[TokyoDrifter]

Originally Posted by SuvidC

My thoughts too, he sounded pretty confident though. If he was trying to upsell Ambition, that shows they are themselves not very confident about the +. Lets wait for the launch.

I really hope customers don’t get lured into Rider + if that is case. That will automatically bring down the price of Rider + to Rider level. But oh well, if only everyone reads TBHP threads and are well informed.

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

No that is right. After my test drive the SA told me the oem unit can be had for 60k and Ambition alloys for 50k. No idea what these chumps are smoking here to demand so much money for outdated parts.

Aftermarket unit and alloys void warranty I was informed so they're literally forcing you to cough up money which isn't surprising for a brand which has horror stories after horror stories of inflated bills and shady dealership popping up.

I’d think they will also throw in auto-mirror folding, rear window controls, driver’s seat height adjust etc. But we will know next week for sure.

[SuvidC]

Originally Posted by TokyoDrifter

I’d think they will also throw in auto-mirror folding, rear window controls, driver’s seat height adjust etc. But we will know next week for sure.

With an assumption that VW would also be selling that RCD unit as an accessory, I tried confirming with the VW SA I'm in touch with about the Vento CL. He confirmed to me that the RCD unit would cost 55k to be fitted into the CL and they will buy back the factory fitted stereo for 10k, implying that the total additional cost would be 45k for a dealer level retrofit of the RCD unit with buyback of the stock stereo.

Adds credence to the Skoda SA's claim. If the Rider + costs 7.99, it'll most probably have only the RCD unit as an extra over the Rider.

[sanyog26]

Originally Posted by TokyoDrifter

I’d think they will also throw in auto-mirror folding, rear window controls, driver’s seat height adjust etc. But we will know next week for sure.

Can't really vouch for it's veracity, but got to know from a reliable source that Rider+ variant shall be launched soon with only one additional feature, that being a Head Unit sourced from the Ambition variant.

[vishal_b]

Originally Posted by TokyoDrifter

I’d think they will also throw in auto-mirror folding, rear window controls, driver’s seat height adjust etc. But we will know next week for sure.

While this sounds like a completely reasonable expectation, I don't have much hope that most of it will come through. But if it does, people will not mind paying an extra 50K for all this, especially considering its all coming from the Manufacturer's end and will not affect the warranty in any way.

Lets see, our speculations will come to an end tomorrow.

On a separate note, is there any news if Skoda's manufacturing plant in Aurangabad is currently shut in view of the 10 day lockdown imposed in the city? If this is true, then there could be further delays in delivery timelines.

[sahil624]

The claimed mileage for Rapid is 18.97 kmpl. Anyone here, who has been using the vehicle, can confirm what are they getting in reality?

[sanyog26]

Originally Posted by sahil624

The claimed mileage for Rapid is 18.97 kmpl. Anyone here, who has been using the vehicle, can confirm what are they getting in reality?

Got a tankfull yesterday only and have driven barely 25 kms ever since. Will let you know soon of the actual real time FE figures..

Originally Posted by SuvidC

Just got off a call with Brite Skoda, Noida. They are pretty confident on the following-

I guess you must have had a word with the SA at Brite Skoda, Shri Prabjot Singh Rai.. Well, I have myself dealt with him during the entire process at the dealership, be it booking process a month ago, preponing the purchase from October to July, PDI by my family (during my absence) and finally the delivery.

Well, I feel he's a gem of a person and if he's providing some information, we should believe him. He would certainly not make a claim which is unverified and unsubstantiated.

[TokyoDrifter]

Basically, this is also the move towards making the Torque-AT that much more pricier, come sep 2020. I guess VW might win if this strategy continues from Skoda.

[SuvidC]

Originally Posted by sanyog26

I guess you must have had a word with the SA at Brite Skoda, Shri Prabjot Singh Rai.

Well, I feel he's a gem of a person and if he's providing some information, we should believe him. He would certainly not make a claim which is unverified and unsubstantiated.

Indeed. He sounded really genuine and eager to deal and I have no reason to not believe him, given that his claims do add up vis a vis the price tag he's predicting for the Rider plus.

Congratulations, by the way, for your new steed. You've gotten yourself a keeper and wish you a million miles and more of joy with it.

[safari_lover]

According to Skoda, the Rider variant cannot accommodate the Touch screen due to different wiring harness compared to other variants. This is what the dealership said and this is what their sales director said. So, they must be upgrading that too if they are to include the touchscreen.

Having booked the Rider variant, I'd happily upgrade to the Rider+ variant for 7.99 if it comes with the following additions.

- Touch screen with Carplay and the support for reverse camera
- Rear power windows control on the driver side door panel
- Leather wrapped steering wheel

[sanyog26]

Originally Posted by SuvidC

Indeed. He sounded really genuine and eager to deal and I have no reason to not believe him, given that his claims do add up vis a vis the price tag he's predicting for the Rider plus.

Congratulations, by the way, for your new steed. You've gotten yourself a keeper and wish you a million miles and more of joy with it.

Thanks !

His information/prediction has proved to be true. At the time of making a booking last month, he specifically told me that prices will definitely increase within a month or so and there's a possibility that the Rider variant may be shelved. I pondered on all this for a good 3 weeks and finally took the plunge of taking the delievery asap, if available. Fortunately, my booking being in priority (time wise) was attended to by him and he gave the delivery at the earliest.

[ramki.grandhi]

If the Rapid Rider+ variant gets launched for 7.99, what additional features do you want in it? (compared to the Rider).

[Axe77]

Missed the most important one - a reliable service station.

[ramki.grandhi]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Missed the most important one - a reliable service station.

That isn't specific to current topic, i.e. rapid rider.
May be applicable to all skoda cars(and all trims) lineup.

[Lalvaz]

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

Reliability may be an issue, but the DSG did make an impression in India. And, their TDI mill too.

In fact, how many Rapids can Skoda sell, with just a 3-cyl 1.0L TSI engine?

Another point of change, is Skoda going to fix 17 inch alloys in Monte Carlo and Matte, or is it only for the Expo purpose?

You hit the nail on the head. A 3 cylinder mill is criminal on a premium sedan. Just wont cut it, no matter how they slice it and dice it. Wish they had cut out the frills and focused on a more refined motor.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

You hit the nail on the head. A 3 cylinder mill is criminal on a premium sedan. Just wont cut it, no matter how they slice it and dice it. Wish they had cut out the frills and focused on a more refined motor.

Well the Verna has it now. So will the upcoming SUV's from VW and Skoda and the next gen Vento and Rapid and sedans.

Honda internationally has moved to 1.0L 3 cylinder for the City but didn't bring it here which is typical of Honda to not offer latest tech in India.

In terms of performance there's nothing that matches the 1.0L engine and I think people are seeing that 1.0L is just a number on paper.