[Turbo car]

congrats on your new skoda..

I read your whole thread and i feel that you are one of the lucky few who got the best dealer support. I think Skoda is a good car , but the crappy service team spoils the car's brand value.

I believe the 2014 version of Rapid is around the corner. You have any idea about the kind of upgrades the new version will have ?

Turbo car

[MadTiger]

Originally Posted by Pferdestarke

What I don't like:

• No key less entry.

Hi,

At the outset congratulation, wish you many many happy miles. Excellent writeup and good pictures (even though you do not have a "DSLR"). I had a question about what you did not like about the car - there is "no key less entry", but I did see you getting a silicon cover for the remote. Either I did not get correctly what you wanted to say or you missed something.

Cheers!

[h@r$h@l]

Originally Posted by MadTiger

Hi,

At the outset congratulation, wish you many many happy miles. Excellent writeup and good pictures (even though you do not have a "DSLR"). I had a question about what you did not like about the car - there is "no key less entry", but I did see you getting a silicon cover for the remote. Either I did not get correctly what you wanted to say or you missed something.

Cheers!

I Guess what he meant was he missed the Key Less entry system as seen on Hyundai Verna, i20 etc. Where the driver just walks up to the car, presses the button on the door handle and it unlocks.

Regards,

[Srikanthan]

Originally Posted by Pferdestarke

Even the previous version of Rapid had suffered the same issue for ages and finally has been addressed with projector lamps. They are awesome

I was talking to VW SA and asked him if he is aware of any plan by VW to introduce projector headlamps in Vento. He was not aware of any.

However, my question to Ventonians: Will it be easy to simply replace Vento's stock headlamps with Rapid's new projector ones - given the fact that Rapid and Vento share the same platform? Expectation is it will go easier on electricals and should not have much issues with warranty as well.

[Pferdestarke]

Originally Posted by MadTiger

At the outset congratulation, wish you many many happy miles. Excellent writeup and good pictures (even though you do not have a "DSLR"). I had a question about what you did not like about the car - there is "no key less entry". Either I did not get correctly what you wanted to say or you missed something.

Originally Posted by h@r$h@l

I Guess what he meant was he missed the Key Less entry system as seen on Hyundai Verna, i20 etc.

Thanks MadTiger. As said by h@r$h@l what I meant by "key less entry" was an absolutely key less operation of the car with the push-start button. My apologies, I should have added it along.

Originally Posted by Turbo car

congrats on your new skoda.I believe the 2014 version of Rapid is around the corner. You have any idea about the kind of upgrades the new version will have ?

Thanks Turbo car. The one I bought itself is the 2014 version. I assume what you are talking about is facelift. There are two versions of Rapid getting launched in India. One is Ultima and the other one is Euro-spec Rapid, about which I am not quite sure. But if this one hits our roads it will sure be placed in a higher price bracket, may be at Laura's price range.

Originally Posted by Srikanthan

However, my question to Ventonians: Will it be easy to simply replace Vento's stock headlamps with Rapid's new projector ones - given the fact that Rapid and Vento share the same platform?

AFAIK it's not possible as Vento and Rapid's headlamp assembly units are quite different in shape. Why don't you get an aftermarket installation from a mods expert. You can get bi-xenon projectors along with DRLs installed in your current headlight units at one shot. If you are interested I can help you regarding this installation.

[Vipin Kumar]

Originally Posted by Pferdestarke

The one I bought itself is the 2014 version. I assume what you are talking about is facelift. There are two versions of Rapid getting launched in India. One is Ultima and the other one is Euro-spec Rapid, about which I am not quite sure. But if this one hits our roads it will sure be placed in a higher price bracket, may be at Laura's price range.

I have felt that the Euro-specific Rapid will come here and replace the existing one. And the Ultima one is going to be the last of the Indian Rapid models.

The Euro-spec Rapid will however miss the rear-passenger AC vent, unlike the current Indian edition. One can check the German Skoda site, and find its different variants. The top-end has a 16 inch alloy wheel, and beige interiors, but a grey inside-roof!

Pricing: if this were true, I think it will be in the Vento range only, as Rapid is a Skoda car in that bracket. Laura may be replaced by a 1.6 L TDI Octavia, I learned from the Octavia review here.

Vipin.

[Turbo car]

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

I have felt that the Euro-specific Rapid will come here and replace the existing one. And the Ultima one is going to be the last of the Indian Rapid models.
Vipin.

Vipin

Ultima looks like a rapid that took a neat shower..!!! nothing more.

I also agree with you that Eurpo-specific rapid with rear a/c vents will appear in the indian market soon. Lets hope Skoda doesn't get "bright" ideas in between and introduce new versions..!!! with skoda, every face lift is made look like a new version !!!

[Vipin Kumar]

Originally Posted by Turbo car

Vipin

I also agree with you that Eurpo-specific rapid with rear a/c vents will appear in the indian market soon.

I said I found the Euro-spec Rapid "without" the rear AC vent, from the Skoda German site. If in India it comes with rear AC vents without any other change, it will be really good.

In addition, I found in the German Rapid three adjustable head-rests at the rear, a little bigger dimension specifications, choice of alloys (16 inch for the top-end) etc. In this case it will be greater than the Vento...

Let us see...

Vipin.

[puchoo]

Congratulations on the new car! Have a blast and thanks for point me to this thread , i was not aware of the additions which the 2014 Rapid was coming with. The projectors look good and are a nice addition to the car. Dont worry too much about service , just ensure you sit on top of their heads and do not hesitate to escalate in case of anything!

