Aston Martin Vanquish and Rapide S get new automatic gearbox

Aston Martin has revealed enhancements for its Vanquish and Rapide S sportscars.

The highlight comes in the form of a new Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic gearbox from ZF. It is claimed that the new gearbox has been worked on to blend better with Aston Martin’s VH architecture that forms the base for both cars.

This is the first time the gearbox has been used in a transaxle layout. The new setup has been claimed to improve performance, efficency and also reduce emissions. The claimed 0-100kph sprint times for both cars have dropped. The Vanquish now gets to 100kph in 3.8 seconds as opposed to the earlier 4.3 seconds, and the Rapide S does the same in 4.4 seconds; down from its previous figure of 4.9 seconds. The exhaust gas pressure on both cars has been reduced which has increased the Vanquish's output by 3bhp to 568bhp and Rapide S' output by 2bhp to 552 bhp. Both cars also generate an extra kgm of torque, bringing the torque figure to 64.3kgm.

Ian Minards, product development director at Aston Martin, said, “This has been a detailed piece of work involving careful consideration of many technical parameters including gear ratios, software integration and shifting strategies. This has delivered a significant step change in both vehicle performance and economy whilst preserving the unique Aston Martin V12 driving experience.”

Other changes include a new Bosch Engine Management System that claims to improve engine control and gearbox performance, 10-spoke forged alloys, new paintjob options and new leather trims and colours for the interiors.