The mid-size sedan segment is still one of the most competitive segments in India. The segment gets many heavy weights like the Maruti Ciaz, Honda City and the Hyundai Verna. All of these well-established names face very little resistance from the others in the market. Skoda in a bid to renew the challenge launched the facelift model of their contender in the segment in form of the Rapid. Skoda launched the Rapid based on the Fabia in India 5 years ago. The mid-size sedan contributes more than 70% of the sale for Skoda in India. Here is what the new Rapid is like.
Looks
The new Rapid looks astonishing. The Rapid can be given the award of the best looking car in the segment. The new Rapid’s design is now more aligned to the Skoda’s family face. The front fascia looks very similar to the new Skoda Octavia and hugely inspired by the current flagship Superb. There is a new black grille in place, which makes the front rather sophisticated and premium. The grille is surrounded by a chrome perimeter and there are sleek looking headlamps on the either side. In the top-end variant, the headlamps also get DRLs similar to the Octavia.
The rear of the Rapid also receives very minor updates. The bumper has been upgraded with the looks and there is now a chrome stripe on the rear-end of the vehicle. The bootlid has been reshaped to look bit more sharper while tail-lamps have been upgraded but largely look similar to the previous version of the vehicle.
From the side, the new Rapid receives redesigned alloy wheels. Overall, the side profile remains the same but the looks of the car have been upgraded to look much fresher now.
Interiors
The updated Rapid now gets cruise control, automatic headlamps, and rain sensing wipers. For infotainment, the Rapid also gets 6.5-inch touchscreen system with the top-end variant. The infotainment also gets MirrorLink feature that mirrors the screen of your smartphone on the dashboard.
The Rapid is quite spacious and the rear seat of the car offers good amount of legroom and knee room. The suspension though is on the harder side and it gets bit uncomfortable for the rear passengers over the long journeys.
Safety-wise, the Rapid gets dual front airbags and ABS as standard feature across all the variants.
Engine
The Rapid is powered by both petrol and diesel engines. The car gets 1.6-litre petrol engine produces a maximum of 103 BHP and 153 Nm of torque. The petrol engine comes mated with 6-speed automatic gearbox as well as 5-speed manual transmission.
There is also an option of 1.5-litre diesel engine, the same engine that powers the Volkswagen Ameo. The engine generates a maximum of 108 BHP power and 250 Nm of maximum torque. The diesel engine comes with 5-speed manual transmission and state-of-the-art 7-speed DSG.
Should you buy it?
The Rapid starts from Rs. 8.27 lakh for petrol variant and Rs. 9.48 lakh for the diesel variant. The pricing is not undercutting any of the rivals but it comes with 4 years of warranty that also includes Roadside Assistance. The car is not as roomy as the City or returns as much mileage as the Ciaz SHVS but it sure is stylish. The Rapid is for the young generation of executives who want to look different from the crowd. The car has an aura of being premium and Skoda has also kept the pricing premium by not caring about the opponents. There are regular cars in the segment and then, there is the Rapid.
