Team-BHP > Team-BHP Reviews > Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports


Reply
  Search this Thread
76,867 views
Old 8th March 2018, 12:05   #1
BHPian
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 71
Thanked: 115 Times
Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review

Hello All, I finally took the plunge and bought myself a new Skoda Rapid DSG Edition X. All my comparison narrative is based on my experience with my trusted Figo and this is the first Automatic that I am dabbling with. I have tried to break up my initial ownership report into the following sections for easy reading, apart from the usual likes and dislikes.


1. Why the change?
2. Alternatives considered
3. Dealership & delivery experience
4. The Car
5. Post-delivery detailing
6. Next Steps
7. Final observations/ Summary

Things I love About the Car

1. The Gearbox & the Engine.
2. Solid build quality, inside out.
3. Space. ( Compared to my Figo)
4. Mature suspension & decent handling.
5. The Infotainment and Air Conditioning system.
6. The killer looks.

Things that could have been better

1. The centre arm rest should have had a sliding function.
2. Being a red non metallic colour, there is a slight hint of orange peel effect.
3. The tall transmission hump makes things uncomfortable for the 5th passenger.
4. No ISO FIX mounts.
5. Trip memory can hold data only for limited time.
6. Only one charging point one USB port. No way to play music from USB if connected via Android Auto.
7. No paddle shifters
8. Skoda's dealer and service experience.

Why the Change?

My general usage is around 1200- 1500 kms on a monthly average on Bangalore roads, with an occasional highway run for some trips, once a quarter ( 800 - 1000 kms)

I have a Ford Figo Diesel ZXI bought in 2012 and still going strong at almost 90,000 kms. The Figo has been by trusted companion and has taken me wherever i wanted, without a fuss. A lot has been said about the low GC of the Figo but i have not had any major challenges with the upgraded 185/65 section tyres. The Figo has been as reliable as ever and has not warranted any expense, beyond the regular servicing and a suspension strut change at 80,000 Kms.

As good as the Figo is, the usual new car itch set in for me once the Figo completed 5 years. Apart from that, the ever-increasing traffic woes in Bangalore made me seriously consider moving to an Automatic. I planned my finances for a couple of years in advance for the purchase and had pretty much narrowed down my list of requirements.

1. Diesel Automatic SUV or Sedan. (No compact versions)
2. No CVT (Hate the rubber band effect)
3. No AMT (No jerky shifts)
4. Had to be fun to drive. Was not expecting a Figo like experience, but close.
5. Within 16 Lacs on road.
6. Good build quality. No thin Sheet metal and /or low quality fitment.

Alternatives considered.

So, with the criteria for the vehicle sorted, I set out looking for a second car for my garage. I spent countless hours going through almost all T-BHP reviews and finally realized that only 3 cars matched my requirements, XUV 5oo, Skoda Rapid & VW Vento.

The XUV 5oo appeared to be a safer bet regarding the service experience and hence I started prodding along the XUV line. Took multiple TD and realized that if I am to get a XUV, it must be the Top End w10 AT with AWD. A FWD SUV did not appeal to me but the concern was the budget. The OTR for a fully loaded XUV was working around 21 big ones plus I would have to incur another 75,000 on the car detailing (read ceramic coating and PPF). With a heavy heart, I bid goodbye to the XUV, though I hope to own one someday in a new avatar.

Then came the DSG twins. I instantly liked the Rapid over the Vento without even driving any of them. With the Edition X (formerly Monte Carlo Edition), I gave the VW a pass and went ahead with TD of the Rapid. I enquired both with Vinayak and Tafe Access. Vinayak was giving me a slightly better pricing but with their recent case of handing over a fake ed black edition to Suhas Manjunath, I told Skoda India that I would not be dealing with Vinayak. Though both Skoda and Vinayak tried to convince me, I stood my ground that if I must get a Skoda, it must be from someone other than Vinayak and Skoda got me in touch with the Tafe team. Multiple test drives were arranged by Tafe Access and the sales team were very accommodating in addressing my needs for extended test drives in different traffic scenarios.
With the TDs out of the way, I decided to settle for the Flash Red 1.5 TDI DSG Edition X model.

Dealership & Delivery experience.

