[vdi]

The turbo lag is very evident and this thing was just not ready to move forward in low rpms. A huge disappointment on an other wise great package with that 7 speed DSG.

[Turbohead]

The ergo lever behind the front passenger seat is a sensible omission. I hardly remember using it. Even if the car is chauffeur driven, the driver would pull the seat in front traditionally.

[SPARKled]

The 4 year warranty and maintenance package should instill a lot of confidence to someone like me who has always aspired to own a Skoda as their products are really good. I haven't heard a Skoda A.S.S horror story in a long time. Maybe they are really improving.

[rrsteer]

Haven't read the review, I am sure its very good. But I am going to rate 5 stars just for the pictures on the opening page.

[Equus]

WOW - thats a sweet looking car! Aspirational value went up a couple notches higher.

How is the reliability with the DSG on the Rapid/Vento's from owners? Havent hard a lot of compliants -- might be a good time to buy one

My city is due for a refresh now. Who knows

[Identity]

Excellent report . Rating this thread a well deserved 5 stars. Those pictures are really beautiful. This car looks classy.
Rapid has always been a competent package but primarily let down by poor ASS. I hope Skoda improves on this front to give necessary boost to the falling sales numbers.

[ScorpMan]

What a lovely transformation ! Looks the sexiest car in its range. Furthermore, nothing in 12L's comes close to the driving pleasure of these German Twins. Own a 13' Vento Tdi, and what a pleasure it has been. The new Rapid looks so yummy, feel like replacing mine with this.

[The Brutailer]

Good review but a disappointing car IMO.
Why? I'm gonna compare it to the City.

In comparison to City, negatives of Rapid.
- External looks : Let's be honest, it now looks like a Vento. Back as well as front. City looks way classier and sporty.

- Interiors : Good quality but no sense of occasion. Feels very robotic, like it was designed with a pen and scale. Probably it was.

Also, lack of features. No reverse cam, no sunroof. Most people will say Sunroof is useless but I strongly disagree. Take a drive in morning / in rain / night and you'll know what I'm talking about.

- Engine : No comparison with the incredibly rev happy petrol engine on the Honda. The way the needle shoots everytime I bury the accelerator on my City, I can't even express in words.

In diesel though, Rapid is superior. But then, it's not that efficient.

- Dynamics : Both have light steerings, probably Skoda is teenier bit better at high speeds. But then, it's not like the City wobbles at high speeds. I find the stability quite good. Upgrade the tyres on Honda and handling increases by leaps.

- Service and Reliability : We all know who's better.

So, what's this car? If you don't like Japanese cars, it's better to get the Vento. Rapid in my books isn't the best of cars.

[BigBrad]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

But it uses a locally made Honeywell turbo ( little bigger??). Previously it had imported turbo charger, I think Borg Warner make. Also it's good to see that the car is faster now.

Attaching a pic of the turbo in my 2015 Polo TDI, it's Honeywell made & when zoomed in, one can clearly see the Made in India engraving. Something isn't adding up.

[deerhunter]

Originally Posted by The Brutailer

Good review but a disappointing car IMO.
Why? I'm gonna compare it to the City.

In comparison to City...

So, what's this car? If you don't like Japanese cars, it's better to get the Vento. Rapid in my books isn't the best of cars.

Looks are highly subjective. This new facelift has an understated elegance. Not everyone will like the way the City looks.

Sunroof, I agree, is a nice feel-good feature. And City petrol engine is definitely a gem.

Rapid, I felt, handles better than the City and is more stable at higher speeds. Even though Vento and Rapid is the same under the skin, their dynamics are different. I felt City to be as stable and chuckable as Vento, but Rapid is better than both. So Rapid is not the same as Vento, so not everyone who does not like Japanese cars can go for Vento. Rapid has a character of its own.

But, yes, the City as a whole package is still better. In the end, we customers are the winners when choices are more.

PS: I own a 2014 City i-VTec.

[Horizon85]

Sloping creases on either edges of the hood no longer blend with the front grille:

This is the distinctive design feature of the Rapid which I will miss from now on.

I would agree with most people here that the Rapid looks more like Vento from the front now.

Great review of a fantastic car. Thanks!

[motorhead16]

Premium materials as opposed to the City. That's one reason why I would pick this over the City any day. The current version of the Honda City is a cheap watered down version of the earlier models. It feels cheap and is poorly built.

[CarguyNish]

Originally Posted by motorhead16

Premium materials as opposed to the City. That's one reason why I would pick this over the City any day. The current version of the Honda City is a cheap watered down version of the earlier models. It feels cheap and is poorly built.

I disagree, why ?

Because there isn't much difference in materials used by Skoda or Honda. If I have to sum up the Interiors it would be like this.

Interior Design - City 1, Rapid 0
Plastic Quality - City 1, Rapid 1
Fit & Finish - City 1, Rapid 1
Durability - City 1, Rapid 1

Here, build won't be a question because the plastics don't have the strength like metals. So, basically you are getting same hard plastics on both the cars. Rattles are caused, when a particular part isn't well screwed. Panel gaps are caused when the particular batch of plastics are not removed at the right time from the mould.

I have driven & spent sufficient time in both the cars (2013 Rapid & 2016 City) that we have in our garage. Plastics on Both the cars don't rattle, but the black plastics on City look Premium compared to Brown shade one on Rapid. Also, the Interiors of Rapid look dated, and with new City expected to have more Premium Interiors (Soft Touch Plastics) it will be back to where it was earlier.

[TorqMaster]

The pictures are excellent. Skoda can probably use it for their marketing .. understated, elegant and clean. I have never driven a VAG car heck haven't even sat in one. But this car will now feature in my list of options for replacing the manza which is inching close to 7 years now.
The warranty options are a safe bet to play with. If they can extend this warranty by an additional 2-3 years it would be nice.
I don't know how the car looks in flesh but the pictures bring out the beauty of its creases and shapes which I could have easily missed otherwise.
Good job you guys.

[VinsWagen]

Originally Posted by vdi

The turbo lag is very evident and this thing was just not ready to move forward in low rpms. A huge disappointment on an other wise great package with that 7 speed DSG.

Could you clarify if this is something you observed in the new model in comparison with the old one?