[Loud]

Excellent Write-Up! Excellent Pictures! Excellent Car!
I loved reading the thread. Also, rated it a well-deserved 5 stars.
Batfreak, Congratulations buddy. You got heck of a car for yourself! Wish you a trouble-free ownership with your Rapid. Now, what to say? You have left nothing unanswered in the context.
Do consider adding a boot spoiler.
Drive Rapid(ly) but Drive safe!

[Tats07]

Congrats on your Rapid! I have driven it, and found it to be more refined than Vento.

Quick question: Is that a bad paint job or something else?

[Batfreak]

Originally Posted by Loud

Excellent Write-Up! Excellent Pictures! Excellent Car!
I loved reading the thread. Also, rated it a well-deserved 5 stars.
Batfreak, Congratulations buddy. You got heck of a car for yourself! Wish you a trouble-free ownership with your Rapid. Now, what to say? You have left nothing unanswered in the context.
Do consider adding a boot spoiler.
Drive Rapid(ly) but Drive safe!

Thanks a lot, mate! I am flattered to say the least. I don't think a spoiler would be on the cards. I like the plain, understated and elegant styling. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Originally Posted by Tats07

Congrats on your Rapid! I have driven it, and found it to be more refined than Vento.

Quick question: Is that a bad paint job or something else?

Thanks Tats07. That isn't a bad paint job. The car was covered by a protective layer of plastic while it was at the yard. What you see here are the remains of the adhesive after the covering was removed at the time of delivery. It went away after a little rubbing with a compound, though.

Cheers!

[Tats07]

Originally Posted by Batfreak

Thanks a lot, mate! I am flattered to say the least. I don't think a spoiler would be on the cards. I like the plain, understated and elegant styling. Thanks for the suggestion though.



Thanks Tats07. That isn't a bad paint job. The car was covered by a protective layer of plastic while it was at the yard. What you see here are the remains of the adhesive after the covering was removed at the time of delivery. It went away after a little rubbing with a compound, though.

Cheers!

Ah, good! I was hoping that it was something else. Am sure you couldn't have missed something like that.

On the spoiler, not trying to influence you, but this morning I saw a Cappuccino Beige Rapid (same colour as yours) with a spoiler. It was not a high one, but a rather low spoiler, with less gap with the boot. I must say it looked stellar! Elegant and understated, yet gave the impression of a sporty, fast car!!

[Batfreak]

Originally Posted by Tats07

Ah, good! I was hoping that it was something else. Am sure you couldn't have missed something like that.

On the spoiler, not trying to influence you, but this morning I saw a Cappuccino Beige Rapid (same colour as yours) with a spoiler. It was not a high one, but a rather low spoiler, with less gap with the boot. I must say it looked stellar! Elegant and understated, yet gave the impression of a sporty, fast car!!

Still don't know. But will definitely have a talk with dad and keep it in consideration. Thanks.

PS. Mine is a Brilliant Silver Rapid, not a Cappuccino Beige one.

Cheers!

[sawnilrules]

Great Review Mate, I am sure, you will enjoy revving her for miles together... happy and safe motoring....

[ALSUDA]

Hi Batfreak, Congrats.
Infact I was also in the same dilemma & finally gone for Rapid.
Moved from Swift Vxi to Rapid Diesel. All I can say is I'm very happy with my decision

[PatienceWins]

Congrats. Rapid looks good in that colour.

I assume that you owned a Getz petrol. As a previous Getz owner, how do you compare Rapid to Getz in terms of drive-ability, refinement and seating position?

I am 6' 2" tall and I wanted to upgrade to Rapid from Getz. I could not find a comfortable driving position, I felt that the space at the front was less compared to Getz and the lack of dead pedal did not help either. Otherwise, I am very impressed with the car.

[thoma]

Congrats on the Rapid!

I loved your style of review - the collages are a blessing that one need not scroll up down for a comparison. I wanted to follow this, but laziness takes over most time in my review.

Loved the first one among the snaps - the close-up with the ribbon. Got a unique angle to it.

Either I missed it in my hurried read or it is that I find some parts of the experience is missing. Didn't see the cost break-up; please put at-least the total cost. What is the middle variant of the Rapid known as? How many kms in total have the Rapid run till now? Any update on the FE? (EDIT: Got to read that you needed more time on the FE)

Volkswagen had been highlighting the laser welding on the roof like no one else have, but I was surprised to find no weld marks and no rubber beading on an Etios' roof the other day.

Since I had not been an avid follower of the Vento and Rapid threads, could you enlighten me if the middle variant of the Rapid have these things - parking sensor, climatronic A/C, USB port? No, not to show off, but to know the difference; because I was surprised to see those present on my Comfortline Vento. And to admit it, aesthetically, I love the Rapid than the Vento.

The door nudge guards look good. When you get time, please put a long shot from the sides.

EDIT: The car manufactured in September and the road worthiness certificate (Form 21 or 22, don't remember correctly) dated in November can happen. I had a Beat manufactured in March (as per VIN) and Form 21/22 dated April and hence April was the manufactured month as per the RTO in the RC book.

[Enigmatic]

Congratulations on getting one of the most VFM cars in India which is built like a tank !!

I had checked out the Rapid last year in Delhi and loved it to the core !! The build quality is amazing to say the least. The Rapid was almost finalized for my sister, however she found it too big to drive in the city (!!) ,went ahead and bought a Fabia.

Drive safe and keep us updated

[Batfreak]

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

Congrats. Rapid looks good in that colour.

I assume that you owned a Getz petrol. As a previous Getz owner, how do you compare Rapid to Getz in terms of drive-ability, refinement and seating position?

