POLL - Rapid VRs - (Hoping Skoda see this)

[RapidRonnie]

That dash is nasty compared to the current offerings from skoda and others.

Thing is, the car is priced too highly for a cheapy dash to be acceptable.

If it was a £6k-9k car, then you'd let it go, but it's not.

What planet are you living on where you can buy a comparable car for £6k?

[No.733]

Listen chaps, on a forum this size remember one thing... you never know who's reading. Unless you've met them yourself, anybody could be behind a username.

I happen to know that the Rapid is an excellent car as it is, and an ideal base for a vRS version. No, the dashboard isn't mega fancy, but that's not Skoda's way. At least it's easy to understand, logical and miles easier to use than in some comparable hatches. As a daily driver the standard Rapid will take some beating, especially when the basic model is going to cost less than £13k.

I also happen to know that the UK is one of the top two markets in Europe for vRS cars, so if they WERE to build a Rapid vRS, it WOULD come here. My money, not that it has to mean anything to anybody here if they don't want it to, is on a Rapid vRS coming along some time in 2014.

As for a 'hot' Citigo... expect a styling exercise rather than a power hike.

[cheezemonkhai]

As for a 'hot' Citigo... expect a styling exercise rather than a power hike.

That's ok, skoda don't need to hike the Citigo, 'somebody' is already doing that on here

Oh and yes, he is as mad as a box of frogs

[cheezemonkhai]

What planet are you living on where you can buy a comparable car for £6k?

Who said comparable.

What I said, was that a cheap plastic dash was acceptable on a cheap car.

Look at the outgoing Yaris. Cheap plastic on a reasonable looking dash. Not an expensive car on the base models.

It's also often slated for it's nasty dash.

If you want to use cheap materials, then you need to price your car to suite. 14k for a 1.2TSI isn't a cheap car IMHO

IIRC it starts at 12k and goes upwards.

The French makers always get slated for material quality, even on their low end cheap cars, but if skoda do it, then it's ok?

At the end of the day, it doesn't make it a bad car, just IMHO a car that's priced above the real point.

If you want to dig the 6-9k apart then fine, but for a small family car, look to the focus. That's a shade under £14k (RRP) for a similar vehicle and they have still got a decent quality of materials. It's still got independent rear suspension too, which is expensive to make compared to a rear torsion bar system.

A new kia C'eed is similarly priced, but that's got a 7 year warranty, so makes more sense to somebody after a cheap to own car.

Compare it to the focus and you very quickly realise that skoda is no longer a true value brand, but more of a value VAG.

It's cheap compared to an Audi or VW, but then they are not inexpensive to start with. It's also quite obvious where skoda have to make cost savings against the more premium marques in the group.

So is the Rapid a good car, I don't know.

Is it the value car it was back in the days of the Felicia, MK I Octy etc? No.

They've shaken the it's a skoda joke and are now pricing to match that.

At the end of the day, if the rapid started with the base model at say £8995 and the range topped out with a top model at £14995, you would let the little details in quality feel slip. However it doesn't sit in that price band.

Just MHO, but if the European car companies think they can price it high and spec it low, they're going to have one heck of a shock once the chinese or other eastern companies get their acts together. Ditto for the Russians.

Edited 10 August, 2012 by cheezemonkhai

[Leon-y-k]

Cheeze - Have we had confirmation on what it'll be really priced at yet?

It's all about more car space for your money, you can see it's a budget saloon, but you hardly get a good list of spec in a £13995 Focus...to get the next one up is a huge jump in price £16200!

Kia again,prices ranging from £14395 for the basic entry-level 1.4 petrol Cee'd to £23795 for the high-end 1.6 GDI

Skoda will probably offer some sort of discount/ free servicing with their 80k/100k warranties too... so they are staying competitive

When you get to spec possibly an SE/ Budget Elegance thats where the bargains really come into play. With Skoda you're going to get a good range of equipment from SE up really...

