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24th May 2020, 02:15 | #1 |
BHPian Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Raipur C.G.
Posts: 607
Thanked: 3,233 Times
| My Skoda Rapid 1.5L Diesel DSG. EDIT: 2 years of ownership and 40,000 km up! TeamBHP has helped to make a right decision while choosing a perfect car for me, so I would like to thank everyone one on this platform for helping thousand others like me who look forward to TeamBHP as a holy book before any new car purchase. It's going to be a long ownership review and I will try to keep it updated with my service experiences as well. At the time of penning down this thread, the odo stands at 27,000kms in 15 months of its ownership. MEET HEISENBERG! I would like to thank Akshay the Vector Artist for this beautiful rendition, you may follow him on Instagram at akshay.kumar.3939 This happens to be my wallpaper now Why the name Heisenberg?- Breaking Bad is a series with 9.4imdb rating and there's the lead who goes by the name Heisenberg. He has a badass yet classy character. And I relate my car's character to Heisenberg, wears a classy black suit on the outside with stonker of a drivetrain beneath. The ownership review would be divided into 8 parts:-
1. The Prologue- The idea for a new car was born in 2017 when the Compass was launched in our market and dad & I went all gaga over its appeal. We didn't have any new car requirement as such since our 7-year-old Estilo KB10 was perfectly doing her city chores and Compass was more of an aspirational proposition. There's a famous saying that Men will be men, I remember that day when we walked into the Jeep Showroom with a chequebook in our hand, the sales guy told us that the booking amount would be 90k and that's when it hit me Wait! We haven't yet asked mom about the car? I made a call to her & I started explaining that we kinda liked a car and we were thinking...... I got a one-word reply NO!! And that was the end of the story. Fastforward to 2019: January I had my convocation and somehow a guy who never went to classes (I was always either in the Himalayas or working on our formula student car) managed to complete his Automobile engineering with rank 1 in his batch. My mom got all emotional seeing her kid receiving a medal and stuff, in the evening we were casually discussing as to how she always wanted to visit Jhansi. Mom: We should plan a road trip since your college is over now. Me: (I jokingly said) Mumma we will need a new car for that trip. Mom: Okay then, which one do you like? Me: You kidding me right? Mom: I'm serious, but ask your dad first. Me: Sure! (I was thinking to myself- Papa humare 2017 me hi ready the ) 2. Cars considered- So what we wanted in our new car? : Should be an automatic, comfortable (read: Supportive seats|Lot of glass area|no unnecessary body movements), fun to drive and of course safer the better. When it comes to after-sales service I believe it's subjective and it has more to do with the personal rapport with the service team rather than a particular brand because I've had bad experiences with brands which people swear by for their high-quality A.S.*. With no specific body type or set budget we ventured in the market to pick something which strikes a chord with our hearts, we considered the following cars (Yes! some people do cross-shopping and it was one of the most extensive test drive marathons I have ever taken) Note: Cars were test-driven in 2019 Q1. Below observations are my personal opinion, no offence to the respective owners. I believe there's no perfect car, every car appeals to different tastes differently. A. Hyundai Verna D AT: Likes-
B. Hyundai Creta D AT: (Trust me when I say this-Raipur is flooded with white cretas, it's more common than even a humble swift) Likes-
C: Tata Nexon P/D: Likes-
Checking out the colours at a dealer yard The test drive car at home D. Honda City P/D- Likes-
E. Honda Amaze D CVT: Likes-
F. Jeep Compass D: Likes-
It will age very well G. Toyota Yaris: Likes-
(I know it's too many cars but I just wanted to be sure that we are picking up a right one, after all we were about to pour in a lot of our hard-earned money) H. Toyota Innova Crysta: Likes-
I. Maruti Ciaz/Baleno/S-cross: Lack of decent automatic kept me at bay and also I was keenly following BHPian Laluk's Kunfu Panda ownership review, so we decided to part ways from the Maruti family after being associated with them for past 15 years. Do I miss them? Nehhh... With so many cars on the service, the quality has taken a big hit. (We try to stick with the authorised service centre for all our servicing needs). But still, I would like to give a big thanks to the service manager of SKY Automobiles Raipur Mr Aneesh, for all those times when he went out of his way to give us the best possible service and he has saved us a lot of time and money for his courteous and frank attitude. J. Ford Freestyle: Likes-
