[sahil624]

Hi Sachin, what an amazingly detailed review of a gem of a car. The colour looks fab too.
I have been looking to get the same seat covers, as you got, for my Nissan Kicks. Do you mind sharing the cost of the seat covers? And did you get them online? Thanks.

[RaceHorse]

What a delightful review and wonderful looking car, especially in this Carbon Steel shade. Congratulations on your new steed.

This review makes me to think again, and suggesting to wait for Rapid AT and skip the Polo TSI AT completely. (I know the price difference though)

VW never learns, the site of Polo GT is still not updated properly and not even VW Sales team are sure about the specs of Polo.

[evil_grin]

Thanks for this mesmerising review.

This is the car with the best
looks
colour
diesel engine
gearbox
in it's segment.

[Mangesh Borkar]

Great Ownership review. Lovely , sophisticated car , color combo.
Engine gearbox combo is a dream. TC ,drive safe.

[Nazaar25]

What a review! Beautifully penned and amazingly detailed
I see the the Rapid as that intelligent and handsome looking gent who is good at almost everything but never brags about he's powers and is quite understated. In the world of flashy and OVERdesigned cars, the understated elegance of the Rapid is a breath of fresh air.
Wishing you lacs of hassle free miles with the German (or Czech) beauty!

[sachin_cs]

Originally Posted by roby_dk

This gearbox is one to die for and I really admire the dual clutch transmissions over the CVTs and regular TCs (AMTs not even considered). I have a 6 speed TC(Endeavour) and 7 Speed DSG (GT TSI) at home and the way the latter picks up speed in 0-60

With long term warranty periods I think it is a safe bet to put your money on DSG boxes, I have 7 years warranty on my Polo.

Totally agreed sir, DSG is one gem of a gearbox. You have a very interesting garage, both cars weigh above their weight in their respective segments. And it is good to see that you have 7 year warranty with your polo, as far as I know, I can have 6-year warranty with my Rapid, I will check with my dealer if there's an option to extend it further.

Originally Posted by krish3

The sheer amount of pics you've taken shows the love for the car.
Wish you many more wonderful miles and smiles with the Rapid. Do keep updating the thread in future as well.

Thank you so much Krish for the kind words, I will try to keep this thread updated with my service experience as that's the biggest talk of the town when it comes to Skodas. And regarding the pictures I clicked, when I was preparing to pen down my ownership review I started out with sorting pics and belive me when I was done I had more than 470 files, I had to do a lot of elimination and finally I uploaded some 150 odd photos

Originally Posted by Diesel_Drives

Dear sachin_cs, loved reading the review and your adoration for your ride shows through your detailed descriptions and the perfect angled shots of your cars

Writing this I realise that all the other cars featured, from Sumo, Estillo and Nano have been part of my Garage too at some point of time. Now like yourself, I too am enjoying the newfound love for DSG gearbox in Rapid.

Thank you sir, midway through the writing process I was having second thoughts if I should really make it that elaborative or I should keep it short. I decided to go with the former option since it was my first ever ownership review and I wanted it to be comprehensive. It's a really good feeling to know that we've had same cars in our garage at some point of time. Also wish you many happy miles with your DSG.

Originally Posted by Col Mehta

What an amazing looking car on that shade. And regarding OCD - welcome to the demented club .

Thank you so much Col, and regarding the OCD, it's my newly acquired characteristic and it came along with the car I believe. The good part is the car cleaning process feels meditative these days

Originally Posted by catchjyoti

Since you seem to keep cars for long, I wish you tens of thousands of kilometers in this.

I still remember the majestic beauty of Chitrakote falls which I had visited during monsoon decades back.

Thank you so much for the wishes catchjyoti, I believe that ours is perhaps the last generation of enthusiasts blessed with an opportunity to pick our most favourite IC engines and nurse such a car to its extinction. I guess I have picked up mine. And Chitrakoot in monsoons is hypnotic.

Originally Posted by KANNURAN

A few pics of my blue dyed boy:`

That's one beautiful car dear, Silk Blue was also one of my choices back then, it's a very unique looking shade. Btw I just loved your home and it gives a majestic background to the car.

