Road test: Skoda Rapid

As far as family hatchbacks go the Skoda Rapid is sure to please.

The reasons are quite varied. It is a sizeable vehicle yet feels compact to drive and looks more like a saloon with the benefit of the rear windscreen wiper. It has a massive boot and a good amount of room for all passengers. I test the Rapid Elegance 1.4 TSI 122PS finished in Corrida Red with Black Magic interior. It has a seven speed automatic with a sport mode and the option to drive it like a manual. I really get to test this gearbox to the limit when it looks as if we’re going to miss our ferry for Ireland. We leave Hampshire at 10am to get to Fishguard for a 230pm crossing. However, we all feel it would be a good idea to stop for lunch at St Clear’s on the way. “It’s only down the road,” says my wife confidently. Thank goodness I only allow 45 minutes for this stop because we are shocked at the amount of time the last leg of the journey takes. With various 40mph speed limits enforced along the route it seems to take an age. Passengers must check in 30 minutes before boarding and we arrive at 210pm, sweating that we’re not going to be allowed to board. We only arrive at this time because the Rapid has lived up to its name and overtaken numerous vehicles. It has really proved its worth. Although it will not make a boyracer blush it delivers reliable smooth speed. Push your foot to the floor and engage Sports mode and it does get a shift on despite being loaded down with bags of luggage. Bear in mind that it only has a 1.4 petrol engine it delivers impressive performance. Over the course of the trip it returns an average of over 40mpg, which for a petrol car isn’t bad. Equipped with satellite navigation this can be useful but it can also be pretty infuriating. During our trip to County Wexford and surrounding areas we exit a car park in Waterford having input the details to get back to base. It tells us to go one way out of the car park when it fact it should have been the opposite direction, which we discover only once we’ve made the manoeuvre. The route we need to go is chockablock with traffic so we have to go right back to the end of the queue. Thanks very much. But on other occasions it proves relatively useful for instance, in actually getting us close to our accommodation. But it’s only our own directions that get us to the front door. There are a few niggles about the Rapid. The keyfob allows you to just unlock the boot and using this function when you close the boot it automatically locks, which is fine unless of course you have left your key in the boot and then life is not quite so rosy. When selecting the button that unlocks the whole vehicle, the boot does not automatically lock when closed. Another issue I have is the reflection of the chrome around the air vents on the dashboard in the wing mirrors. When the sun is behind you and shining on the wing mirror, the reflection from the chrome is a problem that any driver can do without. Aside from this though, driving the Rapid is fun. It sticks to the road like glue even in the worst of British weather. On our return from the port at Fishguard there is a persistently severe downpour that blights the whole of the night time journey. Yet the easy to use cruise control maintains the vehicle’s steady speed and the wipers generally deal with the onslaught with aplomb. A still faster wiper speed would be beneficial in such situations, I feel. The strong headlights deliver clear vision and driver and passengers feel confident that they are in a safe vehicle. The ride is medium to firm, which is generally comfortable unless negotiating poor Irish roads or long gravel driveways. The seats are supportive. There are no creaks or groans and it is a vehicle that could grace any driveway no matter how grand.

Facts at a glance:

Price new: Around £18,500 Top speed: 125mph 0-60mph: 9.5secs Economy: Over 40mpg Power: 122bhp Video: www.testdrives.biz

Tim Saunders——Bio and Archives

Tim Saunders is the former Business and Motoring Editor of the Bournemouth Echo in the UK. testdrives.biz