TAFE Access had been quite pleasant to deal with and they were prompt during the pre-sale period. I put in Rs. 10,000/- as the booking amount on Feb 17th with a promised delivery on 1st March. The only fly in the ointment was that they were not able to give me a final price until the 2018 models were available with them and I got an assurance that they would refund my booking amount in full, if the pricing did not work out for me.
Eventually, the vehicle was made available for a first pre-registration inspection on the 25th February. I went and inspected the vehicle. It was a January 2018 manufactured vehicle. Everything appeared fine except a few minor swirls which was attributed to their guys waxing and polishing the new vehicles prior to inspection. Though, not very happy with the swirls, I let it pass since I would be getting a ceramic coating done and the swirls would be taken care at that time. The ODO reading was 29 Kms.

The price offered included the free insurance & complimentary essential kit plus some smaller monetary discounts. The price breakup was as follows :

Initial offer : 17,20,000
Discounts: 7999 on essential kit
52,000 on insurance.
Additional discount of 10,000

Final OTR price : 16,50,000
4 year Service package : 29,999

Grand Total : 16,79,999/-
Date
The car comes with a standard 4 year warranty and the Zero Dep return to Invoice insurance gives me some peace of mind.

I accepted the offer and made the payment of the rest of the amount on the same day with a promised delivery on the 1st March.

On 1st March, I was accompanied by my wife for the delivery and it was a short and simple affair. It took us only 45 minutes to sign the papers, get a demo of the car, get a couple of photos clicked and we were off.

I directly drove to Madhu’s Enterprises to get the stock Goodyear swapped for Michelin XM2. Nikhil & team offered an acceptable trade in price and I swapped the 4 tyres. Did not change the space saver since I want to order and alloy and put in a full-size spare in future. (If the space permits). The experience at Madhus has been great, as usual.

However, no experience with Skoda is complete without a set of goof ups. Following are the pending items that was promised but still pending and I am having to chase the sales team to close this.
1. Fastag was handed out but even after a week of delivery, it’s still being shown as blacklisted since TAFE Access is yet to send out my documents for KYC.
2. Car cover is not yet received since they seemed to have missed to order it.
3. Icing on the cake was that even after a week of delivery, they are yet to give me the photo that they had taken during delivery. I had assumed that they would give it in a frame but even a soft copy is not yet sent. Nothing major but does leave a bad taste in the overall experience.
For all of the above items, the sales team did not bother to call up and keep me updated and I have to follow up with them on a constant basis by phone since they do not respond to emails.

The Car.

Engine & Gearbox

The car is a hoot to drive and coming from the Figo, seems a lot more powerful.

Start the engine with the foot on the brake and it starts up with a slight growl but without any vibrations. Shift to D and let go of the brake and the car starts to crawl moving up-to 8 kmph without accelerator input. Very easy to move in bumper to bumper traffic.Enough has been said about the DSG gearbox and I would like to reiterate that driving the rapid in D mode is more than enough in city conditions. The Gearbox rarely goes to the 6th or 7th. Most time it would be at D5 with the speed at around 40 – 50 Kmph. You can move it to 6th using the tiptronic function at those speeds. I have driven around 500 kms post-delivery and the MID shows an average fuel efficiency of 15 Kmpl. Need to reconfirm the same using the tank full method.

There is ample amount of low end torque for city traffic and when you need to close the gap in traffic or start from a signal, a slight dab on the accelerator ensures that most other vehicles are left behind. There is some turbo lag but once you get moving, the DSG ensures that you generally don’t fall back in the lag zone.

The Kick-down function in D mode is fun and gives me a slight shove into the seat. If I am driving at around 60 kmph in D5 and I press the accelerator down, the GB understands that I am trying an overtaking maneuver and does not shift up and holds the gear/ drops a gear, to increase the RPM and maximizes available torque and power. This does get addictive but is not too fun for the rear seat passengers.

In the S mode, the character of the car changes noticeably and the engine gets louder(Due to the higher RPMS) and it moves forward at a brisk pace. The S mode is really fun but using that in city traffic is not a very good idea. The fuel efficiency does see a drop in S mode. I have observed that in the same stretch of open road, the difference in FE on S & D mode can vary by as much as 5 - 7 kmpl, depending on how aggressive you are with your right foot. The gearbox does not blindly hold on to the redline in S mode, if the accelerator input is gentle.

Only grouse with the gearbox is that, during driving up hill , it holds on to a lower gear when, you very well know that it can easily up-shift. Solution is to use the manual mode function in such scenarios.