Kheyy... Finally the car is here we all have been waiting for, I went in for the test drive of Skoda Rapid at the end of the food chain and boy oh boy, It was love at first drive. 3. Buying Experience- First of all, a huge thanks to my best friend M. Ali for having the patience to bear me with all my lunatic test drive exercises. It was exhaustive and time taking but we really enjoyed the whole process since this opportunity of buying a new car doesn't come too often and we BHPians can't leave a stone unturned when it's about 4 wheels. So one beautiful morning we walked in the only Skoda dealer in Raipur- SPEED AUTOMOTIVE, we were attended very well and one SA was assigned to us, let's name him Mr X. After all the briefing we went for two test drives, the first one was Kodiaq for my friend and we really liked the car, it felt much better than entry-level German luxury SUVs TBH. Next up was Skoda Rapid DSG- man there's nothing in the segment which comes close to the way this thing rides and builds up speed, I drove it on some twisties and the car holds up the line very well for a stock setup and the way she envelops around you over quick directional changes was something which pseudo SUVs could only dream of. We took it on a longish test drive to experience it over every kind of roads and be it the ride quality over pothole-riddled roads or high-speed stability, everything felt like it belonged to a segment above. I was now sure that it's going to be a Skoda, but there was one tiny problem that in my family of 4, rest three members have not seen the car yet. My brother was leaning towards Nexon while dad is not a big fan of quirky designs and mom was neutral meanwhile I already gave my heart to the Czech beauty. I knew I could convince my mom for Skoda, while my brother was a tough one to deal with, so I came up with an idea to simultaneously call Nexon and Rapid for test drives at our home. Driving back to back both the cars, now even my brother was convinced as to why I was obsessed with the Czech machine. Just before closing the deal, I wanted my dad to drive both the cars but he lives in a different city 80kms from Raipur, I expressed my concern with Tata and Skoda team & they both promised to reach his office in the evening, but from what I remember Nexon guys never showed up and rest is history now. Dad liked the car, especially the performance in S mode, somehow the DSG makes you feel that it's a lot more powerful car than it actually is since I also drove the manual one and it didn't feel special as such. Finally, the Skoda people got the cheque from us and promised to deliver the car RAPID AMBITION DSG CARBON STEEL in two weeks time which we were okay with. My two cents when it comes to negotiations, Just let go of your hesitation and be shameless in quoting unrealistic figures I repeat let go fo your hesitation!, we were able to strike a very good deal with the SA which was essentially bringing it in the range of Verna manual and also a reverse camera was thrown in as a freebie (Its offered only in the Style variant, however from what I was informed, installing the camera is a matter of just a plug and play since the wiring is already present in the car). For price details, you can PM me. Now comes the twist- As you would have guessed it, I don't know why but all of a sudden the world felt really slow, time was just not moving. It was probably the longest 2 weeks of my life . I called up Mr X and enquired about the status of the delivery, to which he said it will be delivered on time and he informed that the car has been allotted to us from the factory. That was some relief and I asked him for the VIN number just to be sure of the manufacturing date, which he said he will provide by the evening. Soon that evening turned into a week and a couple of times he said that he has already mailed me the VIN which was an absolute lie. This really pissed off my dad because he was of the opinion that even if you couldn't provide the VIN, we don't have a problem but why do you have to resort to a lie, this brings a very opaqueness to the buying experience and worst off he started avoiding dad's call and immediately I started recalling all the Skoda horror stories I had been reading in the forum. That was it- I lost my cool and I called the sales manager of Speed Automotive, he seemed like a gentleman and he apologized on behalf of Mr X and he assured me of sharing the VIN by evening which he delivered as promised. Now my all conversation & queries were being handled by Mr Praveen the Sales Manager and he was transparent throughout the process. Finally, the D-day arrived but due to some logistic issues the car was not with the dealership even by 6 in the evening, but the good part was Mr Praveen was communicating with me throughout the delay and the car finally reached their yard by 8 PM and he was ready to get the car prepared