[shankha007]

Originally Posted by kunalsingh

Does anyone know about the alloy upgrade options available at Skoda?

The Style variant 16 inch ones look superb (pun intended!) but I don't mind the understated look of the Ambition(15 inches) alloys either.
Also, can anyone confirm the prices for the same?

The price quoted by the dealer in Kolkata for the 15" Matone alloys (set of 4) is Rs 45k, and the 16" Silver Clubber alloys will set you back by Rs 80k (set of 4). They could not tell about the black 16 inchers though. These prices are in line with VW as well.

There are times when the VW dealers sell the 16" alloys on offer for as low as Rs 25k for a set of 4. Should not be different with Skoda.

In comparison, the 16" alloys you get in the Ecosport Titanium cost Rs 45k for a set of 5.

[kunalsingh]

Originally Posted by shankha007

The price quoted by the dealer in Kolkata for the 15" Matone alloys (set of 4) is Rs 45k, and the 16" Silver Clubber alloys will set you back by Rs 80k (set of 4). They could not tell about the black 16 inchers though. These prices are in line with VW as well.

There are times when the VW dealers sell the 16" alloys on offer for as low as Rs 25k for a set of 4. Should not be different with Skoda.

In comparison, the 16" alloys you get in the Ecosport Titanium cost Rs 45k for a set of 5.

Oh my god! That's well expensive for a set of 4 alloys. I mean, I do understand that a lot of R&D and quality testing goes into producing these but just think of the options one would find in the aftermarket at such a price point! (Momo, Lenso, BBS, etc.)

The only reason I would go for these would be to keep my warranty intact because this car at 8.3L (on road Delhi) + 30k for service pack + 45k for alloys + whatever extra for extended warranty still turns out to be a more VFM proposition compared to any other car in it's segment.

[TokyoDrifter]

Originally Posted by kunalsingh

Oh my god! That's well expensive for a set of 4 alloys.

Well, they have to “justify” the price gap between Rider and Ambition. And, of course they will scare you by voiding the warranty if after-market accessories are fit. Sad, but true.

[kunalsingh]

Originally Posted by TokyoDrifter

Well, they have to “justify” the price gap between Rider and Ambition. And, of course they will scare you by voiding the warranty if after-market accessories are fit. Sad, but true.

Will just have to wait for these discounts in that case. I wouldn't mind paying up till even 30k for the 15" ones. But 20k for a 16" alloy just sounds crazy!

[Astonite]

Originally Posted by TokyoDrifter

1. That one rainy day, when you realise that the rear window is not fully closed will haunt you.

Simpler solution is to enable window roll up and down via the key using VCDS (if not already enabled). My Polo didn't have that enabled, got it done from the service center, made it a habit to do it every time I lock the car

2. That busy day, when you park the car on a busy street (and a 2-wheeler rams into the ORVM) and you forgot to manually close the ORVMs will haunt you.

Again, a habit. I get down, walk away in the anti-clockwise direction, close the mirrors. Also helps to check the tires

3. No Android Auto or Apple Car Play - can live with it, but a sore miss.

Should be a easy retrofit to other VW HUs (hopefully)

4. Headlamps in India play an important role while driving in the night.

Change to a high powered bulb with a relay or to LEDs

5. A sub-par (someone needs to confirm) 2DIN will not really make the cut either.

Should be a easy retrofit to other VW HUs (hopefully)

All of these above pointers make me wonder if Rider is really aimed at an Urban petrol-head or it is more for the Tier 2 city/taxi service fleet! Will be interesting to see the numbers for Skoda Rapid 1L TST MT in the coming months.

[KPR]

I've a doubt regarding rider variant's power windows. I seat my 2 year old kid in baby seat in the rear. What if she fiddles with power windows button say on a rainy day or in traffic signal where safety is important? Any work around to control the power windows from drive side panel? Is there a locking button in driver side for switching off / lowering of power windows of rear?

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by KPR

I've a doubt regarding rider variant's power windows. I seat my 2 year old kid in baby seat in the rear. What if she fiddles with power windows button say on a rainy day or in traffic signal where safety is important? Any work around to control the power windows from drive side panel? Is there a locking button in driver side for switching off / lowering of power windows of rear?

