[anandkumargb]

Hello All,

Been wanting to write this review for a long time now.

I sold my 2011 Mahindra Verito early this year. It had done just 20k kms and I am still wondering what exactly was the reason that I sold the car?
The car had amazing plush ride quality with huge 172 MM GC and acres of space and boot space. Abuse friendly nature and VFM product...thats the reason why I bought it after selling my Swift VDI. Only 3 reasons come to my mind now 1) 64 bhp Low power (even after installing Diesel tronic box)..I missed my swift VDI turbo boost kick 3) I drive pretty fast and had encountered few scary panic braking and sorely missed ABS 2) Taxi image - I guess this was major grouse, to top it all it was white in color...I regretted buying white verito..actually one guy on the road asked me whether this taxi goes to airport. That was the day I think this keeda of chaning the car was planted. Then I read the reviews of Vid, Kryptonite and M10 which helped me make the decision. Thank you! Guys

3 things which I wanted in my new car:

1) 100+ BHP
2) ABS+ EBD
3) Diesel Car
4) I needed a car with snob value
5) Approx 10 lacs OTR bangalore

Few cars that I considered and rejected:

1. Ford Ecosport - I actually booked it much before the launch. I test drove it and was disappointed with the vanilla plain linear power delivery. Otherwise the car was solid and ticked many boxes. 200mm GC was great to flatten all the pothholes of Bangalore roads. NVH levels are almost like a petrol car; beautifully muted.

2. Hyundia Verna Fludic - I was tempted to buy the Diesel Auto version. Low GC and soft suspension were a turn off. It was almost 14.5 lacs OTR bangalore for the SX diesel Auto variant + it was a 4 speed auto box. Well, it was just not worth the money!

3. Used Skoda Laura DSG - I was very much inclined towards the DSG 2.0 TDI. After I read stories of high maintenance and issue with the DSG, scrapped the idea. Anyway, even the used ones were over 13 lakhs.

4. Honda Amaze - Loved the car the moment I drove. Amazing power, strong low end torque. All variants had ABS. However good the car is I wasn't willing to wait for 6 months.

5. Skoda Rapid TDI - I always had a thing for Skoda...always wanted to own one since the octavia days. It ticked all my boxes (explained in deatisl below) and I finalized and bought Skoda Rapid TDI Ambition Red color.

My Initial ownership experience of driving Rapid

Engine & Gear Box

Engine was the single biggest factor which made me buy this car.The low end torque is very strong, this coupled with short 1st and 2nd gears makes city driving a breeze. Now I change gears lesser. I find 2nd gear strong enough to move from 0kms/halt with a slightly delayed clutch release. In fact if the road is slightly declined, I move the car in 2nd gear ( I know this is not recommended). Here comes the best part of the car...after 2000 RPM, the car just takes off like a wild cat on steroids. I always have a wide grin when I red line her. The mid range punch is so strong that it puts the fear of God in me :-). The gearbox is super slick and throw is very short. Love the golf club inspired gear knob. I find all gears easily, except the 5th gear, but again I use 5th only rarely. The 1st gear is so short that I almost feel it is redundant, you can hardly hit 10-20 kms before the engine starts yelling. Engine noise is audible, but I feel it is much better than I other cars I have had like Swift, Verito. Also like many people mentioned I too felt the engine clatter sound comes down after driving for few kms. I have been a diesel guy all my life and to be honest the low end grunt sound that you get in Rapid is quite enjoyable, it sounds like big 2.0 Ltr. All in all, the engine is a stonker and takes the cake!!!

Brakes

I never owned a car with good brakes (Ford Ikon Diesel, Swift VDI, Verito). All my life I have longed for a car with good brakes.
When I read Vid's review of Rapid and its braking, my decision to buy Rapid grew stronger. Ambition variant comes with ABS+Dual rate brake assist. I love the brakes of Rapid and I have always felt in control during hard braking even with 175/70/R14. The bite and stopping power is excellent. I am yet to experience the 'knocking' sound of the ABS.

