Skoda Rapid [2011-2014] User Reviews

Exterior Looks Superb, a head turner, no mud flaps provided by even distributor.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort

Has good leg space, seats are hard and stiff, you are bound to get back pain during long journey

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Smooth and great on highway, pick up is superb, fuel economy could have been better.

Ride Quality & Handling Lovely, gives confidence on highways.

Final Words Great Car. The service given by Shrine Auto Pvt Ltd Kolhapur was excellent, the sales representative had full knowledge of the car and convinced me to bye this car.Had a bad experience from JMD Auto India Pvt Ltd, Navi Mumbai, did not have Diesel model for display and had only petrol car, the sales staff was literally doing favor by showing the car.

Areas of improvement  Skoda is known for high maintenance cost, to prove this wrong none of the distributor had spareparts price and its comparison.

Exterior, Interior, Engine Performance lovely pickupDoor are not getting locked from inside, concern of Child safety

Well.. there are a million sites that speak about the car's looks and performance. So, I am not going to write about that. Of course.. those are bound to differ with each individual's tastes. But i certainly have to write about what entails a buyer after the car is bought

I bought the TDI MT version of the car in Chennai from Gurudev Motors a couple of months back. Of course, I liked the car for its looks and everything else.

I had a small accident after about a month of driving it and had to take it to one of their service centers. Seriously.. never come across such bad service for any product. Considering a car that is released so recently and is being promoted vigorously... I would have expected a lot more.

In all of Chennai, looks like there is only one service center that can take in cars that need insurance claims. Added to that there is not even a pickup or drop service. So.. anywhere in the city, you'll have to struggle to get to their service center and make your own means to get back home.

Finding their service center is another problem. The body shop is sort of hidden and it takes a lot of work to find the place.

Reaching there is still the smallest of problems. It has taken about one month for them to get a new spare part. And am still waiting. They don't follow up whatsoever. I was at their service center a couple of times after confirming a date and only on reaching there they tell me they don't have the parts. Looking at it, there is no coordination between the person scheduling the services and the actual service station. Noone calls back for any problem. If it takes a whole month to just take in the car for service for a simple bonnet replacement, I don't really understand how this can even be called a service center.

REALLY PATHETIC SERVICE. For anyone driving in India, service is as important a feature as the car itself. So.. beware!!

 

Great looks!! great to drive!!BAD BAD BAD Service!!

Exterior Can't be better.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Back middle seat not good. The front deck and back deck are not the best.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Engine is very smooth, fuel economy not yet tested but seems ok (driven on 600 km so far). Gear box is not smooth. Definite scope to improve. Ride Quality & Handling. Very easy to handle. excellent for city drive. amazing pickup.

Final Words  Overall a great car. I compared with Vento, Altis and City. It is easily the easiest to handle (even better than Altis). Best among the four in following: Turning radius is a pleasure. Pickup and braking is the highlight of this car. Braking from high speeds leaves no discomfort on rear seats. Most silent engine among diesel versions.

Two major problems: The front and rear decks are both slanting upwards (can't understand why??), marginally reducing visibility on both sides. Two, the driver usability in inferior to Japanese cars by a distance. Gear box is just ok, while the armrest-handbrake-gearstick alignment is not perfect at all.

Overall, I'd say it is easily the best car among the four. Did not compare with Verna as it has a 6 month waiting and does not look attractive to begin with.

Areas of improvement  NA.

Excellent comfort, unbelievable manouvreability in cityGear Box not smooth, essential accessories missing, alternates difficult to find

Exterior

 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

 Engine abnormal noise

Ride Quality & Handling

 

Final Words

 Don't go skoda,Don't go skoda ,Don't go skoda ,after sale service very very poor,if you buy,will cry while service.

Now my rapid have abnormal engine noise,over 4 weeks car is in service centre,even i purchased march 2012,after 2 months major problem in engine,finished 3000 kms only.

Dont buy any skoda car,your valuable time will waste with car service.Further want to buy ,once visit the nearest service centre and ask  any customer ,you realise the worst service.

4 weeks i am going to my office with out car,after i purchased world class brand new car worth 10lacs,they never arrange the alternate vehicle also,even the reponse also very worst.

Areas of improvement  

 

 Customer care very very poor.customer care service not attend the phone call also,

Even a 2 wheeler service centre also far better than skoda.

even under warranty horn problem also need to wait 2 days.

StyleEngine abnormal noise

A lot needs to be done if Skoda is thinking to take India seriously. They need to hire a PR agency to undo all after-sales horror stories. I just chnaged my mind at the last moment tpo buy this car due to ugly perception on after-sales.

Surprisingly they are sponsoring several ads and banners on carwale.com but they aint doing anything on perception management.