and deliver us at our home in the night itself. Thankfully my senses prevailed and we decided to take the delivery next day as I have read in TeamBHP car buying guide to avoid delivery in the dusk. There's no brownie point in guessing that I had a sleepless night in excitement. Decided to draw this in our parking as a gift to our new car Bought this cute little Buddha from Amazon, had this in mind from quite some time Delivery experience- We have had bought a few cars in the past and have accompanied many of our friends and families during their car purchase and believe me- it was one of the most seamless deliveries we ever had. All the documents were prepared in advance and a couple of signatures here and there and we were done and dusted in 30 minutes. What came as a pleasant surprise was that Praveen decided to throw in a rear trunk spoiler and a rear windshield sunshade as a gift for that one day delay. I couldn't ask for more, I was more than happy since I was actually planning for that classy looking spoiler and it costs somewhere around 8k. TeamBHP PDI list came as handy since we found that there was some damage to the armrest console and it was immediately replaced upon raising the concern (Later I was informed that it was damaged during transit). We specifically informed the Speed Automotive team that we want a very simple delivery with no fun-fare and ribbons-balloons were to be avoided at all costs. They obliged and a small pooja was performed followed by a photo session and we were out of the showroom in flat 1 hour or so. We received a 5L diesel coupon for an HP pump next to the showroom and after refuelling, we went straight to our home and did not go for any temple pooja as in my community (We belong to Halba tribe of Bastar region) we believe in the blessings of our ancestors and grandparents, whatever we are today is because of their struggles and blessings. So we got the pooja done by my Dadi Maa (Grandmother) when we visited our village. A key to happiness Finally it was ours The first-ever picture I clicked of Heisenberg Others machines making way for the new family member Managed to do a reverse park on the first attempt Went for a dinner to celebrate our new acquisition, I made sure to find the best parking space of that restaurant Ahhhh.... I can spend hours here Caught my dad taking a glimpse of the Czech beauty Red contrast floor compliments the Carbon Steel colour This Sumo is no more with us The two different design language in one frame Took it for a drive to the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Cricket stadium Kitna deti hai? Clicked during one of our monsoon drive to Bastar The first nitrogen filling To be continued... Last edited by sachin_cs : 25th May 2020 at 12:34. Reason: Mod request |
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24th May 2020, 03:19 | #2 |
BHPian Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Raipur C.G.
Posts: 607
Thanked: 3,233 Times
| re: My Skoda Rapid 1.5L Diesel DSG. EDIT: 2 years of ownership and 40,000 km up! 4. Likes and Dislikes: Good bits-
Not so good bits-
Some underbody inspection Getting the temporary registration stickers removed at dealership People here leave the stickers intact and put number plates on top of it, looks horrendous to my eyes Notice the sheer difference in length Estilo was bought in 2009, it was one of the first Dusky Brown vxi of our city Would you believe if I say that this Estilo is 9 years old and has done 2,00,000 kilometres? My dad is very particular when it comes to maintaining our cars It was my idea to go for the same registration number Took her to the lifeline of Chhattisgarh for a photo shoot The mighty Mahanadi River Conincidently this river originates in my native village Mahanadi flows through Chhattisgarh and Orrisa over a course of 860kms before draining in the Bay of Bengal I'm a big fan of sunsets (probably because I do not wake up at Dawn) Mom trying her hands behind the steering wheel Time of the day when the colour appears dark grey One with my neighbour's car One of those times when I just wanted to be alone... This is a pretty little artificial lake next to my society We went to our farm once This is why we bought the car... Roads like these bring unparalleled happiness This was clicked before entering Bastar Surprisingly you will find the best roads of Chhattisgarh in Bastar One with my Dadi Maa.... She is one of the most down to earth person I've ever met This is our ancestral home, most of my childhood, as well as my parent's childhood, was spent in this very home. It's always a delight to drive on the roads of New Raipur What you looking at huh..??? To be continued... Last edited by sachin_cs : 25th May 2020 at 12:40. Reason: Mod request |
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24th May 2020, 12:58 | #3 |
BHPian Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Raipur C.G.