Most people had reported that the engine is noisy but coming from the Figo Diesel, I do not find that an issue. In fact, the engine noise seems to be far subdued than my Figo and once on the drive with the windows rolled up, all I hear is a gentle thrum but at the same time, I always know that i am driving a diesel engine. Its not very silent but not obtrusive either. I have currently limited most of my driving in the D mode, due to the run in period.

Air-conditioning, Infotainment & the MID


The AC is fairly effective and keeping it in Auto mode is advisable. I generally keep the temperature at around 23 degrees.
I am yet to check the effectiveness of the rear vents. You can only use the the Auto Mode between 18 degrees and 29 degrees. Anything below or higher would show either a LO or HI indication and the ACC would strive to keep you comfortable but wont let you know the exact temperature. The re-circulation mode is ON by default and switching that off also disables the AC and things move to only ventilation. Not recommended in urban conditions.

The infotainment system has one of the best responsive touch screens in a car that i have come across. Its smartphone grade sensitive. It is equipped with Smart-link ( Android Auto & Apple Car play). Connecting the phone to the system is very easy.

I currently use an Android device and my focus is primarily on Android Auto. To connect , simply plug in your phone to the USB. Remember to install Android Auto in your phone and update all google apps prior to connection. Also have the location setting turned on if you intend to use google maps. If not, you would need to remove the device and turn on location and reconnect. Only grouse is that it does not seem to support multi screen where-in, i would have loved to use a part of the screen for maps and a part for the media controls. However, you can work around this and use the steering mounted controls for jumping between track lists. One missing part is that there is no way to play tracks from USB device if you have your phone connected to the system since there is only one USB port. You will need to fall back on the SD card to play music. The sound quality is average. Would be sufficient for a majority of people but Audiophiles might be better off upgrading.

Steering, Suspension and Space

Firstly, the flat bottomed steering wheel is a joy to operate and is lifted from the Octavia VRs minus the VRs badging and missing controls on the right side. It feels direct but not as good as the Figo. You are always aware that this is an EPS unit and not a magical HPS. But this does not mean that this is a bad unit. You can very well have some fun on the twisties with this steering unit. Just don't expect a lot of feedback from the wheels in the dead ahead position. The horn-pad is stretch to operate for people with smaller fingers.


The suspension is very compliant and does a good job of soaking up the imperfections in Bangalore roads. Things get better as the speed increases. Only the really sharp imperfections are felt inside the cabin. This is with an air pressure on 32 PSI on all tyres. The Skoda recommendation is at 38 for front and 35 for rear at half load and 38 / 39 for full load. I am maintaining 32 as it appears to give me a greater balance between the handling and ride quality. I am not too concerned about the FE due to the lower pressure. I am yet to experience the thuds from the suspension and i pray that it stays that way. The unladen ground clearance is 163 mm and due to the stiffer suspensions, it has not yet scraped the under-body so far. I would probably need to increase the air pressure when i have travelling with full load. Body roll is well controlled and is felt when really pushing the vehicle to its extremes. Grip from the tyres ( The Michelin ones) are good and works as intended.



The space at the front is excellent and it is very easy to find a suitable driving position due to the steering rake/reach adjustment as well the seat height adjustment. The arm rest adds to the overall comfort with adjustable height. However, i would have preferred the arm rest to have a slide function as well. For shorter drivers, the arm rest might appear to be too much in a rearward position.

At the rear, there is sufficient legroom even with a 6 footer in the driving seat with the seat base at its lowest position. Headroom is average and the shoulder-room for 3 passengers is acceptable. Only thing is that the middle passenger does feel shortchanged due to the tall transmission tunnel. Width-wise, its fine to carry 3 average sized adults but is best suited to 2 adults and a kid over long distances. The absence of ISO FIX mounts are a glaring miss at the rear. You would need to use the set belts to secure any baby car seats or can try to route the harnesses through the boot under the seats. Not sure if this would be effective enough in an unfortunate scenario. I am contemplating options to make the rear seat child seat friendly and suggestions are welcome.

The vehicle is shod with 195/55 sectional tyres on 16 inch alloys. The space saver is a puny 14 inch unit. I am contemplating getting an additional 16 inch alloy from Skoda and have a full size spare tyre. However, i am not sure if that would fit in the dedicated space in the boot. Anyone else has tried this?

