What’s hot
- The Skoda Rapid Spaceback is comfortable and spacious throughout.
- Prices start from a very reasonable £14,340 for the 1.2 TSi 86PS in ‘S’ specification.
- The switchgear is of good VAG quality and all controls mirror those of the Rapid sedan.
- Considerably more practical load space over the Rapid, despite being 135 litres smaller.
- The overall ride and drive quality is good and driving dynamics have been engineered for comfort and serenity.
- In the absence of more details on the GreenLine variant, the trusty 1.6 TDi makes the best business sense.
What’s not
- We drove several versions at the Spaceback’s launch. It’s the softest Skoda we’ve driven – and it wasn’t just the near-perfect local roads. I never thought I would ever say it, but I hope Skoda’s UK engineers will firm up the ride and driving dynamics for our local models.
- Where there was the occasional crusty road surface, the car misbehaved skittishly.
- As with most cars coming to market these days, steering feel has been largely eliminated by electronics and over-damping, with the comfort of all occupants being the net winner.
- The little 1.2 TSi engine – usually a gem – can be a tad raucous in keeping up with traffic and there were transmission vibrations coming through the gear lever on the manual tested.
