[sam_boy]

At home I am a dad of a ever demanding 2+ year old and a husband with the usual share of pain and suffering. At office I need to be a hard core technical guy and need to be a team player who should live with the team and meet the demands of insatiable business teams and expected to smile even if the situation is hot and tense with every other guy fuming like a Sunny Deol. The only time I feel I m myself is the time I spend with my car driving 60 Kms a day. The driving time is what I get for me and I enjoy it thoroughly and prefer it to be as pleasant as possible. I drive an i10 sportz version and it has served me well for last 4 years. In all these years this car never let me down but yes I never had those magical moments which team-bhp is filled with. i-10 is a wonderful little car but lacks the power punch and its low torque makes the driving boring in empty stretches and highways.

Come 2012 and I start to feel the heat of ever rising petrol costs. In city traffic my car's efficiency is little more than 12 and every kilometer costed me almost close to 6.5 Rs. I drive around 1700 -1800 Kms per month and my fuel bills were almost touching 12K. My wife's office is close to office and after having a kid even she needed a car to commute. When the kid is sick or in case she has some work then I usually commute to office in my ever reliable 2001 model Enfield Machismo. Off late all the family members opposed
to me taking the bike considering the distance. So, finally I decide to buy a diesel car. I remember the familiar one liner of one of my IT directors " To save a dollar every month do not hesitate to spend 100 dollars in one shot".


For me the requirement was simple. A fun filled cost effective ride with an ABS ( I had some torrid experience with my i10). The only car that came to my mind was Swift Diesel. I have driven it in the past and I knew exactly how it feels. The more I read about it, more I loved it. My wife and dad hated the look of swift and they wanted a bigger vehicle as there was already a hatch at home. I considered swift ZDI and the average waiting period on this version is around 6 months at least.I could not convince myself on buying a hatch for 8.5 Lacs and also I never wanted to wait for 6 long months to drive a car so swift was rejected. but still I feel its a great car and I would love to drive it any day.

The Safari Saga

When I rejected Swift, I had only one car in my mind and that was Tata Safari. I Took my wife and my kid to KHT motors Whitefield on a Saturday and I have to say they do not know ABC of customer interaction. After a wait of 15 minutes someone appeared in front of me and looked uninterested.I asked for a TD and I got the familiar answer that the vehicle has gone for servicing. I came out of the showroom had burgers in McDonald and Came back home. Walked in to Concord motors Dairy Circle the next Monday around 11 AM in the morning and they promised me a TD at 1:30 PM. After couple of phone calls to the SA finally they turned up at 4:30 PM. Being a TATA vehicle, I was not surprised by the delay. The vehicle was not in the best of the condition and I had my share of difficulty in taking it through the crowded Bannerghetta road. Then I moved it to the NICE road. It was good but not great. The car was shaking terribly and i felt my whole body was vibrating. One thing I knew after the TD, I can not drive this for 60 Kms a day in city traffic. Came back and straight away rejected the car. My wife loved this car and she took some time trying to convince me but in vein. She loves the looks of Safari and she has already announced that her next car would be a SUV. Rab rakha to all the guys on road !!!


The world outside Swift and Safari

Now I was in no man's land. The cars which I liked and knew a little are out of my list . I never thought before I would be buying a sedan. Sat one day with wifey and shortlisted the below cars:

1. Hyundai Verna

2. Ford Fiesta Diesel (Classic and New)

3. Nissan Sunny

4. VW Vento

5. SKoda Rapid and

6. Fiat Linea

7. Maruti SX4

Below are Sam_Boy's verdict on the cars


Hyundai Verna

No one can match Hyundai Sales guys. They are the best in the business. We entered into the Advaith showroom in ORR and within no time a young sales chap came and explained the car to the best of his knowledge. Took us upstairs to show the car. Even took us to the stockyard on the roof top. I must say I liked the way we were treated there. I was immediately offered a TD. Results are below:

Pros:
1. Great looking car.
2. A 5 Star hotel on wheels.
3. Feature Rich
4. Very silent engine
5. Easy to drive in the city
6. Lots of leg room for the driver.

Cons:
1. No fun in driving. I felt I m driving a little heavier i10.
2. Shakes a lot at higher speed.
3. When I took it to a speed of 100+, wife and brother-in-law were not happy seating in the rear seat.
4. Build quality was not great when compared to other cars of this segment.
5. Its a hyundai. Did not want to buy another Korean car.

