelling Nürburgring 24-hour endurance race this May in a basically stock Rapide. I guess that’s one way of proving that it is in fact a four-door sports car.