Finally the facelift of Skoda's most affordable sedan, the Rapid has gone on sale in the country. The Rapid facelift has been launched at a starting price of Rs 8.34 lakh (ex-showroom, Maharashtra) and the prices go all the way up to Rs 12.67 lakh for the top end variant. Although the new Rapid is based on Vento's platform as earlier, it features many changes. Let's check it out.
The Looks
This is where folks from Skoda have spent most of their time. The Rapid now looks like a member of the Czech family, sporting a face that's in tune with its elder siblings - the Octaviaand the Superb. It gets an entirely new face, sporting the new family grille and a new pair of headlamps that not only get a projector setup, but also daytime running lamps. The air dam gets some honeycomb detailing and is flanked by a sharper set of foglamps. The silhouette and the rear do not feature any major overhaul save for a new set of alloy wheels and updated detailing in the taillamps. Other minor updates include a restyled rear bumper, new wing mirrors with indicators, as well as a stubby antenna.
The Cabin
The insides of the Rapid remains largely identical to the outgoing version. It now sports a friendly beige-black theme instead of a brown-beige combo. As is the case with most Skodas, the Rapid is decked with a lot of features as well. On the convenience front you get a height-adjustable seat, tilt and telescopic adjust for the steering, as well as a central armrest. Other goodies include a touchscreen audio system with MirrorLink, automatic climate control, one-touch down on all four power windows, a multi-information display that reads out fuel efficiency, distance to empty, current speed and more. There has been no change to the wheelbase of the car, which means that space on the inside is identical to the outgoing Rapid.
Engine Options
The updated Rapid will soldier on with its tried and tested motors - a 1.6-litre petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel. Both motors get a 5-speed manual transmission. Automatic options include a conventional 6-speed torque converter paired with the petrol motor; the diesel gets the 7-speed dual-clutch DSG. Notably, the diesel motor has just got an update and it now produces 110PS and 250Nm. The petrol motor on the other hand belts out 105PS and 153Nm.
The Rivals
In its latest avatar, the Skoda Rapid will take on the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, the Honda City, the Hyundai Verna, and its own sibling, the Volkswagen Vento. With the new looks and the plethora of features on hand, the Skoda sure looks well prepared.
We will be driving the updated Rapid very soon, so do stay tuned for an in-depth road test report.
Source: CarDekho.com