The first point of the con list was enough for me to reject the car. Wifey loved the interiors. BIL was overall happy with the car and he rated it 9/10. Do not know what he drank before coming for the TD.

Verdict: Rejected

Nissan Sunny:

I was warmly welcomed at the Shahwar Nissan showroom . The SA was very friendly. He explained the features of the car nicely and promised a TD next day. I told him that to see and TD the car I have traveled 25 Kms and i would not be very happy if I do not get a TD. He did a little running around and finally arranged me a TD in next 10 mins. Appreciated him and left a note of appreciation on his manager's place. That was enough to get a 20 mins TD. Both me and wife drove the car and below are the observation:

Pros:
1. Again a great looking car.
2. Acres of space. Had I bought a car from my dad, would have chosen this for sure with eyes closed.
3. Safety equipment are adequate even in the lower end model.
4. Wonderful backseat comfort.

Cons:
1. Not a driver's car.Again no fun in driving this.
2. Turbo Lag is evident. Low end torque was not satisfactory.
3. I felt lot of gear shifts are required in the city.
4. I was worried about the braking after reading through GTO's review.

Wife loved it. BIL had a OK kind of feeling. Dad saw the pics over internet and he loved it.

Verdict: Rejected.

Wifey tried to do some emotional atyachaar as she loved the cAAAAr but handled it carefully.

Maruti SX4:

Visited the Maruti showroom in ORR. Within 5 minutes I was offered a TD. Below are my observations:

Pros:

1. Its a maruti
2. The torque is good
3. Spacious
4. Easier spare parts availability and low cost to maintain
Cons:
1. The top end I think is close to 11L, but when you go inside you do not feel like a 11L car.
2. The plastic quality is not very good.
3. I was not happy with the back seat. I some how felt that the seat width is less.

Verdict: Rejected by all

Skoda Rapid:

I called up Vinayak Skoda ORR around 6:30 PM on the same saturday. I had no hopes of seeing the car on the sameday as it was getting late. But some one from skoda called me and told they would wait for me in the showroom. I reached the showroom and the very next moment I was in the TD car. Wifey BIL sat in the back seat. I drove for 100 meters and told my wife that I m buying this car.

Pros:
1. Solid Build Quality.Built like a tank.
2. Turbo Turbo Turbo. Take it up beyond 2000 RPM and you would love it more than anything else.
3. Good Handling
4. Comfortable seats.Folks in the rear seat were pretty happy.
5. Stiff suspension. Ate most of the small humps. I generally like a little stiffer suspension and was very happy with it.
6. Its a joy to drive.I felt 0-100 is just amazing. Its not the time but the feel.


Cons:
1. Not a looker. Well looks are subjective and they can grow on you.
2. Does not have great interiors or a jazzy dashboard. Looks pretty boring from inside.
3. Not many features in the car.
4. A big guy like me will not enjoy the driver seat. Its not as good as a verna or linea. Many Hyundai owners will not appreciate it.
5. GC is not too good for Bangalore speed breakers.
6. Its a SKODA

Verdict: Considered for future thoughts.

I liked it more than Swift D. But there is one thing which worried me. After I drove for 10 mins my left knee started paining. I stopped the car and tried to change my seating position. The SA helped me to find a good driving position. In the middle of the road on a rainy evening the experiment ran for 5 mins. Still I did not get it.

I came back home and declared I m buying this car. Wife said this car does not look good and nothing is there inside ( She meant low on features) and she was also worried about the knee problem which I had in the car. Called up dad and narrated the full day's story. Dad is a very satisfied Tata Manza petrol owner ( the car is chauffeur driven) and aptly he told me to look at Tata Manza and Maruti. We have only Maruti and Tata showroom in our native place and dad's list of cars are always limited to Tata and Maruti.


VW Vento

Walked into the Hosur road showroom. we were Very warmly welcomed. The SA promptly offerred some tea and discussed the features and pricing. He did not have much knowledge of the car but he was Very professional in approach. I was in the TD car in no time. The pros and cons are the same as Rapid. Wife found the rear seats to be a little cramped.

Verdict: Considered for future thoughts.

