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Old 26th December 2011, 14:18   #316
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Re: Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

It would be a boon if MFID and electrically adjusted ORVMs could be retrofitted to mid and base variant of Rapid.
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Old 26th December 2011, 14:34   #317
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Re: Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by noopster View Post
Saw my first Rapid on the road in Pune yesterday. Looks quite stunning in capuccino beige. There was an MPI badging on the LHS rear which probably means it's petrol? The rear styling around the number plate is a little iffy but you can get used to it. Overall a much better looker than the Vento, IMO.
I saw a black one on Pune roads (near RSI - Saturday around noon time). It was coming from the opposite side. Looks a lot like fabia from the front & it was almost when I was upon it realized that it was a Rapid.

I have suggested it to a friend of mine & am planning to visit the showroom with him over next couple of days to have a better look.
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Old 26th December 2011, 15:14   #318
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Re: Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by noopster View Post
Saw my first Rapid on the road in Pune yesterday. Looks quite stunning in capuccino beige. There was an MPI badging on the LHS rear which probably means it's petrol? The rear styling around the number plate is a little iffy but you can get used to it. Overall a much better looker than the Vento, IMO.
Well, I am on the borderline on this one. I think the Vento is the more coherent design of the two. i think the front end of the Rapid looks a little squat and bit too 'Fabia-ish'. And I don't really rate Fabia's looks much. But, overall it looks a bit more substantial then the Vento.

On a separate note, is it only me who thinks that the Rapid's interior quality is fairly ordinary? I checked it out yesterday and found the interior quality to be inferior to that of Vento. Which is surprising since they come of the same assembly line. Maybe its the the brown colour of the dash which makes it look a little ungainly. when I checked out the Fabia, I found its interior quality to be superior to that of Rapid. And by quite a margin I'd say...So, surprising as it may sound but I find in terms of interior quality: Jazz>>ANHC. Fabia> Rapid. Vento=Polo. Does that mean that the best interior of any car under 10L is that of a hatch and not a sedan

Overall, I am not really happy with the interior quality levels of any of the cars under 10 L. Don't get me wrong, there is very little wrong with any one of them but none seems to have a feels of super quality and robustness that one associates with quality cars. This in-turn will almost certainly force me to go the extra mile (and spend extra moolah) to fecth something from the next Skoda Laura/ VW Jetta/ Renault Fluence/ Honda Civic segment, when I go shopping early next year.
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Old 26th December 2011, 16:12   #319
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Re: Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

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Does that mean that the best interior of any car under 10L is that of a hatch and not a sedan

Overall, I am not really happy with the interior quality levels of any of the cars under 10 L. Don't get me wrong, there is very little wrong with any one of them but none seems to have a feels of super quality and robustness that one associates with quality cars.
One car in the 5.5-8 range which really has quality interiors (looks, not ergonomics) IMO is the Chevy Aveo sedan. And that really didnt contribute to a runaway success, so manufacturers are happy taking it easy on the interiors nowadays, especially on budget sedans.
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Old 26th December 2011, 20:39   #320
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Re: Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

Compared to vento, rapid loses the chrome trims surrounding the A/C vents, different IP, brown instead of greysh brown in vento, fabric used in upholstery etc. But having owned a vento now, I can safely say, except the difference in texture/colour, there is no difference in quality of material used in both vento and the rapid. Colour is ofcourse personal choice and I for one prefer black over brown/greyish beige anyday.