Some of the reviews were unthinkable. Thus its better to be wiser than a fool and would go with the better winner - VW or even for that matter - Hyundai. (in necessary order)

Skoda Wake-up (this is India we dont scrap cars after a few years, its our second-home as we spend more than 6-7 hours in our car) Please clear the air if it exist as the decision to purchase gets hampered. It is a sad state of affair.

Took a test drive and my friend owns it. Its a superb car, packed with raw power as you accelerate beyond a point. Comfortable and a good family car. 

Spacious but interiors seem to be tacky and cheap! Verna scores better than all of them here.

Features- as if Skoda missed the entertainment and basic integration. They have seriously taken this very lightly.

Exteriors- Fabia's elder sister. VW's lost brother.

Safety- Scored well here with saferty features even on lower versions.

Power & RushAfter-Sales Perception

Exterior To be honest, I liked its simple elegance look than fluedics too curvy. It looks business class car, or may be simple taste minded. Mine is with Capuccino Beagie, I believe after BLACK, this color suits the RAPID.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Most needed feature inside was (more power for rear A/C vent), rest like audio controls at steering and other cosmetics i never liked in my other cars since while driving many times those looks distractive.

I liked the space at back seat, believe it is one of the good car in the segment considering the back seat comfort. At high speed - when you'r sitting back you wont feel the speed, rather you feel as if you are sitting in a volvo (i felt it many times the way its suspentions works & gets you the feeling), My younger bro. complained initial about bucket seats at back (he used to in the FLAT seat) however sitting back for BLR - PNQ journey, he didnt claim the back pain / seat problem. (I consider his opinion since he only loved the back seat comfort of Nissan's Bluebird Sylphy as the best under 1 cr)

Very minute but most important 2 features I liked in it is : Back Seat Reader's light is not just above the river head (as seen in many cars), instead it is placed above the rear passengers seat with 2 bulb fair enough to read and wont disturn driver. Even if car is centrally locked, insider can get out of the car any time. (remember the mumbai flood trapped people inside car).

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox While running at 2000 KM on ODO, millege was on highway = 21.8 km/l (diesel).

Story : Filled HP normal diesel at Pune (Baner-Chandani Chowk) and drive to bangalore (1 hr hault at Belgaum & 1 hr hault at Davangere) when reached BLR - JP Nagar, odo was showing 865 KM and 1/4 th tank dielse was still remaining. My driver & I maintained speed at 130 most of the time, however reached 170 3-4 times for 30 sec duration.

I am amazed to see the heat of the engine after driving almost 350 KM @ strech, engine was not boiling when opened the hood.

Engine Sound @ speed : Once you cross 50+ you do whatever - you only hear wind wistel, no engine noice. I park entire week and remove on weekend, first 3-7 KM you will see little rattle sound (if your windows are open) post heat up, it goes off and becomes more smooth.

Cruising : is very good. I must say 130+ is what i drove many times when the road permitted, you still have the stability & continuation of the speed at many times. It runs like crazy, I had no break issues, (it depends on how you drive) as long as you manage your drive on proper use inbetween accelator pedal & breakes.

Ride Quality & Handling Ride qualty I stated above. I have never seen (even at 170 km/h speed) that car looses its gravity / shakes, it just tells you to push hard. Most importantly: I was driving at 150 + It was very long streck (one strech you have inbetween Kolhapur & {Nippani}Belgaum for alomost 15-20+km) I just thought of ending the accelator pedal, with no response time - it just jumped ahead pushing me back and it was crosing 170 with in 3 sec, I had to remove accelator to hold the breath. Meanwhile it was cruising at the speed without immedietly slowing you down (another best quality in highways that you dont have to keep pressing pedals, just let it relax).

No Bodyroll, No Vibration at high speed, no engine revv sound at high speed, not at all time lag in boosting power.

Slow Driving @ City : Just put it for 1st gear - it goes at 12-15 KM/Hr speed all the way untill you put breake or change gear. 2nd Gear - goes at 15-18 km/hr no matter up / down. Low RPM works fantastic at city slow moving trafic, you feel is it auto??

Story : from Tar road to my home is 5 km, ghat + muddy + slippery - hence we only use GYPSY at rainy seasons, this time too i had my uncle waitin to help RAPID get through when we went from BLR on rainy day.  We were 3 inside rapid and i put it in 1st gear, it was just working like an auto and going easy, I had no issue keep changing gears & applying clutch and breaks, my odl 1995 Gypsy was jealous for not taking help. 

Final WordsGood Car, Practical, Easy to drive, True Performer, It Just loves you the way you take care. 

Stability @ High Speed, Suspension & Built Quality & Fuel Economy@10.50 Lakhs- it looks basic, After Sales, Services, Parts, not much issue with car.

