Skoda Rapid Rider

The Skoda Rapid, revised for the BS6 period, has scrapped its punchy 1.5-liter diesel engine and aging 1.6-liter MPI petrol motor in favour of a new-age 110hp, 1.0-liter TSI turbo-petrol (mated to a 6-speed manual). But it is not the engine that is this piece ‘s focus. It is the sticker price for the Skoda sedan. A highly efficient Rs 7.49 lakh (ex-showroom) is priced at the entry-level Fast Rider model. That price makes it the most affordable Skoda on sale in the world, as well as Volkswagen Group’s most affordable car with a TSI engine-more affordable than even the Volkswagen Polo TSI.

Looking at the price of the Rapid Rider would make many people presuming it might skimp on just too many apps, but that’s not really the case. There are no aluminum wheels, no lcd infotainment interface, and it just gets standard halogen headlights, but the Rider is by no way barebones. The feature list of the Skoda Rapid Rider includes automatic climate control, a 2-DIN music system with four speakers and Bluetooth connectivity, all four power windows with one-touch up / down operation, remote central locking, rear defogger, front and rear adjustable headrests, power-adjustable ORVMs, rake and reach adjustment for the steering wheel, rear AC vents, front and rear center armrests

At Rs 7.49 lakh, the Rapid Rider incredibly even undermines the standard, entry-level Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI by Rs 53,000, the Polo TSI Edition by Rs 40,000 and the entry-level Vento TSI – with whopping Rs 1.36 lakh – with which it shares its underpinnings. The other nearest mid-size sedan is the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, but it begins at Rs 8.31 lakh-around Rs 82,000 more than the Quick Driver. Prices of all its other rivals – Honda City’s current-gen, Hyundai Verna facelift, and Toyota Yaris – start at least Rs 1.3 lakh higher.

The Fast Rider costs a significant Rs 2.50 lakh less compared with the next model in the line-up, the Creativity, without sacrificing on the fundamentals. Skoda deserves applause for competitively pricing the Rapid Rider this – it’s India’s most affordable turbo-petrol sedan on sale and promises big bang to the buck. Yeah, there are more realistic and better-equipped alternatives available in the form of luxury hatchbacks, compact sedans and even compact SUVs, but the Rapid Rider might turn out to be the most entertaining vehicle for the price based on our first drive of the Polo 1.0 TSI.