The Skoda Rapid Rider variant undercuts all its rivals including the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Vento and the Toyota Yaris
Skoda recently launched the BS6-compliant Rapid in the Indian market and shocked everyone with the introduction of a new entry-level variant called the Rider, which undercuts all its rivals by a big margin. Priced at just Rs 7.49 lakh (ex-showroom), the Rapid Rider is surely a bargain, and the said variant seems to be selling like hot cakes.
The demand for the Rapid Rider is such, that Skoda has had to temporarily stop taking any more bookings for the said trim, in order to fulfill the existing orders. Rest assured, the bookings will open in the future. However, a re-launch timeline is yet to be confirmed by the Czech carmaker.
Some rumours also suggest that the Rapid Rider’s price will be hiked up to Rs 8.25 lakh (ex-showroom), and in order to justify the premium, Skoda will throw in some extra features, and re-launch the said variant as the Rapid Rider Plus. However, Skoda has said that these are just speculations at this point.
Until now, the Rapid Rider was equipped with features like a climate control, all four power windows with one-touch up/down functionality, electronically adjustable wing mirrors without powered fold, tilt and telescopic adjustment for the steering wheel, a 2DIN audio system, 2 airbags, ABS with EBD as well as rear parking sensors. The Rapid Rider is only available with two paint schemes, namely Candy White and Carbon Steel.
Powering the 2020 Skoda Rapid is a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged TSI petrol engine that belts out 110 PS of maximum power between 5,000 – 5,250 rpm, along with 175 Nm of peak torque that is available between 1,750 – 4,000 rpm. The engine comes mated to a 6-speed manual transmission as standard for now. Skoda has also confirmed that an optional automatic gearbox will be introduced for the Rapid at a later date.
Apart from the Rider, the Skoda Rapid is currently offered in Ambition, Onyx, Style and Monte Carlo variants priced at Rs 9.99 lakh, Rs 10.19 lakh, Rs 11.49 lakh and Rs 11.79 lakh (ex-showroom) respectively.