I accidentally bought a Rapid

[RapidRonnie]

Well I know this is a bit taboo around these parts, but it's time for me to come out as a Rapid buyer...

I wasn't really planning to get a new car until later in the year and it was probably going to be a Citigo Sport but I came across an ex-demo Rapid 1.2 TSI (86) SE with loads of options for a bargain price and negotiated a part-ex price for my Roomster which I was happy with.

The initial showroom/demo cars indeed did look very (too) expensive at list price, especially the diesels, but the advantage of this is that there are now a fair few nicely specced cars on the market at a decent price. I fully agree that I wouldn't pay anywhere close to UK list price for a Rapid, but I think for the price I paid it is a bit of a bargian. For not much more than a 5 door Citigo Sport I have got more spec, more size and more power from the Rapid.

It's white with Amundsen sat nav, climate control, heated sports seats, rear parking sensors, 17" wheels + spare, sunset glass and reversible boot floor.

Picking it up Sunday and have a 200 mile drive home so should have some more views and photos of it to share early next week.

I have really enjoyed my Roomster but am looking forward to a more modern engine and more toys to play with.

[BossFox]

It does seem fashionable to knock them, but funny pricing of car and options aside I think they are quite a good medium size car for people not into sporty models.

A good tool for the job of daily use.

If you have removed the pricing issue then it's a lot of car for the money.

[The Plumber]

Pleased to hear you have a Rapid, sounds a great spec too and with the excellent TSI motor. Look forward to your review and pics with interest :yes:

TP

[RapidRonnie]

Pleased to hear you have a Rapid, sounds a great spec too and with the excellent TSI motor. Look forward to your review and pics with interest :yes:

TP

Thanks

How are you finding the latest TSI? I know you had a few problems with the first after the turbo shim?

[Raf_]

I only knock them coz no one's brought one yet lol

Please give some updates over the first few months of ownership so we know what they're like

Sent from my Galaxy S3, not a Crapple!

[Dr Zoidberg]

Sounds good. Pics will be good!

[The Plumber]

Thanks

How are you finding the latest TSI? I know you had a few problems with the first after the turbo shim?

Believe the current TSI in the Fabia has been much modified from when our first Elegance TSI was built and touching wood the Monte TSI appears to be much smoother and with little if any lag. The Monte's sport suspension also feels better than the standard set-up, although yet to really run it on the 17" alloys, as we went to 15" winters within 100 miles of ownership.

Only disappointment is fuel consumption, which as before is in the low 40's despite not being lead footed. Overall very pleased with the Monte although a Rapid would have been nice maybe if it had been available a couple of months earlier and at a more reasonable price from the off.

Interesting to have feedback on the mpg of the Rapid as it looks like it could be better, along with the reduced RFL to the Fabia installation.

TP

[kevberlin]

Hope you enjoy your new car. I took another look at the weekend when attending the launch of the Octavia. With sensible head on, I suspect you've picked up a real good bargain. Don't forget to update on the engine.

Kev

[RapidRonnie]

Interesting to have feedback on the mpg of the Rapid as it looks like it could be better, along with the reduced RFL to the Fabia installation.

The drag coef. on the Rapid is pretty good and it's not heavy either (about 75kg less than my Roomster) so hoping I'll be bettering that in terms of MPG. The RFL will be £170 per year less than the Roomster as it just sneaks in under 120g/km CO2.

[The Plumber]

The drag coef. on the Rapid is pretty good and it's not heavy either (about 75kg less than my Roomster) so hoping I'll be bettering that in terms of MPG. The RFL will be £170 per year less than the Roomster as it just sneaks in under 120g/km CO2.

Our Fabia TSI 86 is frustratingly 121 on the CO2 Wish Skoda had been able to squeeze it down just a little more.

Anyway I'm sure you will enjoy the little Skoda TSI after the old VW 1.6

TP

[J400uk]

Sounds like a good spec, will be interested to hear how you get on.

