Car Review - Skoda Roomster

06 January 2007

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The New Skoda Roomster

Skoda has broken into the highly competitive MPV market with the launch of the new Roomster. Currently embarking upon a massive TV advertising campaign, Skoda have a lot to be proud of with the Roomster, being the first Skoda to be awarded five stars in the EURO NCAP rating for adult occupant safety.

The Skoda Roomster will be available on three trims, Roomster 1,2 and 3 with a choice of four petrol engines and three diesels. Prices start from just over £9,000 for the entry level Roomster 1 mated to a 1.2 litre petrol engine, rising to top of the range Roomster 3 on a 1.9 diesel engine which is seriously competitive and very appealing to families. A host of optional extras are available in an effort to really personalise the family car.

The exterior of the Roomster will probably not win any beauty contest, but don’t forget, "beauty is within" and this is certainly the case with the Roomster. Obvious from the front styling, the Roomster is a pedigree of the Skoda family; it is the window shapes that do not do the car any favours look wise. The front windscreen is in uniform to the front side windows, then suddenly the rear side window; rear quarter light windows and back window all dramatically increase in size making the Roomster very van shaped.

But, what then became apparent is the advantage large rear windows have, not just for me as the driver, but the children could see so much, coupled with the optional panoramic sunroof with roller blinds, a snip at £550. The rear seats are also slightly raised which in turn meant they could see forward as well as side and above. Heavenly bliss.

But, it is an MPV with a twist with the front part is designed to meet the driver’s needs hence named "the Driving Room" whist the rear, being comfortable yet variable has been named "the Living Room".

The Driving Room has all the controls easily within the drivers reach including height adjustable steering wheel plus passenger and drivers seat, manual air conditioning electrically operated front window and door mirrors. The Roomster has plenty of leg elbow and headroom for two adults in addition to an abundance of storage solutions such as a twin glove box; pull out shelf under the passenger seat and door pockets.

The Living Room was perfect for the children, they had plenty of space, eliminating any fighting, door pockets for their bits, storage pockets behind the front seats, with the middle seat being able to fold down for cup holder and concealed bins or taken out altogether turning the Roomster into a more spacious four seater. The seats are really easy to adjust, lift out or fold flat and the enormous amount of luggage area is a class record of 450 to 550 litres in size when five occupants are on board, increasing to a staggering 1,555 litres with the seats folded flat. The parcel shelf has two adjustments, a higher for larger loads, but by placing it on the lower hinge, means that the weekly shopping bags do not sit on each other. Demonstrating how versatile the Roomster can be is an optional extra bike rack that sits inside the boot if you take two seats out, and can safely secure two adult bikes.

The rather loud 1.9 TDI PD diesel engine powering the Roomster delivers a top speed of 113 mph, achieves 0-62 in 11.5 seconds and has a remarkable fuel consumption of 51.4 mpg on a combined cycle. CO2 emissions are 149 and falls into insurance group 5E.

The Roomster is a very easy car to drive, with a five speed manual gearbox and excellent power steering that whizzes the car in and out of the parking bays. Anyone who may think the cornering could be wobbly being such a high vehicle, will be pleased to know that thanks to excellent suspension system plus a high level of safety reserves within the chassis, the ride and handling of the Roomster is firm. ABS with MSR - torque moment regulation, is standard with ASR and ESP optional extras.

The safety features on the Roomster are on the same level as the rest of the Skoda clan with three point seatbelts at the front and rear, front and side airbags plus belt pre-tensioners. The two outer rear seats are equipped with Isofix attachments. In the event of an accident, the bodywork structure has been designed so that the front part deforms in an exact manner while the interior cell remains stable for the occupants.

Even pedestrians are safe as the bodywork already meets the new stringent regulations for pedestrian protection that come into force in 2010. Securing the Roomster is the simple yet effective immobiliser and VIN numbers.

The Archilees heel of the Roomster will probably be the looks but delving deeper, the attributes out weigh this minor flaw. My critics, the children, loved it for the views, I enjoyed the drive despite the very hard front seats, but for busy versatile families, the Roomster has it all.

Jackie Violet

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