Skoda has always come with similar facia cars. Whether you look at the Fabia, Superb, or Laura, we get a similar front look. The Skoda Rapid is very Fabia like in its make, especially, the grille, the nose and the head lamps. But the rest of the package is all about sharp lines along the sides and in its rear too. Especially the angle lines on the boot, which are inspired by Bohemian crystal exclusive to the Czech Republic.
Even inside VW theme does continue. The dashboard and cabin features look pretty much like the VW Vento. Though the steering wheel, instrument cluster, dials and knobs are carried from the Skoda cars. The Rapid also gets climate control. There is a grey and beige dashboard with a central console in black that stand outs. Other features include high stop LED center brake lights, front airbags, internally adjustable ORVMs with power fold feature, and an upgraded music system with Aux-In, MP3 and FM and four speakers.
The driver seat is comfortable with height adjustments and you can also get steering adjust to make your drive comfortable. The back seats are spacious as well with ample legroom and one can slide forward the left front seat if no passenger is sitting.
The Skoda Rapid engine options – a 1.6 MPI petrol engine (three variants) and a 1.6 TDI diesel engine (three variants). The 1.6 MPI petrol engine produces a maximum power of 105 bhp at 5250 rpm and maximum torque of 153 Nm at 3800 rpm, while the 1.6 TDI diesel engine pumps out 105 bhp of power at 4400 rpm and 250 Nm of torque at 1500-2500 rpm. The petrol engine gets a choice between 5-speed manual and 6-speed automatic transmission, but the diesel engine is supported only with 5-speed manual transmission. Both the engines provide great mid-range performance with a mileage of 15 kmpl and 20.5 kmpl, respectively.
So much like the Vento it is the gear box that is sluggish but because it is a VW group car it means the handling is spot on. One can really throw the car around and the braking is satisfying as well. The diesel Rapid has a lot more punchy performance in spite of having the same drive trains as the petrol. There is a lot more roaring power, no sense of lagging and the car is sporty too. The sound of the diesel engine can be heard inside the cabin, so VW could have done with a little sound dampening.
Skoda Rapid is priced from Rs. 6.93 to Rs. 9.98 lakhs. Rapid is competing against the likes of Hyundai Verna, Fiat Linea, Maruti SX4, Honda City and its own cousin Volkswagen Vento.
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