Fiat Linea Emotion

Called up KHT motors and they said the TD car is ready and I can drop in. When I entered into the showroom one lady said the TD car is not there. I was fuming as I left everything else on a saturday morning and came for seeing the car. I asked who spoke to me and there was no response from KHT motors. The SA came to me and started explaining how better Manza is compared to Linea. I cut him short and came back with a promise of never visiting KHT again as it was not the 1st time. I would never ever step into this
showroom for anything.

Came back home and called up Prerana motors.I was very satisfied with the way Prerana guys treated me. Just a phone call and the car was in my doorstep in next 2 hours. Note the SA travelled all the way from Dairy circle to my house which is 30 Kms. I liked the way the SA spoke to me. He assured me about the FIAT future in india and explained in detail about how they are coming up with exclusive FIAT showroom and service centers for FIAT. Coming to the car here are my observations:

Pros:
1. Solid Build Quality
2. Good looking car.
3. GC of 180mm which is too good.
4. The steering is so accurate that I fell in love with it instantly
5. The handling is amazing
6. Features provided are top class
7. Loved the chrome in that car.

Cons:
1. Did not like the interiors ( My personal opinion). The golden color music system was a big let down.
2. The car I felt was little slow to climb to higher speeds. I do not understand Why this car is not coming with 1.6 engine ?
3. The suspension was soft and was a little shaky.
4. The music systems was nothing great.
5. The car does not sell well, so I was a little worried.


Verdict: Considered for future thoughts

Ford Fiesta

At this point of time I spent 3 weekend going and seeing cars and wife declared enough of this. So on a Monday gave a call to the Lathangi ford guys and took a TD of the Ford Fiesta classic all alone.

Pros:

1. One of the best handling cars in the segment.
2. This car is absolutely VFM
3. The top end selld at 9.3 Lacs OTR bangalore and has the adequate safety equipment.
4. The steering is good.
5. The car can attain speed without loosing its composure.

Cons:
1. Very old car. Its there in the market for last 7-8 years in the market, so can be phased out.
2. Rear seat spaces are not great.
3. Interiors are not great.
4. The inside does not have an upmarket feel.

Verdict: Rejected with a heavy heart.

When I wanted to TD the new fiesta, the friendly SA told me not to waste time by doing the TD of the car. Till date I wonder why ? I decided against this car as the cons were more prominent than the cons. I did not consider TDing the new fiesta either.

Cars I did not want to TD are:


1. Maruti Ertiga: Had it been a 5 seater, I would have given it a serious thought. I feel in order to accommodate last row they compromised a lot on the 2nd row.
2. Renault Duster: I was waiting for this. But the 110 version was above my budget and after the Safari episode I was not very keen on anything SUVish. Again I did not want to wait for 6 months after taking a decisions.


The Golden Moment

Now it was a fight between Vento vs Rapid vs Linea. Nights were spent reading all available information on Team Bhp and started talking to friends who own on of the above. So, at the end of a very stressful week I decided to go for Skoda Rapid (Finally) and booked the car with Vinayak Motors. I got the quote as 10.78 Lacs on road which includes:

1. Zero Dep Insurance from Skoda
2. Basic Accessories
3. Reverse Parking Sensor
4. 4 Years/1 Lac Km Extended Warranty
5. Skoda Shield
6. Teflin coating ( not sure if they have done it)
7. Loan of 4.5 Lacs for 4 years at 6%
8. Corporate discount of 15 K

Accessories planned:

1. An avarage Music system with Bluetooth connectivity. I m not a audiophile.
2. Tyre Upgrade and alloy wheels.
3. Art Leather seat covers

Once the car is finalized the next big thing was to choose the color. I have a red i10, so the red is out of contention. But I must admit Rapid looks the best in Red. Wifey wanted a black one but I could not convince her that black is difficult to maintain. When I was booking the car the SA told her not to go for the black color and explained how difficult it is to maintain the color. When she was a little confused, I confirmed the cappuccino beige color. So now I am announcing here in a public forum that I did not consider any of her preferences while buying this car. God, she should not read this

