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Test Drive and Review of New Skoda Rapid

Design and Engineering

The VW Group is serious about deploying its diverse portfolio of brands in India. Keen to leverage economies of scale that come with such a strategy, the question VW and Skoda must have asked themselves is why make two specially engineered compact saloons when you can make do with one? Why indeed? And so what was born was the Vento, basically a stretched version of VW Polo, with a boot tagged onto the rear. Ideal for emerging markets like India, Russia, Brazil and future markets like China and Malaysia, this relatively compact saloon delivers mid-sized luxury for small-car money; in short, exactly what Indian customers want. What we have here isn’t the Vento however, but its near-Siamese twin, the Skoda Rapid, possibly the most Volkswagen-like Skoda ever. Sure, VW and Skoda  share platforms and engines, but their cars differ considerably too. The Fabia is a completely different car from the Polo; the Jetta has very little in common with the Laura and the same holds true for the Superb and Passat as well. In comparison, you could justifiably call the new Rapid a ‘badge-engineered’ Vento, and you wouldn’t be too far off the mark.

So, under the skin the Rapid is a VW Vento. Which, of course, means it has the same long 2552mm wheelbase, the same 1699mm width and the same widened front and rear track. The Rapid, however, is marginally longer than the Vento, but that’s just down to the larger nose of the Skoda. Also identical is the suspension the Skoda uses; MacPherson struts up front and non-independent coil springs in the rear. And the brakes and steering system are identical too. Skoda however has tuned each of these components a bit differently which, as we will see later, makes this car drive quite differently from the Vento.

The Rapid may look at first like a Vento with a Fabia nose stuck on it, and in a way it is, but the Skoda looks much more attractive in the flesh. The large nose balances the elongated body nicely; Skoda designers have done a fabulous job of seamlessly merging some of the disparaging lines. The new larger fenders and mildly altered chin complete what must have been a difficult styling exercise. While the flanks of the car remain the same, down to the use of an identical mirror, Skoda has altered the boot-lid, taillights and rear bumper too. But the changes are so subtle; you’ll only spot them if you look hard.

Interior

The cabin, like the exterior, is derived from the Vento with plenty of Skoda overtones. The basic architecture of the dash is the Vento’s and the simple layout, slender central console and the large glove-box with the poor-fitting lid are all shared. Also carried over unaltered from the VW are the headlight switch, climate control, and the low quality air-con vents that, as we’ve found, have a tendency to break easily. And the seats are identical too. The front seats have good bolstering and thigh support, making them comfortable on long drives, the steering can be adjusted for height and reach and the driver’s seat can be raised and lowered too. So finding a good driving position is easy. The Rapid however comes


with slightly coarser seat fabric and some missing chrome highlights, such as the ones found around the VW’s vents.


There are plenty of Skoda parts on the inside though, and these change the character of the cabin quite a bit. Skoda’s chrome-lined steering wheel looks and feels good, the gearlever is similar to the one on the Fabia, the instrument panel comes from the Czech Republic rather than Germany and there is a Skoda audio system as well. Unlike VW, which uses a deep shade of brown, Skoda uses black for all these bits and that does cause some amount of dissonance in the cabin. Still, if you are not familiar with the Vento, you’ll find that these Skoda parts actually blend surprisingly well. Except for the gearlever, which looks like the chrome has been added as an afterthought.


With its extended wheelbase and additional width, the rear seat of the Rapid is also a good place to be. There’s plenty of legroom, the seat is wide and you get a nice airy feel when sitting in the rear. And the seat is reasonably comfortable too. You climb out feeling fresh even after a long drive and this is also true if you are tall. But it could have been nicer. You sit a bit low, the backrest is a bit vertical and there is that huge tunnel in the centre of the cabin, which makes it difficult to get in and out if you are the third passenger in the back. Still, like the Vento, you get the large rear air-con vent and that clever lever that allows you to push the front passenger seat forward.


The Rapid is sold in three variants — Active, Ambition and Elegance. The Active gets body-coloured bumpers, central locking, power windows and air-conditioning. The Ambition adds ABS, driver airbag, remote locking and driver’s seat height adjustment. The Elegance, the one you see here, has alloy wheels, climate control, a CD player with aux-in, electrically adjustable mirrors and a front passenger airbag. 


Engine and perormance

Power to the Rapid’s front wheels comes from a pair of 105bhp, 1600cc motors, shared with the Vento. While both the petrol and diesel make the same amount of power, it’s the common rail diesel’s extra 10kgm ◊ ∆ of torque that makes it the more effortless of the two. It’s also tuned slightly differently from the VW, and initial progression is smoother and more immediate. Throttle responses are relatively crisp, the motor revs more easily from medium engine speeds and there seems to be more punch in the mid-range. So driving in traffic is really much nicer, with only some turbo-lag present. The Rapid also lacks that big spike in power you get on the diesel Vento, and this makes it even nicer in traffic. You do miss the thrill of that sudden burst of power and the Rapid doesn’t pull as willingly at the top of its powerband, but we still found it to be just as quick. It matches the Vento to 100kph and by 140, it’s even ahead.

