SKODA RAPID
Design
It looks the same as Vento.Vento is the car which happens when one fits a dickey to Polo.When Skoda received a Vento they cleaned up the face, grill, two lines from the logo and now it has headlamps that resembles Fabia.Altogether the car looks like a czech car.However the window design & shoulder line resembles the vento. If the bonnet did not had enough thickness it would look exactly like a Vento from sideview.Rapid looks more proporational and beautiful than a Vento.
Interior also same as Volkswagen.They have changed fourspoked stearing and gear knob.Plastic is of good quality.However interior lakhs the old skoda touch.The 460 litre boot is more than enough to carry things for a drive.
Comfort & Safety
Spacious interiors and comfortable sitting posture are the attractions of Rapid. The adjustable steering wheel & front seats will make driving easy.There are seperate airvents for rear passengers.Lever that can be controlled from behind the front passanger seats, foldable cup holders on front and back, bottle holders on the doors,2DIN audio player and facilities such as reading lamp on rear seats are examples of practical approaches of Skoda.ABS, passanger airbags etc are present in top end variant.
Driving
Diesel model is economical.Rapid is a rapid tiger among the midsized sedans.It has more torque than the petrol model which can be felt from third gear onwards.The turbo charged diesel engine is powerful and you can comforable do a city drive on third gear.Steering that gives good control and precision braking are world class.Eventhough engine is same as that of Vento, due to the insulation techniques employed by Skoda, not much noise is heard outside.Gear box is spot on and in first gear position of normal cars, it is reverse gear in Skoda.After that things are normal.The sportiness of the engine have not eaten up the milege.ARAI approved milege is 20.2 kilometers per litre.105 bhp 1.6 litre petrol engine has automatic & manual gear versions.
The final verdict is a spacious midsize sedan.Rapid will give good mileage for those looking to upgrade from hatchbacks.
Comments