Rapid - Terje's cars

Sportsback-1 — Undoubtedly Skoda, - but not easy to see which one.

It almost looks like a Golf, but drives like a Fabia. Space like a station wagon. Will this be a big seller in Norway?

Look and feel

The Spaceback is a beautiful car. No doubt about it. It carries the design language of both the new Golf, Audi A3 Sportsback, - and not least the facelifted Seat Leon. Alloy wheels, fog lights, leather steering wheel and center armrests help to strengthen the family resemblance. But the beautiful appearance cannot hide the sad interior of the basic version. A lot, - and very hard plastic. The only positive feeling you get when you get into the car for the first time is the good sense of space. I also got the impression of a vehicle that can withstand being used for years without silk gloves and a suit. I think of dirty children's boots, muddy dogs and things and seaweed.

Driving pleasure

When I take the car out on the road, I understand that this is neither a Golf, A3 nor Leon. This car is more reminiscent of the Fabia. A big Fabia. I therefore had to check on the Internet to learn that the Skoda Rapid is assembled based on the front axle from the Fabia and the rear axle from the Roomster. It's not a bad car to drive, but by no means measures up to the Golf we tested a couple of weeks ago. With a narrower track width and softer suspension, you are encouraged to drive calmly and leisurely, - not sporty.

Withstands rough treatment in the basic version.

We used the car in connection with a relocation process. It was used a lot, with and without cargo. With the rear seats folded down, you can really load up a lot, but with a full load, the driving characteristics are somewhat affected. It reinforces my impression of a car that holds quite a lot, but drives like a car in the so-called B segment. Nevertheless, it is a car that covers everyday transport needs well. The only thing I didn't like was the position of the clutch pedal. It was too far to the right, so that I got the feeling of sitting at an angle when I clutched. I saw that the pedal rubber was heavily worn on one side, despite the fact that the car had not driven more than 17 km as a rental car. A sign that more people than me experience an unfortunate pedal placement.

The 105 horsepower engine works well with this car. The 5-speed gearbox distributed the power nicely, and I didn't miss sixth gear at speeds up to 120 km/h.

Comfort

I was never able to adjust the driver's seat correctly. The height adjustment takes place at the back of the seat, so that you only get thigh support when the seat is in the lowest position. But in the lowest position I thought I sat too low (I'm 1,88m tall). Therefore, I had to seek a compromise. I suspect that Skoda has chosen to use standard Fabia seats and that these do not fit this car. If the seats had been placed a couple of cm higher, they would have suited me much better.

Another weakness of the comfort is the relatively high noise level, especially from the TDI engine during city driving. You feel it well when you alternate between driving several cars. But since the engine works well at low revs, the sound does not feel annoying. The noise level does not seem as intrusive at steady motorway speeds.

The leather steering wheel and the center armrests count positively. The manual air conditioning also worked fine.

Place

The depth of the luggage compartment can be increased by removing a panel.

The Spaceback has 415 liters of luggage space with the seats up and 1370 liters with the seats down. Golf's figures are respectively 380 liters and 1270 liters. The differences are noticeable. In the Spaceback, the luggage compartment is larger and deeper. Inside, the space also feels spacious, although I think that can be explained by the fact that you sit in slightly small and low seats. There is no doubt that place is this car's strongest point.

Safety

Skoda Rapid is one of the latest models from Skoda. It has almost exactly the same safety level as the Octavia in NCAP. The downside is that you cannot order advanced safety equipment such as blind spot warning, falling asleep alarm, lane change warning and distance holder, to name a few. In addition, the active safety is not as good as, for example, the Golf. Among other things, you must expect longer braking distances.

Economy

The TDI engine with 105 horses is one of the market's most economical engines. This also applies in a Rapid Spaceback. This is a car you can easily find an economical driving style with, - and consequently a fuel consumption among the best in all car classes. Low purchase price and expected good trade-in value also contribute to a pleasant car account. In terms of purchase price, the Rapid Spaceback is approximately 60 less than a similarly equipped Golf. The Golf belongs to half a class above the Rapid. In addition, the feeling of quality is better in the Golf, and the trade-in price is better. It seems that the Rapid is designed to fill the demand for cheap cars in Eastern Europe and countries in the Near East. We have seen the same with other, typical cheap cars such as Dacia and Korean cheap brands: The Norwegian tax system means that the difference between expensive and cheap cars is evened out. I think that the purchase price of the Skoda Rapid is too high for the car to be successful in Norway. Most people will make a better price-wise choice half a class up with the Octavia or Golf.