GdayBruce

Thanks for very much for your reply - leans me further towards the Rapid. I notice you have the Monte Carlo. A couple of questions about it 1. do you think it's value for money? 2. what's your favourite features of it? 3. how did the panoramic roof go in an Australian summer? 4. did you buy the Tech Pack? cheers!

Looking at replacing my worn-out (235,000km and A$2,400 in repairs in the last month!) 2000 Holden (Vauxhall) Astra. Wife has a gorgeous 2012 Opel (Vauxhall) Astra GTC as primary transport for us, so I'm looking complement it with a sort of utilitarian family hack, with good cargo room, good economy, decent equipment and something I'm going to enjoy driving around town and on the occasional long drive by myself (which isn't the same as wanting an all-out drivers' car). Skoda ticks the boxes nicely, but it's nowhere near as established in Australia as in the UK (only sells about 4,000 per year). I'd ideally like more room than the Astra, which rules out the Fabia hatch. Start looking at the wagon, though, and it comes up against the Rapid Spaceback (Rapid sedan isn't sold here) with the same maximum space with the rear seats down... Note that (a) rear legroom is nice but not vital - we're both retired (b) I intend to keep the car for 12-15 years/220,000 km so depreciation isn't a major concern (c) I want a manual. Fabia Wagon Plus: Newer design Skoda sells more of them so probably better spares backup. Better reviews than the Spaceback More bells and whistles available Minus: 66TSI engine standard - only way to get the 81 is with DSG. Is it underpowered with the base engine, especially for cross-country driving? Rapid Spaceback: More internal room *** big one*** 81STI engine plus six-speed base engine (minor) to me looks less like a mini car Minus: Is the ride and handling worse than the Fabia? In particular can it handle the extra power? Hardly anyone's heard of them. Are the seats still worse than the Fabias? I've considered and rejected the Monte Carlo versions - for me they're wildly overpriced (c. $A4,000) for what they offer and the included panoramic sunroof is about as useful as a chocolate teapot in an Australian summer, though I'd love the sports seats in the Spaceback :-) My impression of a lot of the criticism of the Rapid is that it's being compared with other more sophisticated mid-range cars whereas it's better considered a long-wheelbase Fabia and priced accordingly. Fully optioned up (Sports Packs 1 and 2) the Fabia wagon list is $21,240, Spaceback with Image Pack (gives equipment between the two Fabia sports packs) $20,890. Any thoughts?

<delurk> I live in Canberra, Australia's national capital and the country's only large inland city (c. 400,000). Got interested in Skodas following a trip to the UK in 2015 where I had a Fabia II as a hire car - had a decent test drive (3,300 miles in 26 days!) and despite lack of power and equipment in base form loved it. So it seemed a brand worth looking at as a new car and has ended up lead contender. While having very deep Australian roots (first ancestor came to Australia in 1801 - one of my at latest count seven ancestors who were chosen by the finest judges in England ;-) ) I see the UK as my second home, having lived there (Hatfield Herts) 1980-82, having numerous friends from visits back and having a partner from Manchester. This seemed to be the best source of Skoda information, at least in English, that I could find. Look forward to chatting!