I'm surprised how rude some members have been on here about the Rapid. I think it seems like a decent value car. Far prefer it to the Octavia MK2 which is ugly, old-fashioned and just looks like a glorified minicab. The Rapid is a handsome and practical little motor, and when its loaded to the hill with kit becomes very appealing.

[RapidRonnie]

A quick initial review for now, will keep updated on my ownership experiences with the Rapid as time goes on...

We picked it up yesterday afternoon after finding the little dealership in the middle of nowhere 200 miles away from home. It was parked outside the showroom and looked great despite it being a very grey day. Was spotless inside and out although the valeter had overdone it a little with the shiny cleaning spray I think, but hopefully that will wear off over time.

After doing the paperwork we set off for a quick pub lunch before the long drive home.

Now, you have to bare in mind I was coming from a 5 year old Roomster with the old-tech 1.6 petrol engine, and that I have been quite enthusiastic about the Rapid from launch despite the apparantly popular criticsm on here but I have to say that thus far the Rapid has exceeded my expectations. I was expecting it to be like a longer Fabia/Roomster with a better engine but really feel it is a step up from these two in most areas. The biggest difference is obviously the engine which feels light years ahead of the old 1.6 in all areas; driveability, refinement, economy...

I felt the overall refinement was also an improvement in the Rapid over the Roomster. Despite riding on 17in wheels vs. 16 in the Roomster the ride is pretty good (less crashy than the Roomster), road and wind noise are also notably lower and there were no rattles or squeaks to be heard.

I know the dashboard is all hard plastic, but as others have pointed out you don't drive around feeling the dashboard. The bits you do touch and feel are all pleasant enough and in my opinion the dash looks nice. A bit like a junior Superb.

MPG on the way home was indicated 43.6 which was about 7mpg more than we achieved in the Roomster on the way up. I realise that is nowhere near the official figures but was pretty happy with that nonetheless as we really weren't trying for economy...

You wouldn't call the Rapid really fast, at least not with this engine - you don't get shoved into the seat backs but there is a nice surge of torque once you get into second gear and the motor spins so nicely it just begs to be revved. It keeps the car bowling along so effortlessly and quietly at motorway speeds, it's just really pleasant!

Handling seems pretty decent too. The car mags seem to have given mixed reviews in this regard but I think this one with the light engine up front and nice wide tyres is probably the best combination. It certainly feels a lot lighter and more nimble than my old Octavia1 did, and seemed to grip well enough too but will report back on that some more when I've driven on some more familiar roads.

And about 10 miles into the journey home we saw... another white Rapid. Common as muck!

A few more points in summary

- The climate control and sat nav really lift the look of the interior

- DAB reception is very good, even down here in Cornwall

- If I had to chose I would like to have had the front fog lights, front centre armrest and steering wheel controls for the stereo/phone but can live without them given it had almost all the options I wanted

- Some hooks or dividers in the boot would be nice, although the reversible boot floor is a great idea

- Space in the rear is excellent (much better than the Octy 1) given the overall length of the vehicle and the boot space

- Headlights are excellent compared to the Fabia/Roomster. Makes night driving a lot more comfortable

- One area it can't compete with the Roomster is visibility out of the car (I'm gonna have to get used to the parking sensors!)

Edited 25 March, 2013 by OctaviaT81

[J400uk]

Nice review, yours looks awesome! I reckon these fully loaded launch cars will be quite sought after on the used market in a few years.

I've been out in a Rapid and been inside the new Toledo, agree practicality is very much their strong point. In terms of interior quality I'm used to Audi standards but the Rapid in no way feels cheap. The Nav, Climatronic and Maxidot really lift the interior and make it feel very sophisticated and grown up.

Just a question on the parking sensors, do they show up on the Amundsen display when reversing?

[RapidRonnie]

Just a question on the parking sensors, do they show up on the Amundsen display when reversing?

Yes, they do.