Originally Posted by GipsyDanger

Congratulations sachin_cs! Boy, isn't she a beauty?
Wonderful choice of color! The name suits it perfectly too- If Breaking Bad were to take place elsewhere, Heisenberg would definitely be driving an understated European sedan! Looks menacing and elegant at the same time.

The 7-speed DSG is still yet to be dethroned as the finest automatic transmission in mainstream cars.

But yeah, it's a double edged sword. It's a very delicate piece of machinery. But you'll be fine as long as you make sure it doesn't overheat in traffic, via steps explained in a separate post regarding DSGs, hope you've taken a proper look at it.

Anyways, wishing you many happy miles with "the one who knocks." Such a damn, fine machine.

Let me take a moment to show off our beauty: 7 years and nearly 40,000 kms in, still looks and feels like new. Enjoy your ride!

Yes indeed, she's a beauty! Thanks for the compliment brother and even I felt that Walter White would've driven a black Euro sedan if shot elsewhere. Hahaha, "I'm the one who knocks" was my initial choice for the title but then I realized not everyone would relate to it so kept it simple as My DSG. I see a Breaking Bad fan there, great to connect with a fellow Heisenberg disciple, TeamBHP can throw some good surprises at times. I must admit that your brother has maintained the car very meticulously as it doesn't look like a 7-year-old machine.

Originally Posted by sahil624

Hi Sachin, what an amazingly detailed review of a gem of a car. The colour looks fab too.
I have been looking to get the same seat covers, as you got, for my Nissan Kicks. Do you mind sharing the cost of the seat covers? And did you get them online? Thanks.

Hi Sahil, thanks for the compliment. I got this seat cover custom made from a brand called AutoForm, the design and the material was chosen by me and they made it on order, it took 14 days to deliver here, the cost was somewhere in the ballpark of 14k IIRC. Placing the order was a tricky part as they do have an authorized Autoform dealer here but he was only offering the predesigned seat covers and he said it can't be made on order then I went to a very old and renowned car accessory shop here and he had some contacts in Delhi so he got it made for me. I would suggest you to directly contact the Autoform team, they will assist you better. As far as quality is concerned, I selected it after seeing more than 10 material types and this feels very rich and soft, it goes by the name V. Meg. Hope it helps.

Originally Posted by RaceHorse

This review makes me to think again, and suggesting to wait for Rapid AT and skip the Polo TSI AT completely.

Thanks, RaceHorse for the compliments. I would suggest if you could wait for a while then do give Rapid AT a look and as far as price is concerned I'm sure it will be priced lower than the Vento At and slightly above the Polo and if you could get a good discount then this definitely would be a very VFM proposition.

Originally Posted by evil_grin

Thanks for this mesmerising review.

This is the car with the best looks, colour, diesel engine, gearbox in it's segment.

Thanks for such a sweet compliment sir. I also see that you have a 1.8TSi monster, I had a drive once in the TSi and man it's nothing short of a ballistic missile in that price bracket.

Originally Posted by Mangesh Borkar

Great Ownership review. Lovely , sophisticated car , color combo.
Engine gearbox combo is a dream. TC ,drive safe.

Thanks Mangesh, it's always a pleasure driving this car. Take care buddy, drive safe.

Originally Posted by Nazaar25

What a review! Beautifully penned and amazingly detailed
I see the the Rapid as that intelligent and handsome looking gent who is good at almost everything but never brags about he's powers and is quite understated. In the world of flashy and OVERdesigned cars, the understated elegance of the Rapid is a breath of fresh air.
Wishing you lacs of hassle free miles with the German (or Czech) beauty!

Thank you so much Nazaar25, that was one beautiful analogy for the car. The language only us enthusiasts can relate to. In the sea of flashy and chrome stacked cars, Rapid indeed is a kinda lone gladiator.

[abumani]

Congratulations Sachin on the new acquisition. Fantastic pictures and exceptional review. Can't believe it is an almost 10 year old car. The looks are very relevant even by current market standards. The new grill and logo completely transformed the front end of the car.
Engine + gearbox combo is a dream, keeping aside the frightening stories from various ownership reviews. But the long term warranty will take care of it. Also after seven years most probably the market may be going for electric conversions when there is a need for changing the gearbox.