You can lock window operations from the driver's seat. A separate switch is provided for the same in the Rider variant also. But you cannot raise or lower the rear windows.

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by KPR

I've a doubt regarding rider variant's power windows. I seat my 2 year old kid in baby seat in the rear. What if she fiddles with power windows button say on a rainy day or in traffic signal where safety is important? Any work around to control the power windows from drive side panel? Is there a locking button in driver side for switching off / lowering of power windows of rear?

There is generally a child lock setting on the back doors that can be set to prevent operation from inside, i.e, opening or closing windows or the door. It is a basic feature accessible from the side of the rear door panel when the car is stationary. I am pretty sure the Rapid should have this too.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by KPR

Is there a locking button in driver side for switching off / lowering of power windows of rear?

Yes. There's a button for disabling power window operations on the master controls.

[arvindmanju]

If I am in the market for new car then for me not having a rear window switch is real deal breaker. I know this pain because the VXi Zen back then came with only front power window, asking people to close the rear window while getting down the car is pain which I don’t want to go through again. 10~15 years ago it was ok, but not in this era. Hope who ever buys this has the option to buy new switch console from higher variant and get it fixed at service centre.

Secondly Skoda service is more of a miss than hit.

[Fernang]

I've driven a 2014 figo for close to 52,000 Kms, and I've never been caught out once for not having rolled up the windows. Figo came with only front power windows. 2 reasons why that could be is -
1. I grew up driving cars with wind up windows and had driven close to 100,000 on these(probably force of habit to go around checking windows every time the car was parked).
2. I never let anyone keep the windows open when it is being driven. AC is always on and temperature adjusted according to requiremnt. have been fortunate enough not to have suffered any AC related issues in the figo.

The reason we went for the figo was mainly because of the driving experience had in a loaner. it just felt better than Ritz, swift, i20 and the other vehicles I'd driven earlier. Keeping an eye on the rider variant for the last 3 weeks. Trying to get the finances in place and convincing others that a great chassis, engine and gearbox makes up for the lack of certain other comfort features.

[Old_Salt]

I have been following the discussion regarding the rear power window control missing at the drivers end, some pointing it out as a deal breaker.
As far as I can say for myself, I never ever open the windows in the Delhi pollution, howsoever the weather maybe pleasant, and same goes for the other occupants. To be honest I never see anyone driving cars with the windows down in Delhi so the probability of it being left open is less, ofcourse one cannot deny that one time when a kid may leave it open. Nothing is bulletproof! Even with controls on the driver's side, there is a possibility of the windows still being left open, if the driver doesn't check them every time.
As someone mentioned I too do a quick check of the car after disembarking.

[TokyoDrifter]

Originally Posted by Old_Salt

To be honest I never see anyone driving cars with the windows down in Delhi

In Bangalore weather, this won’t be the case - night long drives, with windows down is dreamy!

Also, similar logic can also be applied to “Panasonic sunroof”? I hardly see many people use their moon roofs, forget sunroofs in India.

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by arvindmanju

If I am in the market for new car then for me not having a rear window switch is real deal breaker...

The Rider variant comes with 4 power windows. The only problem is that you cannot raise or lower the rear windows from the driver side console. Skoda has provided a window lock switch, so you can keep it locked always if you don't want rear passengers to fiddle with the windows.

I wouldn't really blame Skoda for this. The Rider variant (base) is real value for money so they had to cut corners somewhere. You still get a fairly well equipped car for your money if you compare it to the base variant of other manufacturers. Personally I would prefer driver side window controls and fog lamps over the auto climate control unit Skoda has provided. But then they would probably have to invest more in getting tooling done for the base variant hence might have kept the ACC as standard.

Anyways I would really appreciate Skoda for what they have done. Keep the pricing in mind, this is a darn good deal especially for those who prefer safety and love their engines and gearboxes over features. If I were looking for a sub 10 lakh car right now, this would probably be my top choice.

[Comrade]

Not sure if anyone has access to Skoda parts list, but someone should really explore if its just replacing the master switch at driver door to enable control of all 4 power windows. I am thinking Skoda might have used same control modules etc internally and just cheaped out on the switch. Control module could be same especially if Rider variant also supports all window roll up on long-pressing the remote lock button.

If it is simple like replacing master switch from higher variant, this would be favorite mod for many rider owners.