Hoodey,

 

tried the following request on the 'Auto Test' forum or some such but clearly they're not as 'down' as the Octy boyz in da MkIII 'hood so let's give this bad boy a run-up-the-flag-pole-and-see-if-anybody-salutes kinda try:

 

...Only been on here a month or two whilst waiting for my Octavia vRS on the 1st March    but getting the gist of how things work on here. My enthusiasm for my new car has rubbed off on a friend who's now thinking of a new replacement for her Focus 1.6 diesel and heard me bang-on about mine so she's had a look at the Rapid Spaceback which the salesperson steered her towards. So, I'd value the opinions of you guys (non gender specific ) as likely to be a bit more objective than from the specific Rapid forum who are likely to be a tad more subjective methinks.

 

What cars are popular and what's not has been off my radar for many years so:

 

Which Rapid to avoid? Are they as popular as the MK3 Octavia? What sort of reputation do they have and what to avoid and what sort of deal can she expect etc. etc. Blah, blah, blah. She wants similar size and probably does 12k miles pa mixed driving and has a 12-year old. I will be scouring the Rapid forum as well as other sources but this is my preferred starting point and I'd value your opinions!

 

innit...

Rapid spaceback 1.2tsi has been compared to rapid spacrback 1.6 tdi (same power output of 105 bhp both) in the last Autobild magazine here. They say go for the TSI anytime.

Also a friend of mine bought 1.2tsi rapid and is very happy with it for city driving. Also have in mind the lower quality of soundproofing in the rapid

I think in your case with 12k miles p.a. is still not enough to justify the diesel. Hope this helps!

I had the spaceback 1.2 TSI for 24 hours whilst my octavia VRS was in. It wasn't bad at all, and really liked the panoramic roof. But it didn't have the premium feel I seem to get with my octavia. The gearbox I thought was not particularly good at all though, very notchy. 

 

But it wasn't a bad drive, felt just like my parents Fabia TBH.

I have an Octy 3 VRS and my partner has a Rapid 1.6 TDI SE, and the Rapid definitely feels lower rent, harder plastics all round, some of the niceties you expect are missing. I've heard that the Spaceback is slightly better in that regard, but I did poke my head into one in the showroom and it didn't seem any different.

Having said that, I did pay nearly twice as much for mine, so you'd expect it to be a little plusher!

Many thanks for the opinions