About a year ago I test drove a Skoda Rapid for Car Buyers Guide. I am sad to say that I wasn't too impressed by its abilities. I found it to be lacking in many departments and it just didn't offer enough bang for buck. I felt it let me down mainly on the interior and the infotainment was difficult to navigate. For what it was the engine was fine, but I made the argument that for just a little bit more money you could get so much more in terms of performance and comfort by splashing out on the Octavia.
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This week I'm looking at the Skoda Rapid Spaceback. Rumours and images of the Rapid Spaceback were wondering around for some time before this car came to market saying that it was a better class than the Rapid I had originally tested. This is a new enough vehicle for Skoda and from the second I sat into this machine I could see that it was head and shoulders ahead.
So Skoda Ireland were kind enough to give me the keys to the Spaceback for a week. Any time I write about the Yeti I always say that on first glance I thought it was a funny looking machine - and this is how I view the Rapid Spaceback. On first glance this is not what I would describe as a good looking car. This car is odd looking, but give it a chance and I feel that it could entice anybody into thinking it's not all that bad - just like the Yeti.
The interior is so much more exciting, it feels so much more spacious and much better laid out. The estate feel to the car makes everything feel so much clearer. The dash perfectly laid out and the fact that DAB is optional gets the thumbs-up from me. The boot space on offer with the Rapid Spaceback is nice too - offering 415l of space with the seats up and 1380l with the rear seats down.
Other changes with the Rapid Spaceback come through improved steering and better suspension. The 1.2TSI model I had offers 63KW or 86bhp and Skoda tells us that it can achieve a top speed of 180kph with 0-100km/h reached in 11.7 seconds. On paper it has a combined fuel economy of 5.1l per 100km - which I found to be accurate enough.
In terms of safety the Skoda Rapid Spaceback comes with 6 airbags which wrap around much of the interior. It also comes with ESC and ABS. It is available with petrol and diesel engines, and the price is attractive enough starting out at €17,495 at entry level. There are three trims available - Active, Ambition and Elegance. The model I have been testing is the 1.2 TSI 86 Ambition with Style Package - which includes a glass roof and black 17" alloys.
The CBG.ie verdict
If I was to honestly compare this to the last Rapid I would have to say that it is miles ahead. This is a really nice car which has softened my attitude to the Rapid.
Read our first Skoda Rapid review here: http://www.cbg.ie/cbg-official-reviews/details/skoda-rapid-1-6-tdi-105bhp-elegance
Read our used Skoda Yeti rview here: http://www.cbg.ie/cbg-official-reviews/details/skoda-yeti-2010
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