Delivery and Dealership Experience

The loan approval took almost a week, thanks to Axis bank for some stupid mistakes with my last car loan which had 1 installment pending. I m not getting into this detail and it is a big story in itself. On a Tuesday my loan got approved and transferred all the remaining money to the dealer by Thursday and I was hoping for a delivery by Friday to which they agreed, but the Vinayak guys took their own time and I felt they are not very open in informing when they are planning what. The SA told he will register the car on
Saturday and by that time I knew I can not make these guys to work faster, so did not have any other options than telling yes. I promised not to call him again to ask about the progress as when ever I called I ended up getting frustrated. But those 2 days I was thinking only about the car and could not stop myself and called the SA again to inquire if the registration is completed ? To my surprise he tells me "Sir you have to take the delivery today as I have a cricket match tomorrow". I told this to my wife and she made couple of quick calls to my dad and dad in-law and declared I can not take the delivery on a Saturday and that to on 14th Sep as it is an inauspicious day. I m not a man who really believes in good times. To me every moment God creates is good enough to do anything. But still to make the elders happy I decided to wait for a day. I can not narrate how painful the evening was.
My wife understood my restlessness perfectly and kept on telling me " Just a night's wait".

I got up thrice in the night, once at 1 AM then at 3:15 AM and finally at 5:30 Am, did not disturb any one and prepared some tea. I was waiting for the clock to show 10 Am, so that I can go and grab my car. I had some office work to finish and started working on it till wife gets up.Both of us sit in our balcony for 2 hours talking about our 1st car delivery and other things and wait for the time to move on. I woke my daughter up by 8Am and made her ready for receiving the new car. Two of my BILs line up to go with me, wife and mother in law are all set too, so is my cousin brother and my baby's care taker. I took every one in 2 cars and reached the showroom at 11 AM.The showroom had a deserted look and there were only 2 guys. Finally a driver brings my car upstairs from the basement and started cleaning.I did a quick PDI. I was not very happy with this set up. The so called sales manager gave me the documents and took some signatures. I took some gifts and sweets
for the SA and other staffs. Gave the sweets to them, which they kept silently on a table. Not even a word of thanks. I wasted 400 Rs on sweets. Did not give the gift as the SA was not around. Nobody cared to explain me the features. None told my folks even to have a seat. No one offerred a glass of water to any one. My wife remembered the fanfare in which Hyundai guys delivered our last car and Vinayak guys were not even close to them. No one took a picture or offered to take any picture of the big family. At around 12:30 we came out of the showroom. During the entire process I never felt like I was important to the Dealer.They did not do any mistakes as such if you see but the feel good thing was missing completely.

Before I jump to the delivery of my new car, spare a minute to see what I drive now:







So, I take the driver's seat with my wife seating next to me. Backside seats were occupied by my MIL, my daughter and my baby's care taker. When I was going to crank the engine, my kid calls me from behind and tells me "Papa, this is not our car, lets go in our car". We all had a good laugh and went straight to the Sai baba temple for a Pooja.

This is the story of how I got my New car !!!

Now I know you all need a pic so here it is:









Attachment 1005983




Now here is my understanding of my car:



Music System

I m not a very musical guy and I do not understand much of the technicalities involved in the system. For me the requirement was a Bluetooth system as many a times while driving I have to attend prolonged office calls. The showroom guy showed me a JVC 700 BT double din music system with 4 JBL s266 speakers and quoted 22 K for it and I agreed. I did not want to do it outside as I was a little worried about the warranty part. I admit that I did not want to any research as I was tired by this time reading about cars
and my patience level was already exhausted. I m overall happy with the music system. One thing which i miss in it that it does not synchonize my phone book. I m yet to explore on how to do it.


Tyre Upgrades and Alloys

This is where I was totally confused. There were 2 choices 195/60 R15 or 205x55 R15. TBHP is equally divided on this. Due to low availability of the later size I went ahead with 195/60/R15. No complaints on anything till now.

I took the car straight to the Tyre Empire in HSR layout for a tyre upgrade.I had some decent experience there for my last service of i10, but this experience was just Ok and far from being Good. I exchanged my Apolo acelers for 2500 a piece and bought 4 sets of GTR alloys along with Pirelli 195/60/R15 tires. The alloys costed me around 19.5K and the tires costed me 6250 a piece. He promised a set of chrome bolts which he did not give as they did not fit the alloys. I will make sure when I go there for my next balancing I get them. He had only 4 tires and I kept my 5th one untouched as I m in search of a 15" rim. The ambition comes with 14" rim. The worst part is the guy charged me for everything including Nitrogen fill on which he gave me a small discount. I paid around 33K after deducting 10K for the tires which I exchanged. I feel there are better places to do this. So next time I will do a little bit of more research before changing my tires.

