... at least they form part of my shortlist anyway, so I thought I'd ask on here to see what folks think of their cars, and whether you think it'll be worth me investigating this model further.

 

A bit of background might help where I'm coming from. I currently drive a 56plate Fabia PD100, which I've owned for around four years and do around 20,000 miles a year commuting between Sheffield and Nottingham. This is my first car, and was never intended to be used for the mileage I do currently, but a change in employment has resulted in that commute.

 

The car copes fine with the miles, so long as it's fed a regular supply of parts, but I don't cope well with spending so long in the car as it's not the most comfortable place to be, (leg aches and tiredness from driving are common) which bring me onto my search for a replacement.

 

I've been looking at cars that are cheap to run, with a longer wheelbase than my current Fabia (as I believe this will make it more comfortable than I'm used to on the motorway?), not too expensive to buy outright, (There's plenty of lowish mileage Rapids, and Toledos, floating around, 3yrs old for around £7.5-9k for a 1.6 TDI 105) and not massive (parking is fairly tight near my home, thanks to a pub, church, shops and a school all being in close proximity). The other plus for the Skoda is that I use a really good independent VW specialist for servicing/repairs where I get excellent service, for not too much money.

 

Anyway, I know I should test drive cars before choosing, but I'd like to be able to eliminate a few from my short (long) list before I annoy the hell out of some car sales folks, so any input will be much appreciated. There's also always the danger of everything being better than what I'm used to, and ending up making a bad decision based on lack of experience of what is actually considered good to drive/comfortable in this day and age!  :p

 

Other cars (up to 3yrs old) I've been looking at are the Honda Civic (worried about servicing/repair costs), Seat Leon (ones in my prince range seem fairly sparse on equipment/comfort stuff) and latest model Fabia (probably too rich for my blood as I'd want the 105ps diesel engine and probably not much different in terms of comfort to what I have when it all works fine). 

 

So, anyway, sorry I started to ramble. I've read through quite a lot of the thread here, but if your able to share your experience of your car, with reference to my situation, it'll be much appreciated. 

 

Thanks! 

2012 or 13 have poverty specs, rock hard suspension and are pretty poor.

Major improvements from MY14 on

Oh, ok. Rock hard suspension doesn't sound like the kind of thing I'm looking for.

That will probably rule out the Rapid for me, unless I can find a later one in my price range, I suppose :(

There was a light facelift for model year 2016 (effectively Q4 2015 onwards). Cosmetically not much changed (side indicators now on door mirrors was about as radical as it got) but a lot seems to have happened under the skin. The new TSi engines seem to be a big step forward. Don't know about the diesels.
I'm very happy with my DSG Rapid, which is a driving school car. It's a pleasant and comfy place to be for quite long periods of time, even on un-maintained, broken roads.

Good luck with your decision.

Suspension and steering improvements first arrived with the introduction of the Spaceback - late 13 in the UK - and were adopted by the hatchback at about the same time.

 

I test drove 13 and 14 Toledo's on 17's and the ride of the 14 was quite a lot  better. I just drove a 16 Spaceback and it seemed about the same as the newer of the Toledos.

 

In my experience then you'd probably find 2014 15 16 registered cars quite all right, although having driven both I also note that the heavier diesel rides worse than the petrol. It's also the roughest, gruffest modern diesel I've ever driven, IMHO well inferior to the older 1.9 you have now.

 

Certain factory OEM tyres are better than others too - the Dunlop SP Sportmaxx is widely regarded as noisy and uncomfortable (though admittedly long-lived) especially when worn, whereas the alternative OEM Continental and Bridgestone seem quieter and better riding.

 

So there you have it - buy a 14 or later plate TSi that isn't on Dunlops.

Edited 17 June, 201610 yr by camelspyyder

It depends why you find the Fabia uncomfortable, but the Rapid seats don't suit everyone; mine lack lumbar support but are certainly OK for a 2-3 hour drive.