I would have preferred some soft touch plastics on the center console of the vento/rapid (where your knees keep rubbing against), instead of the hard-wearing one's but apart from that quality is upto the mark.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile View Post
On a separate note, is it only me who thinks that the Rapid's interior quality is fairly ordinary? I checked it out yesterday and found the interior quality to be inferior to that of Vento. Which is surprising since they come of the same assembly line. Maybe its the the brown colour of the dash which makes it look a little ungainly. when I checked out the Fabia, I found its interior quality to be superior to that of Rapid. And by quite a margin I'd say...So, surprising as it may sound but I find in terms of interior quality: Jazz>>ANHC. Fabia> Rapid. Vento=Polo. Does that mean that the best interior of any car under 10L is that of a hatch and not a sedan

Overall, I am not really happy with the interior quality levels of any of the cars under 10 L. Don't get me wrong, there is very little wrong with any one of them but none seems to have a feels of super quality and robustness that one associates with quality cars. This in-turn will almost certainly force me to go the extra mile (and spend extra moolah) to fecth something from the next Skoda Laura/ VW Jetta/ Renault Fluence/ Honda Civic segment, when I go shopping early next year.
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Old 26th December 2011, 21:55   #321
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Re: Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile View Post
So, surprising as it may sound but I find in terms of interior quality: Jazz>>ANHC. Fabia> Rapid. Vento=Polo. Does that mean that the best interior of any car under 10L is that of a hatch and not a sedan

Overall, I am not really happy with the interior quality levels of any of the cars under 10 L. Don't get me wrong, there is very little wrong with any one of them but none seems to have a feels of super quality and robustness that one associates with quality cars. This in-turn will almost certainly force me to go the extra mile (and spend extra moolah) to fecth something from the next Skoda Laura/ VW Jetta/ Renault Fluence/ Honda Civic segment, when I go shopping early next year.
Well, its not really surprising IMHO. The said hatchbacks are generally international models, and the corresponding sedans are normally market specific spin-outs. I guess the manufacturers have the freedom to do some compromises there. That said, these cars definitely adhere to the minimum standards of the manufacturer and does feel on par (at times superior) to the competition in the same segment.

And these issues do exist in the segment above as well. I can safely say that quality-wise, the VW Golf is a notch above the Jetta, and more expensive too!
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Old 29th December 2011, 11:12   #322
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Re: Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile View Post
Well, I am on the borderline on this one. I think the Vento is the more coherent design of the two. i think the front end of the Rapid looks a little squat and bit too 'Fabia-ish'. And I don't really rate Fabia's looks much. But, overall it looks a bit more substantial then the Vento.

On a separate note, is it only me who thinks that the Rapid's interior quality is fairly ordinary? I checked it out yesterday and found the interior quality to be inferior to that of Vento. Which is surprising since they come of the same assembly line. Maybe its the the brown colour of the dash which makes it look a little ungainly. when I checked out the Fabia, I found its interior quality to be superior to that of Rapid. And by quite a margin I'd say...So, surprising as it may sound but I find in terms of interior quality: Jazz>>ANHC. Fabia> Rapid. Vento=Polo. Does that mean that the best interior of any car under 10L is that of a hatch and not a sedan

Overall, I am not really happy with the interior quality levels of any of the cars under 10 L. Don't get me wrong, there is very little wrong with any one of them but none seems to have a feels of super quality and robustness that one associates with quality cars. This in-turn will almost certainly force me to go the extra mile (and spend extra moolah) to fecth something from the next Skoda Laura/ VW Jetta/ Renault Fluence/ Honda Civic segment, when I go shopping early next year.
I Agree with Abhi.
Agreed that these cars are supposed to be "entry level" saloons. Still, they aren't "Cheap" by any standards when it comes to signing the cheque. So the quality could be a tad better at some places. At the same time Abhi, its a business decision & gimmick. There are certain intentional shortcomings, to make sure the quality seekers like you do NOT buy their lower end offering and spend more into a C+ premium saloon instead Its an amazing balancing act that these companies do well - at the expense of our money though...
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Old 29th December 2011, 11:27   #323
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Re: Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

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Originally Posted by noopster View Post
Overall a much better looker than the Vento, IMO.
I agree with you on this. IMO, Rapid scores better than Vento in exteriors and I am yet to check out the interiors of the Rapid, so cannot comment on that, but I feel Rapid is where I put my money if I were to decide between Vento and Rapid!
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Old 29th December 2011, 18:18   #324
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Re: Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

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Compared to vento, rapid loses the chrome trims surrounding the A/C vents, different IP, brown instead of greysh brown in vento, fabric used in upholstery etc. But having owned a vento now, I can safely say, except the difference in texture/colour, there is no difference in quality of material used in both vento and the rapid. Colour is ofcourse personal choice and I for one prefer black over brown/greyish beige anyday.

