Skoda Rapid is a front-wheel drive budget liftback of the subcompact segment (aka “B +” class by European standards), in which an attractive design, a modern and practical interior, a reliable technical component and a solid set of options are successfully combined ... Without exaggeration, but this car is able to satisfy the needs of the majority of consumers - both active youth, and married couples (including those with children), and even elderly people ...
The bestseller of the Czech brand on the Russian market Skoda Rapid has gone through a "generational change" - the world premiere of the second generation five-door took place on December 11, 2019 at a special event in St. Petersburg, and soon after this event, its assembly began at the Kaluga plant of Volkswagen.
It is noteworthy, but after the "reincarnation" the car retained the previous PQ25 platform, and the range of power units remained intact, so it would be more correct to take the current reform for a deep update, but the automaker himself calls the liftback "fundamentally new."
Compared to its predecessor, the car has evolved externally, borrowing exterior elements from the European Scala hatch, acquired a completely new interior, received slightly different suspension settings and expanded its functionality with previously unavailable modern options.
The appearance of the "second" Skoda Rapid is made in the new family direction of the Czech brand, which makes the liftback look really beautiful, modern, harmonious and moderately aggressive. The energetic "physiognomy" of the five-door flaunts the frowning gaze of swept headlights with strokes of running lights, a stretched "hexagon" of the radiator grille with vertical crossbars and a mesh bumper with integrated foglights.
In profile, the car boasts a balanced and very dynamic appearance with a sloping bonnet, a powerful rear roof pillar, which turns into a small "extension" of the trunk, and expressive sidewalls, and its taut stern is decorated with graceful L-shaped lights that drove onto the trunk lid with a large printed name brands, and a raised bumper.
Dimensions and weight
Formally, the Skoda Rapid of the second generation belongs to the "B +" class, but in fact it quite corresponds to the "golf" segment: it is 4512 mm long, 1706 mm wide, and 1474 mm high. The liftback has a wheelbase of 2,602 mm and a ground clearance of 170 mm (but at full load it is 145 mm).
When equipped, the five-door weighs from 1150 to 1217 kg, depending on the modification.
Interior
The interior space of the "Rapid of the second incarnation" fully and completely meets modern fashion trends - a stylish three-spoke multi-steering wheel with tides in the area of the correct grip and a rim truncated from the bottom, a reference instrument cluster with a pair of dial gauges and a "window" of the on-board computer between them (but as an option - fully digital), an attractive center console with an 8-inch touchscreen media center, framed by touch buttons, and an exemplary "remote control" of the climate system.
It should be noted that in the "base" of the car there is a two-spoke "steering wheel", an infotainment complex with a 6.5-inch screen and a simpler "microclimate" control unit.
The decoration of the Czech liftback can boast of impeccable ergonomics and a good level of performance, however, budget finishing materials are used almost everywhere.
In the front part of the cabin, the "second" Skoda Rapid has ergonomic seats with unobtrusive bolsters on the sides, moderately dense filling, wide adjustment ranges and heating, which can optionally be replaced by sports seats with integrated head restraints and a more developed side profile.
On the second row there is a comfortable sofa, plenty of free space and maximum amenities for the B-class: heating, a folding armrest with two cup holders, a pair of multimedia connectors, three headrests, pockets in the doors and seat backs, as well as regular reinforced tinting.
In the arsenal of the subcompact liftback there is one of the most capacious trunk in the segment with almost flat walls and a gigantic opening, the volume of which in its usual form is 550 liters, and is also replete with such amenities as pockets, hooks, a socket and a hatch for long items. "Gallery" is folded in two unequal sections, increasing the capacity of the cargo compartment to 1490 liters, but does not form an even "rookery". In a niche under the raised floor there is a full-size spare wheel and an organizer with tools.
Specifications
In the Russian market for the Skoda Rapid of the second incarnation, two four-cylinder gasoline units are announced:
- The first option is an "aspirated" MPI with a working volume of 1.6 liters with distributed fuel injection, a 16-valve DOHC timing belt and variable valve timing, available in two boost levels:
- 90 horsepower at 4250-6000 rpm and 155 Nm of torque at 3800-4000 rpm;
- 110 h.p. at 5800 rpm and 155 Nm of ultimate thrust at 3800-4000 rpm.
- The second is a 1.4-liter TSI engine with an aluminum head, a cast iron block, a direct power system, a compact turbocharger, a 16-valve timing and intake phase shifters, generating 125 hp. at 5000-6000 rpm and 200 Nm of torque at 1400-4000 rpm.
The "younger" engine is combined with a 5-speed "mechanics" or a 6-speed hydromechanical "automatic" (only in the 110-horsepower version), and the "senior" relies exclusively on a 7-range "robot" DSG with two clutches.
Dynamics, speed and consumption
The liftback takes 9.2-11.8 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 km / h, and its maximum speed does not exceed 184-204 km / h.
The fuel appetite of the liftback varies from 5.4 to 6.1 liters for every "hundred" of the run in combined conditions (depending on the modification).
Design features
The second "release" of the Skoda Rapid is built on a front-wheel drive architecture called the PQ25 with a transversely oriented power unit. The car has a monocoque body with extensive use of high-strength types of steel. An independent suspension with MacPherson struts is installed on the front axle of the five-door, and a semi-independent structure with a torsion beam (but in both cases with transverse stabilizers) is installed on the rear axle.
Regularly, the liftback is equipped with a rack and pinion steering and an electromechanical amplifier. Regardless of the version, the front of the car is equipped with ventilated disc brakes, while the rear can contain either drum devices (only in the 90-strong modification), or ordinary "pancakes".
Options and prices
On the Russian market, the second generation Skoda Rapid is sold in four trim levels to choose from - Entry, Active, Ambition and Style.
The car in the basic version is available only with a 90-horsepower engine at a price of 792,000 rubles, and it is equipped with: two airbags, ABS, ESP, a media center with a 6.5-inch screen, an audio system with four speakers, fully LED optics, power windows, 15- inch steel wheels, a tire pressure indicator and some other options (but the same air conditioner is not here).
For a complete set of Active with air conditioning, they ask for a minimum of 829,000 rubles, and they offer it, but with a 110-horsepower "aspirated" one, at a price of 883,000 rubles (surcharge for an "automatic machine" - another 50,000 rubles). A liftback with a turbo engine (from the Ambition version and above) will cost from 1,049,000 rubles, while the most "fancy" option is not cheaper than 1,021,000 rubles.
The functionality of the "top" modification of the five-door includes: four airbags, a media system with an 8-inch touchscreen, heated front and rear seats, one-zone climate control, a three-spoke multi-steering wheel with heating, cruise control, light and rain sensors, 16-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and engine start, rear parking sensors, rear view camera and other "chips".