Some smaller observations

Lights and controls :

The lights have a much better level of illumination on low beam than my Figo and the high beam is decent for highway drives. I have read in other reviews that the throw of the light from the projectors is not good but i have not felt any issues with that. I find the throw to be reasonable. The fog lights are powerful and does add to the overall illumination levels. The DRLs are eye catching, as well as powerful. The DRLs can be programmed to run as DRLs or switch on only with the headlights, at the dealer level. The controls are typical European with rotary switches for the headlights and Fog lamps. the control looks classy and feels sturdy.
The indicator stalks are for the LHD with the indicator stalks being placed on the left side. Not an issue for me since I am used to the same from the Figo. The stalks are built to last.

Storage Space :

There are decent storage space in the cabin for small knick knacks. Two cup holders below the AC controls and a decently sized storage with rubber mats under the arm rest. There are dedicated slots for holding bottles up-to 1 litre in a vertical position on the door pads. Much better than placing them horizontally and risking leakages. The rear doors have place for half litre bottles plus a few loose items. A cup holder at the rear rounds off the storage for liquids. The seat backs have pockets to hold the microfiber towels, documents etc. I would have loved if those had a zip closure. There are a couple of vertical slots besides the hand brake to put in the mobiles and/or toll receipts. There is also a small grooved storage below the handbrake. Image attached :

Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review-20180315_085858.jpg

The glove box is deep and has dedicated slots for the sunglass and owners manual. Apart from the Sunglass and owners manual, I can easily put in 2 to 3 microfibre towels and a tissue paper dispenser.It has a cooling function but I am yet to check on the effectiveness of the same.

The boot is a 460 litre unit and the space is very much usable with a low loading bay. Attached image shows the boot with a 15 inch laptop bag holding my microfibers & car care liquids. Two Jopasu duster and a tyre inflater rounds of my possessions in the boot. Rest of the available space can easily fit in two airport suitcases.

Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review-20180314_190632.jpg




Some pics of the vehicle.

Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review-20180223_125004.jpg

Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review-20180306_163036.jpg

My garage : The Trusted Figo and the Hot Rapid and my BIL's i10.

Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review-20180311_125336.jpg

Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review-20180307_163412.jpg

Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review-20180307_163433.jpg

Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review-20180307_163443.jpg

Rear Seat Space. Behind my driving position and the passenger seat placed all the way back.

Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review-20180310_102947.jpg

The gorgeous alloys

Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review-20180310_103017.jpg

Post-delivery detailing.

I got a 5-year warranty ceramic coating done from Ultimate Detailerz and the experience so far has been 5 star. It took Mohsin and his team 2 days to complete the work and I am happy with the result. I would probably need a few more months to comment on the effectiveness of the ceramic coating and would update accordingly.
Some pictures of the detailing with Mohsin leading from the front.

Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review-20180303_132212.jpg

Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review-20180303_132228.jpg

Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review-20180303_132706.jpg

Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review-20180303_132844.jpg

The car came with quite a few fine swirls, thanks to the over enthusiastic Skoda guys trying to wax and polish the car before delivery. Mohsin could remove all the swirls and the car looks better than the delivery day. What I saw and understood first hand, during the detailing is the time and effort that is needed to get the paintwork cleaned up before the actual application of any coating. Most of us tend to focus more on the coats /wax/ sealants while detailing our vehicles and do not spend enough time in cleaning up the paintwork before the application of the products. I am guilty of the same with my Figo but I have now understood the value of the pre-work and would try and stick to a strict pre-conditioning of the paintwork before any waxing.

Following were the contents of the cermaic coating package that i chose :

7 Layer Ceramic Coating for the paint - Cquartz Finest
3 Layers exterior Plastics - Cquartz Dlux
2 Layers All glass - Flyby Forte
2 Layers Interiors & 2 Layers Wheels - Not sure of the product name.

I also got the 3M PPF for the front and rear bumpers, Door Sills, Mirror caps and door edges. Total setback on the PPF was around 15K. However, I am not happy with the end result in a couple of areas where the 3M team has not been able to get rid of the trapped water. They said that it should dry out in a couple of days but that has not been the case. I intend to take it back to 3M for a rework. I seriously have felt a degradation of the quality of work from 3M in the last couple of years.

Next Steps.