I agree there are cheaper cars out there, but for something that is european and solid...the Chinese have a few years to catch up.

Kia I agree have also got great products, but they are a disposable brand. The same as the Japanese market you just buy it use it and dump it after 3 years.

With the rate Kia are going they will be like mobile phones out of date within a year because they are still catching up!

If Kia was to make a Rio with a boot and a wider track then it'll be as cheap as the Rapid, but the Rapid isn't directly competing for the Focus/Golf market.

Anyway I hope they do make a vRS because for all the MK1 Octy boys and girls it'll bring back the good value medium sized hot hatch!

[andy68]

2.0 TSi and proper gearbox, I could be interested, if it had S3 engine and 4WD. could put dash made out of old milk cartons in it for all I care.

[Octy0GG]

How come everyone seems to get so up tight about "hard" plastics, bemoaning the lack of "soft touch" ? Do you people drive around fondling your car interior or something? :wonder:

Yes good point, the current fascination with soft plastics will in retrospect be considered distinctly odd as will the assumption that soft =quality.

For me the real test of the quality of plastic is how it withstands the ravages of time and heat.

Too many older cars have cracks in plastic due to either wrong type of plastic or forms which encourage this - classic design fault internal corners acting as stress raisers.

Also the textures which can make such a diference to percived quality - will they last or will they be quickly worn away?

Showroom apeal is short lived, the real test is 5, 10, 15, 20 years and 200 000 miles down the line.

Of course the motoring press' laughable concept of what constitutes a long term test does not help here.

[Octy0GG]

Doesn't look uber cheap to be fair! it could look really cheap!

http://new.skoda-aut...2&Page=interior

The Chevrolet Cruze might look high tech, but it's still plastic.

Purely based on these pictures.

Impresions

Rapid: Grown up, restrained good taste.

Chevrolet: Trying too hard - may appeal to star wars fans, will date very quickly.

Remember these are only visual impressions - no idea how they feel, sound or smell - taste? well Im kind of assuming no one is going to eat their car.

[RapidRonnie]

Yes good point, the current fascination with soft plastics will in retrospect be considered distinctly odd as will the assumption that soft =quality.

For me the real test of the quality of plastic is how it withstands the ravages of time and heat.

Quite.

As Whatcar said: "However, despite the wide use of hard plastic and occasionally flimsy/flexible materials, the last thing the Rapid feels is cheap. It’s all well assembled, and we have no worries about the car’s future reliability."

I like the (usual for Skoda) clean and simple design of the dash. It looks like a step up from the Fabia/Roomster and the upper dash is also made of one piece so should hopefully avoid some of the buzzes and rattles the Fabia can suffer with.

The important things for me are the things you do touch and use - ie. steering wheels, handbrake, gear leaver, door pulls, the sound the doors make when they shut. For example the Citigo doesn't look expensive on the inside but it doesn't feel cheap either.

[sharkrider]

I have a fabia II vRS, and people who own octavia's tend to say how poorly built the fabia is compaired to the octy... how much it rattles ect ect ...

no I'll be the first to admit, my glovebox squeeks continuously (unless you hold it) I'm sure some people go back to the dealers 100 times to it "fixed" even if it means dismantleing and reassembling the dash ect ect ...

I don't care, I never hear it,as there would have to be something wrong with the media player , and as that works well (250gig of music) I never hear the squeek.... I DO however have a massive grin onmy face everytime I wring its neck down my fave road......

if they made a vRS rapid, I would certainly look at at .... or should I say "drive" it, as this is whats important to me in such a car....

I personally dont care if the dash squeeks and is made of hard plastic.... I'd buy a VW If I did (and spend alot more money in the process)

by the way the chevvy looks awful... like the focus interior... I dont like it.

