Test drive Skoda Rapid
Test Drive

Test drive Skoda Rapid

Striking appearance, modern equipment and proven engines - how and why the new Skoda Rapid is trying to please young people

Large drops of a summer shower drum heartily on the roof, and the rumble from the wheels rolling on the chipped asphalt of the Novorizhskoe highway is already clearly showing through the arches into the cabin and pressing on the membranes. But I don't want to slow down at all. Although the car sways on large waves of asphalt, it calmly keeps its course. But the speed, although it did not sneak up to the critical 150 km / h, has long exceeded the still permissible 130 km / h. And this despite the fact that the wheels periodically fall into deep puddles of the track rolled by multi-ton trucks. It's just that the Rapid, along with its sister Polo, is one of the few cars in the class that is not only easy to drive, but also enjoyable.

And I fundamentally do not call the second generation Rapid new, although the Russian office of Skoda in its advertising campaign deliberately calls it “fundamentally new”.

Judge for yourself: the power structure of the body went to this car from the past without any changes. Just like the suspension architecture and the powertrain lineup.

Test drive Skoda Rapid

But this is just the case when people are not looking for good from good. And a 1,6-liter aspirated engine with a return of 90 and 110 liters. with., and a 1,4-liter turbo engine with a capacity of 125 "horses" proved to be quite good throughout the entire life cycle of the previous Rapid. And the best confirmation of the high energy intensity of the suspensions and the endurance of the Skoda chassis can be not only a few of my arguments about the correct design solutions, but tens of thousands of these cars in taxis, which work out their endless engine hours practically without whims.

Feeling new

But behind the wheel of this Skoda I still have the feeling that I am in a completely new car. Yes, there are exactly the same door cards as in the taxi on which I got to the metro in the morning. But right now, none of Rapid's classmates seems to be boasting such a stylish interior design. Lines and surfaces in the design are no longer so strict and restrained, but still verified and laconic. The front panel is still hard plastic, but all textures are pleasant to look at and tactile. And the two-spoke steering wheel interspersed with piano lacquer under the keys in the grip points and at the base is a masterpiece in general! The steering wheel is simpler, there are no buttons, no chrome "drums" for controlling the on-board computer, no black glossy color scheme, let alone a leather sheath, but it still looks expensive. Just like on the pre-reform Mercedes S-Class with the body index W222.

Test drive Skoda Rapid

Moreover, for a surcharge on the Rapid, you can order a sports three-spoke steering wheel. But why is it even needed when the basic one is so good? More importantly, heating is now available for all versions. This feature was sorely lacking in Rapid's past, especially compared to Korean competitors.

However, the new car now claims to be the class leader in terms of multimedia. The third-generation Swing and Bolero head units with 6,5 and 8-inch touchscreens respectively sport cool high-resolution graphics, and the menu design is not only intuitive, but also pleasing to the eye. Responses to pressing and the speed of work do not cause questions. Both systems support the SmartLink function and allow you to connect a smartphone and display online navigation and other services from mobile devices. The only confusion is the complete rejection of the classic USB connector in favor of Type-C. But the second row can be equipped with a couple of the latter for a surcharge.

Test drive Skoda Rapid

But most of all Rapid is liked by our operator Artem, who a minute ago moved from the bottomless trunk (the volume remained the same - 530 liters under the curtain) into an equally spacious cabin. “This is the best car for car by car,” he told me, wiping the rain from his forehead.

We are aware that transporting people in the cargo hold is not the safest idea. But sometimes we take such a risk and break the rules on closed roads for the sake of a couple of good shots of the car in dynamics (in no case do you repeat this!).

Test drive Skoda Rapid

“There is a lot of space here, and the sofa is very comfortable. Well, the front panel is coolly decorated. It would be nice to have such a first car, ”continued Artem, examining the interior. A week ago, he signed up for a driving school and now evaluates cars not only as an operator, but also as a future driver.

Understandably, not every aspiring 23-year-old driver can afford the Rapid. But I want to believe that there will be more such young people. Moreover, Skoda has fallen in price. And now we are not talking about the basic configuration for $ 10 in which there is not even an air conditioner. Obviously, the availability of such a version is just a marketing ploy to attract buyers. But if you carefully study the price list, it turns out that even intermediate and older versions, compared to the previous car, have fallen in price by an average of $ 413-525 in each corresponding configuration. And now there are even additional discounts at the start of sales.

Test drive Skoda Rapid

However, I am 72% sure that the period of attractive prices will not last long and by the end of this year or the beginning of the next Skoda will rewrite the price lists. Although the company itself, of course, does not comment on such questions and assumptions. So if you are thinking about buying a car like this, you should hurry up. It looks like the new Rapid is one of the best deals in its class right now.

 

 

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