We all know that Skoda's tagline is 'simply clever' but you'd need to be a something of
a genius to work out how the new Rapid Spaceback, that's the green one by the way, fits into
the current range.
To make things easier, I'm going to show you every key difference between this new model
and its saloon sibling before submitting it to a proper Auto Express road test.
So let's start off slowly.
This is an estate, an Octavia Estate to be exact - and one of the most practical cars
on the market.
This is the current Rapid, which has the body of a saloon, but is actually a hatchback,
and offers a lot of space for not very much money.
And finally this is the new Spaceback, which is not an estate, but shorter than the Rapid,
with a smaller boot, but passenger room, hence the name.
Confused yet?
I know I am.
In terms of the exterior design, it's pretty damn hard to separate these two siblings,
and as you can see from the front they are almost completely identical to one another.
They've both got the new Skoda family face, with a chrome grille and a separate power
bulge down the middle of the bonnet.
Turn them around though and you can see that the Spaceback is a whopping 180mm shorter
than the saloon and the rear glass area near the C-pillar has been expanded to increase
headroom, and the feeling of space.
And, to confuse things a bit more, the Spaceback is also available with a Style Pack that extends
this rear glass screen, adds a roof spoiler, darker rear lights and gloss black mirrors
to give it a bit more desirability.
The Spaceback appeals to a younger audience and features extra equipment like the smart
three-spoke steering wheel from the Octavia, four electric window switches in the drivers
door and the smart new brushed aluminium effect trim on the dash board.
Losing all that length from the body has had an impact on boot space.
It shrinks from 550 litres in the standard car to 415 in the Spaceback.
Sat here in the rear seats that name does start to make sense.
The Spaceback offers the kind of rear legroom you normally find in bigger cars like the
Ford Mondeo, and all that glass does genuinely mean it feels like there is more space in
the back.
I know it's a Skoda, but that's probably enough about practicality though - so let's go and
find out how this new car drives.
We're able here to drive the whole range of engines so there are three diesels and two
petrols, from a 1.2-litre 74bhp to a 1.4-litre TSI turbocharged unti with about 118bhp.
New for the Spaceback is a lower powered 89bhp diesel, which gets 67mpg, emits 114g/km.
This engine is also used for the Greenline version, which will have low ride height,
even more efficiency tweaks, and that gets the Spaceback under 100g/km.
It's quite a noisy engine, with a rattle on startup and if you get over a certain speed
it's definitely an intrusive noise.
0-62mph takes 11.9 seconds which is a bit slow and it feels much less powerful than
the larger version of this engine.
The 1.2-litre TSI is the best one to go for, with a six-speed manual gearbox and it feels
more like a driver's car.
The Spaceback also gets a new electric power steering system and a retuned set of dampers.
They try to smooth the rough ride but it's not really worked.
The new steering is nicer but i don't think it offers any more feel than the old system.
It's accurate and fast, but not really engaging.
This car does offer something, though - the driving position is really good, the pedals
are comfortable to use and the controls are great too.
In a car that starts at about £14,000, that is sort of al you can ask.
So by now you should all know your fastbacks from your spacebacks and be able to tell them
apart when the new one goes on sale in January - but which is best?
Well Skoda reckon the more conventional hatch will make up around half of all Rapid sales
in the UK.
The Spaceback does feel like a more quality product, inside and out, but the brand think
there will be around a £950 premium for the smaller car - which is quite a lot, especially
when you consider the fact that it still drives like basic, functional transport.
Pick the styling pack, and the lovely 1.2 TSI engine though, and you'll have a decent
little car for around £17,000.