[Batfreak]

A little teaser:

“Mobile 3 saal, Gaadi 6 saal aur beewi lifetime”

Well that’s my dad’s policy as to buying or changing stuff. What that translates into is that our seven year old faithful Hyundai Getz was more than due for a change by about over a year now. The car had been an absolute favorite with the family and that explains the one lakh odd kilometers on the clock. And this fondness with the car (especially, my dad) made it even harder to bid goodbye to the brilliant car. But, the time had come. So the search began. The new car had to be more spacious, feature packed, robust, solid quality, low running cost and really involving and easy to drive.
My dad has a monthly running of about 1700 kilometers per month. After some calculations keeping in mind the maintenance costs, original price difference, and the fuel costs; we came to the decision that an oil-burner was our best bet. Now you see, it raises even more complications. The shift from a gasoline car is quite a tough job. Especially so for someone who has been driving petrol cars all his life! Be it our Premier Padmini or the Santro or even the Getz. But then we rounded up all the contenders and just let go…

Options Considered

• Honda City
• Hyundai Verna
• Maruti Suzuki Ertiga
• New Ford Fiesta
• Nissan Sunny
• Renault Duster
• Skoda Rapid
• Toyota Etios
• Volkswagen Vento

The upcoming models on our minds

• Honda Amaze
• Ford Ecosport

Note that Maruti Swift Dzire and Mahindra Quanto were not considered. This was mainly due to their quirky designing and their lack of the desirability quotient (ironic, isn’t it?). Also the Fiat Linea didn’t cut the cake because of the pathetic dealer network and engine apprehensions.

[Batfreak]

Honda City i-VTEC

Clarification and the Pros: It only fit the bill due to its extremely good and refined engine, lower price point; Honda reliability and safety features.
Cons: A gasoline engine; low ground clearance; not so great in-city mileage as compared to the other diesel options being considered.

Hyundai Verna 1.6 CRDi

Pros: Awesome Fluidic designing (my father was against that. He wanted his car to be something sober and not something that we would buy in a quick impulse of apparent beauty. The design was a bit too “funky” for his liking); extremely peppy and silent engine with the best power delivery; loads of features on offer.
Cons: Bad high speed ride quality; Uninspiring dynamics; Rear seating a bit too low; a bit claustrophobic at the rear; recent experience with the Hyundai Motor Plaza service.

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga DDIS

Pros: Oodles and oodles of (sadly, unnecessary in our case) space; Maruti after-sales network and costs definitely the best; Very well integrated design for a MPV; Great resale value.
Cons: The DDIS engine lacks a punch and has a massive turbo lag; Lacks the desirability factor; possesses some of that “Taxi-like” image that my father REALLY despises.

New Ford Fiesta TDCi

Pros: Fine kinetic designing (which my father too liked, except the stocky butt); Best dynamics; really fun to drive; Sturdy Build; Stuffed with features.
Cons: Rear legroom leaves a lot to be desired; heavily overpriced; claustrophobia again was a problem.

Nissan Sunny Diesel K9K

Pros: It’s all about space, space and space: be it in the cabin or the boot, but that was about it.
Cons: Poor quality of fit and finish; diesel engine just about fine; Looks a bit awkward from some angles especially the bulbous rear end.

Renault Duster Diesel K9K 85 BHP

Pros: Road presence; imposing stance; sheer size and did I mention the road presence; great desirability; massive ground clearance; ride quality and yeah, the road presence.
Cons: Bad interior quality; the motor (The same one as Sunny) just fine; after sales network – the nearest workshop is >35 kilometers away!; lack of features; my dad was really vocal about the parking problems he would face and he was willing to go against the tide by not liking the high driving position. <Sigh…The CAR people>

Toyota Etios 1.4 D4D

Pros: Toyota badge; practicality; reliability; price.
Cons: Poor interior quality; Drab – inside-out: THAT for you is a total and complete breadbox.

Volkswagen Vento TDI

Pros: Clean design; fit and finish quality definitely the best in the comparo; Volkswagen badge; Rear seat comfort; gearbox one of the slickest around.
Cons: Loud engine; bobby suspension.

[I am leaving out on the Rapid for the moment because all the qualities are highlighted in the story that follows]

UPCOMING STARS:

Ford Ecosport TDCi (My personal favorite here)

Pros: Just look at that beauty and you get giddy in your knees – absolutely drool worthy design; expected dynamics; the hype, simply; road presence; sturdy build; features to be thrown in.
Cons: Oh! That hurts to write. Again, driving stance; Over-hyped, really; can’t be too sure with Ford as to pricing it right.

