Test drive VW Polo against Skoda Rapid
There are many good universities, and there is Princeton and a few other ivy-covered old buildings. Graduating from here guarantees a good position, connections and a little snobbery. If you look at the most democratic segment of the car market, then there will be a place for division into estates ...
There are a lot of just good universities, but there is Princeton and a few other ivy-covered old buildings. Graduating from here guarantees a good position, connections and a bit of snobbery - even after all these books about people being born equal. If you look at the most democratic of the segments of the car market, then there is a place for division into classes.
It all starts with those whom everyone laughs at, and then they go to buy - "Ladas" and Chinese cars. The next level of brand perception: Hyundai Solaris / Kia Rio, who taught the world that an inexpensive car can be beautiful. Here are the French trying to do the same with less success. And, finally, Volkswagen Polo, for which it plays the status of a manufacturing country from the major European league and, in fact, the brand itself. In German, however, with a distinct Czech accent, says the Skoda Rapid, which appeared at a time when the Polo sedan was already desperately in need of an update. And he waited for him, and we compared the updated German with the Czech soplatform.
Front parking sensors, a bright dashboard, good acoustics and a three-spoke steering wheel - is this really a Polo? In the press park, the updated bestseller was handed out in the evening, just before closing, so there was no way to consider all the changes in appearance. I got behind the wheel closer to midnight and after a couple of kilometers there was a suspicion that this was not a Polo, but a Jetta. But all the points have set the tram lines on Andropov Avenue - even GAZelles, it seems, do not pass here with such a roar. The Skoda Rapid soplatform is a completely different matter. The suspension is softer, quieter inside, but the liftback looks too simple, even in the top configuration with 16-inch wheels and a small spoiler on the fifth door. Polo takes on its utility and harmony, Rapid - spaciousness and dynamics unthinkable in the segment. But what should you choose?
The Polo and Rapid are built on the same PQ25 platform, but these models cannot be considered twin brothers. Polo Sedan was created with an eye, first of all, for the Russian market. In Europe, the model is sold only in a hatchback body, and a year later a new generation will debut there, and it will have only a name in common with the Russian Polo. Rapid is, on the contrary, a European model, the production of which was localized in Kaluga last year. But here's the paradox: if in the Russian market the budget liftback has taken root and consistently falls into the list of the best-selling according to the AEB, then in Europe Rapid has failed - the model is not even in the top 50 for the first half of the year.
Polo Sedan made its debut on the Russian market in 2010, and survived the first restyling only now. Poor sound insulation and a very stiff suspension remained unchanged, but the sedan has significantly changed in appearance. And this is especially important: in recent years, Polo began to lose more and more market share to powdered Hyundai Solaris and Kia Rio. Too utilitarian and boring sedan lost to "Koreans" in the list of equipment.
Now Polo looks exactly as good as its competitors. The front end is especially good: there is chrome in the bumper edging, a large radiator grill and new optics with xenon (the prerogative of high trim levels). Another option that does not tie in with the budget segment is also noticeable externally - these are the front parking sensors. In this class, no one at all has this.
Against the background of the restyled Polo, the Czech liftback does not look outdated. Rapid is very similar to the older Octavia, which can only be written as a plus: rectangular optics, very regular body lines and large side windows. The top version also has a small spoiler on the fifth door. And the Rapid, unlike the Polo, is equipped with 16-inch alloy wheels in the maximum configuration.
Rectangular vents made of cheap plastic, a carbon black front panel and simple materials for finishing - this is how the Polo remained after restyling. The changes boiled down to a new three-spoke steering wheel and the ability to order an option with a two-tone interior. However, looking for soft plastic and leather in the budget segment is wrong. Here, the manufacturer's ability to work with what he has comes to the fore, so creating the interior of an inexpensive model is often more difficult than doing the same in a premium one. On the one hand, the Rapid interior is also nothing special - the same cheap materials and a modular front panel. The Czechs approached the design more carefully. Here they added chrome, here - black lacquer and changed the relief of the plastic.
It is very easy to distinguish Polo from Rapid on the go - and this despite the common platform. In the case of the Czech liftback, which entered the market four years after the debut of the "German", the chassis was subjected to some modifications. Engineers increased the wheelbase and widened the track, thanks to which the Rapid received not only a more spacious interior, but also better handling. The type of suspension for Rapid and Polo is the same (MacPherson strut in front and torsion beam in the rear), but there are design differences from Polo. The suspension has been reinforced for heavier engines (Rapid is sold with turbodiesels in Europe) and received thick anti-roll bars. Moreover, in the suspension of the Russian Rapid there are differences from the European version. The Kaluga-assembled liftback has reinforced levers and tie rods.
