The Rapide is probably the only luxury 4-door car in the world that does not have a sunroof. Low roofline should not be an issue. Many cars with low roofline have sunroofs, Porsche Panamera, 911 Carrera, Mercedes CLS, CL, E coupe, even the new Jaguar coupe can have a panorama roof. I believe as you move up the money scale, you should get more features, not less.

 

No astons have sunroofs because the curvature of the roof is too extreme for any sunroof to fit. That's the price you pay for such a good looking profile. Besides, their logic is if you want open sky, get the Volante.

 

The MB CLS and Porsche 911 seem to have more curvy roof than the Rapide.

 

Terrible isn't it? Another reason why I would never buy one. Funnily enough, the Bentley Continental GT doesn't have one either.

007 Vantage… A volante, of whatever model, is something completely different and can hardly be compared...

 

I am sure a panorama sunroof can be designed on the Rapide without changing the roofline. A pano roof actually takes up less headroom than a conventional sunroof as the glass slides back on top of the roof. Perhaps the British need to take a lesson from the Germans on making sunroofs. Many MB coupes have curvy roofs and are equipped with pano roofs.

 

It's definitely not about the Brits learning anything from the Germans. Sunroofs are not rocket science and it is simply a matter of trade off decisions when designing a car.

1. Practically any roof curvature can be made to work with one type of sunroof or another.

2. Whether Aston, Porsche, or Mercedes the sunroof design and build would be completed by an external supplier (that probably supplies all three companies anyway)

3. Even the most space efficient 'outside slide' sunroof takes up headroom. To add a sunroof means the car needs to be made taller in the during design stage - prob between 30 and 80mm depending on the system (ugh!)

4. Even the lightest of sunroofs adds weight, and adds it exactly where you don't want it - at the furthest part of the car from the ground.

5. Structural, water management, and safety countermeasures need to be considered when adding a sunroof to a car during the design stage (read even more added weight and lost interior room)

So in conclusion, Aston could have quite easily added a sunroof to any of their cars but they would need to be taller, heavier, have less interior room with a higher center of gravity. Don't know about you, but I'd rather have my Aston In its current uncompromised solid roof state

 

Aston should at least provide an optional sunroof for those who are interested. The Rapide is a 4-door car which many people would use as a daily driver. It is seriously lacking many features compare to other makes. They figure people would buy Aston anyway just because of the name. In my area, I see lots of high end cars including Panamera Turbo S, CL65AMG but hardly any Rapide.

 

The Rapide sales volume is too low to support the costs associated with the development of a sunroof.

While a supplier would shoulder some of these costs the crash testing costs alone would make it impossible to justify economically.

 

Ask Q for one. They did a glass roof on a (Newport Pagnall) Vanquish.

To the OP: an Aston Martin is about far more than just "features" or the badge. IMO, a sunroof that slides back on top of the roof looks terrible (from the outside anyway ). I'm sure you do see many more Benzes and Porsches than you see Astons. I'm equally sure it's much more special to see an Aston when you do.

If a sunroof is important, then an Aston isn't the right car for you (unless Q will solve the problem). You give some things up when you buy an Aston, but IMO you gain a lot more than you sacrifice.

 

Like I said it's all about the choices made. Yes the Panamera has an optional sunroof but it is 60mm taller than the Rapide. Would you still like the look of the Rapide as much if it was 60mm taller and Aston had decided to add an optional sunroof?

 

Sunroofs are butt ugly. Doesn't belong on an Aston. Go buy something else if this is an important feature.

 

If I am going to spend $200k on a new car, it better has all the features I want. When the novelty effect wears off, I will still be driving it for a long time.

 

I've had cars with way more bells & whistles than my DB9. But I'll be driving my DB9 for a long, long time -- it never fails to put a smile on my face No novelty to wear off; it's just a fundamentally great car.

 

Exactly. It's not at all about the novelty for me, it's that an Aston Martin is a truly special thing (certainly not because of the name or the badge) and a unique experience. I love mine every bit as much after 4+ years as I did the first day.

TGED, if a sunroof is that important to you (and I'm not suggesting it shouldn't be -- to each his own), then an Aston simply isn't the right car for you. For me it's about the substance of the car, not the features.

 

has anyone ever used Q to put a sunroof on a vantage?