[sachin_cs]

Originally Posted by abumani

Congratulations Sachin on the new acquisition. Can't believe it is an almost 10 year old car. The looks are very relevant even by current market standards. The new grill and logo completely transformed the front end of the car.

Thank you abumani, totally agreed, the recent facelift has really transformed the way the car looks, the rectangular headlights and DRL gives it a meaner look. These Europeans do know a thing or two about timeless designs.

[dg2332]

Well narrated story of the ownership experience. The carbon steel color is definitley a looker. I like the way how this shade of color changes in the day and the night. We also own Carbon steel Rapid that has just completed an year. The only issue with this color is the maintenance. Even the minor sracthes gets magnified and looks bad. Sometimes I feel bad for not picking the candy white color and how easy it could have been to hide those scratches. But going through your detailed review, now I feel proud of choosing this and all the guilt of not choosing the white seems to have vanished. Anyways, congrats and enjoy many more miles

- DG

[sachin_cs]

Originally Posted by dg2332

We also own Carbon steel Rapid that has just completed an year. The only issue with this color is the maintenance. Even the minor sracthes gets magnified and looks bad.

- DG

Hey thank you so much DG and congratulations on completing one year with your beauty. The Carbon Steel definitely looks sinister but its also a pain to maintain, but I have made peace with it- Jopasu duster comes really handy for my OCD needs . Lately I’ve realised that after the acquisition of our Heisenberg, a very patient & calm driver has emerged from within, gone are the days when I used to compete with bikers and rikshaws for that last inch of space in traffic, now whenever I see a biker, I stop my car way before the signal and always try to maintain maximum distance possible from that breed and I also make sure to either leave maximum space for them to pass or I don’t leave any space between my car and the divider so that no one tries to squeeze in, this recent development of my new driving style is proving to be quite handy in keeping scratches at bay.

[sponnappa]

Mod Note: Post edited, please go through forum rules before proceeding further. Take time to review your submission, dotty posts like this... and lack of punctuations are not allowed. Thanks.

Congratulation 'Awesome review'!

I am quite a fan of this machine, the DSG, n particular. Though it is said to be not free of reliability issue, but has to agree it is a performer in true sense, with the European handling and dynamics complementing it.

[akash_v12]

Sachin, First of all - Congratulations on the Carbon Steel Machine. You're definitely going to be happy with your choice in the upcoming years.

Secondly, Your review was one of the best that I've read on Team-BHP about any car whatsoever. It goes right up against the best ownership reviews I have read. The dedication with which you've written the review and the number of pictures makes it an even more interesting read.

The Czech is a beauty as it is and the Carbon-Steel color really makes the Silver Wheels and The LEDs stand out. Hoping to see more updates on the Rapid as time progresses. You will love the DSG more & more as you get up to 50k and more. Love it on the Vento TSI, love it on the Rapid too.

Congratulations once again,
Akashdeep

[sachin_cs]

Originally Posted by sponnappa

Congratulations,
I am quite a fan of this machine, the DSG in particular.

Thanks sponnappa, I’m a DSG fan too, earlier I was a manual fanboy but this thing simply changed my perception.

Originally Posted by akash_v12

Sachin, First of all - Congratulations on the Carbon Steel Machine.

Secondly, Your review was one of the best that I've read on Team-BHP about any car whatsoever. It goes right up against the best ownership reviews I have read. The dedication with which you've written the review and the number of pictures makes it an even more interesting read.

Thank you so much Akashdeep, this was one of the sweetest thing anyone has said to me, means a lot and I’m glad that you were able to connect with my ownership review. Now I’m feeling like all the hard work of that gruelling 3 day compilation has finally paid off. In the last 5 days I’ve driven it further 1k kilometres so I’m assuming in no time I will be reaching 30k kms and will definitely update the thread with the service experience & also today I’m trying to install 70mai Dashcam pro but I’m yet to pry open the A pillar, I will update if things go well. Thanks again buddy for the compliment.

