Review on Skoda Rapid 2014
Skoda Rapid arrives with rocking upgrades at the mechanical level.Cosmetic traits have also been slightly revamped.Employment of 1.5 litre diesel and seven-speed dual clutch transmission lease up a new life to Rapid.
Engine and Perforamance:
Usually, manual transmission will be better than the automatic transmission in terms of
"fuel-efficiency" albeit capacity of seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission has been endured to bear 25.5 kgm torque load. The engine with the displacement of 1498cc would deliver up to 103bhp and 25.5kg of maximum torque at 1500 rpm itself despite the 100cc lower capacity. Thus one can accelerate at their own speed just on squeezing of right foot, ends up in effortless performance. This DSG box makes your drive comfortable even at high speeds.Since you would get the mileage of 100kph in 11.9 seconds,it’s not a surprise that you would fly once the car is fully run-in.
Thanks to the ample torque on offer ,that will make ease the act of overtaking. However, certain flaws have been spotted out at its ideal position, where the engine suffers from a distant clatter, whilst the engine gets quite vocal beyond 3000rpm. It not such an easy task to rev up the engine. There is a turbo lag below 1800 rpm, though a good response is found at the lower speeds. Due to lack of uniform distribution, it seems somewhat cumbersome to drive smoothly.As there is no use of paddle shifters, it has not been provided.
Riding and Handling:
The suspension setup remains to be the same. A good character of handling dynamics and all-round stability is felt over long distance cruise. The steering is so light to handle especially while playing some tricks over the wheel, thus tends to boost up the confidence level. Though the car tends to fluctuate and thump over large poth holes, there is no sign of uncomfortable felt with the passenger.
Greater stability is achieved through the means of larger wheelbase of around 2552mm and ground clearance of 168mm.When you take sharp turns,you could nearly feel the kerb weight of 1145 kg.
Ergonomics:
The area where it scores the best is Black package that tends to adorn the exterior styling .This package consits of blackened projector headlamps and fog lamps, blackened grille that adds classic look in today’s usage of chrome grille, roof and foils that are all blackened. Black mirrors and alloy wheels are the outstanding features of this car.
This package would cost around Rs 20,000.The variant Elegance consists of various features like rear parking sensors, cruise control, card holder and new-design 15-inch alloys. The absence of unique lever to adjust the front passenger seat is found to be absent.
The cabin remains to be the same that is being built with high-quality material.Fit and finish is found to be well executed.The cabin gets accompanied with comfortable seats along with loads of space. Wide rear bench can seat the three abreast in reasonable comfort.Overall it satisfies the desire of upper middle class buyers with the updated features of the car.
Verdict:
Skoda Rapid comes loaded with hi-tech dual clutch gearbox and black package makes it alluring than ever before.So,it is worth of arriving at the price tag starting from Rs7,22,250/-
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Skoda Rapid Review 2011-2013
One of the leading four wheeler manufacturer Skoda has launched its new C segment vehicle named as Rapid in two trims namely Ambition Plus and Elegance. The price of Skoda Rapid is found to be approximately in the range of Rs.7.23 lakh – Rs.9.98 lakh. The new Rapid is available in various attractive range of colors in order to impress the Indian people.
Skoda Rapid Colors
The colors available for all the variants of Skoda Rapid involves
1) Flash Red
2) Candy White
3) Deep Black Pearl
4) Brilliant Silver
5) Cappuccino Beige
Skoda Rapid Variants
The Skoda Rapid comes in both petrol and diesel variants. The petrol variants of the car includes
1) Skoda Rapid 1.6 MPI Active – Rs.7,22,551
2) Skoda Rapid 1.6 MPI Ambition Plus – Rs.8,13,389
3) Skoda Rapid Ultima 1.6 MPI Ambition Plus – Rs.8,33,156
4) Skoda Rapid 1.6 MPI Elegance – Rs.8,74,289
5) Skoda Rapid Ultima 1.6 MPI Elegance – Rs.8,95,355
6) Skoda Rapid 1.6 MPI AT Ambition Plus – Rs.9,12,886
7) Skoda Rapid Ultima 1.6 MPI AT Ambition Plus – Rs.9,30,915
8) Skoda Rapid 1.6 MPI AT Elegance – Rs.9,72,571
9) Skoda Rapid Ultima 1.6 MPI AT Elegance – Rs.9,91,920
Similarly, the diesel variants of the vehicle are displayed below.
1) Skoda Rapid 1.6 TDI Active – Rs.8,41,165
2) Skoda Rapid 1.6 TDI Ambition Plus – Rs.9,22,934
3) Skoda Rapid Ultima 1.6 TDI Ambition Plus – Rs.9,40,788
4) Skoda Rapid 1.6 TDI Elegance – Rs.9,78,414
5) Skoda Rapid Ultima 1.6 TDI Elegance – Rs.9,97,661
Skoda Rapid Dimensions
The Skoda Rapid has excellent external dimensions in terms of length, width and height represented below.
1) Overall Length – 4386 mm
2) Overall Width – 1699 mm
3) Overall Height – 1466 mm
Along with that, the car provides the larger wheelbase of around 2552 mm and ground clearance of 168 mm. The kerb weight of the car is found to be 1145 kg and boot space is 460.
