Description and characteristics of Skoda Rapid and Scala cars

Skoda Rapid — a compact family car (C-segment), produced by the Czech company "Skoda Auto" from 2012 to the present. It occupies a place between the compact car "Fabia" and a little more "Octavia". This name was previously used for "Skoda" cars in 1935-1947 for a mid-size car and in 1984-1990 for a rear-engined coupe. The body of the modern "Rapid" is a sedan, liftback or hatchback with a front transverse engine arrangement with front-wheel drive. Since 2019, the car has been replaced "Skoda Scala", the description of which is below. Production took place in Algeria, China, Russia and the Czech Republic. Over 380 thousand copies were sold in Europe during the entire period.

Today, the main competitors and classmates of the Skoda Rapid are the following cars: VAZ-2107, Chery Bonus, Chevrolet Aveo, Daewoo Nexia, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Hyundai Solaris, KIA Rio, Lada Vesta, Lifan Solano, Mitsubishi Colt, Nissan Almera, Opel Astra, Peugeot 301 (2012), Renault Sandero, Renault Logan, SEAT Ibiza, Toyota Yaris, Volkswagen Polo and ZAZ Chance.

The body is five-door liftback (NH3) was the first to appear and was presented at the Paris Motor Show in September 2012, with sales starting in October. It is based on the platform "Volkswagen Group A05" (PQ25), which is used for automobiles "Audi A1", "SEAT Ibiza", "SEAT Toledo", "Volkswagen Polo" and others. The dimensions of the liftback are as follows: length 4483 mm, width 1706 mm, height 1461 mm, wheelbase 2602 mm and unladen weight 1217 kg. The exterior was developed by Skoda's chief designer Josef Kabay. Trim levels in most countries were called "Active", "Ambition" and "Elegance".

Five-door hatchback (NH1) with the name "Rapid Spaceback" was shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2013 and sales began immediately. The length of the car was 4304 mm, the width was 1706 mm, the height was 1459 mm, the wheelbase was 2602 mm and the unladen weight was 1155 kg. The volume of the luggage compartment was from 415 to 1380 liters, depending on whether the rear seat was folded.

Four-door sedans there are two types - Chinese, based on elements of Chinese "Volkswagen Santana", as well as Indian, based on "Volkswagen Vento".

The range of petrol engines installed on the Rapida included the following models:

• 1.0 liter (999 cm³, I3, TSI, 12V, DOHC, turbo, 94/109 hp)
• 1.2 liters (1198 cm³, I3, CGPC, MPI, 12V, DOHC, 74 hp)
• 1.2 liters (1197 cm³, I4, CBZA/CBZB, TSI, 8V, SOHC, turbo, 85/103 hp)
• 1.2 liters (1197 cm³, I4, CJZC/CJZD, TSI, 16V, DOHC, turbo, 89/108 hp)
• 1.4 liters (1390 cm³, I4, CAXA, TSI, 16V, DOHC, turbo, 121 hp)
• 1.4 liters (1390 cm³, I4, CZEA, TSI, 16V, DOHC, turbo, 123 hp)

Diesel engines were all turbocharged with a fuel system "Common Rail" the following characteristics - 1.4 liters (1422 cm³, I3, CUSB, 12V, 89 hp), 1.6 liters (1598 cm³, I4, CAYB/CAYC, 16V, 89/103 hp) and 1.6 liters (1598 cm³, I4, CRKB, 16V, 113 hp). The gearbox was a five- or six-speed manual, as well as a seven-speed robotic "DSG".

The 2012 model was crash tested by the European committee "Euro NCAP" and received the maximum five stars, more detailed results are shown in the table.

The car was updated in 2017. It received modified headlights and a mask that can be equipped with bi-xenon headlights with LED backlighting. Driver assistance systems were added, and the dashboard was slightly modified in the cabin.

Rapid, 2013 year, interior

Rapid, 2014 year, engine

Rapid, 2012 year, trunk

Skoda Scala (2019-present)

Skoda Scala — small family car (C-segment), successor "Skoda Rapid", produced since 2018 by the Czech car manufacturer "Skoda Auto". The official premiere took place in December 2018 in Tel Aviv (Israel), and sales began in April 2019. The car is based on the MQB platform and is a five-door hatchback with a front engine and front-wheel drive. The length of the car is 4362 mm, width 1793 mm, height 1471 mm, wheelbase 2650 mm and curb weight of 1192-1339 kg.

"Scala" means "ladder" in Latin and represents a major step forward in the compact car segment, according to the carmaker. The name was already used for a small car "Renault Scala" (2012-2017 years) and a Serbian car "Zastava Skala" (1971-2008 years).

This is the first Skoda with a permanent connection to the Internet. It will feature a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, a 9.2-inch central screen, a blind spot monitor that recognizes vehicles up to 70 meters away, lane control, parking assistance, rear traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and a 467-liter boot.

Petrol engines were installed with the following characteristics: 1.0 liter (999 cm³, I3, TSI, 12V, turbo, 94/114 hp) and 1.5 liters (1498 cm³, I4, TSI, 16V, turbo, 148 hp). There was one diesel engine with a capacity of 1.6 liters (1598 cm³, I4, TDI, 16V, turbo, 114 hp). A 1.0 liter natural gas engine was also installed (999 cm³, I3, G-Tec, 12V, 90 hp). The transmission is a five- or six-speed manual, as well as a seven-speed automatic robotic (DSG).

Scala, 2019 year, side view

Scala, 2019 year, interior

Scala, 2019 year, trunk