Help Me Pick: Skoda Rapid vs Maruti Ciaz Diesel


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Hello All,

We ( and my father ) are looking to finalize on either Suzuki Ciaz VDi+ or Skoda Rapid Ambition with Alloys. Both sum up to a similar price (~11 Lakhs with offers etc) after we add on Chrome garnish and R16 Alloys to Ciaz. Features are almost the same while Ciaz misses out on co-passenger airbags and Rapid lacks EBD, R16 tyre option.

Test Drive verdict :

While Ciaz sounds more refined with lower decibels off its hood, it runs out of steam right from the beginning with its 1248cc 89bhp engine. Turbo boost is just average which takes ages to kick in, by when your neighbours would have already crossed the next signal.

Rapid has a noisy diesel engine which bothers my father (owner/driver) while its 1.5 ltr 104bhp takes care of torque department very well. Cabin insulation is still kept well enough but it needs traffic noise or music to completely mute off the engine sound. Also, Skoda would not give us an option to upgrade from R15 to R16 tyres.

To us, Ciaz looks more appealing, spacious while Rapid appears professional, well built, well finished. No doubt on quality when it comes to Skoda vs Maruti. Also, reviews say Skoda is not too friendly when it comes to after sales/service which is what Maruti is always praised for. On other hand, also heard Skoda seldom requires an after sale while Maruti's bonet keeps opening from time to time.

My father disliked the power of Ciaz but did like its looks, space and comfort. We are still debating and need more inputs from you. If I were the primary owner, it was Rapid for me after I drove both.

Spoke to Anand (a TAIger [:D]), who voted for Rapid when it comes to spending 11+ grand for Maruti's lower power engine vs 1.5 ltr TDi from Skoda. Awaiting more thoughts.

Admin: Please correct me if this is the wrong section.

Thanks.

Cheers~!
 
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Re: Help me pick Rapid vs Ciaz Diesel

@speedyguy:

Hi. First of all, this is the wrong section. It needs to be in the "Automotive Shopper" section.

Both the cars are good to have for 11 Lacs. It is not the cons that you should compare in the cars, but the pros. You can reject Ciaz because it is underpowered (a con), you must look at the reliability and refinement the Ciaz offers. If you visit the Skoda Horror threads on the internet, I am sure you would go for the Ciaz straightaway.

My pick would be the Ciaz for driving comfort, provided that you do sedate driving and prefer reliability over performance. Rapid is a good performer and very solid built car, but I want you to stay away from Skoda. The only grouse is the brand, and not the product, as you can see.

Why don't you include other cars like the City, Verna, etc.?

Regards,
Nikunj
 
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Re: Help me pick Rapid vs Ciaz Diesel

I'm in a similar position, but have a wider choice to choose from and if it were a choice between Ciaz and Rapid i would buy the Ciaz any day simply because of ASS and horror stories about Skoda.
 
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Re: Help me pick Rapid vs Ciaz Diesel

Go for Rapid as it has better offers and engine too.Presently,we own Rapid's twin sister ala Vento TDI 1.6 since last 2.5 years and did 65000 Km in it.Now,present odo is more than 77000 Km and its a used one bought 2 years ago when it was just 13000 Km on the odo and ours is 2012 version.
 
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Skoda Rapid is a really nice car .
But I'd suggest you to get the Vento instead , the facelift just came out so u might get a good deal on the previous model. The engine & all are same .
So my suggestion will be Vento Pre-facelift you might get an exciting deal. :D
 
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Between the two, it is Rapid any day.

Spending a Million bucks is a real problem, as Heart and Mind start fighting each other. I lost sleep and badly wanted to own the Skoda, horror stories not withstanding. Due to hard clutch, the "thud" sound it created going over pot-holes and lack of features vis-a-vis Verna (in 2012), I rejected it and went for Verna.

Standing from my 1st Floor Balcony, I too noticed the Engine sound, as the Car arrived for TD. Once inside the car, I don't think it troubled me. It might wake up a neighbor on a cold early morning, but that is not much of a problem; for us [evil].

About Skoda Service: I was willing to test my luck. The car is such a pleasure to drive. Any way, you would need to visit them once in 15,000 km only. Also there's something about Skoda giving you a spare car or money blah blah blah when your car is not delivered by the agreed date.

Alternates:
Why not a City Diesel ? It sits between Ciaz and Rapid when it comes to power delivery, has better Customer oriented Service team and it, . . . well it has the H Logo.
Why not Duster, for its commanding driving position, Car like behavior and proven Engine ?
Why not the Verna, for its brute power et al ?
Why not the Rapid twin, Vento ?