Honda Amaze i-DTEC (My dad and brother were betting high on this one)

Pros: Honda reliability; frugality of the engine (or so I have heard and read); Practicality.
Cons: Still a bit gawky to look at; personally wasn’t willing to allow my family to upgrade to THAT.

[Batfreak]

Another appetiser:

With all the options kicked out, a hot debate was on between my dad, brother and me. It was the Honda Amaze versus the Ford Ecosport. The Japanese versus the Americans. Refinement versus desirability. Quite the recreation of the World War, if you will. You see, my dad is a practicing attorney while my brother is training to be one. Friendly advice: NEVER, I repeat, NEVER ever get into a fight with even a single lawyer, let alone two. The argument is absolutely indefensible. Yet I stuck on.

The year end was approaching and we wanted to cash in on the great deals that flood the market at around this time. The routine of test drives and researching went in an overdrive mode. It was at this time that my family visited the Skoda showroom in Mohan Cooperative. We were shown the car and offered a test drive. But all was not well. The Kalindi Kunj flyover had just closed down for maintenance and repairs. This resulted in massive jams on the Mathura Road. We were forced to take the test drive in a slip lane which too was immensely crowded. My dad drove the car through typical jam like situations and through huge craters, the likes of which may turn the ones on Moon red with shame. We drove for some distance and reached an impassable gridlock. We heaved a heavy sigh and turned the car around. After the TD, my dad was absolutely disappointed as the car was not responding the way he would have liked it to. A damned thumbs down for the Rapid. My dad also visited the Volkswagen showroom in the same locale but a test drive was not possible, courtesy the jams, again. He was quite attracted by the zero per cent interest finance scheme being offered by the company. Thus the next time he took us all along. We knew that the Rapid had the same underpinnings as that of the Vento but we were aware of the possibility that the problem was in the dealer’s car and not a fault of the vehicle itself.

With repeated calls from the sales staff of the showroom, my dad was getting more and more inclined towards the Vento. My dad fixed up an appointment with the sales guy that was in contact with us. Maybe he would have had even bought the car had my brother not stepped in. My brother was against buying the Trendline variant as it was a bit too bare bones and “feature-less”. He went along that day and my dad didn’t make a decision. My dad also went to the Hyundai showroom that day and checked out the Verna. He was mighty impressed by the cars engine which, to quote my father, was “almost as linear as a petrol motor”. He had made up his mind to buy that car at a time around March ’13 or the Vento, now.

Then on Christmas Day, we talked to the salesman again and he was scheduled to come pick up the cheque for the car that evening. My dad had thought that we would have had been done by the test drive at a different dealership by then. In the afternoon, we made for the Faridabad showroom of Volkswagen. The service here was not good. We had been sitting for quite some time when the sales correspondent came to us. We got down to the business end right away. The guy explained that the day was the last day of the sale and they had only one Trendline variant left. They had installed a bunch of rather great goodies (which included a brilliant touch-screen system, a spoiler, leather seat covers and more) on that vehicle and were now willing to offer them for free. The car was Flash Red in color. (Strike One-my dad was strictly against the color and wanted a lighter shade of either White or Silver) The Sales attendant told us that the accessories were available free of cost only if we bought it cash down. We would have to pay another 30k if we wanted to buy the car in the free finance scheme (Strike Two-My dad argued that he could get better quality accessories installed for the mentioned price and that the EMI scheme was the biggest draw to the Vento. He could also buy it via cheque but my dad preferred the EMI.) And we were also informed that two other customers were already in the final stages of picking the car (Strike three and you are out – My dad had forgotten to take the chequebook along that day and we couldn’t get it from home so quick even if we tried to). We still pressed on for a test drive and were greeted by the words that they couldn’t offer us one due to the fact that the test drive vehicle had gone for a few home TDs. We dismally left the showroom and made for our car. My brother, in a final attempt to get my father’s mind away from the VW, took the wheel and took us straight to Arshia Motors, Skoda’s Faridabad showroom. We didn’t even sit in the car this time. Rather we talked quite briefly with the sales chap and he quite won us over. My brother was satisfied ‘coz we were getting more features in the mid-variant. My father was happy ‘coz he was saving money even when buying the mid variant of the Rapid rather than the base of the Vento. And yes, I was happy ‘coz I was getting a rather value-for-money package. So it was quite the win-win situation. A test drive was the only thing standing between us and the decision. Ahh! The test drive: the ‘privilege’ that had been eluding us for so long. We asked for one at once and were told the exact same words that our ears had grown so weary of listening to. The TD car was not at the spot again. We explained that we could finalize our decision then and there if we had gotten a test drive. He understood the gravity of the drive and after quite some trouble he managed to arrange a car that was in his stock yard. They usually aren’t allowed to give such drives but yet he managed to do it. We were told that we couldn’t take the car out on the highway for a spin, though and would have to make do with the fairly large grounds of the mall in which the showroom was housed. Well, something is better than nothing, isn’t it? We welcomed the opportunity and climbed into the vehicle. After a few rounds, my father was convinced that this was the car we were looking for. No, the performance wasn’t as great as the Verna and, in fact just seconded the same in that department. Yes, the dynamics too weren’t as great as the Fiesta but it managed a runner’s up in that department too. We told the SA that we would be coming the next day to do the formalities and pay the booking amount. The next morning, the salesman offered us a test drive out on the open road but my father was already pretty late and a case of his was approaching. So we completed the paperwork in a dash and left without a TD. We visited the dealership once more and made a thorough check of the car. At this point I must thank Team BHP for the brilliant articles available here. We checked the VIN of the car and on decoding it using the article on the forum; we found a near deal-breaker. The car was manufactured in September as opposed to the November date as was promised by the dealer. We had quite an argument over the fact and the manager showed us the invoice of the car. Imprinted in the month’s place was November. We couldn’t believe that. The company was feeding false information on the sales papers. We realized that the fault was not of the dealer but rather of the manufacturer. We decided to go on with the buying process and finally took the delivery of the vehicle on the 30th of December, still without a proper test drive (Highly un-recommended. Always take a proper test drive before buying a car. Not that I regret it but just that it is generally better.)

