Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

[thelastsmoke]

I just got a call from the dealer in Cochin saying that the on road price of Rapid Elegance diesel is 10.27 lakhs and that delivery can be made towards December end the booking amount is apparently 25K. Wonder how it is in other places.

[Jayant..B]

I took a test drive of Rapid Diesel yesterday. I found the vehicle sturdy and comfortable. Me too felt a slight vibration when releasing the clutch. This happend in all gears.

Secondly, me too observed the unstitched seat cover near headrest and it was just unacceptable. Otherwise the fit and finish is good. Booking amount 50k and delivery period is around 45 days for diesel varient as quoted by the dealer.

If Skoda can improve the A.S.S., this is a winner car for them.

[GSM]

If Skoda Rapid does become a hit and manages to clock around 2000 cars per month (which is what I expect it to do, considering its pricing and value proposition), the person who is going to have maximum trouble will not be the consumer, but the Skoda A.S.S. Especially, if they don't improve on their existing reputation. (I personally don't own any Skoda. I am basing this poor A.S.S. of Skoda on the general views on the Team BHP)

They may be able to ward off one or two irate customers with some degree of success, and deflect the blame. But with so many people, especially those would nit pick more than the Rs.15 Lakh customer, it would be interesting to watch how the react and respond.

On the car itself, I got a feeling the interior plastic quality on the dash and its sides is just as good as my ageing Palio or may be slightly better. Though I am not sure how objective is my assessment. But I do very much remember Polo's dash quality to be many notches better.

On a personal note, my plans for a Diesel Sedan has almost vanished into thin air. With a property acquisition around the corner, there is no Rapid or Vento or Optra for me for the next couple of years. Am waiting for some ownership reviews now.

Cheers.

[zulfi hansi]

Did TD of petrol AT today. Had actually gone to TD the diesel, but I was told by the sales guy that the car had developed some problem so it was in the service station, will be available tomorrow.

About the petrol AT, I have no words to express myself. Even comparing this car with the H City AT is derogatory for the City! wheezy engine, gearbox is completely blank, indecisive all the time and when it does decide to go in a certain gear, it takes its own sweet time, the S mode is a bit of relief but this ship was made to sank. too much engine noise (engine revs very harshly and abruptly), jerky shifts in traffic or otherwise, light foot or heavy foot you will never get the balance. The CVT box of Maruties are far better in real world. Do not expect FE above 8 km/ltr in city traffic. In bumper to bumper traffic its not a relief but more pain to drive.

I really appreciate the courage of Samurai & Vid. you Guys are great to have tolerated this for 400kms!!

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

About the petrol AT, I have no words to express myself. Even comparing this car with the H City AT is derogatory for the City! wheezy engine, gearbox is completely blank, indecisive all the time and when it does decide to go in a certain gear, it takes its own sweet time, the S mode is a bit of relief but this ship was made to sank. too much engine noise (engine revs very harshly and abruptly), jerky shifts in traffic or otherwise, light foot or heavy foot you will never get the balance. The CVT box of Maruties are far better in real world. Do not expect FE above 8 km/ltr in city traffic. In bumper to bumper traffic its not a relief but more pain to drive.

I really appreciate the courage of Samurai & Vid. you Guys are great to have tolerated this for 400kms!!

Actually we spent 200kms in the AT, another 200kms in the diesel. I am very surprised your AT experience was so bad, probably the car had some technical problem, just like their diesel TD car. BTW, what is this CVT box of Maruties?

[RSR]

An excellent and detailed review with nice photos, Vid6639 and Samurai - rated it 5 stars as usual! Thanks for testing both engines and gearboxes and explaining the characteristics of the different modes in the AT

I expected the Rapid to be a Vento with some Skoda bits and badges. I must say the review pleasantly surprised me, as Skoda seemed to have bettered some of the characteristics of the VW sedan, while retaining all the good ones. Excellent on Skoda's part to offer 3 variants (with the well positioned, value-for-money middle variant) and the automatic gearbox on two variants

Going only on the basis of what the respective cars (and their variants) offer for the price, the Rapid should comfortably sell more than the Vento. However, Skoda has a bad reputation when it comes to service, so don't know how things will add up as far as sales are concerned. Anyway, whether the Rapid sells more or the Vento, its VAG who would be smiling in the end. Badge engineering does work!

