Skoda Rapid: first pics

The wraps are off the new Skoda Rapid. These are the first official pictures of the small family car that will sit between the Fabia and the Octavia to offer a spacious, value alternative to similarly sized cars such as the Ford Focus and VW Golf.

On sale in the UK in November, the range is expected to start at less than £13,000 – undercutting the Focus by around £1,000 and the Golf by as much as £3,500.

As you can see from these pictures, the Rapid looks just like the MissionL concept car that previewed it at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. It retains the saloon profile and Skoda’s new family face, with the badge mounted on the nose of the bonnet rather than the grille.

The grille itself is more angled and is flanked by flush-fitting headlights. At the rear are C-shaped tail-lights, while the Rapid eschews glitzy chrome for more subtle black trim.

Although the Rapid looks like a saloon, it’s really a hatchback, and Skoda promises well over 500 litres of boot space with the rear seats in place – a Golf has 350 litres and a Focus only 316 litres.

Under the skin, the front-wheel-drive Rapid sits on a stretched VW Polo platform. Although a full engine range hasn’t been announced, expect the line-up to include a 103bhp 1.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and a highly economical GreenLine model powered by a 74bhp 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbodiesel.

The latter should be road tax-free, with CO2 emissions of less than 90g/km and fuel economy of around 80mpg. Five-speed manual and seven-speed DSG automatic transmissions will be available.

Fellow VW Group brand SEAT will launch its own version of the Rapid – previewed by the Toledo concept at March’s Geneva Motor Show – early next year.