From Russia with love.
It was about a year ago when Skoda waved goodbye to the old Rapid to replace it in most parts of Europe with the more sophisticated Scala touted as a direct rival for the Volkswagen Golf. The thing is, the Rapid hasn’t been completely removed from the company’s lineup as the model lives on in Russia where today a second generation was introduced along with the RU-spec Karoq.
As previewed by the teasers, the new Rapid represents a major departure in terms of design over its predecessor as it adopts a more high-end look heavily derived from the aforementioned Scala. The front fascia styling has largely been carried over, while the taillight design is also reminiscent of its fancier cousin. Also at the back, a spoiler lip is noticeable on the tailgate where the “SKODA” lettering has replaced the corporate logo as seen on recent models from the Czech brand. There’s not much to say about the side profile since it appears to be a spitting image of the old car’s silhouette.
Gallery: 2020 Skoda Rapid live photos
Skoda has only released a single image of its practical liftback and therefore we’ll have to wait a bit for a complete gallery. Our colleagues at Motor1.com Russia were able to take a few photos of the 2020 Rapid at its reveal event, and in one of them, we can take a peek inside the cabin. It appears to be influenced by the Karoq and Kodiaq crossovers, with the touchscreen display mounted high on the center console where it’s flanked by the air vents. Overall, the new Rapid has that straightforward dashboard design Skoda fans are familiar with as there don’t seem to be any major novelties compared to an existing model from Mladá Boleslav.
The press release issued by the company’s Russian division doesn’t say much about the technical specifications, so it’ll be interesting to see whether the 2020 Rapid has moved to MQB A0 underpinnings. We do know it’ll be powered by a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter gasoline engine hooked up to a five-speed manual gearbox.
Skoda will sell the RU-spec Rapid with air conditioning as standard, while a heated two-spoke steering wheel and heated windscreen will also be available. A Front Assist System will be on the options list, along with front and rear parking sensors.
The second-generation Rapid will be produced at the Kaluga factory and will begin to reach dealers in the first quarter of 2020. Pricing will kick off at 829,000 rubles (about €11,800 or $13,000 at current exchange rates), which represents a minor increase over the previous generation. Besides Russia, the Rapid will soldier on in India and China as well.
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