On the road: The Rapid is Skoda’s car of the people. It is more than capable of doing the job with the minimum of fuss, but it lacks any visual allure.

It doesn’t pretend to be anything it is not, which is refreshing, but on the downside it doesn’t engender any kind of excitement in the driver.

In an effort to address that Skoda has introduced a Sport version. Now, before you get carried away, this is not a contender for the hot hatch category. No, rather it’s a car with a few more bells and whistles than its siblings.

There’s no disputing it catches the eye in comparison. With its black alloys, roof and boot spoiler it gives an otherwise unremarkable car a bit of character.

Underneath the skin, things are pretty much the same as the regular version.

There’s a 1.2 litre TDI engine mated to a six-speed gearbox. It posts a nought to 62mph time of 10.3 seconds and has a top speed of 121mph.

As the ride height of the car has not been changed, the Rapid Sport handles in the same way as the others in the family, that is to say comfortable without being cosseting.

On the inside: THE Rapid clearly has the VW family touch. The interior is clean and uncluttered if a little unadventurous. There’s sports seats and pedals, but it’s not at all racy. Given that this is a car that will almost certainly be carrying the family on a day-to-day basis that is probably a blessing.

What do you get: SKODA says that the Rapid offers great value for money, with more than £1,200 worth of kit thrown in free gratis, given that the car sells at the same price as the SE model.

Our car came with 17ins black alloys, black door mirrors, climate control air conditioning, electrically heated and adjustable mirrors, front fog lights and front electric windows. In addition, there’s a leather three-spoke steering wheel and leather handbrake lever, mobile device interface, sports seats and pedals, Bluetooth and sunset glass.

Options included an Amundsen satellite navigation system at £655 and Candy White paint at £175.

How practical is it: SPACE is one of the key benefits of the Rapid. The cabin has plenty of room and the boot is cavernous. There’s 550 litres of space to exploit and it’s pretty easy to load and unload.

Running costs: SKODA say you should be able to get in the order of 52mpg. We managed in the mid-40s which is a respectable return. CO2 emissions come in at 125g/km.

Verdict: The most attractive Rapid with a decent engine. It’s also cheap to run.

Alternatives: Audi A3, Kia Cee’d