I would have preferred some soft touch plastics on the center console of the vento/rapid (where your knees keep rubbing against), instead of the hard-wearing one's but apart from that quality is upto the mark.
Bala - Can you please confirm if the Rapid and Vento have the same exact seats? My seat cover guy has not done a Rapid yet.

Last edited by ajitmoses : 29th December 2011 at 18:23.
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Old 29th December 2011, 18:47   #325
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Re: Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

As far as I remember yes, only the upholstery fabric is different. They are very similar as far as the lengh & width is concerned.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ajitmoses View Post
Bala - Can you please confirm if the Rapid and Vento have the same exact seats? My seat cover guy has not done a Rapid yet.
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Old 29th December 2011, 21:29   #326
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Re: Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

I think my query about the same subject is lost in some other discussions here.
I'm still waiting for the reply, guys.

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Since my Maruti Suzuki seems to be not interested in delivering New Swift ZDi early against booked in July12.
So, I'm planning to extend my budget to buy Skoda Rapid Ambition TDi.
So, Skoda users do you recommend this change or should I avoid it ! as I'm furious about paying huge Maintenance/Service bills alongwith its hefty EMI's.

What's your advice bhp-ians ?? Or should I look for anyother cheaper option & which one !
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Old 29th December 2011, 22:27   #327
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Re: Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

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I think my query about the same subject is lost in some other discussions here.
I'm still waiting for the reply, guys.
There is no comparison between swift and a rapid. Maybe you should post your query in the what car thread.
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Old 30th December 2011, 00:28   #328
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Re: Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

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There is no comparison between swift and a rapid. Maybe you should post your query in the what car thread.
I'm not comparing Swift with Rapid,
instead read my query carefully, as I want to know about the Skoda's attitude towards Rapid & its expected Service costs
i.e Its like the comparison between Skoda Rapid & Skoda Service(with costs involved).

Last edited by CRtorquefan : 30th December 2011 at 00:29. Reason: Text editing
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Old 30th December 2011, 00:52   #329
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CRtorquefan

I'm not comparing Swift with Rapid,
instead read my query carefully, as I want to know about the Skoda's attitude towards Rapid & its expected Service costs
i.e Its like the comparison between Skoda Rapid & Skoda Service(with costs involved).
I think you should stick with the Swift since you are sensitive towards higher maintainance costs, which coupled with increased EMI might just pinch you in the longer run. Plus with a great resale value of swift, you can always upgrade easily when you are ready for a bigger car.

Otherwise, both cars are in different segments, hence no comparisons can be made.
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Old 30th December 2011, 16:35   #330
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Re: Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review

Skoda's pre-sales has always been pretty good, whereas the issue is only with their after sales service. There has been reports of them improving, but there isnt anything confident inspiring either. It largely depends on the dealer at your place. Skoda dealers have a monopoly (atleast in chennai), whereas even VW which is a recent entrant have 2 seperate dealership's in the city. God only knows why skoda prefers to operate this way and I hate it when I dont have a choice.

As far as the maintanence goes, being a european, it will definitely be on the higher side compared to other c-segment players and will be on par with VW (Approx 15k for a service every 15k kms).

Swift is a safe bet any which way you see it, but then our decisions are not really based on what the head says -right? Ask me, I too bought a VW recently

Quote:
Originally Posted by CRtorquefan View Post
I want to know about the Skoda's attitude towards Rapid & its expected Service costs
i.e Its like the comparison between Skoda Rapid & Skoda Service(with costs involved).
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