Salvation at long last.

[Batfreak]

I cannot find a better way to describe the car than a quote from the video shootout between the main diesel contenders in our mind – the Hyundai Verna, the Volkswagen Vento and the Skoda Rapid from the automotive journal Autocar India (in which too the Rapid emerged as a winner.)

Whatever the Vento does the Rapid does it better and then some.

The car in itself is a compromise of sorts. It is the most comfortable and spacious save for the Sunny. It is the most powerful right next to Verna. It is also the best handling car other than the Fiesta. So all in all it is a jack of all trades and yet is the master of none. And then there is more – the VFM factor is absolutely unrivalled. The looks themselves – though not as stylish as the Verna and the Fiesta – are the most balanced and time-less ones. The features, though not as vivid and diversified as the afore-mentioned sedans, do still include all that is necessary. Also the build is solid and feels built to last. And that is all that brings a glorious smile to your face.

The car does have its share of negatives too, mostly ones including the spooky after sales service. Until now, the dealership experience (from both the Jai Auto and the Arshia Motors guys) has been really good. Hope that the same continues in the A.S.S.

I would like to drive through a few more tank-fulls before being able to comment on the FE figures. The performance is pretty darn good with the power delivery being pretty linear. The effect of the turbo is very well integrated and you don’t feel a kick in the butt as you may do in, say, an Ertiga. The gearbox is the slickest and the most engaging to use in the segment.

The long drive – a visit to our native place, Rajasthan

The car travelled a massive 1050 km in just 4 days. The car passed through some of the most grueling terrains that I have ever been through. The trip included highways, narrow city lanes and at places no roads at all. The condition of the tarmac is pathetic and brings out the major failures of our authorities in being able to maintain the road network. My father drove very carefully but the car did scrape its underbelly twice on the same speed-bump on the National Highway 11 in the city of Ringus. We took fuel only once while leaving at the Haryana border. My dad maintained a constant 90 kmph on the highways and freeways but had to struggle to keep even a 40 at innumerable places.

The points observed –

• The car is an absolute delight on the highway – both for the rear seat occupant and the driver. It muffles undulations really well.
  
• The car does face some problems when the AC is switched on with a full load. My dad describes it as a similar effect as switching our Getz to CNG.
  
• My father has a serious problem of using only 3 gears as long as possible. He is used to shifting gears in the pattern of 1-3-5. The Getz could keep up with this but the Rapid struggles may even come to a stall. He is trying to correct this now.
  
• During our return journey the squeaks (as have been mentioned by many a Rapid and Vento owners in the forum) had come up. But they went back automatically as soon as they came through. The car is working just fine now. Thanks ninjatalli and newtonMeter for your support.
  
• The car is absolutely rock solid in its stance and tends to hug the road so much so that you can’t even shake the car. What this translates into is brilliant in-line stability and high speed ride quality. But this also means that at lower speeds the ride is rather on the bumpy side.
  
