Skoda Rapid - the successor to the Octavia Tour
The new Skoda Rapid had to wait twenty-two years - in 1990, the coupe, built on the basis of the popular model 130, left the factory for the last time in the small village of Kvasiny. will only have a common name with its predecessor.
The Rapid will not be a Fabia-based coupe, but a compact liftback. In the offer of the Czech brand, it will take a place between the Fabia, which is almost half a meter smaller, and the slightly larger Octavia, and will compete, among other things, with the Fiat Linea. Skoda has not yet had a liftback of this class. Temporarily, this role was played by the Octavia Tour, the model before restyling in 2008 was sold for several thousand zlotys cheaper than after the modernization.
The Octavia, which has been in production since 2004, should retire from the scene - the third generation, which will be even larger, will go on sale next year, so there will be no domestic Rapid competition for more than a few months. After all, you will agree: sales of Octavia after the premiere of the presented model will fall.
Skoda also successfully sells the old Octavia (under the name Laura) and Rapida in the Indian market. There, the car is equipped with a simple 1.6 MPI engine (105 hp) and a 1.6 TDI diesel engine of the same power as the petrol version. In turn, the weakest Laura has a 2.0 TDI engine, and the only petrol option is a 160-horsepower 1.8 TSI unit. Despite the similar dimensions, the cars are strongly divided according to their characteristics, which is reflected in prices: for Rapid in India, you need to pay the equivalent of 42 thousand. PLN, and petrol Laura costs about 79 thousand. zloty. It is worth noting that the car was immediately declared the Family Car of the Year in Top Gear India magazine, so it is considered a solid construction.
In Europe, the range of engines turns out to be much more interesting: the cheapest will be a 1.2 MPI petrol engine with 75 hp, which is easily combined with an LPG system, which will allow you to achieve high driving efficiency. Skoda will also offer the well-known supercharged 1.2 TSI units in two outputs (86 and 105 hp) and the most powerful 122 TSI engine with 1.4 hp. At the top of the price lists will be the 1.6 TDI diesel in 90 and 105 hp variants. The engine range is therefore not small, but the car will provide moderate performance due to the lack of a truly powerful powertrain.
Rapid is the second car of the Czech brand after Citigo, designed in accordance with the new stylistic philosophy. The most eye-catching features are the irregularly shaped grille with room for a new logo and distinctive headlights, which together give the body an aggressive look. The sideline is now completely suppressed, and the rear can be more contentious. It can be suspected that the next generation Octavia will be very similar in appearance, but its dimensions will increase.
The body of the Skoda Rapid, 4,48 meters long, will be slightly smaller than the large Fiat Linea (4,56 meters), but the trunk of the Skoda will be 50 liters more - it will have 550 liters of space. Renault Thalia has a length of only 4,26 meters and, despite the large, 500-liter trunk, it will show itself worse as a family car - it has less space inside, but you can buy it for less than 40 thousand. PLN (after promotions even for PLN 32) In Rapid you will be able to travel comfortably not only in the front but also in the back seats.
Winfried Faland, CEO of Skoda, says that the Rapid should be an inexpensive and economical family car. If the Czechs manage to offer a price of 45 PLN, they can do a lot on the market. Especially if there are discounts to which the Czech brand is already accustomed. However, until the new Octavia arrives, the Rapid may cost a little more. However, we must wait for the official price lists - for now these are just guesses.
Because of the so-called fynansovыy The nature of the project, the Rapid will be less equipped and trim materials may be stiff and not very pleasant to the touch, but that's just the way it is in this part of the market. Skoda, on the other hand, will not save on safety and will have ABS, ESP and several airbags as standard equipment. Without it, it's hard to get a good score in EuroNCAP tests, and recently Skoda has been collecting five stars (Superb and Citigo). Now it cannot be otherwise, especially since the Rapid will be exclusively a family car in which safety is a key factor.
It is worth noting that a few months after the premiere of Skoda in the spring of 2013, the new Seat Toledo will go on sale, which will become the twin of the presented Rapid. The car will be powered by the same powertrains and the only differences are stylistic issues - the front and rear of the car have been adapted to the design of the rest of the Seat lineup. However, in Poland, the Spanish manufacturer occupies almost a niche, so the compact Skoda will lead the Volkswagen group.
Thanks to its large dimensions, the Skoda Rapid will be a spacious family car, ideal for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia. Skoda Octavia Tour, although attractive in price, has already covered many. As long as the attractive price remains, Rapid will attract many families to the Czech brand stores. The November premiere of the new Skoda will certainly be a big event in Poland, where people will be happy to reach for cars made by our neighbors. Globally, the new Rapid will also be a major premiere, with the compact segment accounting for as much as 36 percent of the total market. During the production of the Fabia I generation, Skoda had a rather slender sedan, and after the premiere of the Fabia II, it did not try to create a successor, and when the main competitors were already dressed up and they were a few years old, they released the magnificent Rapid. Just smart.
