Australian Aston Martin Rapides in February

Aston Martin's long awaited rival to the Porsche Panamera -- the new four-door Rapide -- is about to make its first imprint on Australian soil.

Due to be unveiled during February and March at invitation-only events in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, the four-door Aston is to be tagged with a manufacturer's list price, pre government and delivery charges, starting at $366,280, as revealed by the Carsales Network previously.

For that money, the Rapide will come with a 350kW/600Nm 6.0-litre V12 engine driving through a rear-mounted six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission; adaptive suspension and a 1000-Watt Bang & Olufsen sound system.

Despite the extra body length, the Aston Martin Rapide is claimed by Product Development Director Ian Minards to be as nimble as the company's two-door models. "Dynamically the Rapide feels every bit as agile as the DB9, I have personally experienced the car being driven at high speed on the Nürburgring, and was enormously impressed with its capabilities," he said recently.

Aston Martin says the Rapide is built to cater for the needs of four adult passengers with plenty of stretching room and a commodious luggage compartment offering from 301 to 750 litres of luggage space.

First local deliveries of the Aston Martin Rapide will begin in July.

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at www.carsales.mobi