Aston Martin Drops Photos of 2016 Lagonda Super Sedan, Details Brutal Hot Weather Testing
Is it possible for a car to be too pretty to torture test? The 2016 Aston Martin Lagonda may just qualify, but it’s undergoing absolutely savage-sounding hot-weather testing anyway. The limited-production Lagonda sedan will be sold exclusively sold in the Middle East, hence the brutal high-temperature evaluations, but more important than the four-door’s (admittedly) expected hot-air gauntlet is that Aston Martin has finally released its own photos of it.
Earlier this month, the Lagonda super-sedan was kinda, sorta accidentally previewed to the world by Oman Air, Aston’s transportation partner to the Middle East. Unlike the airline’s “leaked” photos, Aston’s are far more flattering, coffee table book–grade pieces, but still reveal only the car’s exterior. That’s okay by us, however—the thing is just so damn gorgeous.
The slick, un-camouflaged car depicted in the photos is the first Lagonda built, according to Aston Martin spokesman Matthew Clarke, and it is a verification test car that’s about 5000 miles into a “Hot Environment” testing cycle. “Broadly representative of a production model,” Clarke says of the car, the prototype is deliberately configured in a “worst-case scenario for heat—lots of black.” Onboard, the Lagonda carries data loggers that monitor about 85 temperature sensors and provide the team with a heat map of the interior and exterior; this electronic web possibly explains why we still don’t have any shots of the car’s interior.
“Air conditioning functionality and efficiency is an obvious consideration, but we’re also looking at engine hot starts, durability of components and material performance,” said Clarke. “One particular test is a ‘heat soak’—the car is left in direct, peak sunlight for several hours to generate cabin trim surface temperatures of circa 80 degrees celsius (176 degrees fahrenheit).”
The hot weather testing procedures include driving the car roughly 500 miles per day over a four-week period of time, for a total of 14,000 miles in Oman over a 30-50 degrees celsius (86–122 degrees fahrenheit) temperature band, according to Clarke. Think of the process as giving the Lagonda a sun-kissed tan, but doing so without sunscreen, water, or the gentility associated with the word “kissed.”
As for the look of the car itself, there is little we see here that Oman Air didn’t already give away: the front end wears a stern expression, with a broad, horizontal grille and simple LED headlamp details. The profile—especially the squared-off C-pillar—is quite formal, and the long, flat hood exudes an air of power and grace. The Lagonda’s hood’s air extractors are located in more or less the same locations as are those on the 577-hp Rapide S, leading us to believe that it is powered by a similar V-12 engine. Given the Lagonda’s loftier position, however, we’d expect it will get a bit more power. We can also see that, like all recent Astons, all four of the Lagonda’s doors open out and up a slight, curb-clearing angle.
Beyond what we can see, however, details are thin; it isn’t presently clear how much of the body is carbon fiber or some other exotic material, or if any such material is used at all. The car’s underpinnings, too, are a mystery; the architecture most likely is shared with the Rapide S, but there’s a chance it utilizes components from Aston’s next-generation vehicle architecture. Oh, and as we already mentioned, Aston Martin still hasn’t shown off the Lagonda’s interior.
What we do know is this: No more than 200 examples of this stunning sedan will be built—expect customer deliveries to begin by this time next year—and the thing’s A/C should be on point. It will only be sold in the Middle East, and probably for lots, and lots, and lots of money.
By Car and Driver
Earlier this month, the Lagonda super-sedan was kinda, sorta accidentally previewed to the world by Oman Air, Aston’s transportation partner to the Middle East. Unlike the airline’s “leaked” photos, Aston’s are far more flattering, coffee table book–grade pieces, but still reveal only the car’s exterior. That’s okay by us, however—the thing is just so damn gorgeous.
The slick, un-camouflaged car depicted in the photos is the first Lagonda built, according to Aston Martin spokesman Matthew Clarke, and it is a verification test car that’s about 5000 miles into a “Hot Environment” testing cycle. “Broadly representative of a production model,” Clarke says of the car, the prototype is deliberately configured in a “worst-case scenario for heat—lots of black.” Onboard, the Lagonda carries data loggers that monitor about 85 temperature sensors and provide the team with a heat map of the interior and exterior; this electronic web possibly explains why we still don’t have any shots of the car’s interior.
“Air conditioning functionality and efficiency is an obvious consideration, but we’re also looking at engine hot starts, durability of components and material performance,” said Clarke. “One particular test is a ‘heat soak’—the car is left in direct, peak sunlight for several hours to generate cabin trim surface temperatures of circa 80 degrees celsius (176 degrees fahrenheit).”
The hot weather testing procedures include driving the car roughly 500 miles per day over a four-week period of time, for a total of 14,000 miles in Oman over a 30-50 degrees celsius (86–122 degrees fahrenheit) temperature band, according to Clarke. Think of the process as giving the Lagonda a sun-kissed tan, but doing so without sunscreen, water, or the gentility associated with the word “kissed.”
As for the look of the car itself, there is little we see here that Oman Air didn’t already give away: the front end wears a stern expression, with a broad, horizontal grille and simple LED headlamp details. The profile—especially the squared-off C-pillar—is quite formal, and the long, flat hood exudes an air of power and grace. The Lagonda’s hood’s air extractors are located in more or less the same locations as are those on the 577-hp Rapide S, leading us to believe that it is powered by a similar V-12 engine. Given the Lagonda’s loftier position, however, we’d expect it will get a bit more power. We can also see that, like all recent Astons, all four of the Lagonda’s doors open out and up a slight, curb-clearing angle.
Beyond what we can see, however, details are thin; it isn’t presently clear how much of the body is carbon fiber or some other exotic material, or if any such material is used at all. The car’s underpinnings, too, are a mystery; the architecture most likely is shared with the Rapide S, but there’s a chance it utilizes components from Aston’s next-generation vehicle architecture. Oh, and as we already mentioned, Aston Martin still hasn’t shown off the Lagonda’s interior.
What we do know is this: No more than 200 examples of this stunning sedan will be built—expect customer deliveries to begin by this time next year—and the thing’s A/C should be on point. It will only be sold in the Middle East, and probably for lots, and lots, and lots of money.
By Car and Driver