I am 6' 2" tall and I wanted to upgrade to Rapid from Getz. I could not find a comfortable driving position, I felt that the space at the front was less compared to Getz and the lack of dead pedal did not help either. Otherwise, I am very impressed with the car.

Thanks a lot. I did own a 1.3L Petrol Getz.
See, these two are very different cars. So a direct head to head comparison is difficult. The drive-ability of a Petrol in stop and go traffic is, obviously, better. As I mentioned, my father used to potter around all day using just 3 gears. But in a diesel, you have to use the gears properly. The Getz could pull from a standstill even from the 3rd gear itself but you must use lower gears in the Rapid. This is not the case only with this car. Normally any comparable diesel sedan has the problem. In the competition, however, only the Verna can better this car in urban driving conditions. On the highway, the power is phenomenal and much better than the Getz. Don't expect the kind of feedback from the EPS of the Rapid that you are used to in the Getz. And yes, dead pedal is sorely missed on such dashes. The refinement levels are pretty good for a diesel at low speeds and they are excellent at higher speeds.
IMO, the space is more if not at par with the Getz. I suggest you fiddle around with the steering and the seat height adjust to find a suitable position the next time you have the opportunity to do so. According to me, things are pretty good for both the front and rear occupants. Another tall person in your family can easily sit behind you in great comfort.
Lastly and most importantly, do take more test drives yourself. Be sure that you are absolutely satisfied with the car and then only will I suggest to bring her home. There are problems, true. But as I said, this is a sort of middle ground. If you seriously want to upgrade to this segment, then I would definitely suggest the Rapid. Again, go experience it for yourself before you go get it.
Hope to see you join the family soon.

Originally Posted by thoma

Either I missed it in my hurried read or it is that I find some parts of the experience is missing. Didn't see the cost break-up; please put at-least the total cost. What is the middle variant of the Rapid known as? How many kms in total have the Rapid run till now? Any update on the FE? (EDIT: Got to read that you needed more time on the FE)

Volkswagen had been highlighting the laser welding on the roof like no one else have, but I was surprised to find no weld marks and no rubber beading on an Etios' roof the other day.

Since I had not been an avid follower of the Vento and Rapid threads, could you enlighten me if the middle variant of the Rapid have these things - parking sensor, climatronic A/C, USB port? No, not to show off, but to know the difference; because I was surprised to see those present on my Comfortline Vento. And to admit it, aesthetically, I love the Rapid than the Vento.

The door nudge guards look good. When you get time, please put a long shot from the sides.

EDIT: The car manufactured in September and the road worthiness certificate (Form 21 or 22, don't remember correctly) dated in November can happen. I had a Beat manufactured in March (as per VIN) and Form 21/22 dated April and hence April was the manufactured month as per the RTO in the RC book.

Thanks bud. I can't find the exact breakup but the total cost came to about Rs. 8,84,000. This figure included Haryana registration, Skoda Shield, Rough Road package, handling charges, VAT and insurance from Bajaj Allianz at 65 per cent NCB. The middle variant is called the Ambition Plus. The car has done just about 2100 kms. I still can't give exact figures on the in-city FE but I estimate it to be about 15.5 kmpl. The FE for the long trip was about a healthy 18.1 kmpl considering the conditions through which the car had to travel through.
No, none of these accessories are available in the mid variant of the Rapid. While the Climatronic is available at the top-end Elegance, parking sensors and USB ports are not present on any model. I will click the required pic as soon as possible.
I didn't know about the last fact. Thanks for enlightening me about it.

Thanks you Enigmatic. Hope that your sis has fun owning the hatch.

I am truly overwhelmed by the sort of support I am getting from the forum. Thank you all.
Cheers!

[thoma]

Originally Posted by Batfreak

I am truly overwhelmed by the sort of support I am getting from the forum. Thank you all.

It is me who is overwhelmed. I just checked up your profile and find that you are a student in class 10th! To put up an awesome review at 15 years of age (provided your profile speaks the truth) deserves a hats off. Kudos man.

I was a confused guy at 15 and never could imagine reviewing anything!

Take her to a photo shoot and do post some long shots; this is one thing pending in my Vento review too. I love to drool over the Rapid - especially in the Beige and the White though yours is a Silver. And Shadow Blue Ventos of course.

[Batfreak]

Originally Posted by thoma

It is me who is overwhelmed. I just checked up your profile and find that you are a student in class 10th! To put up an awesome review at 15 years of age (provided your profile speaks the truth) deserves a hats off. Kudos man.

I was a confused guy at 15 and never could imagine reviewing anything!

Take her to a photo shoot and do post some long shots; this is one thing pending in my Vento review too. I love to drool over the Rapid - especially in the Beige and the White though yours is a Silver. And Shadow Blue Ventos of course.

Thanks dude. Yup, the profile is true. Though I am in 11th now that the new session has begun. I too want to do a photo shoot but just can't find the right spot to do it. Will go on with it as soon as possible.

Cheers!

[johny_desparado]

have u also discussed or/and considered the service costs involved before buying a skoda ? anyways congrats , great looking car

[Batfreak]

Originally Posted by johny_desparado

have u also discussed or/and considered the service costs involved before buying a skoda ? anyways congrats , great looking car

Thank you.
Yes. That is always an issue. But as I mentioned, we were not too happy with Hyundai's recent service either. Also, Volkswagen and Skoda are practically the same. So, no difference there. Renault's nearest service center is about 40 kilometers away which simply doesn't make any sense.
The biggest point that most people forget is that where most cars need a visit to the service station at least twice a year, this needs to go there only once. So what the Hyundai guys charge you in two services is roughly the same as the cost of one service in Skoda. But then you get (hopefully) longer lasting and well-built cars.
Cheers!