Posts: 607
Thanked: 3,233 Times
| re: My Skoda Rapid 1.5L Diesel DSG. EDIT: 2 years of ownership and 40,000 km up! 5. The Experience so far- The car was bought with keeping road trips in mind & I am happy to announce that this machine has exceeded our expectations. It's fast, it's reliable(touch wood), it's comfortable, it's safe and the icing on the cake is it's efficient as well. I have had the opportunity to drive all the way to Hyderabad in July 2019, to Lucknow in August 2019 and also countless trips to our ancestral home in Bastar, Heisenberg has never disappointed us and never did I had a second thought regarding my decision. We have driven it over varying degree of surfaces right from 8-lane highways to single-lane country roads to a river bed and the suspensions never complained nor did the passengers. Once we took it off the road while exploring a hidden waterfall in the dense jungle of Bastar, it did had few underbelly scrapes (six to be precise) but we had nothing to worry about as the underbody comes well armoured from the factory itself. It's so much fun behind the wheels that I'm always on the lookout to find excuses to take her out, if I don't find one then once everyone sleeps at my home, I secretly sneak out in the midnight from my home to have some me time with the car, which happens quite frequently if you ask me . Once I had an exam in Lucknow and we had the option of 2 routes, 1st was ~800km via Bilaspur-Allahabad while the 2nd one was ~1250km via Nagpur-Kanpur but had 4 lanes throughout and we choose the longer one to have the peace of mind and that extra time on the roads was an added bonus. Sooraj ko main.... Nigal gaya Dusk and Dawn bring amazing lighting for photography Is it grey or is it black? Do you notice something interesting about this?.....The vector art is based on this picture This is one my of my favourite click This photoshoot was done once when we were returning from our natives and we did not have the home keys with us I think I click a lot of half profile pictures Just look at those timeless lines... No fancy stuff, simply clean and crisp Looks all business from front 3 quarters Heisenberg is our darling- Of all the cars we own/owned, Heisenberg is the most pampered one and receives the utmost care from everyone in the family. I remember once my parents had to visit a family function in Orrisa village and the roads were not good nor was the parking so they took Sumo instead similarly for running all the city errands our humble Nano is the choice of our vehicle, it's not that Skoda can't do these duties but it's because of the fact that cars are never safe from bikers and vandalism, being a dark colour it picks up scratches too easily and when we have alternate options available then why to risk such a wonderful paint job. So far so good, after driving her for 27k kms over every road condition, I can confidently say that we are happy with the car, it has met our expectations and also exceeded in some parameters and the best part is it still drives the way it did on the first day. I'm ready to pay anything for such beautiful evenings Butter smooth roads and paper-thin traffic- welcome to New Raipur One with our 2012 Nano. I call her Dhanno When Google is going through its mood swings All thanks to Google auntie Clicked during the Hyderabad trip This was clicked somewhere before Adilabad, Telangana, IIRC Android auto is by far the best thing happened to automobiles. It makes our lives so easier The feeling of unleashing 110 horses in such wonderfully laid & well-marked roads is something which can't be put together in words After driving through Pench National Park. Yes you guessed it right, this is where Rudyard Kipling wrote the famous Jungle Book This picture was clicked in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. Here's a link to my Raipur-Lucknow travelogue https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...d-tdi-dsg.html (4 Wheels - 4 States - 2 Souls - 1 Beast! Road-trip in a Skoda Rapid TDI DSG) Somewhere between Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra border. P.S.-This is the time of the day when the car looks black One with my Thunderbird 350. Here's a link to my Ladakh Travelogue https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ty-ladakh.html (Dreams: A tale of Mighty Ladakh) It's always a dream to drive on the roads of Bastar amid such lush greenery Heisenberg is the only European car even in my extended family Bastar has a lot of hidden gems. Unfortunately, it's famous for all the wrong reasons but I can assure you one thing- you are as safe here as you are in other metro cities! BHPians are most welcome, I would love to take you around To be continued... |
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24th May 2020, 15:17 | #4 |
BHPian Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Raipur C.G.
