Clearing the air on Skoda Rapid facelift launch in India, Skoda has confirmed that it will roll out renewed Rapid on September 25. The upgraded version coming on September 25th is a mild facelift that will feature subtle changes. A comprehensively tweaked version of the sedan is underway and is likely to be launched next year. The current revised model will act as a buffer until the thoroughly revised variant is spawned. There will be no changes as far as design of the sedan is concerned. One of the most prominent tweak includes replacement of the 1.6 litre TDI diesel powertrain with a 1.5 litre TDI diesel motor.
The new 1.5 litre TDI engine is basically a downsized version of the previous engine. Parent company Volkswagen already offers this powertrain in the new Polo diesel and will also equip the same engine in the upcoming Vento facelift. The new 1.5 litre TDI engine will offer a maximum power output of 105 PS and a top torque of 250 Nm. Petrol range will continue to be powered with the same engine that is equipped in the current version. A 1.6 litre MPI petrol engine will be employed in the Skoda Rapid petrol variants.
A five-speed manual gearbox will be matched to both petrol and diesel engines, yet another highlight of the new Rapid will be a six-speed DSG automatic transmission paired to the diesel engine. At present only Hyundai offers Verna diesel with automatic gearbox, hence availability of auto box in new Rapid will give it an upper hand among its rivals in C segment. Other than Hyundai Verna, new Rapid will cross swords with sedans including segment leader Honda City, Ford Fiesta, Nissan Sunny etc. Roping in meager sales of late the refreshed version is expected to break its dud seller image and chip in good numbers in monthly sales.