Punching the suspension on a dirt road is not easy: the moves here are almost like an urban crossover. But every time the type and size of rubber reminds of a bad road, which does not in any way correspond to the concept of a “budget employee”: the top Rapid has R16 wheels with soft Pirelli 225/45 tires.
The most expensive Volkswagen Polo is not afraid of potholes or large waves. Painlessly slip, without slowing down, you can almost any unevenness. The most noticeable drawback of the Polo is the drum brakes on the rear wheels. This solution was used here to reduce the cost of construction (on the Polo hatchback, as well as on the Rapid, disc brakes are installed). From low speeds, the sedan slows down quite well, but from highway speeds of 110 km / h it slows down reluctantly, every time you have to push the pedal. Rapid does not have this problem: front and rear disc brakes are installed on the top version. They grab instantly, like on the older Octavia, but the ABS could work a little later: you start to feel the return to the pedal even on wet pavement in urban modes.
If earlier state employees were characterized by low-power motors (remember, for example, Renault Symbol), now everything is completely different. The top Rapid with a 1,4-liter TSI (122 hp) and a robotic DSG gearbox will bypass absolutely everyone in its segment. The fastest representative of the B-class (Skoda Fabia RS does not count) every time provokes to turn off the stabilization system, which roughly cuts off traction, as soon as you start to accelerate quickly.
Nagatinskaya embankment, 6 am, traffic light. Nearby (for some reason under the arrow) is attached the previous Mercedes-Benz C180 with huge black discs and a small Nürburgring sticker on the rear left window. The latter hints that there will be a race now. In the first gear, the "German" has more chances due to the better torque and rear-wheel drive, but after 60 km / h Mercedes was out of work: as soon as the DSG shifted to second gear, the Rapid was in front by a body and a half.
According to the passport characteristics, the Rapid accelerates to 100 km / h in 9,5 seconds. Closer to the cut-off, the enthusiasm gradually fades away, but the liftback's thrust reserve of 200 Nm with a mass of 1 kg is enough to dynamically accelerate from any city speed. The updated Polo is calm and measured, with the most ordinary aspirated 230-horsepower and a leisurely 105-speed automatic transmission. Technically, the Polo is still a real budget employee. The top version is presented with these units, and in the future Volkswagen promises to start selling Polo with an engine like the Rapid. That version will receive the GT index and will only ship with the DSG. In the meantime, we have to be content with little: sluggish dynamics at the level of 6 s to "hundreds" and fuel consumption, as on a fast Rapid. But this engine is extremely reliable and undemanding to the quality of the fuel: the resource of the unit before overhaul, according to the reviews of the owners on the forums, is 12,1-500 thousand kilometers.
When the Polo sedan entered the Russian market, it sold for $ 5 - five years ago, the model was one of the cheapest foreign cars in Russia. After restyling, the basic version costs at least $ 326. We are talking about a car with an 7-horsepower gasoline engine, manual gearbox and a minimum of standard equipment. But here, too, Polo has options that not a single state employee had in the database for several years. For example, two front airbags, 407 power windows and air conditioning.
High trim levels have a leather steering wheel, climate control, heated seats and a multimedia system. With a top engine (105 hp) and automatic transmission, this version will cost at least $ 9. The rest of the options are available in batch. In fact, you can order almost any equipment that Volkswagen offers for the older Jetta. The configurator includes heated windshields, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, light and rain sensors, rear window tinted windows, ESP, Bluetooth and side airbags. Later, the Polo will also be offered with bi-xenon optics and new multimedia with the MirrorLink function, which allows you to display an image from a smartphone.
With a full range of available equipment, the price of the Polo is already now (excluding bi-xenon optics, MirrorLink and turbo engine) approaching $ 10 - almost the same as the base Jetta (from $ 693). The test copy is priced at $10. Skoda Rapid in the top modification will cost even more - from $533. Additional equipment (xenon optics, rear parking sensors, engine start button and multimedia) will increase the price of the car by almost $10. That's about how much the Polo with the new engine in the GT version is likely to cost. What is the dollar rate - such and state employees.