 

Autotrader has (2014 or newer) 29 Rapid 28 Spaceback 8 Toledo in your price bracket

 

However it also has 61 Leons and 20 Golfs too, both much more modern cars which may appeal?

Edited 17 June, 201610 yr by camelspyyder

Thanks for all the info, it's much appreciated.

 

Petrol isn't really an option for me, I do the kind of trips that won't cause dpf issues as well, so that no problem. I like the torque and fuel economy of a diesel. I currently get about 55mpg from the Fabia, it used to get more. I'd probably change tyres for for Vector 4 Seasons as i have now or Crossclimates before long too, but it's good to know that may have a contributing factor on the ride quality. I think it's a combo of the driving position (the pedals and steering wheel seem off-centre), lack of support and general shaky/roughness of the ride, that are my main issues with my current car. It is getting on now though, so I suppose that's to be expected.

 

It sounds like I may need to look more towards Leons, Golfs and even give some other car brands more consideration, but I'll not write off taking a look at a Rapid, if a good deal surfaces.  

They are a lot of (old-fashioned but very spacious) car for the money, and I'm going to keep mine for a long time yet, but they're not for everyone.

 

The TSi 86 wouldn't be far off your 55mpg on that commute based on evidence of drivers on here, and the TSi 105 is a little thirstier than that. Some 105's (Skoda Greentech's and Toledos) get only £30 road tax and have stop-start too.

Edited 18 June, 201610 yr by camelspyyder

My14 rapid sport is a lovely car and serves us well. It is however for sale though as I have gone self employed. PM Me for details.

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I found my Toledo pretty comfortable and a step up from my Fabia II - you will notice the difference (but maybe avoid those early cars with harder ride). However, I suspect the front chassis is very similar to the Fabia III and new Polo so don't dismiss Fabia III, which is generally praised for its ride comfort (the Polo is supposed to be best of the three). I found the driving position better than Fabia II but not radically different and the seats are not that good, to be honest. The Toledo/Rapid have limited rearward travel on the front seats too. The Golf and Leon have the new chassis, are a class up for ride comfort and have better seats. Interestingly, I now commute in a Citigo and it has better seats, a softer ride and 55mpg plus (wouldn't want to be sitting in the back though!)

Thanks again for all the input. I guess I'll just need to try a test drive of one and see.

I wonder if a salesman will be desperate enough to let me sit in one for two hours to see if I get the same aches and pains my current car causes? :-)

It's good to hear it's a step up from the Fabian II also.

Well, in the end, I plumped for a 63 plate Seat Leon 1.6TDI SE, as after looking at all the alternatives, and weighing up the pros and cons, the Leon just seemed to suit me better (it also helped that I got a good deal!).

 

Thanks again for all your help and advice though. It turned out to be really useful. It may just have been the ones I tried, but you can really feel the difference in ride on the earlier Rapids.

If you can push to it, a Polo TDi would be a good option. Comfortable and really refined at motorway speeds and easy 60mpg on amotorway.

A polo isn't a viable rapid alternate is it? Certainly not if interior and boot space is the requirement. Having said that I prefer the rapid to the leon the OP chose for value and other reasons.

Just to add one or two thoughts to this thread in that I've gone from an Octy III SE 4x4 TDI 150 (63) to a Spaceback SE TSI 105 (14) and now have a Toledo I-TECH TDI 105 (15).

 

For me anyway I had to get rid of the Octy after only 6 months as it turned out to be the most uncomfortable car I've owned for driving position, which was down to a hard and un-supportive seat base and the noticeable offset foot peddles. This latter 'fault' also affects the latest Golf and Leon, so must be an MQB design issue, therefore sadly I cannot consider any of these cars.