Looks

I love the neat, straight line design of the car. Even though the Vento and Rapid are basically the same cars, I find them distinctly different. The rear and the front of the car are very appealing and not overdone say like Verna Fluidic or Fiesta (no offense to Verna and Fiesta guys..just my Opinion). The interiors look and feel is premium. The green interior light theme is so outdated, should have used white or blue or orange like Vento. The lights of the car are insufficient and definitely need an upgrade. The horn is decent; not as good as Hella Red grill.

Ride and Handling

The steering wheel is soft and chunky to hold. It is super light and the feedback is excellent in city and on highways it beautifully weighs up. I would rate it 4/5 stars. Ride quality is acceptable in Bangalore city roads; not as plush as my a duster or Verito. Plus point is that it improves with speed.

I found Ground Clearance of 168 mm is little less. I would have preferred GC of 185 mm like in New Fiat Linea I hear the scrapping sound..don't know if it is the bumper or mudflaps. In either case, the sound is very worrisome. I plan to remove the mud flaps immediately.

Build Quality

I feel the build quality, fit and finish, panel gaps are excellent. The 'thud' you hear when you close the door is very nice, feels built to last. paint quality is top notch. Car is absolutely rattle free. Indicator stalks, Steering wheel, Door handles all feel premium and classy. Wish the steering had audio controls.

The clutch is the hardest that I have seen in Diesel Sedans and hatchbacks. There is a strong kickback and in bumper to bumper traffic where you need to keep the clutch pressed and half pressed...it really hurts!
Wish it was as light as the verito or Chevy Beat Diesel clutch.

The Armrest is new to me and boy! Do I love it. I never take my hands off the armrest. Love the one touch down/up windows, Electric ORVM!
Doors open from inside even when locked. A point of major concern when my 2 yr old kid is around.

Seats are good, no complaints. The drive seat height adjustment works really well.


Fuel Economy -

City FE - I am getting mileage of 11 -12 KMPL in city with 100% AC (full tank to full tank method). This is pretty low according to me. I think the reason for low FE is because I drive during peak hours through the thick of the city traffic; Plus I am addicted to the turbo kick post 2000 RPMS. Today, I have installed the Dieseltronic Box to solve the mileage problem, more on that later.

On the highway, with a very heavy right foot, I got 16 KMPL; this is pretty good. Hoping the mileage improves once the first service is done.


Music system

is strictly below average. It has slot for SD card and Auxin; No USB. Its apparently has 4 speakers but I feel let down by the sound quality.


Accessories added:

1. 3D mats
2. reverse parking sensors
3. Art leather seats
4. Rear camera and IRVM display
5. Capdase mobile holder

Mods planned -

1. I removed the Dieseltronic box when I sold my Verito. Today, I got the wiring harness and maps changed to suit Rapid. I don't need any extra power; I am getting the box for 20% extra FE. Chetan from Race Dynamics was very helpful and nice to deal with. He took time to explain about the upcoming dual channel box and all my queries. The wiring harness and maps were changed and the box was installed in 15 mins. Rs 2500/- was charges for the wiring harness. I will write about my experience of the box on Rapid once I spend more time with it.

2. Alloy wheels - I want to move to 15 inch wheels. But I am getting only Rs 1500/tire for my apollo acclere 175/70/Rs14 which have run just 9000 kms. They are in great condition. I always get the wheels allignment and balancing done at Madhu's on their new "Roadforce" machine. So, I am planning to retain my tires and stick to 14 inch alloys; the problem is that not many choices are available in 14 inchs. Got some decent designs on this website www.alloywheelsindia.com ...anyone has any experience of buying wheels from this site online?

3. Genuine leather seats - I want to go for combination of Genuine and Art leather. Contact areas will have leather and non contact areas will do with Art leather. Has anyone got this kind of seats done? Any advice would be helpful.


First Free inspection @ 7500 Kms @ Tafe Access

They accept the cars at St marks road; but their service center in at hosur road. The staff was impolite to say the least.
I had reported the below problems:
1) Trip meter button is struck; cant use it
2) Boot door does not close with a gentle push; you need to bang it down.

I told them not to do Wheel alignment and balancing as I plan to get it done at Madhus. Moreover they charge Rs 800 for this...ridiculously expensive!

