Indiacar.com -Skoda Rapid

Overview
Skoda India’s much-awaited C+ segment sedan ‘Rapid’ will be available in eight variants: Rapid Active, Rapid Ambition and Rapid Elegance (Active petrol, Ambition petrol, Elegance petrol, Ambition automatic, Elegance automatic, Active diesel, Ambition diesel and Elegance Diesel). It will compete with the likes of Honda City, Volkswagen Vento, New Hyundai Verna, New Ford Fiesta, Chevrolet Aveo, Fiat Linea and Tata Indigo Manza.

On the Outside
Featuring a fresh, young, smart and clear-cut design, Skoda Rapid is based on the platform of Vento and shares most of the parts with it including the doors, windows and 90 percent of the interiors are same. The front is quite familiar featuring same style for the grille and headlamps like we have seen on Skoda Fabia. The side profile is similar to the Vento but the rear is altogether different with new design for boot and tail lamps. Available in five attractive shades: Deep Black, Candy White, Flash Red, Brilliant Silver and Cappuccino Beige

From the Inside
The interiors of Rapid, though similar to the Vento are plush and classy. The light and dark beige coloured dash board sports all advanced equipment’s including instrument cluster, glove box, music system and air conditioning.

On the safety front, Skoda Rapid has two airbags for the driver and the front passenger besides Anti-lock Braking System, front fog lamps and Electronic BrakeForce Distribution finding a place in Rapid. Engine Immobilizer, Height adjustable 3 point seat belts, high stop LED center brake lights are other features in Skoda Rapid. However, not all variants carry the above mentioned features. Among the comfort features, Rapid features an adjustable power steering, internally adjustable ORVMs with power fold feature, central locking, power windows, adjustable front seats, music system with MP3 and FM integrated with four speakers. The audio player can be protected by a security code.

Under the Hood
Skoda Rapid is available in two trims-Petrol and Diesel engine options. It is expected that Rapid petrol can be expected to deliver 12-14 kmpl from the automatic version. The manual version can deliver 12 kmpl in the city and 16 kmpl on the highways. The Diesel engine might get you 13.4 kmpl under extreme driving conditions; while around 16 kmpl will be possible for it in routine running.

The Diesel Skoda Rapid variant machinery is powered by a 1.6 litre TDi unit that makes 105 PS of power @ 4400 rpm with 250 Nm of torque @1500-2500 rpm on it while the Skoda Petrol Rapid variant gets a 1.6 litre MPI unit that also makes 105 PS of power @ 5250 rpm but produces different torque of 153 Nm @ 3800 rpm on tap.

This engine also does its duty in Skoda Fabia and VW Polo. The engines follow BSIV emission norms. The diesel engine is mated to a 5 speed manual gearbox while the petrol guise gets the automatic 6 speed transmission with Tiptronic manual gear changing option along with a 5 speed manual one. Both the engines having 16 valves in total are placed transversely in front confirming that Skoda Rapid runs on a front wheel drive.

In Conclusion
Skoda Rapid is priced very competitively at Rs. 6.75 lakhs (ex-showroom) for the base petrol model and Rs. 7.96 lakhs (ex-showroom) for the base model of diesel. Symbolizing Skoda’s brand value – “Simply Clever”, the Rapid is ideal for the Indian streets with an attractive design, ample space, excellent safety equipment and modern proven technology.