[motorworks]

Originally Posted by bala80

Congratulations motorworks on your new car. I wish you say the same post your skoda ownership experience too.

Thanks!

1) You are right, the clutch feels quite heavy when compared to the DDIS. Its no easy task to keep shifting gears in the city for sure!


2) may be when I switch the stock tyres at 30k or so I could look at alloys. The "Antares" alloys from skoda are great as well. But I thought they were quite expensive. Some one in the forum mentioned that these are imported and the ones on the Laura cost as much as 7-8k per piece.


3)Yes, I think so too. Any way the steering weighs up pretty heavily when you cross 60kmph or so, which feels alright. In the manual, it is stated that this is a electric-Hydraulic steering, which I think is not the case with suzukis which are completely electric. Or is it the same?

[bala80]

1 - Its a royal pain, I have been driving my vento for more than 7 months now and if you ask me for the one thing that I hate the most with the car - Its the clutch. Its a nightmare driving this car in B2B traffic.

2 - Oh, thats nothing. VW charges 20k for a single alloy. No typo's there, you read it right :(

3 - Swift's steering had more feedback than vento at lower speed. Initially the transition was a little difficult but I got used to it. After around 60, the power assistance cuts off, which makes the steering feel much better at higher speeds. Swift was a EPS, but then I dont how it is different from the hydro-electric one in the rapid/vento though.

Originally Posted by motorworks

Thanks!

1) You are right, the clutch feels quite heavy when compared to the DDIS. Its no easy task to keep shifting gears in the city for sure!


2) may be when I switch the stock tyres at 30k or so I could look at alloys. The "Antares" alloys from skoda are great as well. But I thought they were quite expensive. Some one in the forum mentioned that these are imported and the ones on the Laura cost as much as 7-8k per piece.


3)Yes, I think so too. Any way the steering weighs up pretty heavily when you cross 60kmph or so, which feels alright. In the manual, it is stated that this is a electric-Hydraulic steering, which I think is not the case with suzukis which are completely electric. Or is it the same?

[motorworks]

Folks need some help! I'm planning to add Seat covers and sunfilms for my Rapid and as usual I'm a little confused!

Seat covers--I initially wanted to go for artificial leather seat covers, like the ones made by Autoform etc, and my budget was about 6-7k. But I had just visited a ovion dealer in whitefield, bangalore and he has quoted about 30k for the entry level pure leather seats with cladding on the doors, gear covering etc. I'm not sure about Ovion, since they seem to be a local brand in bangalore{I may be wrong} and not sure if it is worth spending 30k on these. The reason I'm looking at leather or artificial leather is purely to avoid the seats getting damaged due to water/liquid/food spill which is most likely to happen since we are expecting a baby in 3-4 months. So more than comfort, it is more to do with utility.

Sun films--I wanted to initially buy 3M for the sides + rear and figured it would cost a about 4k or so. The same dealer who deals in ovion has quoted about 8k for Sunguard{Saint gobain} films for the sides+ rear + the front windshield as well. How good are these? Saint gobain is pretty well known in the glass business, but I'm not sure about their sun films. Also, is the front windsheild sunfilm needed at all? It seems to be the most expensive actually.

Please let me know your valuable thoughts.

[speed kills]

Originally Posted by motorworks

I initially wanted to go for artificial leather seat covers, like the ones made by Autoform etc, and my budget was about 6-7k. But I had just visited a ovion dealer in whitefield, bangalore and he has quoted about 30k for the entry level pure leather seats with cladding on the doors, gear covering etc. I'm not sure about Ovion, since they seem to be a local brand in bangalore{I may be wrong} and not sure if it is worth spending 30k on these. The reason I'm looking at leather or artificial leather is purely to avoid the seats getting damaged due to water/liquid/food spill which is most likely to happen since we are expecting a baby in 3-4 months. So more than comfort, it is more to do with utility.

Ovion is a popular brand for car upholstery in India & their quality is decent.
You could also try Karlsson (Indiranagar).
Their art leather range starts at about 10K.

[bala80]

Ovion is as good as stanley and is available outside bangalore too. I had a choice between Ovion and Stanley and the price difference between two was negligible and hence I opted for Stanley. In terms of fit and finish, both are right there on the top. You have lots of reviews of ovion from the bangalore team members in seperate thread, do take a look and you will be convinced. 30k looks a very good price for all that you have mentioned. Gear shifter will already have leather wrapping around it, so you can remove it from your list. I'd even say dont bother about the door pads, but get your steering leather wrapped.

