Photo: Kolesa.ru
Skoda unironically made a car that was called the Rapid yet was slow. Now in its second modern generation, this affordable sedan is begging for a powerful RS model.
It's always fun to look at what cars VW Group brands are making outside their main markets. China has a bunch of crossovers, including ones with coupe designs. South America gets the Virtus GTS, which looks like a Polo GTI sedan. Meanwhile, Russia just has the Rapid.
This 2021 model is a mix between the old car and design elements Skoda has just introduced in mainland Europe. For example, the headlights and interior are taken straight from the Scala hatchback.
Spending any amount of time watching crash compilations will show you just how much the Russians love to drive fast. It's an even split between rich young oligarchs with 600 horsepower German cars and normal people with rust buckets.
We figure the Skoda Rapid RS might attract people right in the middle of that. In addition to the Rapid Scout which they rendered last month, Kolesa has now also created this imaginary hot hatch. It's got the trademark RS design elements, such as the wheels, blacked-out grille, double exhaust tips, and larger intakes.
Most of these elements are just for show, but Skoda's real RS models also back it up with uprated engines. How much power would a potential Rapid RS model need and what kind of engine would get it there?
Considering the Rapid used to be based on a Polo platform, we'd suggest the 2.0 TSI that's currently pushing 200 hp from under the hood of the Polo GTI. However, since Russia doesn't have hardcore emissions regulations, the 1.8 TSI would also work and would be much cheaper to install.
The 1.8 TSI powered the Polo GTI (the old model) between 2014 and 2017, when it made 192 horsepower. That's still way more than the 125 hp you get from a normal Rapid in Russia.
This 2021 model is a mix between the old car and design elements Skoda has just introduced in mainland Europe. For example, the headlights and interior are taken straight from the Scala hatchback.
Spending any amount of time watching crash compilations will show you just how much the Russians love to drive fast. It's an even split between rich young oligarchs with 600 horsepower German cars and normal people with rust buckets.
We figure the Skoda Rapid RS might attract people right in the middle of that. In addition to the Rapid Scout which they rendered last month, Kolesa has now also created this imaginary hot hatch. It's got the trademark RS design elements, such as the wheels, blacked-out grille, double exhaust tips, and larger intakes.
Most of these elements are just for show, but Skoda's real RS models also back it up with uprated engines. How much power would a potential Rapid RS model need and what kind of engine would get it there?
Considering the Rapid used to be based on a Polo platform, we'd suggest the 2.0 TSI that's currently pushing 200 hp from under the hood of the Polo GTI. However, since Russia doesn't have hardcore emissions regulations, the 1.8 TSI would also work and would be much cheaper to install.
The 1.8 TSI powered the Polo GTI (the old model) between 2014 and 2017, when it made 192 horsepower. That's still way more than the 125 hp you get from a normal Rapid in Russia.
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