Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

[vij]

The car looks bland and ordinary. I think the Vento looks better. This one looks like a car that should have probably been launched 6 years ago.

[Vibhanshu]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Can you be more specific? Other than slight clutch vibration and wind noise at higher speeds, we haven't noticed any other NVH issues.

Sure. The vibrations on the the floor specifically and not just the clutch. Specially after 2500 RPM. Is it anyway annoying or just alright?

[anu21v]

Wow, I must say this car looks much better than Vento. Considering its better in NVH, has a better ride quality and driveability and overall doesn't have a waiting period of 6 Months like Vento diesel, I would easily sway towards this car than waiting for vento diesel.

Awesome very well and in-time review. Congratulations!!!!

Just one query though, Considering not just interiors but the engine and gearbox etc are almost identical to vento, is it possible that one can use the parts of vento in Rapid and parts of Rapid in Vento at the time of servicing?

If that indeed is the case than it certainly leads to better serviceability of VW/Skoda cars and makes them my favourite in this segment.

[Palio_2005]

Originally Posted by rameshnanda

Note:- Why pricing for the Linea is not included? And also some spec. data on Linea needs to be corrected. The GC for T-Jet is 170. The Kerb Weight for the Diesel variant is 1210 and not 1291.

That's because no one bothers about buying a Linea anymore and no longer in contention. It's really unfortunate but true.

[ahuja365]

People are saying the rapid as a vfm but i strongly disagree.Compare it with the XUV 5oo and immediately it looks expensive.I am thinking of getting a new diesel car and i would rather go for the Figo and save money or spend more and get the xuv.Even if you consider resale value of the above mentioned three after say three years then also you would lose the maximum money on the rapid.Service costs also would be the highest so i feel the skoda should have been priced at least a l lakh less.The high price in the segment is also preventing the segment to grow much faster.

[Skyline GT-R]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Thanks for the info. Any idea where these new locations are?

Popular Calicut
St. Antonys Kochi

[diesel_power]

Originally Posted by ahuja365

People are saying the rapid as a vfm but i strongly disagree.Compare it with the XUV 5oo and immediately it looks expensive.I am thinking of getting a new diesel car and i would rather go for the Figo and save money or spend more and get the xuv.Even if you consider resale value of the above mentioned three after say three years then also you would lose the maximum money on the rapid.Service costs also would be the highest so i feel the skoda should have been priced at least a l lakh less.The high price in the segment is also preventing the segment to grow much faster.

If a persons's needs are

a. Regular city drives (in peak hours)
b. Occasional long drives (with family and their respective luggage)

I think the cars in this segment serve both his needs.

[kapursaket]

Originally Posted by razor4077

Great review guys - rated it 5 stars!

VW will feel the heat for sure now. In my recent interactions with them, they hardly seemed bothered to sell a car... very poor from a sales/relationship perspective, and mine was not an isolated incident. Maybe now they'll stop taking customers for granted.

Skoda sales were the polar opposite - very eager, very helpful and it seemed like they actually wanted to make a sale! I am hoping their a.s.s has also improved similarly. How about some inputs from current Skoda owners? For all the Skoda bashing that happens (most of it deservedly!), I think most of us really like Skoda cars , and I for one would love to own one. So a current status check on the a.s.s situation would be helpful.

The Rapid looks very promising - need to td it asap!

Been a SKODA Fabia Owner from past One and a Half Years. Only interaction with A.S.S was for first service and subsequent free inspection.

Did not face any problem, moreover did not find any customers shouting or creating rucus on service related issues

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Vibhanshu

Sure. The vibrations on the the floor specifically and not just the clutch. Specially after 2500 RPM. Is it anyway annoying or just alright?

No, I can't recall any vibration from the floor. Let's see what Vidyut has to say, he is more sensitive to such things.

Originally Posted by ahuja365

People are saying the rapid as a vfm but i strongly disagree.Compare it with the XUV 5oo and immediately it looks expensive.

For somebody within 10L budget, XUV is unthinkable. VFM should be considered for a segment. If you can afford XUV, then there are lot more 10+ lakhs you can consider. For a buyer who is looking for AT sedan, this is the cheapest there is and XUV won't even come into the picture.

[Vivekphadnis]

I didn't like the attitude at the VW showroom in Bangalore. I was pushing for diwali discounts but it was like 'this is all we are giving, take it or leave it'. So, I bought the new Ford Fiesta instead.

[kapursaket]

Originally Posted by ahuja365

People are saying the rapid as a vfm but i strongly disagree.Compare it with the XUV 5oo and immediately it looks expensive.I am thinking of getting a new diesel car and i would rather go for the Figo and save money or spend more and get the xuv.Even if you consider resale value of the above mentioned three after say three years then also you would lose the maximum money on the rapid.Service costs also would be the highest so i feel the skoda should have been priced at least a l lakh less.The high price in the segment is also preventing the segment to grow much faster.

With Car Market being highly competitive do you think the Manufacturers have the leverage of cutting down Rs.One Hundred Thousand without reducing the features and Quality.

Take time off and study thier balance sheets............they are bleeding because of competition and Dollar Volatility!

[e46]

Originally Posted by Vivekphadnis

I didn't like the attitude at the VW showroom in Bangalore. I was pushing for diwali discounts but it was like 'this is all we are giving, take it or leave it'. So, I bought the new Ford Fiesta instead.

I feel this pseudo show off/ attitude thing of VW showroom fellas would work as a boomerang against them in time. Do the same for your child brands, like Lamborghini or Audi and it still makes sense, but not for a mass market brand, which VW is basically world over.

[MaserQ]

Thank you Samurai and Vid6639 for a wonderful review of what seems to be a very impressive car from Skoda. Definitely not a case of Vento-with-a-Fabia-face transplant as once thought.

The Fabia grille/fog/headlamps/tail lights give it a distinct character. It looks visually bigger from the front too, thanks to a longer hood. In fact, the rear actually looks better than its cousin, the Vento. The OE alloys too are smarter looking than those on the VW.

Going by the review, Skoda seems to have put in some work into the dynamics of the car, even beating the Vento in some areas. The Rapid AT, especially in mid-variant trim has to be the most VFM car in its segment. Makes the Fiesta AT look ridiculously over priced.

If ever VW AG were to launch a DSG variant, a Rapid Tdi DSG would make much more sense than a similar Vento model, given the cost involved.

The top end model lacks a few features that were recently introduced in the Higline Vento. But at this price, that is totally admissible. However, the ace up Skoda's sleeve has to be the mid-level Ambition variant, in both MT or AT versions.

If Skoda can shed its sloppy after-sales image, this car is going right to the top of the sales charts.

[dot]

While I am yet to check the car in flesh (hopefully during the weekend), I am mightily impressed with the product. Great detailed review guys.

The diesel Vento was already amazingly smooth (courtesy Ninjatalli), I can only imagine how the smooth the Rapid will be as the review says that the NVH is better than the Vento. And considering the price, this is a smart move by Skoda. The radio ad about "blog shog" writing unofficial reviewer is a bit funny though.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Vibhanshu

Sure. The vibrations on the the floor specifically and not just the clutch. Specially after 2500 RPM. Is it anyway annoying or just alright?

Originally Posted by Samurai

No, I can't recall any vibration from the floor. Let's see what Vidyut has to say, he is more sensitive to such things.

Nope I didn't feel anything either. There were no vibrations from the diesel at all. As mentioned only the funny vibration from the clutch at the biting point.

There was however one diesel car that a fellow reviewer got which had a funny flapping sound from the engine bay. This was identified to a lose air intake pipe that was flapping around after he drove a huge stone. The clips must have broken loose.