Sun flims - Stick to 3M, I havent heard about the other brand that you had mentioned. And I dont beleive in having any film's on my windshield and hence haven't got any. You can go for a sun film covering all the window's and rear glass and then decide on the front windsheild film a little later. Bangalore weather doesnt really mandate a front windsheild film, IMO.

Originally Posted by motorworks

Folks need some help! I'm planning to add Seat covers and sunfilms for my Rapid and as usual I'm a little confused!

Seat covers--I initially wanted to go for artificial leather seat covers, like the ones made by Autoform etc, and my budget was about 6-7k. But I had just visited a ovion dealer in whitefield, bangalore and he has quoted about 30k for the entry level pure leather seats with cladding on the doors, gear covering etc. I'm not sure about Ovion, since they seem to be a local brand in bangalore{I may be wrong} and not sure if it is worth spending 30k on these. The reason I'm looking at leather or artificial leather is purely to avoid the seats getting damaged due to water/liquid/food spill which is most likely to happen since we are expecting a baby in 3-4 months. So more than comfort, it is more to do with utility.

Sun films--I wanted to initially buy 3M for the sides + rear and figured it would cost a about 4k or so. The same dealer who deals in ovion has quoted about 8k for Sunguard{Saint gobain} films for the sides+ rear + the front windshield as well. How good are these? Saint gobain is pretty well known in the glass business, but I'm not sure about their sun films. Also, is the front windsheild sunfilm needed at all? It seems to be the most expensive actually.

Please let me know your valuable thoughts.

[motorworks]

Okay, I have covered 1500kms now in about 45 days. No highway runs at all. Just the trip to office and some occasional runs to the nearby malls.

A lot more comfortable with the car now, initially I was apprehensive about the size, since my earlier car dzire required hardly any effort in tight spots. Found the right seating position and steering adjustment setting and that has made it all the more easier to drive actually!

Apart from the initial accessories that I fitted-A JVC BT system, 4 JBL speakers and a autocops reverse parking system, I have not added any thing more as yet. One word on the JVC unit, it is quite useful! I initially wanted to buy a Pioneer 2 din and was not keen on blue tooth functionality, but the JVC BT unit was just 2.5k more than the pioneer and I usually end up taking quite a bit of phone calls on the drive. Earlier in my dzire I used to plug in my sony ericsson to the Aux in and that was useful in picking up calls. But I have changed my phone now and samsung / black berry does not come with double jack ear plugs. So I figured that BT could be a good thing and opted for the JVC. It can allow 2 phones to connect to the system at any given point. Black berry is great to use with the system, since voice commands work easily. One thing which I found irritating was that if you connected the samsung android phone first and the BB later, you cannot play songs from the BB! If you do it the other way around, then its fine.
Looking to add sunfilms this week or the next and may be seat covers by the next month.

The Drive:-

I have been keeping the car below 2500rpm till date and have not done speeds beyond 80kmph { driving in the city, I had no chance really to move beyond this speed}. On the move, the gear indicator is quite useful. Higher gears like 5th come up in 60kmph itself and the car feels quite comfortable in higher gears at lower speeds.

Ground clearance is pretty decent and I have been lucky enough not to scrape the underbelly till date!

I have filled the tank twice till date and the average seems to be around 14KMPL, which I think should improve over a period of time.

I did feel that the aircon was insufficient at temperatures above 35-36, especially if the car is parked in the open sun for some time. But if you dont park the car in the open, then its quite sufficient. Luckily, I have covered parking both at home and office and there have been not many sweaty moments! But the direction of the air from the blower is one sided and that results in delayed cooling inside the car. I hope this situation will further become better once I install sunfilms.

There was a summer camp at Skoda for the A.C and I did go and get my car checked up. They just cleaned the Air filter and the AC filter and did some routine checks. The system of plugging the car to a computer and running thru all the necessary checks was new to me, considering I had a maruti earlier. Skoda's service { Vinayak, bangalore} was quite decent and they were quite helpful and courteous. But the service center in KR puram, bangalore is quite small considering the no of cars they receive.

One minor grouse is that every time you switch off the car, like in a signal or something, and want to switch it on, you need to turn the key to the initial position and then turn the ignition. You cant just turn off and turn it on!

