Skoda Rapid Spaceback (2013 – 2019) Review

The Skoda Rapid Spaceback is even more practical and versatile than its Skoda Rapid sister model. You get a good range of engines and easy driving manners, but it misses the overall appeal of the Ford Focus Estate or stylish SEAT Leon ST. Read on for our full Skoda Rapid Spaceback review.

With a badge like Spaceback, you might think this variant of the Skoda Rapid is supposed to be an estate. But it’s actually just a fancy name for a more conventional family hatchback model.

However the Skoda Rapid Spaceback still majors on practicality – there’s a spacious cabin and a well-proportioned boot, making it a thoroughly sensible used car choice for family buyers.

Indeed, rear legroom and headroom are particularly impressive, and while the 415-litre boot capacity is slightly down on paper compared with the regular Skoda Rapid, in practice it’s a more usable shape and will be more practical.

Couple the useful dimensions with a range of frugal engines, decent equipment levels and the Skoda Rapid Spaceback makes sense as an honest, if somewhat unexciting, family workhorse.

There’s a range of engines, comprising three petrol units and two diesels.

Power outputs range from 86PS to 122PS but the pick of the bunch is a versatile, sprightly 1.2 TSI 105PS petrol. For those who prefer an automatic, Skoda offers a 1.4 TSI or the 1.6 TDI with a DSG double-clutch gearbox.

Low running costs are at the core of the Skoda Rapid Spaceback’s appeal to used car buyers. A diesel engine shouldn’t necessarily be top of the shopping list if you’re looking for low fuel bills – the petrol engines are all frugal and can return very respectable fuel economy in real world conditions.

Practical and sensible though the Skoda Rapid Spaceback is, it isn’t without its flaws. The cabin, while neat, isn’t as plush or as polished as you might expect and the driving experience is a little dull.

But as a family hatchback it’s pretty hard to fault – it’s reasonable value for money, economical and well screwed together.

Fancy a second opinion? Read heycar’s Skoda Rapid Spaceback review here.

The Skoda Rapid Spaceback is designed primarily for comfort, and this shows on the road.

The cabin is quiet and the ride smooth for the most part, although optional 17-inch wheels do make it thud over potholes. Stick to smaller wheels and it’s a gentle, undemanding car to drive.

The steering is light, gearchanges are easy and corners are taken care of safely without fluster. Even on damp roads there’s plenty of grip, and not much in the way of disconcerting body roll.

Sure, it’s no hot hatch, but it’s a perfectly capable and competent vehicle both in town and out on faster roads. It’s unlikely to provide an adrenaline rush, but as a means of getting from A to B it’s fine.

Skoda offers a wide range of five engines – two diesels and three petrols.

The petrol options are a 1.2-litre with 86PS or 105PS, or a 122PS 1.4-litre. The 86PS engine does run out of steam a little, particularly when tasked with going uphill, but working the gearbox means it can easily keep pace with traffic. 

The pick of the petrol range is the 105PS 1.2 TSI. It feels sprightly and eager, and paired with a six-speed manual transmission it’s versatile, with plenty of torque for relaxed driving and a sixth gear for motorway cruising.

It’s so good, in fact, that it makes the case for the 90PS or 105PS 1.6 TDI engine a little weak. That said, they’re both perfectly good, offering the typical diesel attributes of low-down torque and frugality.

The 1.4 TSI and the 105PS 1.6 TDI are available with a smooth, unobtrusive DSG automatic gearbox which performs perfectly well – it’s quick to change gear and because it’s a dual-clutch transmission it doesn’t have much of an effect on fuel economy.

However, be aware the DSG gearbox is not without its problems, and we have had lots of reports of issues with it across various Volkswagen Group cars.

The Skoda Rapid (which the Skoda Rapid Spaceback is based on) was awarded a five-star rating by Euro NCAP in 2012, so the latter will offer the same benefits.

Standard safety kit on all models includes ESC stability control along with driver and front-seat passenger airbags, while there are Isofix mounts on the two outer rear seats for child seats, too.

City Emergency Braking, which automatically stops the car if it detects a collision is imminent, was an option on Skoda Rapid Spaceback SE Tech and Skoda Rapid Spaceback SE Sport models, but was never standard fit.

The maximum a Skoda Rapid Spaceback can pull with an unbraked trailer is 630kg, although some models go as low as 580kg.

With a braked trailer, it can haul between 1000kg and 1200kg depending on the model you choose.