• The car’s rear suspension is disconcerting at speed bumps and big undulations as the suspension tends to bounce back and it also has a tendency to bottom out easily.
  
• The electric power steering lacks the feedback or the confidence of the hydraulic unit on the Getz.
  
• The clutch is very heavy as compared to the old hatch. This makes driving in jams a bit painful.

Please excuse the poor quality of the pictures that follow. I am but a novice at photography (much worse if you believe my brother) so please bear with me.

[Batfreak]

• I apologize in advance for any and all blunders and mistakes that I may have had committed while writing this article.
• I am sorry for the poor standards of photography. I tried my best but that is the most that I could achieve.
• Feel free to ask for any specific shot or aspect that you may want me to cover.
• Your suggestions as to how I can improve my write-ups would be highly appreciated. That is the very essence of such a community - to share our thoughts and learn from each other.
• I have tried my level best not to be clouded by personal attachments and emotions. I hope I have succeeded.

[Batfreak]

All hail Skoda!

Familiar Czech front...

...and a typical German rear - nice and uncluttered

Rear three-quarters (partly - the rest is blocked by our house)

Clean tail lamps...

...and the beautiful elongated head lamps (looks similar to the Merc C class, no? )

Anti-Clockwise from top left :- The OEM headlamps have a fair throw; The foglamps are adequate and look regal in this large size but are prone to heavy damage from flying stones unlike the deeply inset units on the VW Vento; In their full glory!

The creases on the bonnet are not only aesthetically pleasing but also add some rigidity to the structure

The door handles feel solid and assuring but the keyhole looks really odd. I would have had preferred the concealed sort

No rubber strip to hide the weld spots like in the Koreans or the Japenese simply because there aren't any! VW and Skoda use a different technique of welding.

Clean underbody. Clockwise from top left: The rear suspension setup and the concealed muffler; The rubber coating that runs all along the bottom portion of the car or in technical terms, the Rough Road package; The pipe on the bottom. There are two such pipes on both the sides.

The engine compartment is neatly packed with no loose wires hanging about. The only unwieldy thing is that extra bit of insulation. The downside is that the air filter cannot be accessed by us (yes, we checked with the service station guys, Diesel_Don) and that the battery is an unconventional closed terminal sort so a replacement will cost a hefty 9500-10000 bucks! To put this in comparison, the similarly sized one in the Indica costs just about INR 2500-3000.

The fuel lid can be opened by a push only when the car is unlocked and is placed (also unconventionally) on the right hand side of the vehicle.

Lets talk about the shoes, shall we? The 14 inchers don't fill the wheel arches very well.

The car came fitted with JK's rather than the Apollo ones promised. Not that there is a lot of difference though. The rubber tends to lose grip at high speeds.

One of the cleanest spare wheel compartments, won't you say?

There are two of these single spray windshield washer nozzles. They do their job really well.

The rear passenger's window will roll down only to a maximum of that level. Something that I did not come to know at TBHP.

Some design quirks - Only one wiper can be opened for cleaning. The other has a rather long method to open; The tall antenna is weak in capturing signals and is fixed. It is prone to damage by animals or low roofs. A laterally moving type would have had been appreciated; The ORVM closes to a maximum of that level. You have to account for 'em while moving in heavy traffic. They exude quality.

The boot is spacious and well designed.

And finally my favorite - The timeless design!

[Batfreak]

Open the three-step doors...

...and step inside. Close the doors and listen. The 'thud' is addictive and magical. The space is remarkable and the color tone inviting. Still prefer the Vento's fabric.

The minimalistic dash

The steering - Nice and chunky. It has a light feel at low speeds but weighs up at higher speeds. My dad still can't stop commenting how the Hydraulic unit of the Getz was so much more involving than the EPS here.

The gear knob - It is great to hold and the transmission too is the slickest I've seen in a long time.

The accelerator, brake and clutch pedals. The last one is pretty heavy to use.

The ICE and air-con controls. The sound is good and crisp. The bass too is pretty heavy. The A/C is not bone-chilling and takes its own sweet time of up to 10 mins to cool the cabin well. This can also be attributed to the large glass area.

The Rear A/C vents are not very effective mainly due to their poor blowers. The vents can be directed to blow at the individual passengers. So, no more fighting for the cold air.

The glove box is well shaped and spacious with dedicated areas for the owner's manual, your shades, some loose change and some visiting cards. Neat.

Driver center armrest is well padded and has a nifty storage space in it. My dad still can't figure out how to effectively use it. It blocks the way to the handbrake lever...

...which is a bit hard to disengage and has two slots on either side to hold your smartphone/pen etc.

All the occupants gets a door pocket and bottle holder.