What made me a little uncomfortable was the fire incident involving 2 ventos and 1 rapid. I spoke to skoda customer care and as expected they were not aware of the issue and could not give me any concrete reply. I also sent an email and there was no response. I did speak to some Skoda executives who were there at the service center for some inspection and even they had no clue! I also had a word with a VW dealer in bangalore, they did seem aware of the issue, but they did not have an answer either.
Anyway, I'm not too perturbed by this and would rather want to enjoy my time with the car. If anything happens, I only wish that me and my family get out safe!

But nevertheless, a great car, has ample torque and feels great to drive! When i owned a dzire, I always thought that my next car should be a notch higher and this car is rightfully so! There are already 3 rapids and some 4-5 ventos in my office and many office folks constantly enquire about the rapid. Skoda's Gaining popularity i must say!

More updates as I cross more miles

[Chitta Pradhan]

Originally Posted by motorworks

I have filled the tank twice till date and the average seems to be around 14KMPL, which I think should improve over a period of time.

What made me a little uncomfortable was the fire incident involving 2 ventos and 1 rapid.

When i owned a dzire, I always thought that my next car should be a notch higher and this car is rightfully so!

D

One of my close friends has purchased a Rapid Diesel & is very happy with it. Build quality, FE of 20 kmph on highways, VFM are among few things which have impressed him.Even though he graduated from a Santro, he is satisfied with the calmness inside the cabin, says a lot about the noise insulation of the car.

Feel that you have chosen a great car. Wish you miles of happy & enjoyable motoring. I have few queries-

1. You got a city FE of 14 approx. What was the FE of Dezire under similar conditions.
2. I am unaware of the fire incident. Can you please elaborate.
3. How much of a upgrade it is when compared to your earlier car & what are those areas.
4. I had a TD of diesel Vento. The noise inside the cabin was horrible. I have heard that Rapid has improved in this deptt. as compared to Vento. If you have experienced Vento, can you draw a comparison in this area.

Cheers

[motorworks]

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

One of my close friends has purchased a Rapid Diesel & is very happy with it. Build quality, FE of 20 kmph on highways, VFM are among few things which have impressed him.Even though he graduated from a Santro, he is satisfied with the calmness inside the cabin, says a lot about the noise insulation of the car.

Feel that you have chosen a great car. Wish you miles of happy & enjoyable motoring. I have few queries-

1. You got a city FE of 14 approx. What was the FE of Dezire under similar conditions.
2. I am unaware of the fire incident. Can you please elaborate.
3. How much of a upgrade it is when compared to your earlier car & what are those areas.
4. I had a TD of diesel Vento. The noise inside the cabin was horrible. I have heard that Rapid has improved in this deptt. as compared to Vento. If you have experienced Vento, can you draw a comparison in this area.

Cheers

Hey, apologize for getting back late. Thanks for your wishes, My view on the points that you have raised:-
1) I used to get about 16kmpl in my earlier car-Dzire in similar conditions. But the dzire settled in to this figure only after 5000kms or so. It was very inconsistent until then. I'm hoping that the Rapid's economy would improve since I have just done about 2700kms. I think it should settle around that 15-16 kmpl mark after 5k on the ODO. I did a highway run once and it delivered close to 18kmpl.
2) There were 2 ventos and 1 Rapid which caught fire in the last 2-3 months. Fire seemed to have started from the engine bay in all 3 cases. There are 2 threads in the Indian car scene section with the information. No evidence as yet, if its an issue with the car itself. I have contacted Skoda and they too did not seem to have any information. i expected VW to come up with some explanation, but they have not.
3) Well compared to the Dzire, I would call the rapid a proper upgrade to the next segment. The dzire was good to drive, had a spirited diesel engine, but it was a small car afterall and it had flaws in braking and high speed dynamics.
The Rapid too is based on a small car-Polo, but you never feel it so. The space is amazing, except that you can have just 4 adults seated in comfort, thanks to the high rising tunnel in the floor. High speed dynamics are superb, I touched 180kmph in my highway run and the car did not show a hint of struggle. It felt as if it would easily do 200kmph, though I doubt that.
4) I have driven the vento, though not extensively, and I can safely say that the Rapid feels better insulated inside. There is a jerk when you start the car, especially in the mornings, and for about 5 minutes you can hear quite a bit of engine noise, when you are in the initial run. Once you have moved to 4th or 5th gear, there seems to be less of that and whatever you hear actually sounds very sporty!

[VeyronSuperSprt]

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

I had a TD of diesel Vento. The noise inside the cabin was horrible. I have heard that Rapid has improved in this deptt. as compared to Vento. If you have experienced Vento, can you draw a comparison in this area.

