What’s hot
- Lots of rear leg- and headroom
- Large, practical and flexible load space.
- Lots of thoughtful touches: Skoda reckons there are 19 ‘Simply Clever ideas’.
- Excellent visibility and light interior – even without the panoramic sunroof.
- Engine is quiet and pulls pretty well.
What’s not
- Standard seat needs more support, if you do a lot of miles, go for the sports seats.
- Although the ride is generally good, bumps from poor surfaces are felt and heard.
- Frugal GreenLine doesn’t have sat nav or Bluetooth connectivity.
Business Car Manager car review verdict
The Skoda Rapid Spaceback is a relaxing and pleasant place to be in this guise. The engine is quiet and has decent pull, even up some steep hills.
The Rapid has a reassuring precision to its steering and controls, but it doesn’t particularly engage the driver, and a combination of the softly sprung suspension and slightly stiff action of the five-speed gearbox don’t encourage spirited driving.
The Skoda Rapid Spaceback is a relaxing and pleasant place to be in this guise
There’s a seamless six-speed DSG auto for a more relaxing drive adding £1160 to the price and pushing CO2 emissions up from 114 to 118g/km.
The leather wheel with controls for the radio and telephone is a nice premium touch added to the SE, along with leather wrapping for the gearlever.
Of course these are the things you touch with your hands – but your back and backside want pampering, too, and the standard seat is rather flat and lacking in lumber support. That makes the sports seats a worthwhile option at £300 (they are also included in the Sports Pack).
Of course, looks are a matter of opinion, but the Skoda Rapid Spaceback is almost another step between hatch and crossover. It’s a no-frills option, but in a sensible, rather than a derogatory way.