Exterior : It is a bit redundant to qualify exteriors, because everyone has their own sensibilities. For me personally, I do not like the typical 'fluidic' design with unecessary lines and creases running along the side and prominent slants. In relation to the rapid, the front still catches my appeal with the ridged bonnet and accented front grill which makes it look a bit butch. The rear is a little plain and the tail lights are a bit early 2000's and not in a very good way. All in all, i love how this car looks in terms of design simplicity and great front and its a winner for me across all segments.

 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort): Quality of plastics is great and even after 3 years of rigorous driving, you wont hear any irritating creeks and sounds which your typical maruti's hondas and hyundai's suffer after prolonged driving. The cabin is just right... plenty of room and the driver side has the necessary snugness that will give you immense confidence in the drive. On the downside, it doesnt offer ground breaking features and the console can look a bit dated. I upgraded my infotainment system to touch screen and got great speakers to go with it, so im not really complaining.

 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox: You can make any comparisons you like, but honestly, across the segment, this is probably the best engine on offer. 0-100 is probably fractionally less zippy than the verna for eg... but the real test is the mid range - your regular 40-70 kmph or 60-90 kmph where the rapid takes a major edge. Overtaking is therefore effortless and you get a feeling that you are driving a car which is a lot more powerful than the specs actually qualify. Gears are seamless and they fit the slots quite comfortably. It makes for great city driving as well and the turbo in the diesel mill kicks in at about 2200 rpm. I know that we, as a people are obsessed with fuel economy. This offer 13-14 kmpl in the city and about 16 kmpl on the highway. This is laregly due to my slightly aggressive driving style. However, it will fall short of what the vernas and city's offer - but i am not too fussed - the net effect is Rs.1200 a month and I will gladly pay it for a better drive.

 

Ride Quality & Handling: I havent driven the verna and the city excessively to make a fair comparison on handling - this typically requires longer exposures to a drive. However, in my assessment, for a car in this price range - it offers unparalleled ride quality and handling. You feel immensely safe in tough corners. the suspension is super - especially for the highway and you dont get any unecessary wobble. Hill driving is an absolute pleasure and you dont feel like you are dragging an unecessarily large rear (for eg in the Sunny). I have driven it up to 185 kmph (with 5 ppl) in straights and up to 130 kmph in a momentary flash of exhileration in the hills. on the downside - if your car is filled to capacity i.e. 5 ppl ad weekend luggage - the ground clearance suffers a bit and you would expect to hit your under-carriage a few times.

 

Final Words: This is a great car to buy. I have driven close to 43,000 kms. I know people complain about service costs - but it is steadily evening out across the segment. Whether its an annual service (like skoda) or a bi-annual service like some other cars - you will spend anything beteen 7-13k a year. You muct be aware as a customer - for eg: when i sent my car - I specifically told them that the cost must not exceed the online service cost esttimate which they offer. I got on top of them and my bill went down from 14k to 11k for the second service. I have the pleasure of a interacting with a great service team in gurgaon and I have never had any major problem.

 

Areas of improvement : Better tyres, better features

 

 

Styling, engine capabilities, build quality, handling, stabilityfeatures, stock tyres

Exterior Good looks.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Average but old gen interiors.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Bad combustion noise from diesel engine - like a tractor when I start the car in my basement parking.  Very poor engine reliability - diesel fuel injector failed within 30k km in my car. Car is off road for almost 3 weeks and still no response from dealer.

Ride Quality & Handling Runs when there is no failure - spare parts takes extremely long time combined with company and dealer indifference to customer issues- ignore this and you will regret later.

Final Words DO NOT BUY, DO NOT BUY & DO NOT BUY, Buy it only if you want to park it as a show piece in front of your house.

Areas of improvement Engine reliability needs drastic improvement. Approach to customers and addressing after sales issues - I would say a revolution is required in Skoda to do this.

Word to potential customers - Do Not Buy - you will regret the decision due to the extremely poor after sales service and spare parts support.

LooksAfter sales service and customer satisfaction

Exterior

Very Stylish, cant make out if its the Laura or the Vento. The top of the car does not have any black lining which is present in most of the other cars. Thanks to VW and Skoda for having this in the Rapid. Is a head turner.Very Stylish, cant make out if its the Laura or the Vento. The top of the car does not have any black lining which is present in most of the other cars. Thanks to VW and Skoda for having this in the Rapid. Is a head turner.Very Stylish, cant make out if its the Laura or the Vento. The top of the car does not have any black lining which is present in most of the other cars. Thanks to VW and Skoda for having this in the Rapid. Is a head turner.

 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

Biege colours very pleasing for long drives and easy to use 

 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

Very silent for a diesel car. 21 km/lt in highway, good shift

 

Ride Quality & Handling

Awesome ride quality 

 

Final Words

Best buy in the same segment

 

Areas of improvement  

Vento Version 2 to be released as its very similar to the Rapid.

 

 

Mileage, Styling, Brand Name, Interiors, priceVento Look Alike