I was impressed with Linea's alloys so got something similar:



Now all the features have been very well explained in the Rapid thread. So I will not get into the details but I will put my prospective on the various features which I have experienced in my first 2000 Km drive.


The engine is a gem. The sweet spot starts from 1700 RPM. You just cant wait to feel the turbo. Every time the car zooms past, I thank myself for taking the decision to buy this car. You can overtake in any gear. You don't need to downshift to attain the speed.

Driving at higher RPMs is sometimes so comfortable that I forget to change the gears inside city traffic. This engine is very comfortable to drive in any gears. In this car you don't need to make many gear changes and even at lower speeds and higher gears the car does not crib much. But if you maintain proper speeds at proper gears this car goes like a dream. I can vouch that the turbo feel of any car in this segment can not match a rapid ( or a vento for that matter). This car hits 3 figure speeds from 2200 RPM in 5th gear and that is very much acceptable. My top speed till now has been 130 Kph and the car was as silent as ever at that speed. Still I m in the initial running period so, do not want to push the car harder.

The ride quality is awesome. One of my coworker drove the car and said " This is a graceful car". Yes, this is indeed a graceful car. I personally like stiffer suspensions and this suspension eats most of the potholes and the ride quality is even improved due to the Pirelli tires. My brother in law kept on telling this car feels very tight unlike the manzas and etios and dezires.

On many occasions even I do not push the brake on the mild speed breakers and the vehicle never complains a bit.The seats are good. The NVH levels are very minimal. It sounds like a diesel car from outside but from inside its very silent. Skoda has to be congratulated for such a tremendous insulation work. The diesel clattering is minimal. There exists a certain amount of clutch vibration particularly at lower speeds but once you increase the speed this feels OK. There is a significant vibration when you increase the AC and press the button next to it ( don't know the name but the button which throws the inside air to outside). But that is for less than 5 seconds after that engine comes back to normal state.

Till now I have driven 2200 Kms, mostly on the city and a little ( around 100 Km) on highways and have not got a chance to do a hard braking but the brake systems are very good and inspire confidence.

The steering felt very light to me in the beginning but once I put the steering cover and after driving 1000 Kms it feels really normal to me. I have done speeds till 130Kph till now and the steering felt good at higher speeds. But the steering is not as accurate as a linea or a fiesta.

The 3 way adjustable steering gives you options to chose your own driving style. The seat adjustment features works well. Somehow, I have found my proper seating position and now I can say I m comfortable seating in the car. There is just enough space in the rear. Its not a sunny in any means. When compared to vento there is a little more space on offering at the cost of a slightly smaller boot.The boot here is 460 Lts where as in Vento its 490 Lts. 3 people can comfortably seat in the rear seats. Till now I have not sat personally in the rear seat so can not comment much on it. The visibility is just ok from the driver seat and I m getting used to the rear view what I get from it. But I think its a common thing to all sedans. I miss the rear wiper of my i10 here during rains.

If you own a Maruti or a hyundai hatch you will definitely feel the AC is weak. My i10 gets cooled in minutes where as this car takes a little longer. The vent in the back is kind of no use to me. There is not even a regulator option at the back. Skoda should at least think of giving an option for the persons at rear seat to control the vent.

The storage space is decent. The glove box is big and I really like the space to keep the sunglasses. Very useful at least for me. There are bottle holders in every door and each door can contain an one L water bottle.The rear vent has a bottle holder which is very convenient.

The turning radius of this car has to be appreciated. Graduating from a hatch I never had a problem in making a quick turn. It has not put me till now in any sort of embarrassing conditions on the road.

The key with the remote has a nice feel to it. Its a little heavier compared to the key which you get in i20s but it has a nice feel to it. The good thing is even the spare key comes with a remote.

The rear sensor works well. I do not expect more from it as it is a freebie from the dealer.

Most importantly, kitna deti hey ?? It gives me close to 14 in Bangalore bumper to bumper traffic with 70% AC, did not get a chance to measure in a highway. Again to SKODA.

Now the pain points

This car just does not have any features. For a 11 L car you donot even get indicators on the rear view mirrors. You do not have Bluetooth options. You do not have steering mounted controls. This car is absolutely featureless. The only thing available here is ABS and driver seat air bags. If some one is looking for a feature ladden car then this is not the car for sure.

