Some reviews I've read claimed the Rapid to be uninspiring to drive. Not if you know HOW to drive:

doesn't look too bad,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,the test track, I mean.

Would be better to see the video of it with a car following filming it,

i know it had nothing to do with rapid but i found my mk1 octy vrs quiet slow to start with until i learn'd that i had to rev it to get best out of it

Saw my first one today.

Wow its bland.

Saw my first one today.

Wow its bland.

It's aimed at taxi drivers and families looking for A to B transport.

I suspect they might sell better than Octavias given that it ticks all the boxes the Octavia does with a lower pricetag and slightly lower running costs.

To be perfectly honest, I often confuse MK1 Octys with the facelifted Felicias from a distance as they too look similar-ish from the front (again, at a distance)

I suspect they might sell better than Octavias given that it ticks all the boxes the Octavia does with a lower pricetag and slightly lower running costs.

I suspect that if you drove them one after the other, as I did last weekend, that view may change. I guess, fundamentally that they are two cars that appear very similar externally but then quite a few cars do nowadays.

I suspect they might sell better than Octavias given that it ticks all the boxes the Octavia does with a lower pricetag and slightly lower running costs.

Woops, I should qualify that - I meant that they'd sell better to taxi firms

On that point, I've so far seen two Rapid taxis on my travels

Finally watched this video, considering Skoda aren't pretending it's a premium / performance car (as much as many here seem to have wanted it to be) that's not too shoddy!

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Did you see this too?

They seem to think it pushes out more than 105PS - I will try get mine dyno'd once its run in.

Did you see this too?

I'm guessing that guy doesn't get 50 MPG

I make that 0-70mph in about 11 seconds (ish) ? That's plenty quick enough for a practical car!

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Make it 9 ish secs to 100km/h

Nice

I'll have to run some V-Box tests when I get mine.

I'm always suspicious they are done downhill.

It's over 10 seconds in the brochure.

Mike Wrightson (or some such name in Fabia II) has a Monte Carlo and it spat out 122bhp from his 105 tsi!

The magazine which did this test claim it was not downhill, but they are suspicious themselves that the car has 105BHP stock. Either they come like that or the test cars were chipped.

Well, 70% of people have been needlessly cynical of the Rapid thus far :wonder:

I'd guess most are 115bhp +

Well, 70% of people have been needlessly cynical of the Rapid thus far :wonder:

I think people set their expectations inappropriately high once the model name was announced and when they realised it wasn't going to be a 'hot hatch' decided up front they'd hate it on launch.

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Well, 70% of people have been needlessly cynical of the Rapid thus far :wonder:

When it came out I thought it was carp.

But then I also thought it was an overpriced Fabia with a boot stuck on, combined by stingy spec and overpriced oddly matched extras.

Third headrest with your spare wheel? WTF?

Having had a good look round a couple I've warmed to it.

I particularly like the side profile.

Now I know it's not a Fabia (which is based on a 14 plus year old chassis), the prices are flexible and the spec has improved it makes a lot more sense.

It's a shame Skoda UK were so tight on the original spec, options and pricing as this did put people off.

Now there are deals to be done, individual options so you can get what you want and it seems to be a decent ride the number selling is increasing...

You just have accept it's not a dynamic package, it's a working family car or a tool for private hire drivers so Skoda don't lose out on sales as the Octy3 gets too big and expensive for them.

When it came out I thought it was carp.

But then I also thought it was an overpriced Fabia with a boot stuck on, combined by stingy spec and overpriced oddly matched extras.

Third headrest with your spare wheel? WTF?

Having had a good look round a couple I've warmed to it.

I particularly like the side profile.

Now I know it's not a Fabia (which is based on a 14 plus year old chassis), the prices are flexible and the spec has improved it makes a lot more sense.

It's a shame Skoda UK were so tight on the original spec, options and pricing as this did put people off.

Now there are deals to be done, individual options so you can get what you want and it seems to be a decent ride the number selling is increasing...

You just have accept it's not a dynamic package, it's a working family car or a tool for private hire drivers so Skoda don't lose out on sales as the Octy3 gets too big and expensive for them.

In some ways, I haven't a clue why on Earth I bought one. They're nice, but they're unremarkable, sort of like a Mitsubishi Carisma.

I think the front profile is nice, it's aggressive. I saw an old couple drive away in a '13 plate Fabia in silver, and the chrome grille and badge makes them look totally drab in plain colours. Like plain fried rice.

What you say about the option packages is totally true. I said in another post, I was lucky because I ordered before the necessity of those stupid packages. According to the catalogue, if I ordered an centre armrest, I was also obliged to have a door 'bin', boots nets, blah, blah, blah.... I said 'I don't want any of that (****) but the armrest!' I wanted climatronic, why the flying fudge do I also apparently want rear sunset glass with it??!?!?! What a con.

Anyway, that said, I think the equipment you now get with the new spec SE is pretty good, and even S spec (which I had my test drive in) was pretty decent.

I should say also that I've never seen an advert of any medium yet for the Rapid. Radio, internet, TV, never.

I also think it has been completely and utterly overshadowed by the launch of the Octavia. Which will probably sell better - I did consider buying an S spec Octavia for the same price as my Rapid, but I only would've got a £500 deposit contribution over £1000, and also, the higher tax band of the 105PS TSI was a bit of a deciding factor.

In the end, the Rapid is, I maintain, decent value for money, even if you pay full price for it, equipped with reassuring VAG technology, a decent drive, excellent practicality and you're not paying ludicrous Volkswagen marque prices for what is (as anybody ever since VAG bought Skoda will tell you) basically a VW car.

sort of like a Mitsubishi Carisma.

Now that is the magnum opus of ironically named products :-)

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Now that is the magnum opus of ironically named products :-)

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THE most comfortable seats of any car I have sat in to date. If anybody DARES contest it, so help me.

Terrible name, you're right point out xD

He's wearing gloves like Clio man ........