Posts: 607
Thanked: 3,233 Times
| re: My Skoda Rapid 1.5L Diesel DSG. EDIT: 2 years of ownership and 40,000 km up! 6. The famous Skoda After Sales Service- As I've already mentioned that the service experience depends a lot on the relation with your service team rather than a particular brand. The number of cars sold by Maruti, Tata & Ford dealers in Raipur is beyond the numbers they can handle, this is coming from my personal experience and it's a fact that when you have such a high service target to achieve in a day, the quality does take a hit. With Skoda, I knew that the number of cars is relatively marginal in Chhattisgarh which would translate into better attention to details and my speculations did prove right. I have taken my car for 1st checkup at 7.5k mark then service at 15k, followed by an insurance claim for front bumper when my brother drove over a waterlogged road and he missed a sewer hole and numerous other times when I had some confusion over features or even when I felt slight rattling sound coming from the front left door- in all these occasions I was attended patiently and the staff there is really courteous and makes you feel as if you are there to purchase a vehicle not service it. Probably the best service experience I ever had in Raipur including two-wheelers as well because the problem with other service centres are that there's no one to listen to your minute requests. And here whenever I visit them, the sales manager Mr Praveen is always there to greet us and he is a knowledgable & fun guy to discuss cars with and also the service advisor Ashish needs a special mention, he is a very sweet & patient guy and whatever erratic requests you make in the job card, he makes sure to get that done. No matter if you visit them for service or minor repair they always offer to chauffeur you around in their own car if you plan to drop the car. This experience has come as a revelation to me as there's so much negativity about the brand on the internet that they have lost many prospective buyers just because of word-of-mouth from the people those who don't even own Skodas themselves, so I would suggest folks do have a look at the wonderful cars which Skoda offers at a bargain rather than sticking to conventional options just for sake of resale value. We BHPians buy cars to enjoy them, not to sell them at better prices later! And I hope that Raipur Skoda team stays this way throughout the period of my ownership and they remain as humble and courteous as they are right now, you have got a prospective buyer in me and I won't think before choosing another Skoda in near future. Note: I'm in no way associated with Speed Automotive Raipur, it's just my personal opinion and I'm quoting whatever I have experienced over a period of 1.5 years of my Rapid ownership. These washing guys are really sweet and they always oblige to use the microfibre cloth I bring with me I see a lot of OD registered cars here for servicing. Kodiaq in case here Mirror, the outer cover and the indicator lense were all gone, the cost of repair was only 350 bucks, I remember when just the mirror was broken in our Estilo and we had to buy an entire assembly for 3k because Maruti didn't sell mirror bracket separately. Talk of high maintenance now While returning from the gym my brother missed a sewer hole due to waterlogging. Scratch was such that it was not that visible. But my OCD was driving me crazy and I got the whole bumper repainted. The paint job was good, there's no colour mismatch Floor board also had a scratch which was repainted along with the bumper I observed this scratch above the rear number plate after 2 weeks into the ownership and it appeared that someone tried to cover a scratch with clear coat. I raised my concern with Praveen and he got it repainted in no time. Though the paint match is perfect, the surface is not as smooth as the factory finish Initially the car came with partial underbody cover and I looked into various TeamBHP threads and realised that VW sells it for an additional ~5.5k, I asked Praveen if they had one in stock, well this gentleman offered it to me for no cost and I only paid for the labour work. Now the Heisenberg is fully armoured for those unforeseen circumstances My brakes started shuddering heavily around 23k kms and upon inspection, I was informed that the rotors have gone bad. Which I felt was premature wear. Since the warranty procedure is time-consuming, the service team decided to change the Brake pads and the rotors for the time being as they are a crucial component for one's safety and then apply for a warranty claim I got a mail from Skoda West Zone that my warranty claim was not accepted citing it's a wear and tear part but I expressed my disagreement since there's no mention of rotors in the warranty book as a wear & tear part. I'm ready to pay for the pads but rotors I feel they need to improve their material quality. As of now, there has been no communication from the West zone Once this emission light showed up for no reason and the next thing I did was scavenge the user manual and it said to turn off the ignition for a while and then again start the engine. Voila, it worked! I also got it hooked to OBD scanner at the service centre and no error was found, it was probably due to a voltage fluctuation I believe 7. Miscelleneous-