Skoda has made the petrol version better to drive as well. The 1.6 Mpfi engine isn’t the most modern motor around and doesn’t feel as light and responsive as some of the Japanese units. Still, with shorter gearing and altered tuning, we could have sworn that there was a different engine under the hood. It’s slightly boomy at some points in the powerband, and it moans a bit near the 6200rpm redline as well, but the petrol Rapid still feels better to drive. It’s faster to respond to a tap on the throttle, it pulls slightly harder throughout the rev range and pedaling this car quickly is actually enjoyable. The Rapid is considerably quicker than the Vento in a straight line with 100kph reached approximately one second quicker. It’s still not close to the City though, the performance king of the segment almost three seconds quicker to 140kph.

VW has always made some of the nicest manual gearboxes, and this one is no different. It is light to use, the throw is short and this makes it one of the slickest boxes around. 

Verdict

From the outside, the Rapid looks like nothing more than a VW Vento with a Skoda nose and Skoda badges. And that's what it undeniably is. However, dig deeper and Rapid proves to be much more than a Volkswagen clone. Yes, some of the shortcomings of the Vento remain. These are not the most refined cars to come out of Planet VW, the Rapid doesn't seem to adhere as closely to global build quality standards as something like a Fabia and this car is still nowhere as well equipped as some of the competition. However, on the plus side, Skoda has ironed out many of the Vento's other shortcomings. The diesel engine is more linear but just as punchy, the shorter geared petrol now works much better and ride and handling are much improved as well. Spacious, fast, frugal, reasonably well-built and good value, the Rapid has a lot going for it. We're going to see a lot of them.


Tech Specs

From the outside, the Rapid looks like nothing more than a VW Vento with a Skoda nose and Skoda badges. And that's what it undeniably is. However, dig deeper and Rapid proves to be much more than a Volkswagen clone. Yes, some of the shortcomings of the Vento remain. These are not the most refined cars to come out of Planet VW, the Rapid doesn't seem to adhere as closely to global build quality standards as something like a Fabia and this car is still nowhere as well equipped as some of the competition. However, on the plus side, Skoda has ironed out many of the Vento's other shortcomings. The diesel engine is more linear but just as punchy, the shorter geared petrol now works much better and ride and handling are much improved as well. Spacious, fast, frugal, reasonably well-built and good value, the Rapid has a lot going for it. We're going to see a lot of them.
Overall Rating  

Toyota confirms Etios one-make series for 2013

Toyota has formally launched its Indian motorsport effort under the moniker ‘Toyota Motor Racing’ by unveiling the race-prepared Etios and Liva at the Auto Expo. Although the series was widely expected to kick off this season, Toyota plans to launch the full-fledged series only in 2013. However, a few exhibition races will be held in 2012, with the opening event just three weeks away on January 28 to be held, surprisingly, in Chandigarh. Since the city doesn’t have a purpose-built racing circuit, it is safe to assume that the race would be held on a temporary street circuit. The main series, however, will focus on the three race tracks in India - the Buddh International Circuit, the Madras circuit and the Kari Speedway in Coimbatore.

A tentative grid of 25 cars will be made up of drivers aged between 15-24 years with a multi-tiered selection process. Step one for racing aspirants would be to apply online, with entries opening January 15 and closing on February 15. Basic training camps will follow in March and June with the applicants being shortlisted based on their performance. The shortlisted lot will then go through simulator and karting evaluations before getting behind the wheel of the Toyota race cars. The final 25 will be selected and trained by specialised coaches using Toyota’s global racing curriculum.

To make the Etios and Liva cars race-worthy, both cars will undergo modifications with the process being well underway at the Red Rooster Racing facility in Bangalore. The proximity to Toyota’s Bidadi plant is no coincidence, and the process is being supervised by Toyota. Apart from the usual myriad of safety-related and aesthetic modifications, the 1.2- and 1.5-litre engines will be massaged to release more horsepower with performance suspension and wheels headlining the dynamics department. Toyota is expected to partner with MRF Tyres as the official tyre supplier for the series, drawing parallel with the only other manufacturer-backed one-make series, the JK Tyre-Volkswagen Polo Cup.