The back-benchers' egress is hampered by this (highlighted in red) obtrusion. It is about 4 inches tall. Also visible is the speaker casing.

Rearward visibility is hampered by the tall headrests and is thus poor.

The European style lamp controls. Tug it once to switch on the front fogs and once more to switch on the rear ones too when in the parking light or low beam setting. To engage the high beam, you must push the LHS control stalk away from you

The drivers controls: boot opener, lock/unlock switch and the power window controls. The doors can be locked only from the driver's door or at reaching speeds of > 20 kmph. The doors can still be opened from the inside. All the power windows are one-touch up/down and have the anti-pinch system.

The bonnet opener. Solid.

Storage space in front of the gear lever. Can be transformed to make two cup holders with just one flip. Feels cool.

The display has a clock, odometer, fuel meter and a trip meter along with a service interval warning both in days and kilometers. No FE and distance to empty meter unlike the top-end Elegance variant. Note the right-ward arrow next to the fuel sign. Just a silent reminder that the fuel lid is on the right.

The keys to salvation - Looks and feels premium and solid.

Accessories installed - Parking Sensors from Torq (outdoor and inner unit seen here)...

... and Door Nudge Guards. Costed just about INR 200 a (I?) pop.

Thanks a ton for reading guys. Your comments would be welcome.

Note: The highly detailed official TBHP review by Samurai still remains the authority. Please refer to it for any and all correspondence.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Eminenttismo]

Nice crisp review. Appreciate your detailed pictures and comparo of cars you considered.

How much was the Rear Parking Sensor Kit?


Thanks!

[karan561]

Hey Batfreak,

Many congratulations for your Shhkoodaa Rapid

That is one of the most detailed ownership reviews after long, good to see the underbody covered too

[Batfreak]

Originally Posted by Eminenttismo

Nice crisp review. Appreciate your detailed pictures and comparo of cars you considered

Originally Posted by karan561

That is one of the most detailed ownership reviews after long, good to see the underbody covered too

Thanks for your support, guys.

Originally Posted by Eminenttismo

How much was the Rear Parking Sensor Kit?

The total cost was only about 1500-1600 bucks. Yup! It was quite a bargain.

Cheers!

[torque18]

You got yourself a real beast! Congratulations mate!

I have a few queries for you. Firstly, has Skoda started offering ICE in the ambition/ambition plus variant or you have got it installed as an accessory?

Secondly, in one of the pics of the rear portion of the car, I can see that your mud flaps have 'Rapid' etched on them. Are these the original Skoda mud flaps? I am on the lookout for the mud flaps for my car but can't seem to find the original ones. It would be a great help if you could post a few pictures of the front and rear mud flaps to give us a better idea of it?

Many Congratulations once again! You are going to love it more and more with each passing day, take my word on that!

[Batfreak]

Originally Posted by torque18

You got yourself a real beast! Congratulations mate!

I have a few queries for you. Firstly, has Skoda started offering ICE in the ambition/ambition plus variant or you have got it installed as an accessory?

Secondly, in one of the pics of the rear portion of the car, I can see that your mud flaps have 'Rapid' etched on them. Are these the original Skoda mud flaps? I am on the lookout for the mud flaps for my car but can't seem to find the original ones. It would be a great help if you could post a few pictures of the front and rear mud flaps to give us a better idea of it?

Thanks buddy. Yes, Skoda has started offering the music system on the Ambition Plus variant. The Ambition one has been discontinued. A detailed feature list can be found here.
The mud flaps were free accessories that were given to us by the Dealer. Other freebies included the Ambi Pur fragrance system, the floor mats and the Diviniti idol. Gotta say, though, that you have very sharp eyes to have had seen that. Will be posting the pics ASAP.

Cheers!

[Sommos]

Many congratulations Batfreak for the Rapid.
The Rapid is a fantastic and competent car.
I wish you loads of mile munching with the Rapid and absolutely niggle free performance.
Enjoy your ride and drive safe.

[torque18]

Originally Posted by Batfreak

Thanks buddy. Yes, Skoda has started offering the music system on the Ambition Plus variant. The Ambition one has been discontinued. A detailed feature list can be found here.
The mud flaps were free accessories that were given to us by the Dealer. Other freebies included the Ambi Pur fragrance system, the floor mats and the Diviniti idol. Gotta say, though, that you have very sharp eyes to have had seen that. Will be posting the pics ASAP.

Cheers!

Thanks! And I just called Arshia motors to enquire about the mud flaps and I was told that skoda is still not supplying the mud flaps and what is available from them is from the market :(