I went for a dinner with my friend to renowned restaurant-Ashoka Biryani and this couple decided to use my car's bonnet as their personal furniture. I got this footage after a lot of haggling with the management. The morons left this as a gift for me. For no fault of mine, my new car was scratched and who was to be considered responsible? I confronted the management to either provide me with the contacts of the person in question or either pay for my damage. They offered free dinner for my family which I politely refused and I just stopped going there. It broke my heart but I have moved on now Heisenberg doing the duty in the time of Corona pandemic Air pressure suggested by Skoda I can't enough of Bastar Some random click This was the jungle trail where we had 6 underbelly hits The beauty was worth the trouble The Tamra Ghoomar waterfall Bastar has a lot of hidden gems to offer. Narayanpaal Temple built in the 12th century by the Naagvanshi King, dedicated to Lord Vishnu Yours truly One of those times when I sneak out Built like a tank! This picture reminds me of ownership review by BHPian laddz1121 Enroute my Dadi's Clean Bastar-Green Bastar Twinning I would end this section, with two interesting pictures- I bought this set of TeamBHP stickers in 2013 itself when I was not even a member of the forum. I had used many of the stickers on my cars save for one- got bhp?, I always felt that this special sticker need an equally special car Seven years later I believe I have met the one To be continued... Last edited by sachin_cs : 25th May 2020 at 19:43. Reason: Mod request |
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25th May 2020, 17:08 | #5 |
BHPian Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Raipur C.G.
Posts: 607
Thanked: 3,233 Times
| re: My Skoda Rapid 1.5L Diesel DSG. EDIT: 2 years of ownership and 40,000 km up! Random Observations after 27k kms: Engine, Gearbox, Suspension, Brakes- -Power on tap is sufficient for most of the situation throughout the rev range and still you are in dire need of power then there's always the S mode for you -Diesel clatter is high during cold start and once engine warms up things get better -Skoda manual says do not idle during cold starts, just drive off immediately, I follow this habit however I do idle for a minute or two when switching off the engine after a drive -Dampening materials are used generously as they don't let much NVH filter in the cabin -DSG masks the turbo lag very well however the D mode unnecessarily lugs the engine around low rpm & keeps on slipping clutch -1.5L motor feels surprisingly rev friendly for a diesel -Fuel efficiency in stop-go traffic is 12-13kmpl while the highway efficiency is always 20+ for our driving style -Upshifts are unnoticeable however same can't be said for downshifts in Tiptronic mode -Ambition variant with R15 wheels sit comparatively lower than the variants (Style/Monte Carlo/Onyx) shod with R16s -Braking feels sure-footed and the car stops in straight line with absolutely no drama however if driven at speeds above our highway speed limits then they feel inadequate -Steering feels considerably heavier than the Petrol Rapid & Octavia in a good way. Changes in road surfaces can be felt at the steering wheel -Low-speed ride quality is definitely on the stiffer side when compared to the competition and it gets supple with increase in speed Some clicks... The hazard switch glows in sync with the indicators Nice theatre effect in F/R cabin lights Rear camera sits next to the electric boot release switch & also notice the LED number plate lights Fabric padded armrest on all 4 doors Security warning light flashes in interval when the vehicle is locked 13L illuminated glove box Centre armrest with rubberized storage, helps in keeping the rattle at bay Double layer door beading helps in good NVH Everything feels solid. Notice the cockpit design language is driver focussed Memory foam pillow came as a standard Skoda accessory, feels premium Leather stitched steering wheel and DSG lever Decently spaced out A B pedals and dead pedal for the left foot One of the Fuse box lie below the steering column, the other is in the engine compartment Sturdy bonnet release lever. It can be only operated when the driver's door is opened. Smart positioning We are yet to utilize the full capacity of humongous boot Plenty of bottle holders throughout the cabin