Cheers

I had booked a Vento initially and then cancelled it because i felt that the noise was on the high side. Additionally there is a bit of pitching at high speeds on undulating roads which can be disconcerting. Rapid has improved precisely in these two areas and that is why I booked the Rapid. Not to mention the fact that it is faster than even the Laura vRS in the 20 -80 km/h in 3rd gear slog and in the 40 -100 km/h in 4th gear!

Originally Posted by motorworks

1) I used to get about 16kmpl in my earlier car-Dzire in similar conditions. But the dzire settled in to this figure only after 5000kms or so. It was very inconsistent until then. I'm hoping that the Rapid's economy would improve since I have just done about 2700kms. I think it should settle around that 15-16 kmpl mark after 5k on the ODO. I did a highway run once and it delivered close to 18kmpl.

I have now done about 5500 kms on my Rapid. The mileage I get is: In the city: 13 - 14 kmpl, on the highways at continuous speeds of 120 - 140 kmph - 18.5 kmpl, on the highway at continuous speeds of 80 - 90 kmph - 21.5 kmpl.

Originally Posted by motorworks

2) There were 2 ventos and 1 Rapid which caught fire in the last 2-3 months. Fire seemed to have started from the engine bay in all 3 cases. There are 2 threads in the Indian car scene section with the information. No evidence as yet, if its an issue with the car itself. I have contacted Skoda and they too did not seem to have any information. i expected VW to come up with some explanation, but they have not.

I will be putting up some guidelines and preventive measures for those interested in buying Skoda / VW later and would cover measures to be adopted so that such situations so not occur.

Originally Posted by motorworks

High speed dynamics are superb, I touched 180kmph in my highway run and the car did not show a hint of struggle. It felt as if it would easily do 200kmph, though I doubt that.!

It feels just as stable at 180kmph as it does at 120 kmph. This is incredible for a car of this size. You are right in guessing it wouldn't do 200 kmph but it feels as if it could!

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by VeyronSuperSprt

Not to mention the fact that it is faster than even the Laura vRS in the 20 -80 km/h in 3rd gear slog and in the 40 -100 km/h in 4th gear!

1. It is not fair to compare in gear times of Petrol vs a Diesel, due to differences in gearing and power delivery characteristics.

2. Laura vRS TSI comes with a 6 speed gearbox so the gears are differently spaced than a 5 speed box, so comparing in gear times of specific gears may not give you the accurate picture.

[VeyronSuperSprt]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

1. It is not fair to compare in gear times of Petrol vs a Diesel.

Sure. I have a Laura TSI. It's just that it feels like it's having a holiday till about 3000 rpm and then reports for duty once 3000 rpm is crossed and then does double the work!! Till 3000 rpm it feels like I'm holding the baby. But boy once it crosses 3000 rpm, it's fireworks and nothing can keep up with the TSI. In a Rapid one seldom needs to use more than 3000 rpm. I was just mentioning the power characteristics of both and giving one of the reasons that made me add a Rapid to my garage.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by VeyronSuperSprt

Sure. I have a Laura TSI. It's just that it feels like it's having a holiday till about 3000 rpm and then reports for duty once 3000 rpm is crossed and then does double the work!! Till 3000 rpm it feels like I'm holding the baby. But boy once it crosses 3000 rpm, it's fireworks and nothing can keep up with the TSI.

3,000 rpm???!!! there's something seriously wrong with your TSI then. In my TSI the turbo kicks in just before 2,000 rpm. In fact the peak torque range for the TSI is 1500 - 4500 rpm. At 3,000 rpm, you are bang in the middle of this range and should be riding the wave of torque.

Apologies for the OT post in this rapid thread.

[VeyronSuperSprt]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

In my TSI the turbo kicks in just before 2,000 rpm.

Guess we're going OT here. I guess my articulation lent itself to a different interpretation - let me clarify - what I meant was that you don't get the sort of kick that you get in the Rapid upto 3000 rpm in the TSI. Both the Rapid and the TSI have the same peak torque (25.5@1500-2500 & 25.5@1500-4500) but the Rapid has a better Torque to weight ratio. Additionally even though the gearing in the TSI is lower (1.45 in 3rd and 1.11 in 4th against the Rapid's 1.36 in 3rd and 0.97 in 4th) the roll on times are better probably because of the better torque to weight ratio and lower / almost nil turbo lag in the Rapid.