General

Skoda Rapid - anti-crisis option

We continue to study the market of inexpensive cars, and next in line is the Skoda Rapid liftback. Of course, compared to

the prices of the very beginning of the year, the model can no longer be called particularly affordable, but still it remains one of the most "budget" foreign cars.

We already told you about the car inseparate material, but here we will take a closer look at what can be obtained in the entry-level model if you have to lower the bar for requests in the current realities.

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Liftback Skoda Rapid consistently enters the top 10sales of foreign cars in Russia, but at the same time, the new generation is still significantly behind its direct competitors Kia Rio (first place in 2020) and Hyundai Solaris…

The design of the Skoda Rapid can be described as"stylish trendy youth". The designers really tried to give attractive features to an inexpensive car, to make its silhouette modern and relevant for several years to come. In my opinion, the idea of ​​the creators was a success. The car looks fresh, it has some sporty features, and, of course, there is the spirit of Skoda, due to which the Rapid fits harmoniously into the current model range of the company. Yes, from some angles you can see that the car is compact, there is a certain imbalance in proportions, but in general everything is very good. The only moment that is not immediately visible, but you still pay attention to it, is the hoses hanging under the bottom. Really during the production of the model it was impossible to make them not visible from the side ?!

Rapid headlights are full LED, they are verywell illuminate the road at night, and foglights highlight turns during maneuvers. The rear lights are also LED, narrower and look quite modern.

Salon without a wow effect, but in general everything is stylish andwith taste. Even the large metal trim on the front panel looks in its place, and it seems that it is really metal, and not painted plastic, which it really is. The new fashionable "Skodovsky" steering wheel with two spokes and silver control drums also contributes to the overall picture, making the interior a little richer. The high-quality fabric upholstery of the seats with an interesting pattern, which resembles that of the expensive “environmentally friendly” upholstery in Volvo, also pleasantly surprises.

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But it is clear that the Skoda Rapid is a "budget"car and the company had to save on something. And they saved on plastic, it is oak everywhere in the cabin, while visually you won’t guess about it, its texture is pleasant. Or here is another example of savings, on the filler of the armrests on the doors. There seems to be a thin layer of foam under the faux leather upholstery, so holding your elbow there for a long time is uncomfortable. True, it is worth saying that such a performance is still better than just bare plastic. Well, as the crown of economy - reading lamps in the cabin with halogens, although it would seem that in 2022 it is already cheaper to use LEDs, but no.

Okay, with exterior and interior designfigured out, but how is it with comfort and convenience in general? The front seats are not wide, for obese people, I'm afraid they will even reap, with a short pillow, but at the same time with the correct profile and developed lateral support. The seats have a minimum of mechanical adjustments, which, however, are enough even for tall drivers, as well as steering wheel adjustments for reach, plus the seats are also a little soft, but you can surprisingly easily drive hundreds of kilometers in them and not even a drop get tired. No, these are not ideal chairs, but they are very worthy, especially in terms of the cost of the car.

But what really surprised me was the spacein the second row, behind myself with a height of 187 cm, I sat there quite calmly and did not even rest on the back of the front seat with my knees. Why did this surprise me? Well, due to the fact that the brother of the Rapid model of the Volkswagen Polo already had quite a bit of space behind me, and this is with the same dimensions of these two cars. But in "Rapid" there is space behind, even if the driver is tall, the child or adult behind him will feel free.

Despite the fact that in the Rapid cabin they can easilyto accommodate four adults or two adults and two children (there is a pair of Isofix on the back sofa in the slots in the skin), the car also has a very decent trunk of 530 liters. If we fold the back of the sofa from the passenger compartment, which folds separately and forms an almost flat floor, we will already get 1460 liters of usable space. The only thing, a separate sofa back with a hatch for long lengths in this model is an option, and it may not be in the initial configurations. Yes, we have a trunk without an electric drive, which is sad, it was already possible to offer this option in this class of cars, and to close it you have to pull on a rubber band that is not the most convenient, which is also located only on one side.

Since we are talking about a Czech carmanufacturer, don't forget about Simple Clever - a set of smart and practical solutions that make using Skoda cars more comfortable and enjoyable. In Rapid, this set of solutions is also present, but not to the same extent as in the same Kodiaq. The youngest model has an umbrella that is hidden in a special niche under the passenger seat. In place is an ice scraper, also known as a magnifying glass, which you will find on the gas tank flap. And here you can also include capacious pockets on the doors, in which even a large bottle can easily fit (I have two plastic ones of 0.5 each), and a special waste basket can be hung on the front ones.

Inexpensive foreign car is surprisingly very differentdecent soundproofing. In the city, the cabin is almost perfect in silence, on the highway there is a little noise from the roadway, but not critical. Admittedly, there were some small hiccups here. So, from the driver's door there is a constant whistle. Last fall, on a Skoda test drive, I thought that the sound was coming from the mirrors, but after driving a car now, I realized that something was whistling in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe seals, as if there was a hole. In addition, on a primer or just a rough road, the interior is filled with a kind of crunch, which, it seems, also comes from rubber seals in the car, but already throughout the cabin.

