Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The Continental: Vahland and Zetsche Speak, the Fiat 500 Turns Five, SEAT and Opel in Survival Mode

The Continental

Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.

Škoda Rapid

After two weeks on the road, I’ve cobbled together another column—just in time before I take off on a weeklong journey with Škoda in the Namibian Desert, where I will be testing the Yeti crossover. It is interesting to follow the Volkswagen Group’s entry-level brand and its strategy. One trip last week took me to Bratislava, Slovakia, where I drove the new Škoda Rapid. It is something of a low-cost car, but an impressive one: It rides on the same AO platform as the VW Polo, is bigger than the Golf, and comes with a choice of cutting-edge diesel or gasoline engines, mated to an option of manual or dual-clutch transmissions. The interior surfaces of the Rapid are basic with a lot of plastic. Nevertheless, the build quality is impeccable. On the road, the Rapid handles with precision. Read full story »

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/Qkxqx7W3UE0/

Bob Gerard Gerino Gerini Peter Gethin Piercarlo Ghinzani Bruno Giacomelli

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