Volkswagen reveals Cross Coupe concept

Volkswagen has showcased an all-new SUV concept at the Tokyo Motor Show. Known as the Cross Coupé concept, it hints at design themes of all future SUV’s from Volkswagen stable.
The Cross Coupé previews the bold new look of its Volkswagen’s second-generation Tiguan compact SUV. Sitting on
the German carmaker’s versatile new MQB platform, the new four-seater, four-wheel drive petrol-electric hybrid is officially described as a cross between a four-door coupé and compact SUV, which has led many to speculate that Volkswagen is considering a second compact off-roader model in the mould of the Range Rover Evoque.
However, Volkswagen sources close to design boss Walter de Silva have confirmed to Autocar that the Cross Coupé has a broader brief in previewing a new design lineage that will be adopted by all of the company’s upcoming SUV models, including the next Tiguan due out in 2014.
“We won’t rule out the possibility of adding a sportier SUV to the Volkswagen line-up at some time. But the main message with the Cross Coupé is its styling, which stands for the future of SUV design at Volkswagen,” Autocar was told.
The Cross Coupé combines front-end styling elements first seen on the Tex and Go concepts, penned by Volkswagen-owned Giugario, wheeled out at the Geneva motor show earlier this year, with heavily sculptured surfaces throughout. It has a highly defined shoulder – or ‘tornado line’ as de Silva refers to it – higher waistline, shallow side glass, heavily angled tailgate, distinctive wheel arch design and 20-inch alloy wheels shod with substantial 265/45 profile tyres.
The five-door Cross Coupé is both considerably bolder than the current-generation Tiguan, whose design dates back to 2005 and a former Volkswagen design team headed by Murat Gunak.
Volkswagen has provided its latest concept with a classy Audi-esque cabin, with a sweeping dashboard whose various horizontal design elements mirror those of the exterior, and a hi-tech instrument display combining traditional analogue and the latest in computer-enhanced graphics. It also has grab handles incorporated into the centre pod and four heavily contoured seats separated by a high-set centre tunnel which is used to store a battery that powers the concept’s electric motors.
At 4345mm in length, 1868mm in width and 1523mm in height, the Cross Coupé is 125mm shorter, 58mm wider and a significant 177mm lower than today’s first-generation Tiguan. It also rides on a wheelbase that is 26mm longer at 2630mm – allied to tracks that up by 15mm at the front and by 43mm at the rear at 1585mm and 1613mm respectively. Nominal boot space underneath the rear windows is put at 380 litres – or 90 litres less than the Tiguan, rising to 1230 litres when the rear seats are folded away.
Powering the Cross Coupé is a petrol-electric hybrid system capable of providing drive to either the front wheels or all four wheels via a seven-speed, double-clutch gearbox, depending on the driving conditions. It combines Volkswagen’s familiar turbocharged 1.4-litre, four-cylinder, direct-injection TSI petrol engine producing 148bhp and 21.4kgm of torque with a pair of brushless electric motors – one sited up front delivering 54bhp and 18.3kgm and a larger one at the rear with 114bhp and 27.5kgm. The system is calibrated to provide a maximum 261bhp.
Energy for the electric motors is supplied by a battery mounted low down within the centre tunnel of the floorpan. Rated at 9.8kWh and operating at a maximum 370 volts, the lithium ion unit can be charged both on the run through the recovery of kinetic energy (both on a trailing throttle and under braking) and via plug-in means with conventional mains power.
Volkswagen claims an all-electric range of 40km at typical city speeds in front-wheel drive mode, at which a clutch is actuated to disconnect the petrol engine from the drive process when there is sufficient battery charge.
In a move aimed at reducing weight, Volkswagen has replaced the conventional mechanical driveshaft with a newly developed electric driveshaft that sees the rear wheels driven exclusively by the rear electric motor. In four-wheel-drive mode, the rear electric motor is fed electrical energy from the front electric motor, which then acts as a generator powered by the petrol engine. All up, the new concept car is claimed to weigh 1748kg – 128kg more than the heaviest of today’s Tiguan models, the 2.0 TDI, distributed 58 percent to the front axle and 42 percent to the rear.
Despite its relative weight, Volkswagen claims a 0-100kph time of just 7.0sec – placing the Cross Coupé 0.8sec ahead of the most powerful Tiguan model of today, the 2.0 TSI, in outright straight-line performance.
Top speed, however, is capped at just 200kph on a combination of petrol and electric power or 115kph when relying on electric power alone.

Petrol Ventos, Mercs for a steal

The Mahindra First Choice Super Store at Goregaon, Mumbai, has on offer six 1.6-litre petrol VW Vento Autos for Rs 7.75 lakh each. Manufactured in the year 2011, these cars have only clocked 2800-12000km on the odo, and are still under factory warranty.