The interiors are very dull. This does not go very nicely with the ladies at home. One of my neighbors told me that he heard that interiors are bad but it is actually worse. The dashboard reminds me of a old Nokia 3310 phone with black and light green color background.

The gear indicator is a useless feature. No one wants the car to tell them which gear you should be driving.

There are glitches in the stitching jobs which was also pointed in the official review of the Rapid car.

The lock for steering is placed very awkwardly under the steering which might touch your thighs if you seat close to the steering.

The door opening handles from the driver and co-driver seat easily eat 6 inches of space. If you change the design you can get 6 inches for your thighs to maneuver. It disturbs me a lot.


Happy Ending

Is this entire episode a happy ending. Yes I m enjoying my car and it is serving me well.


Thank you all for a patient reading of a long post. This is my first attempt to write a review, so definitely there would be glitches. Apologies in advance.

[volkman10]

Great to see an ownership of Rapid here after a long pause
A brilliant car probably not getting its dues due to the dealership stories.

Wishing you a happy ownership and Drive Safe!

Cheers!

[Torque123]

Congrats Buddy! A very nice and detailed review. Will help a lot of future buyers of Rapid. Hope to see you updating this thread regularly.

As you have mentioned about the loan amount and offer that you received, If you dont mind, can you tell me the EMI per month for the loan you took (4.5 lakhs @ 6% PA for 4 years). After the completion of 4 years do you have to pay the baloon payment as advertised by Skoda. This info will help me a lot.

[nkrishnap]

Congrats on the Rapid. Nicely documented there. Good looking alloys there, but it will be a pain to clean it up.

Enjoy many more happy miles with the Rapid.

[sam_boy]

Originally Posted by Torque123

Congrats Buddy! A very nice and detailed review. Will help a lot of future buyers of Rapid. Hope to see you updating this thread regularly.

As you have mentioned about the loan amount and offer that you received, If you dont mind, can you tell me the EMI per month for the loan you took (4.5 lakhs @ 6% PA for 4 years). After the completion of 4 years do you have to pay the baloon payment as advertised by Skoda. This info will help me a lot.

I have sent you the details in a PM.

Actually the loan is at 6.6 % not at 6 %. There is a typo in that review.

[el lobo 6061]

Congrats on your new acquisition and you will surely enjoy her more & more as you clock more miles.

A very well written ownership thread, with each & every minute details. Rated it a well deserved 5*.

Do keep the thread updated with new things you unravel with the car.

Skoda makes very good cars but is put down because of the horrific after sales, hoping you have a very good experience with after sales.

You also have got leather or art leather seats given the Karlsson logo on LHS passenger door. Do put up some pics of the interior as well. Very good choice of alloy wheel design.

Drive Safe.

[sam_boy]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

You also have got leather or art leather seats given the Karlsson logo on LHS passenger door. Do put up some pics of the interior as well. Very good choice of alloy wheel design.

Drive Safe.

I knew a smart pair of eyes will catch the Karlsson logo . I will update the thread with my experience at Karlsson and put some pics of the interior. This weekend will try to take some good pictures of interiors.

[dkaile]

Congratulations sam boy. Keep a lookout for alignment issues especially every 5k kms as you drive a lot daily. Pirelli's are a little soft and may wear out earlier than normal albeit giving you a more comfortable ride.

Drive safe and fully strapped...

[puchoo]

, i read that and just kept reading , thanks for the detailed review , a very very good read indeed.

The alloys looks really nice , difficult to clean but at the end of the day you probably wont notice it too much!!

Dont know if you mentioned this elsewhere in the thread but the loan at 6% - assuming this was a Skoda finance scheme ( the 5.99% ) they keep advertising?

Wishing you many many memorable miles and moments !!

Originally Posted by sam_boy

At home I am a dad of a ever demanding 2+ year old and a husband with the usual share of pain and suffering.

[sam_boy]

Originally Posted by puchoo

, i read that and just kept reading , thanks for the detailed review , a very very good read indeed.

The alloys looks really nice , difficult to clean but at the end of the day you probably wont notice it too much!!

Dont know if you mentioned this elsewhere in the thread but the loan at 6% - assuming this was a Skoda finance scheme ( the 5.99% ) they keep advertising?

Wishing you many many memorable miles and moments !!

Thanks for your words. Do not know the logic behind your TBHP id but loved it. (There is a nice connection to this name with my day today life).

