Thanks to the first-gen Octavia, and the Octavia vRS, I’ve always had a soft corner for Skoda cars. Heck, I adored the Fabia hatch, which didn’t get much of the attention back then as it seemed expensive for the time. But my-oh-my, for a hatchback in India, it really did handle well, mostly thanks to its robust chassis platform that (in case you didn’t know) it shared with the now favorite hatch – the VW Polo.
Let’s forget the hatch-game for now, and focus on a mildly underrated and essentially a lengthened version of the Fabia – C’mon you guys know about the Rapid! Just like every other Skoda, this too handles like no other in the segment. It’s fun to drive, has a stiff, robust chassis and is quite a minimal sedan to be honest. It was launched back in 2011 as a comfortable family sedan with an elegant design. The most recent upgrade for the Rapid is the 1-litre TSI motor which came as a bummer for a lot of enthusiasts. Turns out, it’s not even bad.
EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR CHANGES
Skoda did give it a slight aesthetic makeover in 2019, but managed to keep it a good blend of humble and sporty. The headlights and taillights are reworks, the overall design is clutter-free and has only smooth lines reminiscent of the Vento. The interiors stay unchanged apart from the use of their new logo on the steering wheel. The plastics are of great quality, are robust and can surely handle the ‘Door Slam’ Sales pitch from their VW Sales team.
Since I adore the Fabia, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Rapid. It doesn’t scream fast, but can put other mid-size Sedans to shame with it’s hatch-like handling.
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