Also on sale is a 2008 VW Passat diesel for Rs 12.50 lakh and an October 2009 Jetta that has been driven 23,000km for Rs 12 lakh. In the premium segment, there are two BMW 3-series’ – a 2008 320i for Rs 16 lakh and a 2010 320d for Rs 26 lakh. The Mercs on offer include a 2011 Mercedes E350 petrol priced at Rs 40 lakh, a 2010 C200 retailing for Rs 20 lakh and a 2002 E240 at Rs 12.50 lakh.

All these cars come with a one-year First Choice 24/7 road-side assistance service.

2011 VW Jetta review, test drive

At first glance, you may think this is the VW Vento, but upon closer inspection you will realise that it is the all-new Volkswagen Jetta. For a car that’s making a fresh start, to be likened to its cheaper sibling can’t be a good thing. But there’s an upside too, VW has unified the look of all its latest-generation models. It’s also easy to mistake the Jetta for the bigger and more expensive Passat, which shares the same styling lineage.
The new Jetta really looks far removed from the model it replaces. The bland, rounded shape and soft contours are replaced by crisper (but equally bland) horizontal lines. The nose is the most interesting bit of the car with its wide, horizontal grille, angular lamps and a tray-shaped ‘splitter’. The overall styling is best defined as a clean and uncluttered.
The new car has grown in every dimension; it is now 90mm longer than its predecessor and gets an extra 58mm in the wheelbase, which hints at the best-in-class interior space. Despite all the extra sheet metal, the new Jetta weighs just 25kg more than before.
Step inside the Jetta and it feels like a mini-Passat, more than a grown up Vento with top-notch plastics, and exemplary fit and finish. The chunky steering wheel feels great to hold. The steering-mounted buttons are small but have a wonderfully tactile feel. The air-con vents feel solid too and the overall heft of the dashboard and door pads reveal the durable build of the car.
The new Jetta is better specced too, but the small details that made the previous Jetta special are missing. The driver gets a 12-way power adjustable seat, including lumbar support, and finding the perfect driving position is easy. The front seats are generous but a touch flat and you get synthetic fabric instead of leather seats. The top-of-the-line Highline variant gets eight airbags, while the Trendline and Comfortline variants get six.
The most glaring oversight in the new Jetta is the missing dual-zone climate control. Instead, it gets a simple air-con unit and though it’s still electro-mechanically controlled, there isn’t even a digital temperature readout. To make up, VW has given the Jetta other goodies like iPod connectivity, Park Distance Control with display on the central infotainment system, and daytime running headlights.
Moving to the rear, this VW has the most comfortable backseat we have seen in any Rs 15-20 lakh car. The ‘hip-point’ is nice and high so you sit more relaxed, legroom is class-leading and the seat base is generous and superbly contoured. If there is a fault, it’s with the cushioning which is a touch too hard and the backrest that’s a wee too upright. The rear seats now get an armrest and a 60:40 split. The boot capacity is a good 510-litre.
Under the hood, the 1986cc, 108bhp motor has been replaced by the 138bhp version of the same turbo-diesel engine. For the moment, VW is offering the new Jetta with just this single diesel engine which comes with six-speed manual and automatic options. There is no petrol option yet, but we understand a 1.4 TSI version is expected sometime in 2012.
The diesel motor is not the quietest of motors and though it’s not really intrusive you can’t miss its characteristic gruffness, especially at higher revs. There’s minimal turbo-lag and we just love the strong tug you get from low revs. Performance is more than adequate and there’s always a surplus of power and the swathe of torque, most of it low down in the rev range. But the DSG gearbox can make tight overtaking a tricky affair as well. There’s a huge delay in power delivery when you floor the throttle and then suddenly the car just takes off.
The way to work around this is to drive in manual mode which, apart from being good fun (the paddle-shifters feel terrific), keeps the engine in the right cog for instant overtaking. The six-speed manual is slick and precise like before but it’s mated to an engine that doesn’t like to be revved hard.
On the twisty roads, the new Jetta’s safe and benign handling was immediately evident. The steering, though accurate and well weighted, is rather numb and doesn’t bristle with feel. The gentle responses and the leisurely manner in which the Jetta turns into corners doesn’t make it overtly sporting.
The ride is again fantastic and the Jetta dispatches bumps with ease. The suspension feels a touch more damped than before. However, on bad roads at low speeds, you can distinctly feel the underlying firmness in the suspension. But the ride is never uncomfortable.
VW has priced the base Trendline at Rs 14.12 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), but as you move up to the Highline DSG which costs Rs 3.74 lakh more, the Jetta appears a bit pricey. But, if money isn’t the primary factor and what you want is a comfortable, well-built executive saloon with a bit of class, there’s nothing that fits the bill as well as the new Jetta.