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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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