Style and Engineering
Skoda Rapid Exteriors
The Skoda Rapid looks fresh, smart with clear cut design which is expected to fill the gap between Skoda Fabia and Skoda Laura. The Indian people would be really attracted with the exteriors of Skoda Rapid and it satisfies the demands of a sedan. The front appearance of the car is totally different with a stretched headlamps with halogen bulbs enhancing the aerodynamically design of the vehicle. The grille comes with a chrome strip passes across the front with skoda spines in black under the band forms the nose for the vehicle. The front also has square shaped fog lamps which is really useful for night time travelling. The side profile of the car gives an elegant appearance with tinted window framed, body colored door handles, a roof antenna and body colored wing mirrors etc. The side is blessed with five spoke alloy wheels with a tire size of 185/60 R15. The Rapid Active is fitted with 14” steel wheels with Comoros full wheel cover. The rear is decorated with a pair of refreshed tail lamps with C glow on the brake lamps. The high level LED is provided in the third brake lights and the rear windscreen features defogger with timer. The boot lid of the vehicle sports an angular press which resembles like two dents on prism shaped insertions on both sides of the number plates offering the rear a completely different look. The rear bumper bumper comes with rear park sensors which is quite good.
Skoda Rapid Interiors
The interior of the Skoda Rapid satisfies the desires of an upper middle class buyer with updated features of the car. The vehicle’s interiors are more comfortable and satisfying which is quite outstanding. The Rapid is gifted with a decent dashboard, switch gear, air conditioner vents, climate control unit, power window switches etc. The dashboard of the vehicle has informative instrument cluster with two dials reflecting green back light within. The instrument cluster comprises digital fuel meter, clock, distance to empty and trip meters etc. which helps the driver to be updated with the vital information of the car in just a glance. The car gets a steering mounted controls which lifts up the practicality aspect of the sedan. All the variants of the car is well incorporated with an advanced 2-DIN skoda audio player with USB, Aux in, Bluetooth connectivity etc. The steering mounted controls are easy to access improving the practicality of the vehicle. It has been provided with spacious cabin with lot of storage bins, door pads feature bottle holders on the front and the rear. The Rapid is offered with a rear parcel shelf and folding roof handles as well as a coat hook on rear roof handles and B-Pillars. The seating arrangement of the car is also really appreciable with seating for five people and an armrest for the front as well as in the middle of the rear seats. The Skoda Rapid provides decent headroom, legroom, shoulder room at the front and even for the passengers seated at the rear.
Skoda Rapid Engine Details
The engine of Skoda Rapid is very similar to the Volkswagen Vento. The Rapid is provided with both petrol and diesel engines. The diesel variant of the vehicle is powered by a 1.6 litre TDI which churns out the maximum power output of 103.6 bhp at 4400 rpm in combination with maximum torque of 250 Nm at 1500-2500 rpm where as the petrol variant is employed with a 1.6 litre MPI engine producing the peak power output of 103.6 bhp at 5250 rpm along with peak torque of 153 Nm at 3800 rpm. The diesel engine of the vehicle is mated to the five speed manual gearbox while the petrol features an automatic six speed transmission with Tiptronic manual gear shifting option as well as five speed manual transmission. The driving experience of the Skoda Rapid is really good and it makes the passengers to feel very calm and relaxed while turning at sharp bends.
Acceleration and Fuel Economy
It is clearly known that both petrol and diesel engines are good at performance where as the diesel is the most fuel efficient car. The Rapid can be able to reach from 0-100 kmph in just 12.4 seconds which is expected to offer the maximum speed of around 170-185 kmph. The manual gearbox of the vehicle enhances the smoother acceleration of the car. The petrol variant of the car delivers the fuel efficiency of 12-14 kmpl for automatic versions and 12 kmpl in city roads and 16 kmpl on highways for manual versions. Likewise, the diesel engine returns 13.4 kmpl under extreme driving conditions and 16 kmpl under normal driving conditions.
Brakes and Handling
The Skoda Rapid is fitted with excellent braking and suspension mechanisms in which both petrol and diesel variant of the car is enhanced by advanced braking system of Anti Lock Braking System with Brake Assist. The front wheel of the vehicle comes with disc brakes and the rear wheels have drum brakes. This combination of disc and drum brake helps to stop the vehicle instantly even travelling at high level of speed. On the Other hand, the front suspension of the Rapid has a MacPherson strut with stabilizer bar and the rear suspension has a semi independent type trailing arm shocker which makes easy to handle the vehicle at any type of road conditions.
Safety Features
The Skoda Rapid has been packed with lot of safety features including dual airbags for both driver and passenger, ABS with Brake Assist, Engine Immobilizer, Adjustable seat belts, high stop LED center brake lights etc. These are the features found on the top end variant of the Skoda Rapid. The base variant of the vehicle has features such as high level LED third brake light, Anti-glare interior rear view mirror, defogger with timer on rear windshield, seat belts, door-ajar warning indicator and many more. All these features of the car ensure better safety and security to the driver, passenger and vehicle.
Verdict
With all these features, the Skoda Rapid is considered to be a well packaged premium sedan which provides excellent mileage with powerful engine. The fit and finish of the vehicle is really good and it is easy to handle at any type of road condition.