I want to update the vehicle with genuine accessories that i have seen in the European models but sadly, the India dealers of Skoda, do not stock any of the eye catching accessories. I am not too fond of getting stuff from the local accessory shops due to the long term reliability. I have the following in my bucket list :

1. Skoda rear trunk bottom lid in black. ( The non Edition X comes with a chrome strip but the Edition X does not)
2. A red 3 pcs bumper insert to break the black monotony of the grill.

(Reference Image)

Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review-capture.jpg

3. Black lettering for the SKODA RAPID badging.
4. Original Monte Carlo Sill plates.

I have stumbled across a site claiming to be sellers of genuine Skoda accessories ( http://www.superskoda.com/). I have ordered the first two items from them and would wait to see the quality before ordering the rest.


Final observations/ Summary

On a final note following are my two cents on the vehicle.

The red and black combination looks awesome . The driving dynamics are spot and this is definitely a vehicle for the self driven and not the chauffeured ones. I just wish that Skoda had given a 10 year unconditional warranty on the DSG transmission, for peace of mind. i would rate the various aspects of the vehicle as below :

Looks : 10/10

Driving pleasure : 9/10 - A more direct steering would have made it a 10/10

Ergonomics : 7/10 - 3 points have been deducted on account of non sliding armrest and a weird placement of the boot release device. Its difficult to release the boot using the button if you have a water bottle in the bottle holder.

Space ,Comfort & Safety: 7/10 - The fronts seats are alright but the tall transmission tunnel does impact the usable seating real estate at the rear. Missing ISOFIX mounts are an obvious miss from Skoda.

Infotainment : 8/10 - A better sound quality would have been appreciated and an option of multi screen display.

Air-conditioning : 10/10 - Absolutely fantastic and cools the cabin really fast. The windows can be rolled up/down using the remote and it helps to release the trapped hot air before you get into the car.

Overall : 9/10 - A great vehicle for those who love to be behind the wheels, looking for the convenience of an Automatic & doesn't care too much about the resale value. The DSG, in-spite of its reliability concerns, is fantastic. The service costs would be in check if opting for the 4 year maintenance package @ Rs. 29,999/-. This cost includes all regular service ( Both labor and consumables).

I will update this post as and when i have completed my first service to provide my first hand experience with Skoda service.

Cheers and Thanks for reading through !
Attached Thumbnails
Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review-20180307_104104.jpg  


Last edited by shubhu3112 : 15th March 2018 at 15:38. Reason: Finalizing content
shubhu3112 is offline   (31) Thanks
Old 8th March 2018, 12:57   #2
Senior - BHPian
 
Vik0728's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 2,061
Thanked: 3,281 Times
re: Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by shubhu3112 View Post
Hello All, I finally took the plunge and bought myself a new Skoda Rapid DSG Edition X.
Congrats shubhu on your latest acquisition, and it looks smashing in that shade.

One of my neighbour had picked up the 'Then" Monte Carlo edition in the same shade, and it just looks so much better in person. With 6-speed DSG on the TDI, I think you may just want to take out your Rapid for the silliest of reasons.

Wishing you a very happy, fuss free and fun motoring.
Vik0728 is offline  
Old 8th March 2018, 13:05   #3
BHPian
 
CaptainPrice's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 92
Thanked: 134 Times
re: Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review

Firstly, congratulations on the purchase, Shubhu! It looks drop-dead gorgeous.

Secondly, good job going with Tafe. Greater peace of mind compared to Vinayak.
And thirdly, I liked your writing. It's logical and clear. Possible improvements would be if you could communicate the details of the pricing, especially for the discounts as well as the cost of the ceramic coating.

Cheers and good luck for the fun times and long miles ahead!
CaptainPrice is offline  
Old 8th March 2018, 13:11   #4
BHPian
 
bharatbits's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Gurgaon
Posts: 471
Thanked: 634 Times
re: Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review

Nice car there. Congratulations!

I am curious about those foot mats. Where did you get them? How much? I am looking for a nice set of mats for my Linea.
bharatbits is offline  
Old 8th March 2018, 13:45   #5
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Bombay
Posts: 1,410
Thanked: 2,172 Times
re: Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review

Congratulations on your new car, She looks hot in red. Wish you many miles of safe driving with this beauty.
Lalvaz is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 8th March 2018, 13:48   #6
BHPian
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 71
Thanked: 115 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainPrice View Post
Firstly, congratulations on the purchase, Shubhu! It looks drop-dead gorgeous.

