2020 Skoda Rapid facelift unveiled in Russia
The Europen-spec Skoda Rapid has received a significant update in the Russian market. The sedan continues to be sold there but has been replaced elsewhere on the continent by the Scala hatchback. The rapid for Europe is unrelated to the car we get here, it is larger and sits on a different architecture. However, the styling cues seen on this car could be a good indicator of what the new rapid for India, set for a 2021 debut might look like.
The big change on the outside is the front face that now seems heavily derived from the Scala hatch. It gets the similar tapering headlamps, the larger butterfly grille and wide air dam flanked by the wide fog lamps. The rear too is different thanks to the new wide taillamps, the Skoda lettering and other changes to the boot lid and bumpers. The side profile remains largely untouched. The interiors have also seen a refresh. There is a version of the virtual cockpit instrument cluster, the new steering wheel with the knurled rollers that we saw in the Octavia. Further, the centre console has got the floating infotainment screen and the low mounted air vents as seen on new Skodas. The touchscreen can either be a 6.5 or 8-inch unit.
The Russia-spec Rapid comes with two petrol engine options. The base motor is 1.6-litre petrol which makes 90PS and 110PS and come paired with a five- or six-speed manual gearbox. The other option is a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol with 125PS and a seven-speed DCT. The car rides on 14-inch on the base versions, this goes up to 15 and 16-inches for the higher-spec cars.
The Rapid that will come to India by 2021 will be a largely different car. It will be based on the heavily localized MQB-A0-IN platform that is currently being developed and will debut with an SUV in concept form at the 2020 Auto Expo.
Starts Rs 7.49 Lakhs
999cc
Automatic
110
175
18.97 Kmpl
Related Stories