[Pferdestarke]

Bumping the thread after a while with 2000KMS update:

Impressions:

Engine and Ride quality:

Clocked 2200 kms so far and enjoyed every bit of it. The engine has opened up fairly and gears now slot-in smoothly. The low end torque is magnificent and eases up driving in city conditions. On highways there is plenty of power and high-speed stability is outstanding, car remains well planted and flattens undulations.

Managed to scrape the underbody once while rolling over a speed hump (would rather call it a mini-mountain). Even the 45° rule didn’t work at that hump. Did an underbody inspection, no scratches found on the body except over the parking brake cable (A huge sigh of relief)

Aircon:

Temperatures in my place are already shooting north 40°C and the AC works very effectively to cool the cabin in less than 5 minutes.

Add-ons:

Finally got the parking sensors installed from the dealership. The job was done very neatly and the system works flawlessly.


Display for the park assist system.


Also got the OEM horns removed and windtones were relocated to OEM horn site. The OEM horns of Rapid are also made by Roots. I wonder why couldn’t they procure windtones as OEM ones.

OEM Horns



Got embossed license plates from a RTA authorized vendor. Since HSRP installation ain’t mandatory in my city, I stuck them with 3M VHB tape.

I am absolutely gleeful with my purchase and looking forward to a complete hassle-free ownership.

Thank you

[ank.nsit]

Originally Posted by Pferdestarke

Nexus 7 (2nd gen) serves the navigation and multimedia function.

Hey Pferdestarke,

Nice car with some great add ons

Can you tell me, how do you connect the tablet to the USB charging port in car?
I don't see any wires hanging around.

Did you find any elegant way to connect the tablet to the charger without hanging loose wires? Also, how did you connect it to the car's system. I don't see an auxiliary connection either.

[Pferdestarke]

Originally Posted by ank.nsit

Can you tell me, how do you connect the tablet to the USB charging port in car? Did you find any elegant way to connect the tablet to the charger without hanging loose wires? Also, how did you connect it to the car's system. I don't see an auxiliary connection either.

Thank you ank.nsit and my apologies for a delayed response. I've never charged my Nexus 7 inside the car owing to it's decent battery back-up. I used to charge it with the OEM travel adapter and for audio I used to connect it with Belkin AUX cable. Sadly, I lost my Nexus 7 yesterday, the narration of the incident follows.

A lousy incident.

I woke up to the dots of sunshine dancing across my room through the lace of my curtains, had a delicious breakfast and said to myself "What a start to the day!", sadly the bliss didn't last long. Had a nice rush-free-drive in my car to the NTR University of health sciences, parked her in a nice shady spot in the campus parking and took one good look at it (I do it every time I get off the car), went to meet some friends. It was around 11:00 AM then I was walking eagerly to get inside my darling car and was totally bemused to see her in that condition. The left-side rear quarter glass was shattered completely. Did a complete inspection of the car, no other damages *a deep sigh* and then got inside to get another shocker. My Nexus 7 kept on the front passenger seat has vanished. Apart from it nothing else was touched. I must thank the burglar for his skill full job, he managed to shatter the glass without any damage to the quarter panel, which even if scratched a bit would have burned a hole in my pocket. The burglar must have sustained some cut injuries to the arm as there were blood stains over the quarter panel.

Lessons learnt:

• Never leave any valuable objects inside the car visible to the prying eyes. It is wise to carry them along, if not possible they must be at least kept inside the boot.
  
• Never park your beloved car in an unguarded parking place. Always ask the guard to keep an eye on your ride. A small tip from the pocket would drive him to do so.
  
• Pray the almighty to watch over the car while you are away from her.

Visited the service center today in the morning and left the car for glass replacement. Will get it back by evening.

[narsi_6989]

Originally Posted by Pferdestarke

The left-side rear quarter glass was shattered completely. Did a complete inspection of the car, no other damages *a deep sigh* and then got inside to get another shocker. My Nexus 7 kept on the front passenger seat has vanished. Apart from it nothing else was touched. I must thank the burglar for his skill full job, he managed to shatter the glass without any damage to the quarter panel, which even if scratched a bit would have burned a hole in my pocket. The burglar must have sustained some cut injuries to the arm as there were blood stains over the quarter panel.

Sorry to hear about this Pferdestarke. These miscreants are really a menace to everyone . I can understand how you feel seeing your beloved ride in that condition. My uncle lost his official laptop in a similar incident in Noida.

But one thing I don't understand is how the burglar managed to lift the Nexus from front passenger seat after breaking the rear quarter glass?

I agree with you on the lessons learnt. I always instruct my wife to keep her bags on the floor or inside the boot when I park the car. I have fixed reverse camera on my Rapid and the display is fixed near the windshield and cannot be removed. Now I am confused on how to guard it !

[ank.nsit]

Originally Posted by Pferdestarke

Sadly, I lost my Nexus 7 yesterday, the narration of the incident follows.

Really sad to hear about the incident. Hope you will get your ride in perfect condition in the evening.

[Pferdestarke]

Originally Posted by narsi_6989

But one thing I don't understand is how the burglar managed to lift the Nexus from front passenger seat after breaking the rear quarter glass?

Apparently he must have managed to open the rear door from the pass created and then that's it.

Originally Posted by narsi_6989

I have fixed reverse camera on my Rapid and the display is fixed near the windshield and cannot be removed. Now I am confused on how to guard it !

Generally these black hats don't get enticed by such fixed and wired stuff as they may not succeed in plucking them. I regret for my laziness to carry it along. Now there's a captivating deal on Nexus 7 and I am considering to buy another one.

Originally Posted by ank.nsit

Really sad to hear about the incident. Hope you will get your ride in perfect condition in the evening.

Yeah, that was really a wretched thing to happen but these sort of things are common in our country. Shall update the thread with pics of my ride along with repair costs in the evening.