The usual financing scheme is for a fixed amount. If you change your loan amount and tenure then the interest percentage varies .

[tacho9000]

Congratulations sam boy on your purchase. Rapid is a very good car. Enjoy many happy miles in the car with the diesel advantage. We petrol driver's are feeling the real pinch. By the way the glitches described by you seem to be a bit unconventional. But anyways enjoy the car.

[DieselDon]

@sam_boy : Congrats on your buy ! Wish you many happy miles ahead !

Originally Posted by sam_boy

On many occasions even I do not push the brake on the mild speed breakers and the vehicle never complains a bit.

Nice to see your feedback. Most Vento/Rapid owners have been complaining of the 'thud' from the back wheel.

Originally Posted by sam_boy

There is a significant vibration when you increase the AC and press the button next to it ( don't know the name but the button which throws the inside air to outside). But that is for less than 5 seconds after that engine comes back to normal state.

Originally Posted by sam_boy

If you own a Maruti or a hyundai hatch you will definitely feel the AC is weak.

With the era of sun films gone, It is going to be pain. (I just took off my sun film today. Hyderabad Traffic police finally woke up 2 days ago)

Originally Posted by sam_boy

When compared to vento there is a little more space on offering at the cost of a slightly smaller boot.The boot here is 460 Lts where as in Vento its 490 Lts.

hmm.. that is a nice comparison. (never saw someone say that).
Is your conclusion on account of the boot space difference ? to me they felt the same. my bad. Should do some research myself ..

Originally Posted by sam_boy

Till now I have not sat personally in the rear seat so can not comment much on it.

Agreed. I would be saying the same & whence my indifference to the backseat space. I am good as far as my 5 yr old and my wife are ok with the back seats.

That they are used to the Indica all along is not helping. Manza is scoring brownie points all over.
Thank God that the Caaar and Scaaar test drives have not happened yet.

[sam_boy]

Originally Posted by DieselDon

@sam_boy :

Nice to see your feedback. Most Vento/Rapid owners have been complaining
of the 'thud' from the back wheel.

There are Thuds when the car is full on the typical Bangalore styled Speed breakers. But mostly I travel alone or with my wife and 2 + yr old daughter, so not a big issue for me. I think the thud is due to the hard mud flaps. I don't understand the reason behind the hard mud flaps

Originally Posted by DieselDon

@sam_boy :

hmm.. that is a nice comparison. (never saw someone say that).
Is your conclusion on account of the boot space difference ? to me they felt the same. my bad. Should do some research myself ..

My wife felt rear seat of Rapid is more spacious in comparison to Vento. I never bothered to do a comparison of boot size of vento and rapid. The figures which I quoted were given by the SA. So the authenticity is not guaranteed.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by sam_boy

There are Thuds when the car is full on the typical Bangalore styled Speed breakers. But mostly I travel alone or with my wife and 2 + yr old daughter, so not a big issue for me. I think the thud is due to the hard mud flaps. I don't understand the reason behind the hard mud flaps

My wife felt rear seat of Rapid is more spacious in comparison to Vento. I never bothered to do a comparison of boot size of vento and rapid. The figures which I quoted were given by the SA. So the authenticity is not guaranteed.

The thuds happen even on my Yeti. No part of the underbody touches. The humps in newer areas of Bangalore are not banked properly resulting in a sharp fall from the crest of the said bump which in turn causes an almost off road level of suspension articulation and travel which results in this thudding sound as the suspension takes the sudden weight and strain of the front or rear of the vehicle. This also happens on bad ruts and potholes depending on the speed one is going at. Even at very slow speeds on such humps and bumps one can hear the loud hiss of the gas filled shock absorbers taking the strain when one goes up and comes down the hump. Even I drive about mostly alone or max with my wife. The car carries a light load of just a car bag with papers and stuff. Never overloaded with people or luggage.

[Diesel_convert]

Congratulations on your rapid, and wishing you many happy kms ahead.
Very interesting observation about the rest seat space, my mom rejected the Vento based on this, I didn't believe her, thought it was just the light colored interiors that made it seem more spacious.
The MID is annoying initially but of you follow it, you do get the best FE.

Even though I have the climate control in my car I have the same vibration problem at the blowers highest speed. There are some running in instructions in the manual, I hope you followed them.

Cheers,