I agree, compared to anything out there it sounds a good buy. Who cares what platform its built on, as long as it drives well and is decently priced. Someone told me my Roomster has old fashioned technology and that his brand new Polo is more up to date.... so friggin what, your Polos still dull as pondwater!

I agree, compared to anything out there it sounds a good buy. Who cares what platform its built on, as long as it drives well and is decently priced. Someone told me my Roomster has old fashioned technology and that his brand new Polo is more up to date.... so friggin what, your Polos still dull as pondwater!

Dull it might be but it will still have a better residual value after 3 years than a Roomster or Fabia and possibly most low end Octavias too.

So, if I wanted decent residuals I wouldnt buy new.... buying new cars is a mugs game and I freely admit to wasting thousands on them over the years! Oh and no, I cant really afford it either.

How can you say it is going to need large discounts without having seen either the UK pricelist or specs?

Beginning to think some people had decided to dislike this car before it was even released.

It's not harsh at all.

One of my local dealers is advertising Octys from £11k. It is reported that the Rapid will be from £12k. Do you honestly expect a basic S spec Rapid to have more kit than the most basic Octy? Ditto the recent £10k models but weren't they SE spec. They may have had the old 1.6 engine but you even posted yourself that you expect the Rapid to start with the 1.2 HTP 75 engine. Is that realistically much better? Even if it doesn't what's the next choice? Carry over the 80hp 1.4 from the octy or straight in with the 1.2 tsi? I personally doubt the basic model will be a tsi. Vauxhall are knocking out new but not quite current model zafiras for 10k. That's a lot of very practical car for the money, the Nissan Juke is advertised from £12k if you want something not as practical and slightly more interesting. I'm struggling to see how the Rapid will blow away the competition. It will need to be very special. I think that assessment is fair not harsh.

If I was going to be harsh I would say its a ******* saloon! Saloons don't sell in this country, this is not a car for the uk, you're wasting your time. How many big booted jettas do you see compared to the hatchback golf? So I think this is a European car not really for Britain. Also doesn't make much sense in the skoda line up, all the cars are practical for their class, what does the Rapid offer? Unlike the SEAT line-up where actually it fits, in amongst a number of not terribly practical hatchbacks. So there. That's harsh.

It's not a saloon though.

The base engine is the HTP but it's not certain that will come to the UK. The next engine up will be the 85BHP TSI which is light years ahead of the old 1.4 and 1.6-16v petrols.

Let's wait and see what the prices are, but the cheapest Polos with the TSI and 1.6TDI engines are around £16,000.

It's not a saloon though.

The base engine is the HTP but it's not certain that will come to the UK. The next engine up will be the 85BHP TSI which is light years ahead of the old 1.4 and 1.6-16v petrols.

Let's wait and see what the prices are, but the cheapest Polos with the TSI and 1.6TDI engines are around £16,000.

I said I was being very harsh. When the renderings started coming it looked like a saloon and even after finding out it wasn't, it still looks like one to me and the public will be surprised to find out its a hatch.

On price, the cheapest octy tsi is £14k but what's the discounts? No vat, £500 deposit and 3 yrs servicing. Which brings it in well under £12k. How can the Rapid compete against that? Without more of the same sort of discounts on its own range. I don't know how they're going to do it, the Roomster and the Yeti had a definite place, a purpose.

No VAT seems a permanent feature now which may cause trouble in the longer term. How do you ever remove that sort of now blanket incentive without alienating your customers?

The other thing is will they take the opportunity of upping the price of the new Octavia to provide the price gap for the Rapid to fill?

The other thing is will they take the opportunity of upping the price of the new Octavia to provide the price gap for the Rapid to fill?

I think that is exactly what will happen, yes.... as the next Octavia will be bigger.

The current Octavia looks very good value at the moment indeed, but that is only because they are flogging off the old stock before the new one arrives at the end of the year.

The Rapid is a hatchback. I will wait and see the price of the 1.4TSI dsg Elegance and the ride is all important for me too.

Needs to be £3k less than a tsi dsg Octavia Elegance and offer similar spec.

As for Zafira. The fastest depreciating car on sale in the uk. Poor reliability, given up on life image and loads unsold are the reasons why.

Cheers

Lee

They would have been better to launch the Rapid and the Octavia 3 at the same time, then it would fit in the range better, as it is it competes with Fabias and discounted Octavia s .The reviews I have read say this car is back to basics, well at that price it is not,the 1st new car my Dad could afford( God rest his soul) was an Estelle , he bought 3 from new in the end , they were the price new of a 5 year old British car at the time, some of the cars he had before, Ford Zephyr and Vauxhall Cresta and Morris 1100 had 7 owners before . They had so little equipment that the line up was basic , some had reclining seats and a vinyl roof. I remember my dad laughing when he came back from ordering the second one as a bloke was pestered into getting the model spec above as it had plastic wheel covers over the central parts of the wheel instead of a cone over the wheel bearing . So my dad bought the bottom spec and bought the covers after . He even painted silver part of them to look like Rostyles!

Evening Star..... the Duster might well be ugly, but that Kia youre looking at is indeed uglier. The Yeti is about the only half decent looking SUV thingy out there.

You must e having a laugh....The Kia sportage is one of the best looking SUV's on the market. I considered one but the auto has terrible fuel consumption and is old tech. The manual is a viable option but i prefer autos. The yeti is a great car but looks like the pope mobile, no way near as stylish as the kia. Just my opinion but i think more people would agree the sportage is better looking than a yeti.