front & rear Front and rear 12v charging sockets. The rear sockets were introduced in 2019 models Simply clever touches by Skoda Small touches like these make a difference- nifty cardholder, height-adjustable seatbelts and coat hook(There are total 4 coat hooks in the rear) Stalk to control MID, wipers, high/low beam and further, the intervals of intermittent wiper settings can be altered with that tiny lever on top of the stalk MID throws in a host of information like the DSG modes, coolant temperature, outside temperature, average speed, speed limit if set any, fuel consumption, DTE, driving duration etc Android auto in the house and speak of attention to details- notice the small notch which resembles the Skoda butterfly grill Sunshades for the rear windows, rear windshield and also quarter glasses. They feel sturdy and do not rattle All Switches are backlit and come quite handy in nights. No cost-cutting in this department Custom made Nappa seat covers with extra under-thigh support Coolant reservoir comes with a sensor but I'm not sure if there's a warning light for same Rear windshield comes with defogger Beautifully designed engine compartment. Everything looks flush. Notice the hood insulation Rear parking sensors don't protrude Subtle boot spoiler adds a character to the otherwise simple looking rear If you've survived reading this long then a huge thanks for taking out the time to read such extensive ownership review, I'm always open to suggestions so please feel free to help me improve my writing. I will try to keep this thread updated with the service aspect and if you have any queries regarding Rapid or Skoda, in general, I would be really happy to answer that. Stay indoors stay safe! Ahoj!... Pronounced like Ahoy-Its for Bye in Czech |
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26th May 2020, 07:49 | #6 |
Team-BHP Support | re: My Skoda Rapid 1.5L Diesel DSG. EDIT: 2 years of ownership and 40,000 km up! Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing! Your car is shortly going to our homepage . |
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26th May 2020, 09:24 | #7 |
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| re: My Skoda Rapid 1.5L Diesel DSG. EDIT: 2 years of ownership and 40,000 km up! Congratulations sir, on your acquisition, and what a comprehensive review! I recall first reading about the Rapid when I was in fourth grade. Back then, Skoda was planning to name it Lauretta! Thank goodness they didn't keep that name. Now I'm getting ready for college, it's great to see that the Rapid still has merit even when compared with newer rivals (that's German Engineering). Same case with the other budget VW Group offerings. I used to literally despise the 1.6l TDI & its successor, the 1.5l TDI as I could never get over it's tractor like noise! But I've come to respect it for its tractability and all-round usability. With Skoda slowly improving it's service, I'm positive that in the future we will see many erstwhile Polo/Fabia/Vento/Rapid owners move on to the group's future MQB AO IN offerings! Take care & please keep updating this thread. |
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The following BHPian Thanks BZ25 for this useful post: | sachin_cs |
26th May 2020, 09:36 | #8 |
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| re: My Skoda Rapid 1.5L Diesel DSG. EDIT: 2 years of ownership and 40,000 km up!
Thanks BZ25, I completely agree with you, infact Rapid official review was the first thing I ever read in teamBHP and I was blown away with car as well as the comprehensive review by TeamBHP. Since then I was trying to register myself in the forum and it finally happened in 2019 after so many failed attempts |
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26th May 2020, 09:36 | #9 |
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| re: My Skoda Rapid 1.5L Diesel DSG. EDIT: 2 years of ownership and 40,000 km up! That's a wonderful review straight from the heart. The sheer amount of pics you've taken shows the love for the car. I guess, I've not taken so many pics of my XUV and I click a hell lot of pics. Wish you many more wonderful miles and smiles with the Rapid. Do keep updating the thread in future as well. |
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The following BHPian Thanks krish3 for this useful post: | sachin_cs |
26th May 2020, 10:56 | #10 |
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| re: My Skoda Rapid 1.5L Diesel DSG. EDIT: 2 years of ownership and 40,000 km up! Dear sachin_cs, loved reading the review and your adoration for your ride shows through your detailed descriptions and the perfect angled shots of your cars The colors of both of your cars, Estillo and Rapid, look good and being uncommon would get you right amount of attention, I am sure. Writing this I realise that all the other cars featured, from Sumo, Estillo and Nano have been part of my Garage too at some point of time. Now like yourself, I too am enjoying the newfound love for DSG gearbox in Rapid. Look forward to your other reports as we move along. |