[dieselV6]

Nice review. If Skoda puts 2.0CR in the Rapid, (making it more rapid ), I might buy it. Hopefully by then SUK prices will be more in line with Europe and I won't have to import it, as it'll be a win on power/range and with enough legroom and boot space for long trips. I will be tempted to put standard 205/55/16 tyres though (15mm taller) and hope wheel wells are large enough

The headlights appear much better because they are reflector style, not projector, and genuinely put close to double the projector's light on the road. This is good news as long as halogen ones are good enough. If after a while you decide they're too dark, it is bad news as HID conversion will result in glare and really should not be an option.

Would you be able to check one thing for me? In the Service Schedule booklet supplied with your Rapid, do you have a list of jobs that Inspection Service entails? Or does it just list oil service interval and inspection service interval like Octavia 3 does?

[RapidRonnie]

Would you be able to check one thing for me? In the Service Schedule booklet supplied with your Rapid, do you have a list of jobs that Inspection Service entails? Or does it just list oil service interval and inspection service interval like Octavia 3 does?

PM sent.

[dieselV6]

PM replied

[bluecar1]

ok,

we have a live one at last , it will be interesting to see what you make of it over time

44mpg is not bad for a tight engine, will probably get nearer to 50mpg in 5-10k, what's the mileage on the clock so far?

[RapidRonnie]

Just over 3000 miles. Seem to be getting about 5-10MPG more than the Roomster in daily life so far which I am pretty happy with given that it's a nicer performing engine too. Will be interesting to see what I get on a longer cruisy A/B road run. Sunday's drive was mostly high speed dual carriageway/motorway.

[The Plumber]

Thanks for the interesting review and the Rapid looks great in the white

Enjoy,

TP

[Coops]

Looks really smart OctaviaT81, thanks for the review. (you're gonna have to change that username now?!)

As I have said in the past once the public get to see them more and SUK review the pricing, it will be a good model for Skoda. Could certainly tempt some drivers away from Golf & Jetta - I don't doubt that it will end up on a many a lease companies car listing for company car users - a well spec'd Rapid vs lower spec'd Octavia perhaps?

Be interested to see some shots of the rear space eg leg room to see how it compares to others.

[littleade]

Great to see you're enjoying your new car. I personally like the front grill better than the Octy III! I think one of the reasons it didn't get a positive response on launch was because the octy II was being heavily discounted at the time, so now that's more or less finished and the new (bigger) mk III becomes the only new Octy available at a higher price, making the Rapid more appealing to those who don't want a bigger/pricier Octy.

Look forward to hearing more as you clock up more miles

[stokey]

I must admit the Rapid is growing on me again, I love the exterior looks was just disappointed with price, equipment and dashboard quality. The attractively priced and and very well equipped nearly new ones fix two of my dislikes. I'd like to see an Elegance with ivory interior as I think the colour of the plastic plays a big part, the Toledo with it's lighter coloured dash looks much better IMHO. I felt the same about the mk 1 furby, liking the dashes in the 2 Comforts than in the 2 vRS's I owned.

[kevberlin]

I must admit the Rapid is growing on me again, I love the exterior looks was just disappointed with price, equipment and dashboard quality. The attractively priced and and very well equipped nearly new ones fix two of my dislikes. I'd like to see an Elegance with ivory interior as I think the colour of the plastic plays a big part, the Toledo with it's lighter coloured dash looks much better IMHO. I felt the same about the mk 1 furby, liking the dashes in the 2 Comforts than in the 2 vRS's I owned.

Must say I go along with the above.

Like it in white. It looks very smart. I agree that fog lights would be a great addition. Good and interesting review. Enjoy your car.

[RapidRonnie]

Personally like dark interiors but others are available in CZ, although don't think you can get all of them in the UK.

To anyone that's still not sure about the Rapid I'd urge you take one for a drive. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, particularly if you're coming from a Fabia/Roomster as I was.