Aston Martin may conjure up a number of images but it's rarely a marque associated with four-door cars. Coupes and open-topped roadsters maybe, but practicality? Owners, it was assumed, didn't need it. After all, the golden era of Aston Martin coincided with an age when children should be seen, not heard and folded into contorted shapes if they wanted to ride in Daddy's DB. That changed a little in 2010 with the launch of the Rapide model we look at here, a car that has always been cut from slightly different cloth and one that has often floundered a little in communicating exactly what it is. At first it was billed as a proper four-seat limousine to face down big German rivals able to seat four generously-tailored Kapitans of industry at 155mph on an autobahn, but it soon became clear that this was a bit of a reach for the more tightly-packaged Aston. The later Rapide S reverted to a more clearly sporting bias and seems more comfortable in that role. Sales may have been slow but there's something delightfully left-field about the Rapide that's ineffably cool, in a way that some of Aston Martin's more overt vehicles manage to miss out on. A used model is a good deal more affordable than you might imagine.

About the Aston Martin Rapide

The Aston Martin Rapide is a car that under the closest scrutiny would appear to fall between a number of stools, yet it emerges as something rather wonderful and distinctly British. While it initially set out to be a model that would go toe-to-toe with the best German supsersaloons, it then morphed into the kind of supercar that would be an easy sell to the family. The later Rapide S reflects this shift. It became fiercer and more focused, while still retaining the rear doors and slightly practical bent. It'll never be one of the highly-prized Aston classics but the Rapide has come through a rocky patch and has now emerged as one of the most appealing used buys in the Aston portfolio. With genuinely low mileage cars selling for little more than what you'd pay for a new BMW M5, it's hard to resist the appeal of an exotic V12 yowl to start the school run and guess what? Your kids will love you forever.

Representative finance example

If your borrow amount is £7,000 with a deposit of £1,000, a selected term of 48 months, at a representative APR of 17.9% (fixed) and an annual fixed interest rate of 17.9%, you would pay £171.83 per month. Total charge for credit would be £2,247.84 and total amount repayable is £8,247.84.

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