Video: 2010 Aston Martin Rapide

Now the idea of a four door ultra luxury sedan is not a new one. There are things like the Maserati Quattroporte and the Porsche Panamera more recently. The difference I think between this one and the Panamera is this one's not ugly. Now the Rapide is quite a large car on the outside. When you get inside, it feels smaller in good ways and not so good ways. The good way is I think is that it drives like a smaller car. You've got a six liter V12 engine, rear wheel drive, it does zero to 60 in about five seconds. The handling is good, the balance is good. It's a lot of what we appreciate about smaller Aston Martins, but then again, for the size on the outside, it's a little tighter than you might think. The difference with this one is the back seat. Now there's a bit of a price to pay for the swoopy lines and that is it's a little bit harder to get in. Gotta fold yourself a bit. All right, now, as I mentioned, the driver's seat is in my driving position, which is pretty far back, I'm six feet tall. So it's not exactly super roomy. The driver could give me more room. Now I did this, the Porsche Panamera earlier, but I have to say that's one thing to Panamera has is a very large accommodating backseat, a little more like a limo. Now just because the backseat isn't big enough for the tallest adults doesn't mean it's not good for kids, which is something you're not gonna get in the average Aston Martin. I think that the young ones would be pretty happy back here. They've got your entertainment system. It's an option on top of a Bang &amp; Olufsen premium stereo system which is standard. Now obviously, if is to be a family vehicle, you need some storage space in the back. Now at a glance, the hatch doesn't look super roomy, a little snug, but then you see there's a partition here that folds down and gives you some more space. And then also the backrests fold flat and it gives you actually a pretty long flat surface. You probably want to cover this up though. Aston Martin has already begun to deliver the Rapide in America and the starting price is about $200,000, which is more than some of the competitors I mentioned, but they start out with lesser engines than this. If you compare the amount of power, it's a little bit closer, but when you buy an ultra luxury car, you don't necessarily buy it for what's under the hood or even necessarily for how much space there is in it. You buy it for the name and because in this case, it's gorgeous. (upbeat music) <v Announcer>For more car related news, go to cars.com or our blog, kickingtires.net.