The entry-level Skoda Rapid Rider has been reintroduced in the market at a price of Rs 7.79 lakh (ex-showroom, India). Skoda had temporarily halted bookings for this variant of its midsize sedan in July 2020 (and later delisting it), owing to stronger than anticipated demand. Skoda Auto India brand director Zac Hollis in a later tweet in September 2020 revealed that the model was virtually sold out for the year.

• Priced about Rs 40,000 below the Rapid Rider Plus
• Prices of select variants hiked by Rs 20,000

Skoda Rapid Rider: Equipment and engine details

At Rs 7.79 lakh, the Rapid Rider is now Rs 30,000 dearer than the price at which it was launched, though there is no change to the equipment list. As before, you continue to get kit such as auto climate control, rear air-con vents, a 2-DIN audio system with USB, aux and Bluetooth connectivity, all four power windows, remote central locking, rear defogger, adjustable headrests at the front and rear, power-adjustable wing mirrors, rake and reach adjust for the steering wheel, centre armrests for the front and back, and full-wheel covers.

Safety kit includes dual front airbags, ABS and rear parking sensors as standard.

Under the hood sits the familiar 1.0-litre TSI turbo-petrol engine that’s also used in the VW Vento – its sister car – and the Polo, putting out 110hp and 175Nm of torque. The Rider is available only with a 6-speed manual gearbox.

Skoda Rapid Rider: How does it compare to rivals?

At the price point, the Rapid Rider remains the most affordable midsize sedan in the market by a fair margin, with the nearest rival, the Maruti Ciaz Sigma priced at Rs 8.42 lakh – about Rs 63,000 more. Meanwhile, its sister car, the Volkswagen Vento, is priced at Rs 9.09 lakh* for the Trendline variant – over Rs 1 lakh more.

Moving to the remainder of the segment, prices for the Hyundai Verna start at Rs 9.03 lakh, the Honda City (Gen 4) from Rs 9.30 lakh and the Toyota Yaris from Rs 9.16 lakh**.

Revised prices for the Skoda Rapid Rider Plus MT and AT, Ambition AT and Onyx AT

Skoda has also revised prices for select variants of the Rapid as well. The Rapid Rider Plus manual and automatic are now priced at Rs 8.19 lakh and Rs 9.69 lakh, respectively – about Rs 20,000 more. Similarly, the Rapid Ambition automatic and Rapid Onyx automatic, too, see prices hiked by Rs 20,000, to Rs 11.49 lakh and Rs 11.69 lakh, respectively (all prices, ex-showroom, India).

*VW Vento prices ex-showroom, India

**Prices of Maruti Ciaz, Honda City, Hyundai Verna and Toyota Yaris are ex-showroom, Delhi