Team-BHP - Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

Autocar India has stated, Rapid is on a discount of at least 1 L (even on MY 14) since the facelift is on its way. Maybe that is the reason why different variants like Ultima are released to clear inventory. Also found out that there are hardly any MY 13 cars available and the discount on those is as much as 1.5L or even more depending on your negotiating skills.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninjatalli (Post 3392319)

Hi folks,
I own a Ventojoints at the wheel kms done). Recently after my Ahmedabad trip, I started hearing some minor noise from front suspension - it comes when I am going over a bump or similar. Also hearing it when I turn the wheel at when stationary. I showed it to the VW workshop, they have asked me to come back and keep the car for a day.

Considering both the cars are almost identical, has anyone experienced this or read/heard about this? A bit concerned as the suspension clearly is out of warranty context. Would definitely like to hear feedback from this forum if available.

Sounds like your car has a problem with worn out ball joints, get a firm grip on the wheel and attempt to sort of swing the tyre from side to side and check for noticeable play. Good luck and all the best with sorting out your problem :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by sudipto_ray (Post 3391568)

Respected Team BHP-ians.

My first post to this Forum, and I am truly excited! I have been an ardent follower of T-BHP, and I must say that the amount of knowledge and insights I have gained herein is truly unparalleled.

Have been planning on a new car for a while now, and loved the Skoda Rapid given the recent additions to its feature list! My question looking at the news and information - would it make sense to hold back for new Euro Spec Skoda Rapid if it is coming by year end? I hear that it will be a completely new Rapid. What is the likelihood of the current one becoming a discontinued model with the launch of the new one? If I go for it, will there be any issues with the current model in terms of service / parts over the next 3-5 years?

Any advice or guidance will be much appreciated ...

Hey welcome to team bhp!
With regard to the Rapid, like many people have mentioned here, there is just going to be a minor facelift. I don't think it's going to be much in terms of changes. I have had the rapid for 2 years now and it's a great car if you enjoy driving. The engine is amazing and will thrill you with its torquey nature. I wouldn't say the same about the city, which may be a safer bet, but will surely not provide the overall feel if the Rapid especially high speed stability. If you like driving then pick up a current Rapid at a good discount and you won't regret.

Quote:

Originally Posted by manas27587 (Post 3396122)

I have both middle and 1 driver side broken

Appears to be expensive! It should have been below 4K including Tax.

Is the new kind with Chrome?

Quote:

Originally Posted by kalpurja (Post 3395843)

Is any faced issued with middle AC blowers in rapid? In my car both middle AC blowers seems to be blocked. Gave the car to ASS. As per them Skoda will provide some kind of software to update. If software won't work then they will replace some part. I am not sure on the part he mentioned.

I doubt it would because of outdated software. Ask them to clean AC vents and check.

Quote:

Originally Posted by motorworks (Post 3392930)

Thanks much for the warm welcome ! I drove this car and was blown away. What a machine ..... and what a significant difference from the Vento. Was wondering about the Ultima - foils/stickers aside, would they give something significantly different, or would that be something I can get fitted on a regular one? Curious to know what our fellow T-BHPians feel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sudipto_ray (Post 3396206)

It is a beautiful machine indeed. I booked one yesterday and I went for the normal elegance variant as I did not want the side foils and stickers of the Ultima. Also with Ultima what they have done is that they have increased the ex-showroom price and it crossed 10 lakh in Chennai which means I pay extra tax and everything extra. I clearly did not want to go for the hidden costs hence avoided it.

The bad part is that I was not offered anything considerable for the Elegance variant. They are offering free insurance and another 10k benefit for Ultima and this comes to 11.70 lakh OTR in chennai.

They offered extended warranty and another 5k discount for me in Elegance. The OTR is 11.26 lakh in my case. They also offered interest rate of 8.10% for 5 years.

I would advice you to bargain hard.

Another negative for me was that there is only one dealer in Chennai. :Frustrati

I finally bought a Skoda Rapid Elegance AT which was delivered to me during the final week of February 2014. Although I had booked an Ambition VIN13 in December, I cancelled it for the sake of Automatic Climate Control (ACC) since I believed it would be a very good add-on for the car.

My initial experience with the car has been a mixed one. Although I'm extremely satisfied with the driving experience, stability at high speeds & NVH levels (clocked 185kmph) without changing the Audio; I'm a bit disappointed with the fuel efficiency.

I use ACC with 22 degrees at any point and the milage so far has been 7 km/l inspite of driving with soft feet; releasing the accelerator at 2000 rpm to facilitate gear shift although I'm a nervous driver constantly braking. I guess the low milage has something to do with the later.

Any inputs on driving style for improving FE with AT cars would be highly appreciated.

Thanks
Peter

Quote:

Originally Posted by dspeter (Post 3396517)

My initial experience with the car has been a mixed one. Although I'm extremely satisfied with the driving experience, stability at high speeds & NVH levels (clocked 185kmph) without changing the Audio; I'm a bit disappointed with the fuel efficiency.

I use ACC with 22 degrees at any point and the milage so far has been 7 km/l inspite of driving with soft feet; releasing the accelerator at 2000 rpm to facilitate gear shift although I'm a nervous driver constantly braking. I guess the low milage has something to do with the later.

Any inputs on driving style for improving FE with AT cars would be highly appreciated.

Thanks
Peter

Firstly congrats on the purchase. The rapid AT is a great value for money sedan IMO.

On the mileage, few questions first. How many km on the odo? What are the traffic conditions? What speeds do you drive at? My vento tsi started off at 7 kmpl in heavy traffic conditions for the initial 300km. Now it is around 10-11 in heavy traffic.
Constant braking will impact mileage since it means the gear box is constantly shifting up and down. So any benefit you gained by driving with a soft foot is lost. The sweet spot for the best mileage is steady driving 60-80 kmph.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dspeter (Post 3396517)

Although I'm extremely satisfied with the driving experience, stability at high speeds & NVH levels (clocked 185kmph) without changing the Audio; I'm a bit disappointed with the fuel efficiency.

Congrats on your Rapid and welcome to the 'Club Rapid'. I suggest you to be easy on your ride at least till you touch 1500 kms mark and follow this thread. Regarding FE, you need not worry about it so early as the figures shall improve down the time with the engine opening up. Wish you happy mile crunching.:D

[quote=Rajeevraj;3396593]

On the mileage, few questions first. How many km on the odo?

Peter - 400KM at the moment. First full tank was refueled at 370km.

What are the traffic conditions? What speeds do you drive at?

Peter - Medium to Heavy traffic. Usually within city limits I do not exceed 50km. I'm a fairly new driver, still driving with learning license ;-) Top speed was clocked by a close relative.

My vento tsi started off at 7 kmpl in heavy traffic conditions for the initial 300km. Now it is around 10-11 in heavy traffic.

Peter - Thats quite encouraging and looking forward to those stats on my ODO :-)