PS: I thought Ciaz might be at least Rs 90,000 cheaper than competitors due to chotta engine and, . . . well it is from MSIL.
 
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Rapid is a very good car, it excels in Engine Performance, Ride & Handling. The space inside is decent, but people shy away from this die to Skoda After Sales. I have been a satisfied owner since last 28 months.
However, the Rapid is showing its age, so is the Vento. Verna is good, bur is expensive, so I would rather choose between the current best sellers(City & Ciaz). Both are very good and feel similar. I like City more then Ciaz though because of Plush seats, good interiors design & Fuel Efficiency & Drivability of the diesel. I can live with the engine noise, but if you're looking at Petrol one, the Ciaz is no match for City. So overall, it's the City that feels better and the Ciaz the next best option.
 
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Hello All,

We ( and my father ) are looking to finalize on either Suzuki Ciaz VDi+ or Skoda Rapid Ambition with Alloys. Both sum up to a similar price (~11 Lakhs with offers etc) after we add on Chrome garnish and R16 Alloys to Ciaz. Features are almost the same while Ciaz misses out on co-passenger airbags and Rapid lacks EBD, R16 tyre option.

Test Drive verdict :

While Ciaz sounds more refined with lower decibels off its hood, it runs out of steam right from the beginning with its 1248cc 89bhp engine. Turbo boost is just average which takes ages to kick in, by when your neighbours would have already crossed the next signal.

Rapid has a noisy diesel engine which bothers my father (owner/driver) while its 1.5 ltr 104bhp takes care of torque department very well. Cabin insulation is still kept well enough but it needs traffic noise or music to completely mute off the engine sound. Also, Skoda would not give us an option to upgrade from R15 to R16 tyres.

To us, Ciaz looks more appealing, spacious while Rapid appears professional, well built, well finished. No doubt on quality when it comes to Skoda vs Maruti. Also, reviews say Skoda is not too friendly when it comes to after sales/service which is what Maruti is always praised for. On other hand, also heard Skoda seldom requires an after sale while Maruti's bonet keeps opening from time to time.

My father disliked the power of Ciaz but did like its looks, space and comfort. We are still debating and need more inputs from you. If I were the primary owner, it was Rapid for me after I drove both.

Spoke to Anand (a TAIger [:D]), who voted for Rapid when it comes to spending 11+ grand for Maruti's lower power engine vs 1.5 ltr TDi from Skoda. Awaiting more thoughts.

Admin: Please correct me if this is the wrong section.

Thanks.

Cheers~!
Do you want to race your neighbours to the traffic signal or do you want to drive safely, securely , comfortably and reliably to your destinations. I really dont know what is it about wanting to race off the signal block. Can you even do it without incurring a risk in our cities today ? All this 0-60, 0-100 timings are absolute nonsensical IMO,( after a few Lakh km on Indian road driving). What is more important is when the power is delivered, ie, while accelerating on the highway, from 70 to 100, equally important is the stopping power from 80 to zero in a straight line, without having a heart-in your mouth moment. Indian roads are not autobahns where absolute speed ever matters.
It is more important to look at build quality, ride and dynamics of the car, along with efficiency and reliability.
There are other options as well, such as Linea and Fiesta. Much better built cars, excellent ride and handling . Dont choose a Ciaz without ever test driving these two. Unless you are a devoted Maruti fan like 95% of our population.
I am not against MSIL per se, but there are better choices available today. I have been an owner of the Dzire myself so I know a bit.
 
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Thread Starter #9
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Thanks a lot guys. This is helping.

Regarding Options, we started with 5 - Verna, Rapid, Vento, City, Ciaz. Linea did not click us and Fiesta scared us with it's struggle on market. Plus for some personal reason my Dad has a big no for Ford. [;)]

Verna went off as its a recent buy for my sibbling. Vento and Rapid are almost same but Skoda had better offers to leave Vento behind, making huge price difference for same features. City is nice, still noisy diesel though, but most importantly the pricing does not sync our budget. City S comes at 11.6+ lakhs (onroad BLR) with single airbag, 14" Steel wheel, no sensor etc. Our drive experience was just Ok, while it's petrol variant has a completely different story. And the thought of throttling same engine as Amaze, Mobilio. Upgrading to 16", sensor would touch roughly 12.3+.

Duster, Ecosport etc are out as he wants a c-sedan specifically.

