These videos aren't really official yet. You have to go through the back door and find them, as they are unlisted. That made us wonder why Skoda would do that and we found our answer: 2017 upgrades that include a brand new 1.4 TDI engine.
There's no facelift or anything like that, but the 1.4-liter TDI diesel engine from the new Fabia has found its way under the hood of the Rapid. We found it by accident while looking through the configuratior, as we knew the Czech automaker wants to do some downsizing.
In place of the old 1.6 TDI, there's now a smaller engine with, mind you, only three cylinders instead of the usual four. Despite sounding a little rough, the 1.4 has proven a brilliant little engine because of its cheaper oil changes and better thermal management.
In case you were wondering, it still makes 90 PS plus 230 Nm of torque, just like the 1.6 TDI it replaces, and is available with a DSG gearbox or a 5-speed manual. We made a nice little screenshot for you German technology fans. And just so you know, city fuel consumption has gone down from 5.6 to 4.2 liters per 100 km/h. Frankly, that's amazing.
That fact that CO2 emissions are below 100 grams should also help Skoda improve sales of the Rapid in Britain. Hopefully, the aging 1.2 TSI will also be replaced by the 1.0 TSI.
I pride myself on knowing the ins and outs of every Skoda currently in production. But I couldn't really find anything going on with these 2016 models. The videos of the Scoutline and Monte Carlo hatchback are pretty cool, but we already know these cars, right?
There's definite nothing happening outside, and if they installed new kit within, I can't see it. Auto wipers... maybe cruise Android Auto. Who knows? All we can tell you is that the Rapid is more fuel-efficient than ever.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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