Automotive Einstein

The Aston Martin Rapide will instantly draw comparisons to the Porsche Panamera Turbo sedan, but these two are as different as asparagus and ice cream. Even though the automakers tell us that the Panamera is only 44 pounds heavier, the Aston feels so much lighter. The Aston delivers excellent steering and sharp turn-in for a sense of compact agility that can lead you to quickly forget that there are two doors behind you. The V-12 experience lives up to its 470-hp output, but Aston’s been a bit too conservative with the exhaust tuning. The six-speed automated manual in the Rapide also isn’t as refined as the seven-speed dual-clutch in the Panamera, particularly when it comes to low-speed driving.

Photo Gallery: 2010 Aston Martin Rapide – Editor’s Notebook – Automobile Magazine

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Looking at it in pictures and on paper, it may be difficult to really get excited about the Aston Martin V12 Vantage. Sure, it’s gorgeous and has a beautifully balanced V-12 under the hood, but it’s also the final homogenization of the Aston Martin coupes: three models with the same look, the same architecture, and now the same engine.

Photo Gallery: 2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage – Aston Martin Sports Coupe Review – Automobile Magazine

Warning: the information and images on the following pages might antagonize you to no end. As you read about the most anticipated cars of the next four years, you might become frustrated by wanting what you can’t yet have. Just remember — good things come to those who wait. For now, dig in to the details, the spy photos, the informed illustrations, and the future-teasing concepts of our annual Sneak Preview. Thanks to our probing questions and well-placed sources, there’s plenty to dream about.

Photo Gallery: 2010 Sneak Preview – 131 Future Cars – Automobile Magazine

It’s been nearly a decade since Dr. Ulrich Bez assumed the helm at Aston Martin, but instead of awarding its CEO a jewel-encrusted tie-tack, the folks at Gaydon crafted a better gift to celebrate his milestone: a special-edition DBS.

Photo Gallery: 2010 Aston Martin DBS UB-2010 Special Edition – 2010 Geneva Auto Show Coverage, New Car Reviews, Concept Cars – Automobile Magazine

The Aston Martin Cygnet, a tiny four-seat city car based on the Toyota iQ that’s making its public debut at the 2010 Geneva show, is said by Aston to encompass the creativity and prestige of the luxury brand while exhibiting an environmentally conscious approach.

Photo Gallery: Aston Martin Cygnet – 2010 Geneva Auto Show Coverage, New Car Reviews, Concept Cars – Automobile Magazine

It’s bound to happen. Somewhere at Porsche’s headquarters in Zuffenhausen, a secretary will sign the DHL delivery slip for an enormous crate sitting in the parking lot. When a crew of overall-clad Porsche workers finally dismantles the box, the gift inside will be revealed: a 2010 Aston Martin Rapide with a pretty red bow on the windshield and a teensy, handwritten card that says, “Now zis is how you build a four-door, suckers. —Bez.”

Photo Gallery: 2010 Aston Martin Rapide – Aston Martin Luxury Sedan Review – Automobile Magazine

Judging by the new-model intros from European carmakers, you’d think the bubble economy was still going strong. At Mercedes-Benz, AMG has been developing a new supercar and a new E63; BMW’s M division has laid its hands on the X5 and the X6; Porsche is rolling out the Panamera; and Alfa Romeo has priced its 8C roadster at a cool $300K. It’s sort of a collective, “What, me worry?” spoken with a (mostly German) accent.

Photo Gallery: New Cars for 2010: Europe – 2011 Mercedes Benz SLS AMG – Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: New Cars for 2010: Europe – 2011 Mercedes Benz SLS AMG – Automobile Magazine