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The following BHPian Thanks Diesel_Drives for this useful post: | sachin_cs |
26th May 2020, 13:19 | #11 |
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Infractions: 0/1 (5) | re: My Skoda Rapid 1.5L Diesel DSG. EDIT: 2 years of ownership and 40,000 km up! What an amazing looking car on that shade. And equally well written review. Just love the way you maintain your car. And regarding OCD - welcome to the demented club . Congratulations and wish you many more happy miles. |
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26th May 2020, 13:36 | #12 |
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| re: My Skoda Rapid 1.5L Diesel DSG. EDIT: 2 years of ownership and 40,000 km up! Fantastic review of the Rapid Diesel DSG - a gem of a car. Since you seem to keep cars for long, I wish you tens of thousands of kilometers in this. Also, great introduction to Bastar - one of the hidden gems of interior India. I still remember the majestic beauty of Chitrakote falls which I had visited during monsoon decades back. |
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The following BHPian Thanks catchjyoti for this useful post: | sachin_cs |
26th May 2020, 15:33 | #13 |
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| re: My Skoda Rapid 1.5L Diesel DSG. EDIT: 2 years of ownership and 40,000 km up! Thank you for the wonderful ownership log. I own a Rapid Ambition Diesel - Manual, approximately the same age as your Heisenberg and I vouch for your views on this amazing car and how underrated it is. Unbelievable quality, solidity and (surprising) mileage too. Perhaps, I have erred in not having opted for the DSG, coz the heavy clutch takes a heavy toll on on ones knees A few pics of my blue dyed boy:` How I wish VAG-India realized the gems in their stable and got themselves to a respectable market share. |
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26th May 2020, 17:57 | #14 |
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| re: My Skoda Rapid 1.5L Diesel DSG. EDIT: 2 years of ownership and 40,000 km up! Congratulations sachin_cs! Boy, isn't she a beauty? Wonderful choice of color! The name suits it perfectly too- If Breaking Bad were to take place elsewhere, Heisenberg would definitely be driving an understated European sedan! Looks menacing and elegant at the same time. Nearly a decade after its launch in India, the Rapid has managed to outlive it's biggest rivals in a single generation and still thrive in the age of modern rivals. Props to Skoda for actually updating the model regularly; Apart from the interiors, the car looks and feels like it was launched only about a year ago! Can't say the same about it's rivals during its prime. I'm glad the Skoda service at your locality is good. It's still chequered, but the after sales experience in general has come a long way. Ours is a 2013 1.6 TDI Prestige, driven by my brother GeneralJazz, and has proven to be an excellent highway cruiser. We did have doubts regarding the 1.5 TDI, especially about the much-mentioned lack of"turbo-kick"that made the 1.6 TDI so special. But I'm glad it's still a strong, reliable workhorse of a motor. The 7-speed DSG is still yet to be dethroned as the finest automatic transmission in mainstream cars. But yeah, it's a double edged sword. It's a very delicate piece of machinery. But you'll be fine as long as you make sure it doesn't overheat in traffic, via steps explained in a separate post regarding DSGs, hope you've taken a proper look at it. Otherwise, it's a masterpiece. Anyways, wishing you many happy miles with "the one who knocks." Such a damn, fine machine. Let me take a moment to show off our beauty: 7 years and nearly 40,000 kms in, still looks and feels like new. Enjoy your ride! |
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26th May 2020, 18:12 | #15 |
BHPian | re: My Skoda Rapid 1.5L Diesel DSG. EDIT: 2 years of ownership and 40,000 km up! Congratulations on the acquisition of the DSG machine. This gearbox is one to die for and I really admire the dual clutch transmissions over the CVTs and regular TCs (AMTs not even considered). I have a 6 speed TC(Endeavour) and 7 Speed DSG (GT TSI) at home and the way the latter picks up speed in 0-60 i.e stop and go traffic is worth to mention. The gear shifts are super smooth and lightning quick making it a pleasure to drive. With long term warranty periods I think it is a safe bet to put your money on DSG boxes, I have 7 years warranty on my Polo. Last edited by roby_dk : 26th May 2020 at 18:14. |
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