The 2016 Skoda Rapid Facelift gets major cosmetic and interior updates; targets the segment leading Maruti Suzuki Ciaz
The 2016 Skoda Rapid has received a major change in its styling on the outside and inside the cabin in the facelifted model. Since its launch five years ago in India, this can be considered as the most substantial revision. The new Rapid comes sharper and stylish in its appearance and gets modifications on powertrain front as well. Despite being in the Indian market for quite some time, the Rapid sedan has been unsuccessful in grabbing an impressive amount of share in the country. Now with revised appearance, Skoda aims to increase its appeal and sales figures.
In the C-segment for sedans in the Indian market, both Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and Honda City have been doing pretty well. Both the sedans manage to sell around 6,000 units on an average monthly. Other cars in the fray like Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Vento and Skoda Rapid are far behind than Ciaz and City.
Now, with the new Rapid, Skoda wants to get closer to the Ciaz and City in terms of sales. Thus we can expect an interesting competition between these cars in the near future as the 2016 Rapid appears all the more promising.
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz has become a very popular and one of the bestselling models from the Indo-Japanese automaker ever since its launch. The Ciaz was introduced to take on the present generation Honda City as a direct rival, and it did the job perfectly although the craze of City refused to fade away. Few months back it pushed Honda City back and came up as the best-seller in domestic scenes. It has been the company’s first experiment in the premium sedan segment, and no doubt the experiment has been pretty successful.
Now with introduction of the facelifted Skoda Rapid, competition in the segment is about to get intensified. While Skoda rapid comes with a sharp upmarket look and impressive features, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz also offers a wide range of variants to the customers. Its SHVS technology is something, which makes the car more attractive. Before both the cars go head-to-head in real world conditions, we take a closer look at a spec-sheet based comparison between these two cars right here:
Skoda Rapid vs Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Exterior
Skoda cars are known for their sharp styling, and new Rapid also comes in line wtith its European version. The facelifted Rapid becomes much sharper with its new styling. The front fascia specially has received more changes. Headlamps look crisp and it also gets a new revised front grille with vertical slats, while sleek chrome garnishing has increased its appeal further.
It appears that the 2016 Skoda Rapid has taken design influence from its other siblings like the new generation Superb and the upcoming Octavia. It also comes with a new bonnet with sharp creases on it and revised front bumper with a large air intake which also sports a horizontal slat running through its middle. The car comes with revised fenders, while sharp character lines, turn indicator integrated ORVMs, blackened glass area and multi-spoke alloy wheels enhance its style quotient. Also the car gets new rear bumper and chrome strip on boot-lid as well.
Also Read: 2016 Skoda Rapid Facelift Launched, Priced from Rs.8.34 Lakh
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz on the other hand looks pretty attractive with its elegant design. The car features sharp headlamps with projector units and chrome garnished horizontal slats at the front grille. Front bumper gets large air intake and blackened fog lamp enclosures. The long bonnet gives the car a muscular appearance and it also comes with sleek creases on it.
At side profile Maruti Suzuki Ciaz features sleek and subtle character lines giving it an elegant appearance. The car also sports multi-spoke alloy wheels, turn indicator integrated ORVMS, chrome trim at the bottom of blackened glass area, and chrome finished door handles. Rear fascia of the car gets wide taillights and a sleek chrome bar running between the taillamps and a sculpted bumper also. No clear winner emerges exterior-wise as the customers’ preference of style will come into play as both the sedans are obvious crowd gatherers.
Skoda Rapid vs Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Dimension
The Skoda Rapid measures 4,386mm in length, 1,699mm in width, 1,466mm in height and it also has 2,552mm of wheelbase; while ground clearance of this car stands at 168mm. Skoda Rapid’s kerb weight is 1,145 kg, and it gets a bootspace of 460-litres and the fuel tank occupies 55-litres.
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz on the other hand measures 4,490mm in length, 1,730mm in width, 1,485mm in height. It comes with a wheelbase of 2,650mm and 170mm of ground clearance. The car appears with 1,130 kg kerb weight and impressive 510-litres of bootspace, while fuel tank capacity is 43-litres. So far Maruti Suzuki Ciaz is a bit longer, wider and taller than Skoda Rapid, and Bootspace capacity of Ciaz is also better than Rapid.
2016 Skoda Rapid Facelift vs Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Interior
The 2016 Skoda Rapid has received changes inside the cabin as well like exterior. The interior of the car has been revised to give it a more stylish touch. On top-end trim the car receives a MirrorLink touchscreen infotainment system enhancing the car’s upmarket appeal further. Apart from that a multi-function three-spoke steering wheel, sleek instrument cluster with analog dials and digital MID dual-tone dashboard are there. Chrome detailing on steering wheel, centre console, AC vents help to increase the style quotient inside cabin.