@acechip: Lol, no. It's not about race and reaching a couple of minutes early. What I meant was, in regular annoying Bangalore traffic you often want to push your throttle to occupy the slot ahead of you while your neighbours do the same. Ciaz takes its own time with the lag, and turbo punches in late. It's hard to negotiate this traffic in such cases. By the time I could pick up a bunch of cars pile up ahead of me. Neither am I against MSIL. I own a SX4 VVT, and love the way it roars on the road. But it's not underpowered like Ciaz.


Now my biggest concern still remains with Skoda's after sales, mainly because its for my father (a retired person). I don't want him to struggle with his car.

Cheers~!
 
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If you are not hung up on diesel, why dont you look at Linea T-Jet (petrol) ? Its less expensive to own, as well as maintain, and is the BEST petrol C class sedan in terms of power, torque and driving dynamics. And exceptionally well built, with high GC of 190mm. Fiat is an absolute moron of a company for not advertising the strength of its own products, so if Linea did not click in your mind, I am not surprised. But be rest assured of the quality and reliability. I have owned one, so I know it is a fantastic machine.
 
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Thanks acechip. It's more like he has made up his mind for a diesel. Linea is no doubt a steady car but didn't click us for 1. as you mentioned, do not advertise pros, 2. brand not in best shape lately, heard bad reviews when tata's were dealing for it, and 3. did not like the look much (absolutely personal choice).

Between the two, it is Rapid any day.


PS: I thought Ciaz might be at least Rs 90,000 cheaper than competitors due to chotta engine and, . . . well it is from MSIL.
Yes it is. Skoda comes to around 11.7 lakhs, provides free insurance these days so 40k off. Plus some cash/corporate discounts bring it down to 11.2 lakhs. Ciaz is 11 lakhs, but we need to add Alloys (15" or 16"), chrome garnish etc. with some cash discounts bring it down to 11.3 lakhs.

Cheers~!
 
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Yes when it comes to after sales service with SKODA, you will have to bare a little more and the service station are also less as compared to Maruti.
Still Rapid is better choice in terms of quality build and performance. But when it comes to space then Ciaz leads miles away with its extra long legroom for both front & rear seats.

My suggestion is, if you haven't finalize the brand or model, then TD
- FIAT Linea MJD
- Ford Fiesta 2015 Diesel [not Fiesta Classic]

One more suggestion, always choose a top variant to get maximum safety features rather than aesthetic. Since safety features cannot be added later your purchase.
Safety must be FIRST. Alloys, leather seats, chrome, AV system etc can be added later after some period of time, but ABS, Airbags, ESP cannot be.

It is really very bad about INDIAN car market, that we have a choice to choose our safety.
 
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... City ... the thought of throttling same engine as Amaze, Mobilio ...
In that sense, you should reject Ciaz, as it uses the same Engine used in Ritz, Swift, Dzire, Sail twins, Punto and Linea albeit in different tunes. Approach City-Diesel from that angle to see if it makes any difference in your opinion.

About the lag you felt in Ciaz in BLR traffic
: Many of us are used to up-shifting a bit early, driving a Petrol car. Most of the times, the stop-go traffic in Bangalore keeps my Verna's rpm close to 1100-1200 in 3rd gear [frustration]. A shift to 2nd always frees me. Take TD of Ciaz and City-D and use 2nd gear in traffic to see if you still feel the Lag. You may compare the Cabin noise and pulling power of both vehicles to decide.

I am getting the feeling that your family has decided on Ciaz and you are trying to get a valid reason to steer them towards Rapid [;)].
 
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Maruti ddis engine (built by fiat)
Is proven ,less powerful and to pull such a long car I think theoretically fuel economy won't be as impressive .
It's maintenance friendly overall.

Skoda rapid- it has a strong engine but lacks refinement as well as maintenance is under question.
 
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Maruti ddis engine (built by fiat)
Is proven ,less powerful and to pull such a long car I think theoretically fuel economy won't be as impressive .
It's maintenance friendly overall.

Skoda rapid- it has a strong engine but lacks refinement as well as maintenance is under question.
Ciaz diesel is 4.49 m long and weighs 1105 kg.
Linea MJD is 4.56m long and weighs around 1250kg. Both have the same engine, although Linea has slightly higher bhp and torque figures (93 BHP, 209NM torque). I dont think power will be issue in the car. Its really a question of what you want it for.

In case of Linea MJD, that power is available in the higher speed regime, ie, 5th gear pulls easily from 80kph till 160kph (an insane speed in Indian conditions). You do not have to drop the gear.
 

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