The car was washed and looked all fine. Trip meter button issues resolved. Oils topped up and Boot door issue unresolved and closed saying that that is how Rapid's boot closes. Bill = Rs 0 :-)

While getting wheel alignment done, I went underneath the car and noticed the Skoda "Rough Road Package". It was reassuring to see this. I also noticed that many parts were from VW and Audi :-)

By the way, today I got a DD of Rs 50k from Lathangi motors against the cancellation of Ecosport. No cancellation charges were deducted

[swami.n]

Let me be the first to congratulate you. The Rapid is really catchy in red.

Actually the price you are getting for your existing wheels is pretty good. I was quoted 1000per wheel for my 5000km run Figo and the un used spare was quoted 3k.

Even I have upgraded to 15" on my Figo and the ride has definitely improved a lot and no under body scrappings now :-).(Mind you Figo has probably the most underbody scrapping incidents.) So I would recommend you to try the possibility of upgrading to 15".

Wishing you a lot of happy miles...

[volkman10]

Congratulations on the Rapid Ownership.

Wishing you great ownership and Drive Safe.

Cheers!

[madhav14]

Congratulations on your new car buddy. Any feedback on the NVH levels of the car?

I've driven my friend's car once and found the engine to be a bit noisy. I couldn't understand whether there is any problem with his particular car or it's engine itself is generally noisy.

[Vid6639]

Moderator's note: Thread moved from Assembly Line section to Initial ownership section. Thanks for sharing!

[eq24]

Many congratulations on the Rapid my friend. This and the Vento are truly spectacular cars. My only grouse in not getting one is the after sales support, but I guess you guys in bangalore have it good, read a lot of good things about your Skoda dealers. Shankar Balan especially swears by his Yeti.

Hope things change for us NCR folks. Happy motoring.

[stringbh]

Hey, congrats there !

>> 4) I needed a car with snob value : You got this sorted out well

Drive safe and happy mile munching.

[Utopian]

Many congratulations on Rapide. It surely tick all the right marks against your requirements. Wish Skoda could provide steering mounted controls on Rapide.
Anyways, happy mile crunching.

[sansvk]

Congrats, the Red Rapid looks striking.
Isn't 11-12 too low? Haven't come across many Rapid or Vento owners quoting such low figures.

[9thsphinx]

Congratulations on your new Rapid. A cousin just bought a 2012 base model, and he too describes the engine to be very punchy. Your mileage will go up as the Rapid clocks more kilometers.

Drive safe.

[shivasuma]

Congrats on the Rapid. I will be taking delivery of my Elegance Red Rapid TDi on August 7th. What was the discounts that you managed to get?

[faithless_1984]

Congrats on your new ride. I never got down to posting my own thread due to lack of time and motivation but threads like these pretty much cover it all.

The Armrest is new to me and boy! Do I love it.

Ditto.

Got some decent designs on this website www.alloywheelsindia.com ...anyone has any experience of buying wheels from this site online?

Check this out - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/delhi-...rial-area.html

[girishglg]

Congrats on the Rapid in its best colors. Actually this is the only shade that accentuates the clean lines and is much better than the over done chrome in the Vento.

That said the GC seems to be on par with its competition but do you still face a problem evertime you encounter those huge humps in Bangalore?

Also does the Dieseltronic Box mess with the warranty of the vehicle or is it just an bolt on piece added in?

[anandkumargb]

Originally Posted by madhav14

Congratulations on your new car buddy. Any feedback on the NVH levels of the car?

I've driven my friend's car once and found the engine to be a bit noisy. I couldn't understand whether there is any problem with his particular car or it's engine itself is generally noisy.

Thanks!

yes, the car is definitely noisy on the outside. On the inside, you and your passengers will get to know that it has a diesel heart.

[Suraj25]

Congratulations on the torque monster! Rapid looks really sporty in red.

Originally Posted by anandkumargb

So, I am planning to retain my tires and stick to 14 inch alloys

14 inch alloys will look too small on the rapid sir. I have seen some rapids with small aftermarket alloys and they spoil the look of the car. I suggest you go for 15 inchers at least! But 16 inch alloys with some sticky rubber would be perfect according to me.

Cheers!