The 2016 Skoda Rapid also comes with updated new seat fabric and upholstery material. Apart from that it gets electrically adjustable ORVMs, rain sensing wipers, cruise control, auto dimming rear view mirror etc. The MirrorLink touchscreen infotainment system certainly plays a big role in enhancing its attraction level further.
Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Ciaz is No 1 Selling Sedan in India
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz also comes with a pretty attractive interior. The Indo-Japanese company has designed the car to offer as much premiumness as possible. It gets multifunction three-spoke steering wheel, analog dials and digital MID consisting instrument cluster, a sleek centre console with touchscreen infotainment system, dual-tone dashboard with wooden finish, chrome detailing around centre console, AC vents.
The car also appears with plush leather seats, rear AC vents, and rear armrest. In terms of space and comfort Maruti Suzuki Ertiga comes offering plenty of room for the occupants inside. So far, both the cars come quite attractive inside cabins, but Maruti Suzuki Ciaz looks a bit more premium with the sleek and elegant styling. The interiors of the Rapid will be on-par with the Ciaz but the cabin room will make some customers lean towards the Ciaz.
Skoda Rapid vs Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Engine and Performance
The Skoda Rapid is available in both petrol and diesel engine options. Petrol powered Rapid takes power from a 1.6-litre MPI petrol engine kicking out 104 bhp of peak power at 5,250 rpm and 153 Nm of peak torque at 3,800 rpm. On the other hand an updated 1.5-litre TDI diesel engine churns out 108 bhp of peak power at 4,000 rpm and 250 Nm of peak torque at 1,500 rpm.
Transmission options include a 5-speed manual, 6-speed automatic and a 7-speed automatic gearbox as well. The 6-speed automatic gearbox is available with petrol model only, while diesel AT gets 7-speed DSG automatic. On fuel efficiency front petrol powered Rapid with manual transmission delivers 15.41 kmpl and automatic transmission variant returns 14.84 kmpl. The diesel MT and AT delivers 21.13 kmpl and 21.72 kmpl respectively.
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz on the other hand is also available in both petrol and diesel engine options. Petrol engine is a 1.4-litre unit which churns out 91 bhp of peak power at 6,000 rpm and 130 Nm of peak torque at 4,000 rpm, and it also delivers a fuel economy of 20.73 kmpl. Transmission options for the petrol Ciaz are a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 4-speed automatic one as well.
Diesel engine under the hood of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is a 1.3-litre turbocharged engine which is combined with SHVS mild-hybrid technology. Mated to a 5-speed manual transmission this engine churns out 89 bhp of peak power at 4,000 rpm and 200 Nm of peak torque at 1,750 rpm. The car delivers 28.09 kmpl of very impressive fuel economy.
Skoda Rapid vs Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Safety
Skoda Rapid gets several safety features like dual front airbags as standard, ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, seatbelt warning, engine immobilizer, speed sensing door lock etc. It also comes with reverse parking camera helping the driver to park the car conveniently. Maruti Suzuki Ciaz on the other hand is equipped with safety features like dual front airbags in higher trims, ABS, EBD, engine immobilizer, speed sensing door lock, seatbelt warning etc.
2016 Skoda Rapid Facelift vs Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Pricing
Skoda Rapid is priced between Rs. 8.27 lakhs and Rs. 12.67 lakhs (ex-showroom, New Delhi). Maruti Suzuki Ciaz on the other hand is priced between Rs. 7.53 lakhs and Rs. 10.50 lakhs (ex-showroom, New Delhi). Therefore Maruti Suzuki Ciaz comes with very aggressive pricing, which is certainly a major deciding factor for customers in Indian market. Also on diesel SHVS model, Ciaz gets benefit from Indian government’s FAME scheme.
Skoda Rapid vs Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Comparison Verdict
Skoda Rapid comes with a stylish appearance in its new avatar. It gets sharper and better with the facelift. The design update in line with its European version has really done a nice job. Also the features inside cabin have enhanced its style quotient further. The car has been launched in Indian market for quite some time, but yet to fetch an impressive sales figure. With the facelifted model, Skoda is expecting to hit the sweet spot now.
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz has already become a very popular model. The elegant style, attractive features inside the cabin has certainly enhanced its appeal. Also the wide range of variants on offer played crucial role in enhancing the car’s sale. More interesting fact is the powertrain. Maruti Suzuki offers SHVS mild-hybrid technology with Ciaz, which is certainly an unique technology.
This environment friendly technology improves the car’s mileage and therefore save money by saving fuel. Getting benefit from Indian government’s FAME scheme also helps the Ciaz to become more popular and appealing to the customers. Apart from that, affordable pricing is also a major deciding factor. Though Skoda is eyeing to give Ciaz a tough competition with facelift Rapid, it is certainly not an easy task for them.