Secondly, good job going with Tafe. Greater peace of mind compared to Vinayak.
And thirdly, I liked your writing. It's logical and clear. Possible improvements would be if you could communicate the details of the pricing, especially for the discounts as well as the cost of the ceramic coating.

Cheers and good luck for the fun times and long miles ahead!
I deliberately skipped on the pricing for cermaic coating since i am not too sure if i should be posting the same without Mohsin's consent. Regarding the discounts from tafe, it was minimal. I basically got the essential kit( Mud flaps, foot mats, etc) free and insurance (approximately 52,000) was taken off as well.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bharatbits View Post
Nice car there. Congratulations!

I am curious about those foot mats. Where did you get them? How much? I am looking for a nice set of mats for my Linea.
If you are asking about the red ones, those are the 3M nomad mats and the pricing varies from model to model. Mine costed around 5000 for the complete set. There is also the 7D mats from Autofurnish below the red ones, which costed around 9000 from Amazon.

Last edited by GTO : 8th March 2018 at 17:31. Reason: Merging back to back posts
shubhu3112 is offline  
Old 8th March 2018, 15:28   #7
BHPian
 
ShubhamGhute's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Pune
Posts: 73
Thanked: 199 Times
re: Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review

Congratulations for your new acquisition! She looks damn hot in red. Flashy red shade, blackened highlights coupled with gorgeous alloys just look super hot. She is a perfect upgrade for figo.
Hope she serves well in coming years and give you endless memories to cherish!

ShubhamGhute is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 16th March 2018, 09:14   #8
GTO
Team-BHP Support
 
GTO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 70,335
Thanked: 298,729 Times
Re: Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!
GTO is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 16th March 2018, 09:28   #9
BHPian
 
redcruiser's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 378
Thanked: 346 Times
Re: Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review

Flashy Red looks gorgeous if maintained well and detailed from time to time. Hope you have a wonderful experience with your new ride.
Btw how much did it cost you for the ceramic coating?
redcruiser is online now   (1) Thanks
Old 16th March 2018, 09:48   #10
BHPian
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 71
Thanked: 115 Times
Re: Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by redcruiser View Post
Flashy Red looks gorgeous if maintained well and detailed from time to time. Hope you have a wonderful experience with your new ride.
Btw how much did it cost you for the ceramic coating?

There are various packages of the ceramic caoting. I opted for the top end with a 5 year warranty and the cost was around 56K. However, the cost varies by car size and condition of the paintwork. Older vehicles with multiple paint defects might cost a bit more. You can check with Mohshin (mkh) for details.
shubhu3112 is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 16th March 2018, 10:30   #11
Distinguished - BHPian
 
itwasntme's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: BANGALORE
Posts: 6,930
Thanked: 12,367 Times
Re: Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by shubhu3112 View Post
I currently use an Android device and my focus is primarily on Android Auto. The sound quality is average.
Would be sufficient for a majority of people but Audiophiles might be better off upgrading.
Sound quality is noticeably better with iPhone using Apple CarPlay

The absence of ISO FIX mounts are a glaring miss at the rear. You would need to use the set belts to secure any baby car seats or can try to route the harnesses through the boot under the seats. Not sure if this would be effective enough in an unfortunate scenario. I am contemplating options to make the rear seat child seat friendly and suggestions are welcome.
Don't unduly fret on lack of ISOFIX mounts.
Normal seat-belt mounting is equally good but needs to be checked and tightened weekly and before every long trip.
Use your knee to push the seat down hard, then tighten the seat belts as much as you can, and ensure they are not twisted. Lot of videos on YT.
Consider buying or placing a folded blanket or other material under the car seat to ensure proper seating. The sharply contoured seats may make it necessary to flatten the base.


I am contemplating getting an additional 16 inch alloy from Skoda and have a full size spare tyre. However, i am not sure if that would fit in the dedicated space in the boot. Anyone else has tried this?
Any big tyre shop will have a relevant alloy+tyre in your size to test. I suggest don't pay through your nose for a Skoda alloy but just go for a steel wheel in the exact PCD/size. Much much cheaper.