P.S. I would love to see your Vento.

[nidhinsarath]

A well laid out review. I’ve never been able to see a detailed review of skoda Rapid in our forum when I was in search for an upgrade for my Polo in 2019. It’s the most under rated car in its category. Diesel and DSG combo makes it an entirely different machine to drive in.
I own a 2019 March Rapid MC TDI DSG Flash red. It has covered around 32000kms in a span of 1year and 3months.

[sachin_cs]

30,000kms Service Update: 30th June 2020

It was almost a year/14,700kms since the last service in August 2019, I decided to drop my car for the annual service. Booked an appointment over a call and it was a pretty simple procedure, my only special request was to allot me a day and time with least cars on the bay- 9.30 am Tuesday it was. We reached the service centre at 9.20 and the service advisor Mr Ashish was already waiting for us, I explained to him all the work to be carried on the car as follows-

• General service
• Rear windshield sunshade was loose
• a screw was protruding from the F-R wheel cladding
• Door beadings were making squeaky sound over potholes
• A grrr noise after switching off the engine
• Glovebox and armrest rattle
• Not to overfill the coolant, as was the case in the last service

Ashish listened patiently to all of my nuances and a job card was prepared, he promised to deliver the car by 12.30 PM, fair enough and the work on the car was immediately started, meanwhile we decided to wait at the empty customer lounge as ours was the first car for the day and there was no one around, couldn't have got better than this. Somewhere around 11, a guy without mask showed up and we were feeling a bit uneasy with the presence of a Homosapien ignorant towards social distancing and stuff, so we thought of exploring the almost empty dealer yard and get out of that enclosed room.

Job card in the process



Even before the wash, just look how shiny my engine cover looks



My Bae on the Bay



The work was started immediately as I had an appointement



Monsoon brings life to Chhattisgarh



TBH I was feeling really sad for these beauties



Wish Monte Carlo was available in the Carbon Steel shade too, would have looked sinister







A simple lip spoiler can make a big difference

We were checking out the Karoq and the SM Mr Praveen showed up, after usual greetings we got into all techy conversation about the new TSi technology, cylinder deactivation, Skoda 2.0 and in between he asked if we could spare some time then he would like to take us on a drive in the new Rapid TSi, which of course I could not say no to. Instead of Rapid, we ended up driving the New Karoq 1.5 TSi and the facelifted Skoda Superb 2.0 TSi.

My insights on both the cars:

A. The Karoq:

• Looks like a baby Kodiaq
• Extremely light steering wheel at parking speeds, much lighter than my Rapid D
• Sense of quality inside-out, feels super plush if I may compare it to the Jeep
• Well packaged for the size and space is good all around
• Panaromic sunroof lends in a lot of sunlight and makes things lively inside
• Virtual cockpit has some really good graphics
• Engine note is sporty on the higher revs and she picks up speed very rapidly
• Low-speed behaviour doesn't resonate with Skoda characteristics, feels nimble with super-light steering and controls, other Skodas have a sense of heaviness to them but Karoq feels a different breed

The predecessor and the Successor



How does Skoda pulls off such classy designs every single time

B. Facelifted Superb TSi

• The car certainly looks a lot plusher than before
• If you have driven a Skoda sedan in the past, you will feel at home the moment you sit on the driver seat
• The car has a huge footprint but the moment you get going, it just shrinks around you so well, it felt no bigger than Rapid on the move
• Heart of the matter 2.0TSi, for starters the new DQ381 is quick and there's no DSG lag like the DQ200 and the way this new 2.0 turbo motor picks up speed scared me in the first instance, she was struggling for traction at speeds of 40kmph- such is the performance on offer
• She is like the only car you will ever need. She's comfortable, she's fast and it's so much fun being behind the wheels. The last time I had such fun driving a petrol car was probably the 25t XE on the same roads a year ago, of course, we can't compare them on the dynamics front but the engine and gearbox combination is sweet as it could get.
• I'm already in love with this Limo

Again a thanks to Mr Praveen for taking his time out for the test drives despite knowing the fact that we don't have any new car purchase plans in near future, I really appreciate that and it's always fun interacting with likeminded enthusiasts.

Can't take my eyes off her



Two lovely sedans. Notice the tinted windows of Rapid TSi

Delivery-

Even before we knew it the car was ready for delivery but it started raining cats and dogs and we decided to skip the washing. All the work done on the car was explained by Ashish & the engine off noise has something to do with a vacuum sensor as informed and they have ordered it and will be replaced under warranty.

Since my car is under the Skoda Annual Maintenance Care, I didn't pay a single penny for the service. Below is the invoice though:

Observations/suggestions:

• If you've followed my ownership review then you might remember I changed my pads and rotors at 23k kms, so it happens that the rotors are not covered under warranty and I had to pay 6k for the job carried out last year. Skoda India if you are listening, please improve the quality of the rotors as 23k kms felt like premature wear to me. Other BHPians please share your 2 cents
• Team Speed Automotive Raipur- Please start using disposable seat covers, steering and gearknob covers for the entire duration the car spends in the workshop
• Glovebox rattle, armrest rattle are awaiting warranty approval, if approved they will be replaced soon
• Car was sanitised during the delivery
• My overall experience would be 10/10, right from service advisor Mr Ashish to the receptionist lady, everyone made sure we were comfortable and were asked for refreshments from time to time
• The only area of improvement I feel is the warranty department- their procedure is really slow and the response doesn't feel prompt, till the time car is in warranty, claims should not be so time-consuming. For example, I have been complaining of Armrest rattle from quite some time
• I really hope that the Raipur Skoda team delivers this quality service throughout my ownership and I won't think twice before plonking my money again in Skodas

2nd Update
10th July 2020: EGR Vacuum Solenoid replaced under warranty-

As mentioned in the previous post that there was some noise upon switching off the engine, so it happened that the culprit was EGR Vacuum sensor/solenoid as it is called. It was leaking from somewhere hence the noise. The part was not available during the 30k service but it took them 10 days to source it from the plant, considering it was a one-off part, I'm okay with the time frame, hopefully, they keep stock of normal wear and tear parts of the car in the future as the thought of waiting for spare parts sends a shiver down my spine. I dropped in the service centre around 12, it was a fairly simple job of part replacement but needed some logs update/store via OBD as it was replaced under warranty. The staff there was really cooperative throughout especially the service advisor Mr Ashish, he made sure that the work on the car was completed as early as possible and he personally attended my car for a quick wash! Great chap, always attentive and always takes care of small needs. Car was ready by 3.30 and I went on a trial with the warranty guy Mr Sawan, everything looked good. We got into the conversation regarding the warranty claims and he explained me the procedures which, to me sounds like an exhaustive procedure as it takes a lot of communication between the dealer and the head office. For example, my glove box is rattling a bit and we had to go on a rough patch to recreate that rattle and he recorded a video of the same and he will forward it to the company and when the head office folks approve it then only it will be replaced. Skoda India, you need to pull up your sleeves as a customer can't wait for your paperwork to fall in place, I mean if there's a fault and the car is in warranty, get that bloody part replaced man, why do I have to suffer? Can't blame the dealer guys as they are just doing their job. Anyway, I'm really satisfied with the after-sales experience of Speed Automotive Raipur. I'm attaching few snaps from the day:

Imported from the motherland



This sits beside the Air-intake box



Required something to do with the OBD



In the evening I was fiddling with some quirky German-engineered features

Next update will be on the 70 Mai dash cam pro installation.
Until next time
Take care
Chao!

Originally Posted by nidhinsarath

A well laid out review. It’s the most underrated car in its category. Diesel and DSG combo makes it an entirely different machine to drive in.
I own a 2019 March Rapid MC TDI DSG Flash red. It has covered around 32000kms in a span of 1year and 3months.

Thanks for the kind words, I completely agree that Rapid is indeed an underrated car, thankfully the 1.0 TSi is bringing her the much-needed limelight.
P.S. Your ride in Flash Red with subtle front lip and the sexy black badge is taking the hotness quotient to another level.