[Turbo Head]

Got delivery of my Rapid Elegance today, will post my driving impression soon.

[Th!ru]

Originally Posted by Turbo Head

Got delivery of my Rapid Elegance today, will post my driving impression soon.

Congrats you've got the first Rapid on team-bhp, i guess. Wish you a million miles ahead

[noopster]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

About the petrol AT, I have no words to express myself. Even comparing this car with the H City AT is derogatory for the City! wheezy engine, gearbox is completely blank, indecisive all the time and when it does decide to go in a certain gear, it takes its own sweet time, the S mode is a bit of relief but this ship was made to sank. too much engine noise (engine revs very harshly and abruptly), jerky shifts in traffic or otherwise, light foot or heavy foot you will never get the balance. The CVT box of Maruties are far better in real world. Do not expect FE above 8 km/ltr in city traffic. In bumper to bumper traffic its not a relief but more pain to drive.

I really appreciate the courage of Samurai & Vid. you Guys are great to have tolerated this for 400kms!!

I have driven the Vento AT for nearly 15,000 km now. Same gearbox, same engine, hell virtually the same car! Samurai/Vid were dead-on when they commented that this car is not for those who drive it the same way they would a manual tranny car aggressively. That would explain the "own sweet time" it takes to reach peak speeds.

But if you heard "too much engine noise" with this engine, I fear you may have actually been driving the TDI by mistake . The only sound I hear on the highway is that of my noisy Acelere tyres! Unless you repeatedly kickdown to lower gear resulting in >4000 rpm revs (not recommended) I can't for the life of me see how you managed to make it sound that way.

"Indecisive" gearbox? Am sorry, that's just incorrect. The VW AT box maybe a plain Jane torque convertor and not a patch on their DSGs but it hardly ever hunts for gears.

I suggest you TD it again with your heart in it this time!

Originally Posted by Samurai

Actually we spent 200kms in the AT, another 200kms in the diesel. I am very surprised your AT experience was so bad, probably the car had some technical problem, just like their diesel TD car. BTW, what is this CVT box of Maruties?

The Kizashi has a CVT, right?

[thelastsmoke]

OK if its useful to anyone.... The rates in Cochin on the road for Rapid Elegance TDI are Rs. 1035840/- with nil dep insurance and Rs.1027577/- with normal insurance. Ambition TDI with normal insurance is Rs. 927744/-. That's one lakh difference for climate control, passenger airbag etc.

[smally]

Originally Posted by Turbo Head

Got delivery of my Rapid Elegance today, will post my driving impression soon.

congrats turbohead!!! please do write in the first impressions asap. petrol or diesel? i am awaiting delivery, should be around mid december. awaiting your new thread. cheers and happy driving mate.

[krish.sathish]

Originally Posted by smally

congrats turbohead!!! please do write in the first impressions asap. petrol or diesel? i am awaiting delivery, should be around mid december. awaiting your new thread. cheers and happy driving mate.

What color have you booked ? Did anyone get to see a RED rapid in the show rooms or outdoors ? How is it compared to the White ?

Samurai, Vid, did you get to see the car in all colors ? Which looks the best pick (I know its subjective but still) ?

[ajitmoses]

Originally Posted by krish.sathish

What color have you booked ? Did anyone get to see a RED rapid in the show rooms or outdoors ? How is it compared to the White ?

Samurai, Vid, did you get to see the car in all colors ? Which looks the best pick (I know its subjective but still) ?

I booked the Black. The red is the same as the Vento Red.

[ritzy]

Originally Posted by krish.sathish

What color have you booked ? Did anyone get to see a RED rapid in the show rooms or outdoors ? How is it compared to the White ?
Which looks the best pick (I know its subjective but still) ?

I have seen it in all colors. My preference would be

Black>Red>White>Beige>Silver. Red in Rapid looks far superior to red in Vento.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by Turbo Head

Got delivery of my Rapid Elegance today, will post my driving impression soon.

Congrats on getting the Rapid. Guess yours would be the first ownership report on the same!

Awaiting your new thread.

Cheers,