[Thecko]

Chevy interior for some reason reminds me of a Civic my friend had (bought it about a year after they put that utterly absurd spoiler right in the visibility of the rear view mirror), it looked funky and interesting at first, but every time I saw it afterwards I had a growing impression that the designer had previously worked for Tomy.

[Thecko]

Yes good point, the current fascination with soft plastics will in retrospect be considered distinctly odd as will the assumption that soft =quality.

I remember my dad had a car with velour interior once. God knows what he was thinking.

[No.733]

Cheeze - Have we had confirmation on what it'll be really priced at yet?

Yes; like I said. The entry level n/a 1.2 will be £12,800. I'd expect the TSI turbocharged 1.2s to start at 14-ish. Which is a BARGAIN for the amount of car you get.

[KenONeill]

I said "yes diesel", but more because I want something a bit brawnier in the mid-range than the present reports indicate than because I specifically want a Carlos Fandango turbo nutter version.

[vRSsunroof]

I said Yes Petrol as i am becoming more and more a fan of the TSI range of engines. Especilly the 1.4 T and the 1.4 S+T.

all you people who are saying no to it becuase its going to be cheep and taccy so no point in doing a vRS are mental, If you have actually seen the car is real life then please tell me where..... as you can never tell how a car is really going to look from Pics, its artifical light which totally obscures the real look of any part of a car.

Im Completely holding judgement on the Rapid untill one turns up a the dealers, it sure is on my list of cars and if they sport one up a bit with a vRS version then it may rate higher.

For the purpose of this thread - Yes and i would prefer Petrol. if they made a Vrs and it looked good (i know im a tart) then i would consider putting an order in.

[alberg]

http://www.skoda-portal.de/2012/08/rapid-rs/

[lfc958]

http://www.skoda-por...12/08/rapid-rs/

Needs translation as It looks just like a journos view on it, no real meat.

[MartynVRS]

I've said before that the only parts of the inside of a car that need to feel good is the wheel, gear change and a good seat and that's it. Don't have a dashboard fetish. I've got one rattle down by my OBDII socket which I think is just the cover needing some foam behind it. Listening to music all the time anyway. Besides everyone loves the Renault RS cars but they are put together with spit and tissues.

As for a Rapid vRS I don't see why not. Not sure if I'd buy one and if I'm honest the over-enthusiastic woman at Goodwood put me off having a good look at it.

[ColinD]

A rapid Rapid... I can't possibly comment :p

[KenONeill]

I've said before that the only parts of the inside of a car that need to feel good is the wheel, gear change and a good seat and that's it. Don't have a dashboard fetish.

Likewise - The first (and only interior) mod I've made to my Octy (in 6.5 years) was to fit a leather steering wheel glove.

[blair77]

They have to build a Rapid vRS. The new Octavia is larger than the current version, hence any new Octy vRS will no longer be considered a hot hatch, creating a gap for the Rapid.

If it comes with the same engine and gearbox as the current Fabia vRS then Skoda will be onto a winner IMO. Can't see them making any new vRS diesel, it would be too boring compared to the 1.4 TSi unit.

[Theadamh123]

TBC

Edited 23 October, 2012 by Theadamh123

[Theadamh123]

I did some photoshopping, Hopefully it will look like this!

[allan1888]

They have to build a Rapid vRS. The new Octavia is larger than the current version, hence any new Octy vRS will no longer be considered a hot hatch, creating a gap for the Rapid.

If it comes with the same engine and gearbox as the current Fabia vRS then Skoda will be onto a winner IMO. Can't see them making any new vRS diesel, it would be too boring compared to the 1.4 TSi unit.

I would hope to god it wouldn't have the same engine as the current Fabia Vrs mainly due to the issues that it has.

[sharkrider]

I would buy it with the current fabia set up, but then I've had almost 40k of fault free motoring out of my vRS... no misfires, no fault codes, no oil usage....

There are many MORE good ones out there than bad ones... I did a poll a while back.. and thats only of forum members, most who come due to problems...