Car suspension stars from the sky is not enough, but inIn general, it shows itself quite adequately, coping well with most of the bumps, only rigidly passing into the cabin a collision with a ledge or a pothole with sharp edges.

As for the equipment of the Skoda Rapid, itthe maximum equipment will pleasantly surprise you. There is a high-quality digital instrument panel with several themes for every taste, which are also quickly replaced on the go. Plus, the virtual tidy here is not just for beauty, it is also a convenient tool for the driver, as it is combined with a media system. In addition to standard data, on the dashboard screen you can also work with call lists, playlists and radio station lists without taking your hands off the wheel. The data on the incoming call is also broadcast here.

Media system in the top vehicle configuration -Bolero with an 8-inch touch screen, the base will be Swing 6.5″. The brightness and contrast of the display, as well as responsiveness, are quite good, the resolution is only a bit low - 800x480 pixels. The system is comfortable and beautiful, and the speed of work is quite acceptable. The media system supports the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay platforms (only by wire), so the navigation issue can be immediately closed, since even for a surcharge, Rapid does not have a standard navigation system. And Bolero also allows you to watch on-board computer data, of course, play music from external sources, picking up album covers, and radio, loading beautiful icons of radio stations. For quick navigation, there are touch buttons on the edges of the screen, but the volume control is made in the form of a classic knob.

To connect a device in a carmodern USB-C connectors are used, two in the front and two in the back. Moreover, in the front of the cabin, both USB connectors are the main ones, and you can even hang your iPhone and Android on them at the same time, switching between their platforms, if necessary.

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For comfort in the cabin, a single-zoneclimate control with a separate convenient control unit, which is not bad, but, however, without air ducts in the rear of the cabin. At the same time, the climate system in the “budget” car works well, even it can control the blowing force itself, preventing a constant strong air flow, which some competitors do not have. For the winter period, the owner will benefit from the heating of the steering wheel, windshield and two-level heating of the front and rear seats. In general, Rapid is quite good for such comfortable options, I just want deflectors in the back and air comes back not only along the floor.

There are few assistant drivers in the initial foreign car,but in general there is a small set, and this is already good. So, in "Rapid" there are parking sensors in front and behind, as well as a rear-view camera with an average picture. The advantage is that the work of parking sensors in a visual form is superimposed on the picture from the camera, so parking becomes much easier.

Is in the arsenal of an inexpensive car andcruise control, however, is conventional, not adaptive, with control on the left steering column switch. At the same time, it is interesting that the Rapid is equipped with a distance control system and a Front Assist collision warning system, and you can see the radar of the system under the number. That is, it turns out that, in theory, Rapid could also receive adaptive cruise control, but for some reason they decided not to offer it to car buyers.

In Rapid, I really lacked a blind spot monitoring system, since in the presence of small side mirrors, this assistant would be most welcome.

As for power units, in our marketThe Rapid is offered with two naturally aspirated 1.6-litre engines producing 90 or 110 hp, which can be paired with a five-speed manual transmission or, for a more powerful variant, a six-speed classic automatic. But, to be honest, these modifications are frail and not very interesting, the last and most expensive version with a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine with a capacity of 125 hp is much better. and a seven-speed DSG robot. This car is frisky, the engine has enough power both in the city and on the highway, and the robot, for the most part, works quickly and smoothly. In addition, such a car has a very modest appetite, which is about 5 liters per 100 km on the highway, about 6.5 liters in mixed mode, and 8 liters per hundred in the city. The only downside is that it is recommended to fill such a Rapid with 100th gasoline, although the use of 95th is also allowed. On the other hand, modest fuel consumption makes up for the difference in the price of gasoline.

The only thing that "budget" cars are not yetcan please the driver with control. No, in the city and with smooth movement, there are no complaints, besides Rapid, but during cornering at speed or a sharp change of lane, there is no longer confidence in the car and the driver lacks feedback. On the other hand, when designing such a car, the developers do not particularly expect that the future owner will constantly play checkers on the road or go into turns at full speed. The calculation goes to the average driver, who will observe the speed limit and move slowly.

Yes, while AvtoVAZ offers us LADA Granta withoutABS and airbags, in Skoda all systems are available. The Rapid has ABS and even ECS, and not only front airbags, but also side airbags, and there are also curtain airbags in the front and rear of the cabin.

As for the prices of Skoda Rapid, today itthe cost on the manufacturer's website is indicated from 1,602,000 rubles. At the same time, you can find cars at dealers of the brand at a price of 1,200,000 rubles, subject to a car loan or trade-in. And the maximum configuration is available at a price of 2,200,000 rubles, but if, again, you get a car loan, then it is quite possible to take such a car for about 1,530,000 rubles.