Skoda Rapid Facelift

The Rapid gets sharper looks, an updated engine and a bit more equipment, making it an even more appealing package than before.

- Siddhant Ghalla

The Rapid has been Skoda’s best-seller in India, accounting for nearly 70 percent of its total sales, but it’s still far from being the most popular car in its segment. With this facelift – the first substantial one in the five years since the car’s launch in India – the Rapid is now armed with sharper aesthetics, a more powerful diesel engine and extra features to make it more appealing. In fact, Skoda hopes that the update will empower the Rapid’s sales number to almost double, taking it to 20,000 units by the end of 2017.

The Rapid’s fascia is completely new. The new grille and angular headlamps bring it more in line with its bigger brothers, the Octavia and Superb. Below the grille sits a redesigned bumper, with a new air dam and fog lamps. In profile, the Rapid has not changed at all, and the only change around the back is the lightly redesigned bumper with a spoiler and tailgate-mounted chrome strip. Also notable are the projector headlights with “jewel-shadow” DRLs and chrome moulding on the door handles. On the whole, the clean lines and sharp edges make the Rapid look fresh and purposeful.

On the inside too, little has changed. The dash design is still restrained, though a new, reasonably crisp 6.5-inch touchscreen that comes with USB, Aux, Bluetooth as well as MirrorLink connectivity, dominates the centre console. Other additions to the equipment list include rain-sensing wipers and electronically folding exterior mirrors, which help bridge the gap between the Rapid and its better equipped rivals. Skoda’s trademark ‘clever features’ manifest in the form of a cardholder clip in the centre console, to hold your toll passes and the like.