The Skoda Rapid Spaceback is spacious – the rear seats can comfortably carry adults and the boot is a good size. It has a fairly high load lip to haul heavy items over, but a false boot floor is welcome.

As family transport, the car is hard to fault, although it is relatively narrow, so carrying three fully grown adults or teenagers in the back row might be tricky.

Some of the materials are a little lacklustre, too – there’s no soft-touch dash covering and the faux-metallic inlays feel a bit second-rate. That said, the plastics that Skoda has used stand up to plenty of abuse.

There’s nothing special about the dashboard layout, but nor is there anything wrong with it – the controls are placed where you’d expect them to be and everything is intuitive and easy to operate, from the steering wheel-mounted audio buttons to the air-conditioning and the touchscreen display.

Our expectations of the Czech brand are high, so the Skoda Rapid Spaceback is, initially, a little disappointing.

There are lots of hard plastics that mark easily and do it few favours if you’re comparing this with something like a Kia Soul.

However, it feels well built and is well screwed together – even the doors close with a nice thud.

Compared with the latest Skoda models, though, it feels very old-school and dated. 

There are no fancy colour screens here, just a basic CD radio with a black and white display. It works well, and is a lot better than many other radios you’ll find on entry-level hatchbacks.

Skoda Rapid Spaceback SE models are better and come with navigation, which adds a proper colour screen, although by modern standards it’s far from the best, with a low-resolution small display.

But you can use Bluetooth to pair your phone for both calls and playing music.

Things improved in 2017 with an updated infotainment system, an Apple-compatible USB port, plus modern touches like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The touchscreen became much bigger, with a clearer display.

The good news for used car buyers is that there are more Skoda Rapid Spacebacks out there for sale than there are Skoda Rapids, so you have greater choice.

Starting money for a decent Skoda Rapid Spaceback with 70,000 miles on the clock is around £5500, which is £1000 more than you’ll pay for its sister car.

A good-condition six-year-old model with 35,000 miles to its name will cost up to £10,500 with the 1.0 TSI petrol engine.

The Skoda Rapid Spaceback has the same wide range of engines as the Skoda Rapid hatch.

The three petrols all deliver similar fuel economy, claimed at around 55mpg to 60mpg, and they all mostly deliver a real-world figure of around 50mpg.

Choose either the 1.4-litre or 1.6-litre turbodiesel and economy claims rise to as much as 74.3mpg.

Our Real MPG data shows you can reckon on 62mpg in normal driving from these engines, which is still impressive.

The diesel units offer sub-100g/km carbon dioxide emissions, which means zero road tax to pay for cars registered prior to 1 April 2017.

With the petrols, you’ll pay road tax at between £20 and £190, with cars put on the road after 1 April 2017 all requiring the flat rate of £190 per annum.

The car sits in insurance groups 11 to 18, and it won’t be too expensive when it comes to paying the premium.

Nor will routine service work, as Skoda dealers are at the more affordable end of the scale. Independent garages are more than able to look after this car very well, too.

Standard equipment on the Skoda Rapid Spaceback S includes 15-inch Dakara steel wheels, an alarm with interior monitoring, centre console with cup-holder, curtain airbags, daytime running lights and ESP.

You also get electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, front electric windows, a height and reach adjustable steering wheel, height-adjustable driver’s seat, parking ticket window clip, Isofix for the two outer back seats and manual air-conditioning.

To that, add remote central door locking and a reversible load floor mat, which is rubber on one side and carpet on the other.

Skoda Rapid Spaceback Greentech models gain a brake energy recovery system and stop/start.

Choose the Skoda Rapid Spaceback SE and it has 15-inch alloy wheels, six speakers, a three-spoke leather steering wheel with controls for the radio and telephone, acoustic rear parking sensors and body-coloured door mirrors and handles.

It also has cruise control, a front centre armrest, front fog lights, storage compartment for sunglasses, hill hold control (on the 1.4 TSI DSG and 1.6 TDI 90 DSG only), maxi-dot trip computer, sat-nav, tinted glass and Bluetooth.

Skoda Rapid Spaceback Elegance models gain 16-inch Dione alloys, chrome interior surrounds, climate control air-conditioning, cornering front fog lights, front and rear floor mats and a height adjustable passenger seat.

The trims were later changed to Skoda Rapid Spaceback S, Skoda Rapid Spaceback SE Tech and Skoda Rapid Spaceback SE Sport models.

SE Tech is the one to go for as it effectively replaced the SE.