Skoda Rapid Facelift Spied Ahead Of Festive Season Launch

The rest of the sedan, based on the VW Vento, looks unchanged. Previous spyshots have shown new seat fabrics, though the switchgear and steering wheel seem carried over from the current Rapid. However, Skoda, like VW, could introduce new features like rain sensing wipers, auto dimming internal rear-view mirror, a Mirrorlink connectivity touchscreen system with phone book/SMS viewer, reverse camera and rear parking sensors and Android support.

The MirrorLink system has already been launched on the VW Vento, and is announced to be an integral feature on the forthcoming VW Ameo. As the Rapid shares its underpinnings and components with these cars, it will only be logical to expect MirrorLink on the Skoda as well.

However, expect the Skoda Rapid to continue with its 1.6-liter MPi and 1.5-liter TDI engines. The latter is expected to receive a larger turbocharger and an accompanying bump in power output. The TDI diesel engine on the Rapid facelift will continue to be offered with 5-speed manual and 7-speed DSG gearboxes.