 

With the Spaceback I found the driving position and sport seats in our example to be very good for all but the longest of journeys, although my brother didn't find the the seating to his liking on the couple of occasions I gave him a lift to the airport. Our car had the full 'Sport Pack' with 17" rims and Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres, albeit on standard suspension, which gave it a firm but reasonable ride on all but the poorest of roads (the Dunlop's did tend to be a bit noisy but appeared good in the wet). Handling wasn't too bad either, although it could understeer a bit if you went into a sharper bend with more speed than intended. The TSI was also a very nice motor matched to a 6 speed box but as I found fuel economy wasn't particularly good on cross country commutes involving quite a bit of up and down dale driving, hence the change to the TDI.

 

Toledo wise then its obviously very like the Spaceback but with a few subtle differences; the Seat spec alcantra seating appears to have more padding and support and provides for a relaxed hours drive to work. The ride of the 'notchback' on 16" rims with Bridgestone ER300 tyres seems a little softer but this makes it a little more 'bouncy' despite the weight of the diesel motor (Bridgestones are even nosier than the Dunlops). However the handling is overall good for a small family saloon shaped car. The TDI appears fairly quite which I take to be down to both a full engine cover and bonnet insulating blanket. It doesn't have the willingness of the TSI but still pulls very well and generally seems smooth, although I have had occasions of vibration though the peddles and stick while accelerating fairly hard in 4th and its not so happy at town speeds with an occasional 'thump' from the engine when lifting off, or applying pressure to the accelerator. Economy so far seems to be a big improvement over the TSI, although I've yet to do a proper fill to fill check, the computer on the overall fuel average ('page' 2) suggests I'm 18mpg up on the same run with the previous petrol; already past the mileage point where I'd fill the petrol and still a little above the red.

 

Regard spec, then the Seat is the better choice, although from my experience with the Spaceback these cars are not the best if your looking for a good retained value, as I found it hard work getting a reasonable P/X for the Spaceback and the reason I ended up with the Seat badge, as the Seat dealer offered a far better price than I could get from Skoda dealers or those WBAC people.

 

 

TP

We bought mine to replace an aging Golf. Key for me (as well as economy, a proper spare wheel, easy bulb replacement, ability to sling a bike in with just the front wheel removed etc.) was that my wife would be happy using the car, even though it was bigger than she likes.

 

Inside she found it felt smaller than expected - things like Corsas etc.had big sloppy dashboards that made the cars feel too big and intimidating. The light steering, clutch, gears etc. and reversing sensors pretty well clinched it. So she's happy with driving it around town and we can easily get the grandchllds safety seat in it and plenty of boot space..

 

I also appreciate the tyres (high profile not rubber bands), have already had experience of having a full sized spare in it. I also find it quiet on long motorway journey - having said this I drive an MX5 normally so all things are relative.

 

The other boon is the bags of torque - I'm as comfortable overtaking with the Rapid as I am with the MX5 - more so at times.

 

Motorway economy is good - I can get a genuine MPG in the high 60's on a long run without too much effort, a huge cost saving on days out compared on the Mazda's high 30's.

 

Seat comfort is good for me however bear in mind this is always a personal thing.Some people find the Astra 4 uncomfortable but I found my estate version the most relaxing car on a long trip that I have ever owned.

 

I hope this helps - Richard.

I can heartily recommend the Rapid 1.4 TSI DSG loads of torque and speed. quiet engine and refined. Had it for 2.5yrs 30k miles and not a thing wrong. average mpg is 48mpg.

Very quiet on the motorway, but can be low down rumble at low speeds on rough surfaces. 

Loads of room for bikes and kids stuff/seats etc

I thought I'd check back, as even though I've bought the Leon now, I still find people's experiences interesting. 

 

Now I've had it a few weeks, I'm pretty sure I made the right choice. I'm very happy with it, getting high 60s MPG on the way to work (occasionally only high 50s on the way home though!  ). I find it as easy to park as my Fabia was, it's plenty quick enough for me, and all my transport-related aches and pains have gone too!

 

I suppose it just goes to show that what suits one person may not be the best for another, and decent test drives are important as a result when buying.

 

I'd still probably consider a Rapid next time though...