I have stumbled across a site claiming to be sellers of genuine Skoda accessories ( http://www.superskoda.com/). I have ordered the first two items from them and would wait to see the quality before ordering the rest.
How did you make payment? I have never been able to as they insist on Western Union or SWIFT transfer. They have a mixed reputation.
Try skodadop.com. Equally good, better reputation but lower range.
Excellently written and crisp review!
itwasntme is online now   (2) Thanks
Old 16th March 2018, 10:38   #12
BHPian
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 71
Thanked: 115 Times
Re: Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by itwasntme View Post
Excellently written and crisp review!
For the Skoda accessories from Superskoda, I tried paying through ICICI SWIFT but it got rejected. I ended up paying through paypal. It was just a try to see if i get quality materials. Worst case, i would lose around 120 Euros.
shubhu3112 is offline  
Old 19th March 2018, 15:04   #13
BHPian
 
CaptainPrice's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 92
Thanked: 134 Times
Re: Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by shubhu3112 View Post
Post-delivery detailing.
...
The car came with quite a few fine swirls, thanks to the over enthusiastic Skoda guys trying to wax and polish the car before delivery. Mohsin could remove all the swirls and the car looks better than the delivery day.

I also got the 3M PPF for the front and rear bumpers, Door Sills, Mirror caps and door edges. Total setback on the PPF was around 15K.
Happy to hear that the swirls are gone, I'm in a similar situation with swirles on my new City straight out of the showroom, and have a few questions.
1. Were you present throughout while the work was done, or did you leave it and get back two days later once the project was complete? How does it work if one is a salaried employee, where approved leaves are few and far between?
2. Was the PPF done before or after the Ceramic coat? What is the recommended approach?
3. How long did the PPF application take? And where was this 3M outlet located? Given your unsatisfactory experience, which place would you recommend?
4. Lastly, if I'm letting my apartment car wash person handle the cleaning, is it worth getting the Ceramic coating and/or the PPF?
CaptainPrice is offline  
Old 19th March 2018, 16:35   #14
BHPian
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 71
Thanked: 115 Times
Re: Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainPrice View Post
Happy to hear that the swirls are gone, I'm in a similar situation with swirles on my new City straight out of the showroom, and have a few questions.
1. Were you present throughout while the work was done, or did you leave it and get back two days later once the project was complete? How does it work if one is a salaried employee, where approved leaves are few and far between?

I was present only for the initial 3 hours as the work was being done on a Saturday. I collected the car on Sunday evening. You can plan the appointments accordingly but physical presence is not really needed, apart from dropping off and collecting the car.

2. Was the PPF done before or after the Ceramic coat? What is the recommended approach?

PPF is recommended before the ceramic coating since the surface of the vehicle loses its adhesion to some extent, thereby, reducing making PPF application difficult.

3. How long did the PPF application take? And where was this 3M outlet located? Given your unsatisfactory experience, which place would you recommend?

For me , the actual work took around 4 hours but the waiting time was around 8 hours in total due to bad time management by the 3M guys. I got the application done at 3M Outer Ring Road near Doddanekundi , opposite Jeevika Hospital. I would recommend getting it done from the outlet near the Hope farm signal since I have not had bad experiences with them, so far.

4. Lastly, if I'm letting my apartment car wash person handle the cleaning, is it worth getting the Ceramic coating and/or the PPF?

Thats a tricky question. I am assuming that the apartment washing guy is at-least using a clean microfiber. In that case, the PPF would be undamaged but you would still end up with swirls elsewhere (including the ceramic coat). I have observed that dry dusting the vehicle using a jopsau duster is good enough once you have the ceramic coat. For stubborn dirt (particularly during rains), I would advise to use the CarPro Echo2 waterless wash kit. That would save you a lot of trouble regarding the paint finish in the long run.
Hope that helps. But on your last point, i would definitely recommend firing the apartment washing guy and spending 1 hour every weekend using the Echo2 kit.
shubhu3112 is offline  
Old 25th March 2018, 09:20   #15
Distinguished - BHPian
 
itwasntme's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: BANGALORE
Posts: 6,930
Thanked: 12,367 Times
Re: Skoda Rapid Edition X - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by shubhu3112 View Post
For the Skoda accessories from Superskoda, I tried paying through ICICI SWIFT but it got rejected. I ended up paying through paypal. It was just a try to see if i get quality materials. Worst case, i would lose around 120 Euros.
Let us know how superskoda pans out. They rejected my transaction earlier in 2016 but their stock is amazing.
itwasntme is online now  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks