Expect to see a level boot floor option on the spaceback as previewed here on the Rapid Sport:

why? how is the boot on the UK Rapids?

mine (Greek) is level as in the pics, minus the nice decorative chrome bars...

why? how is the boot on the UK Rapids?

mine (Greek) is level as in the pics, minus the nice decorative chrome bars...

Really? There is no boot lip and you can just slide stuff straight in?

Have they done that by lowering the boot lip or raising the boot floor? *confused*

I must pay more attention to the layout of mine next time I open the boot

On the Yeti and Octavia the raised boot floor (to do as described above) as an option. It is not standard.

Really? There is no boot lip and you can just slide stuff straight in?

Sorry for the confusion i caused RapidRonnie...

i didn't get your point at the first time.

No, it's not level in the sense you are describing (not as shown in the pics).

i thought you meant that the inner part of the boot is level, like there is no hole for a spare wheel etc.

to set it correctly, the boot is NOT at the same level as the rear bumper. there is small step where the triangle is fitted.

sorry for the misunderstanding guys

Must say I rather like the idea of this - a Golf-size car that isn't too wide to fit in my garage

 

It would also be nice to see it with the 1.4 TSi engine and manual transmission - the 1.2 TSi, while a good engine, seems a bit undercooked for a car of this size.

The 1.2 105PS is fine, I'll admit though that the 1.4 with manual would have turned my head.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

Must say I rather like the idea of this - a Golf-size car that isn't too wide to fit in my garage

 

It would also be nice to see it with the 1.4 TSi engine and manual transmission - the 1.2 TSi, while a good engine, seems a bit undercooked for a car of this size.

I find the 86PS 1.2 to be really rather quick around town. It occasionally struggles up steep hills but one thing I miss from the 1.6 Felicia is the ability to pull well in any gear at more or less any rpm, as the TSI struggles to accelerate unless you're in a lower gear. Be concious about the gears and you'd genuinely never believe you were driving a 1.2 with 86PS.

Actually I have a SEAT Ibiza with the 105 PS TSi engine and agree it's fine. As long as the engine's spinning above 1500 rpm it pulls like a train. However the 122 PS 1.4 would be nice to have in a Spaceback (or SEAT equivalent), given that I am constrained more by garage width than budget :p

The Rapid weighs so little though - 1100kg or less iirc so it is pulled along with relative ease even with the 86bhp.

 

Never found mine wanting, and gave good legs to vrsrs in his MK1 Fabia vRS

The 1.2 TSI actually feels nippier than the 1.4 TSI in my experience. I regularly drive both, the 1.2 is a little lethargic in first gear but as soon as you're in second the turbo spools up and surges you forward. The 1.4 on the other hand delivers its power a lot more smoothly and you need to be pushing hard in third/ fourth to feel the boost. Its only on the motorway that the 1.4 feels stronger. 

The 1.2 TSI actually feels nippier than the 1.4 TSI in my experience. I regularly drive both, the 1.2 is a little lethargic in first gear but as soon as you're in second the turbo spools up and surges you forward. The 1.4 on the other hand delivers its power a lot more smoothly and you need to be pushing hard in third/ fourth to feel the boost. Its only on the motorway that the 1.4 feels stronger. 

I think it's tuned down with power in 1st to avoid wheel spin, I think Ronnie might know more on why it's not as nippy in first for that reason. 

 

I think the 1.2 TSI is a really flexible engine once its spinning freely. We find the 105 DSG in my mums Roomster really good considering the weight of the car with 4 adults on long and short journeys. 

The facebook leaks have started:

 

Seems that the Autobild photoshop is going to be pretty accurate with the black area below the rear window glass e.t.c.

 

Someone else's photoshop based on the recent spy shots:

 

 

Seems that the Autobild photoshop is going to be pretty accurate with the black area below the rear window glass e.t.c.

 

 

Kinda looks like a facelift of the old Volvo V40 to me.

 

Some more mule pics here:

http://www.carscoops.com/2013/07/spied-skoda-cheekily-disguises-new.html

 

 

 

 

That's looking a bit better but it's hard to gauge while it's "disguised". I'm still not sure on the logic of it having a smaller boot than the liftback, but hey, if this is aimed at the UK market it may well work considering most people here buy hatchbacks with stupidly undersized boots (as a result of virtually no overhang) because it's "more practical than a saloon"

While the current Rapid is a clever piece of design, I would say it offers more boot space than most buyers will ever need. The Sportback nicely fills a gap in the Skoda range between the Fabia (small for a supermini) and the Octavia (big for a Golf-class car). I can see the SEAT equivalent treading on the Leon's toes, though.

Easier to park, better rear visibility and more rear seat headroom. It's personal preference. I for one am very interested.

I like the look of this Rapid spaceback, but I wont be in the market for a new car until September 2014 at the earliest by which time we should have a new Fabia estate as well!!

Still in two minds about this. It just seems to be slightly bigger than a Fabia but slightly smaller than a Fabia Estate. Where the hell will it sit in the market? 

Still in two minds about this. It just seems to be slightly bigger than a Fabia but slightly smaller than a Fabia Estate. Where the hell will it sit in the market? 

 

 A lot of Skodas are slightly off-sized.. Like the Octy which competes in the Golf class on price but is a lot bigger, Superb in the Passat class but bigger..

 

This is closer to Golf sized but will be slightly bigger and cheaper. I guess it will be very similar in length to the A3 Sportback.

^^^ Agreed.

 

If the Rapid Spaceback is smaller than a Fabia Estate then I would agree that it would have a very weird place 'in the market', I can't imagine it will be anything other than slightly bigger than a Fabia Estate.

 

There's a Mk2 Fabia estate that parks outside my work building, I'll see if I can park next to it one day and get an idea for the 'real world' difference in size and where the apparently shorter Spaceback would fit in between.