Review Skoda Rapid 1.2 TSI Ambition

In the fall of last year, the Mission L concept was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show . Even then, we knew that the concept would not be forgotten and would be transformed into a mass-produced car. After the endless publication of official photos, through which we finally gained real awareness of the production Skoda Rapid, a unique opportunity for testing presented itself. The Skoda Rapid demonstration car was loaned to us by the Autoklever brand car showroom in Nové Jičín .

Exterior – Modern for the second time

Introducing a concept always requires a little insight. Motoring fans must have realized that the new mass-produced Skoda will not look exactly the same as the polished, lamp-lit Mission L concept. However, Skoda demonstrated where the new design direction will go in the future and, as can be seen in the case of the Rapid , it bet on the right card.

During my first personal meeting with the Skoda Rapid, I wondered for a long time which details from the original concept did not make it into production. To my delight, I have to state that there are really few changes and concessions. The Skoda Rapid succeeded in terms of design, as evidenced by the commotion the car caused wherever it passed.

Skoda will gradually change the design of all its model lines. The basis of the design of the Rapid and all future models are sharply cut headlights and an aggressive radiator grille, which contrast with a relatively restrained front bumper. It's the same at the back. The large lamps light up at night in the shape of the characteristic letter C, I consider the sharp trapezoidal molding in the lower part of the fifth door to be a great detail. A simple bumper complete with a tasteful dark strip is also nice. Skoda killed two birds with one stone – the car's shapes are really simply clever and at the same time they leave enough space for installing a sports package or the RS version. It can be seen that the design team around Mr. Jozef Kabáně really won with Rapid.

Skoda Rapid is placed between the Fabia and Octavia models in the car company's portfolio. The information about the dimensions is interesting – the length of 4483 millimeters and the generous wheelbase of 2602 millimeters are more than the current Octavia can offer. Looking at the car's profile, it's clear that it's built for typical Europeans. The higher structure of the body does not even want to mask how much space there is in it, and looking at the slightly bulging back, you will immediately see in the face who is the standard of the class in terms of the volume of the luggage compartment. Like the Octavia and Superb , the new Skoda also offers a practical hinged rear wall, through which you can comfortably access all 550 liters of space.

Interior – Superb junior

Some might prefer to lynch me for this headline, but try visiting a car dealership and getting behind the wheel. Inside, spaciousness, quality materials and details play the first violin, which make everyday crawling through queues or long highway journeys more pleasant.

I'll start with space. The above-average length of the wheelbase is clearly reflected here. A comfortable position in harder, richly dimensioned seats is a SKODA staple. The shape of the four-spoke steering wheel is excellent, and in the tested Ambition equipment you don't have to worry about the annoying buttons for controlling the radio, telephone or cruise control. It doesn't even take ten seconds and I feel like I'm in a car that's tailor-made for people of any height. The excellent ergonomics of the important control elements do not surprise me at all, Skoda can do this too. Even if I got into the car for the first time at night, I would have no problem getting my bearings in the controls.

It's been a long time since I've sat comfortably in the back of a car on the border between two segments. We owe the generous longitudinal space to the seat, which is set deeper between the rear wheel arches. It is also a big surprise that even the subsequent performance does not cause the slightest problems for persons of the basketball player's height. However, these can occur when transporting three adult passengers next to each other. With the overall width of the car being 1706 millimeters, I am concerned about prolonged contact of the elbows of individual passengers.

However, I will go back a little further. Here I was directly captivated by the materials used, the precision of the matching and the overall processing. To be clear, the Skoda Rapid has been built with great emphasis on a low price from the start, and this is reflected, willy-nilly, in the interior design of the competition. Car companies have to save on something. Skoda Rapid does not have this problem. Although the car only had a few kilometers at the time of testing, I believe it will maintain the same level for a long time. This claim is not just a shot in the dark. It is based on the long-term use of editorial Fabia and SUV Yeti , where even after tens of thousands of kilometers it does not leak and the interior still looks like new. In short, Skodavka can make interiors whatever anyone wants – whatever they want.

Engine – A concern classic

Under the hood of the Skoda Rapid tested is a turbocharged four-cylinder TSI gasoline engine with an output of 63 kW. The torque of 160 Nm is available from 1,500 to 3,500 rpm, and its upper limit is accompanied by the gentle stirring of the small turbocharger. The rush of horses and Nm is sent to the front wheels through a precise manual five-speed gearbox. At first I wondered if only five gears were a bit low, but driving onto the highway convinced me otherwise. The small TSI turns at a speed of 130 km/h at exactly 3,000 revolutions and consumes less than 6 liters of gasoline on average. For normal daily use, investing in one of the two performance variants of the diesel direct injection 16-litre engine seems quite unnecessary. However, if five speeds are not enough, you can go for a variant of this gasoline engine with an output of 77 kW.

There is only one atmosphere

Skoda Rapid also experienced the joys and sorrows of downsizing through the car company's previous models. Apart from the 1.2 MPI unit with a power of 55 kW, there is no naturally aspirated engine in the offer. The specific mentioned unit is thus the last Mohican, which we already know from the Polo/Fabia/Ibiza concern triplets.

Drive

I completed the first kilometers behind the wheel of the Rapid in city traffic. This is where the car will be seen the most along with the county roads, so I praise the exemplary view in all directions, even through the slanted windshield pillar. The chassis setting is an excellent compromise here – on more and more broken and dug-up streets, the shock absorbers filter unevenness and do not transfer shocks to the body and steering. Urban consumption is also a powerful aspect. I expected that, like all new cars, it would be at least a liter higher than what the table standards are. For almost perfect correspondence with this value (6.5 l/100 km), the small turbo collects valuable points.

For one of the test runs, I also deliberately chose a curvy terrain with a lot of inclines, horizons and different road surfaces. Already after the first series of turns, you can tell how much attention was paid to tuning the chassis. Everything is based on the stiffer basic character of the shock absorbers, which allow the car only the necessary lean in corners and a wider wheelbase of the rear axle. Direct driving stability is helped by the previously mentioned wheelbase. Even with a quick change of ground, the Rapid does not take anything away from the established driving performance. Steering with a pleasantly adjusted booster pleases with its light operation, but it does not transmit too much feedback to the steering wheel.

Conclusion

The manufacturer officially started selling the Skoda Rapid only recently, and yet the first private units have already started to appear on our roads. Similar to the small Skoda Citigo , the Rapid brings a new direction to the car market in the Czech Republic. It is not yet clear whether we will see sales records in a few months. The basic price of individual engines will have the last word when deciding on the purchase of a new family member.

I consider the new Skoda Rapid to be a well-made, spacious and fully adequate family car. At a relatively reasonable price, the Ambition trim level offers everything the average driver might need and, unlike the Korean competition, will retain its price even after several years.