Skoda Roomster Estate 2006-2010

The Skoda Roomster is a different take on the MVP layout which enables it to stand out from the crowd, but it should really be considered as more of a family car. The interior is large, spacious and feels airy thanks to the large rear windows. The boot is extremely large with the option of increasing it by folding the back seats forwards or removing them completely. This turns the Roomster into more of a van that should be able to carry even the largest of furniture. It also handles surprisingly well for a car of its size and height. The Roomster corners accurately and with minimal fuss and the larger engines offer plenty of power with the diesels being extremely economical, if a bit noisy.

Pros and Cons:

• Excellent reliability
  Spacious interior
  Handles surprisingly well and is easy to drive
  Flexible seating layout

• Only seats five people
  Some people may not like the styling

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Exterior and Interior

The Roomster has been designed to look like an MPV, but should really be considered as a car as it only comes with two full sized seats in the back with the middle one being extremely narrow. The interior does feel large and airy though thanks to the large back windows and there is plenty of head and leg room in both the front and back for the occupants. The boot is large offering 450litres of space, but this can be increased by either folding forward the rear seats or removing them completely. There are also other multiple storage areas scattered throughout the cabin with door pockets, under seat storage and two glove boxes.

The interior is well built and neatly laid out with good quality plastics being used and the dashboard dials all clear to see and read. The Roomster comes with a CD stereo, front electric windows, front and side as well as curtain airbags and a height adjustable drivers’ seat. Higher trim levels add alloy wheels, air-con, central locking, an alarm, cruise control, sunroof and parking sensors with all coming with optional extras that include sat-nav, stability control, heated front seats, electric rear windows and roof rails.

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Engines

The Roomster comes with the choice of three petrol and three diesel engines. The petrol are the: 1.2-litre 70bhp, 1.4-litre 85bhp and 1.6-litre 105bhp. The 1.6 litre is also the only car that comes with the optional Tiptronic automatic gearbox. The diesel engines are made up of two 1.4-litre engines producing 70bhp and 80bhp and a 1.9-litre engine producing 105bhp.

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Performance and Economy

The 1.2-litre entry level petrol engine is great for driving around town, produces a good note and has a fairly impressive fuel efficiency of 42mpg. It does lack speed when on the motorway taking a leisurely 15.4 seconds to go from 0-60mph. The bigger 1.4-litre gets up to motorway speeds a little quicker managing 0-60mph in 12.6. It is also fairly fuel efficient coming in just behind the smaller engine with 41mpg. The 1.6-litre top of the range petrol is the better overall engine being the quickest in the range of all the engines going from 0-60mph in 10.6 seconds and also manages 40mpg.

The small 70bhp 1.4-litre diesel engine is fairly economical coming in at 53mpg, but is not particularly fast going from 0-60mph in a sedate 16 seconds. The more powerful 80bhp 1.4-litre engine proves to be the most fuel efficient achieving 55mpg and is faster too, but it still takes 14.2 seconds to get to 60mph. The top of the range 1.9-litre is the pick of the bunch, even if it is fairly noisy, returning 53mpg and going from 0-60mph in 11.1 seconds.

The 1.6-litre petrol is the only engine to have the optional Tiptronic automatic gearbox but it’s not worth considering as it makes the roadster even slower and the fuel economy drops from 40mpg to 36mpg.

The Roomster is also fairly cheap to insure with the smallest petrol engine falling into group 2 going up to group 5 for the 1.9-litre diesel.

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What it's like to Drive

The Roomster is surprisingly agile, corners very well with minimal body roll and has plenty of grip when you need it despite its size. This is due to the wheels being pushed out to the corners and the length of it which helps to keep it firmly planted. The steering is light with some feeling being transferred back to the driver helping to make the car feel safe and predictable.

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Faults and Repairs

There has only been one recall with the Roomster for the curtain airbags. Other problems that have been reported include leaky sunroofs in earlier models, some clutch problems and noisy air-cons. Other than that there haven’t been any other problems, but make sure that the cambelt has been changed every 60,000 miles as it can cause some serious damage if it hasn’t. Skoda dealerships are also rated really highly with excellent customer satisfaction reviews and don’t charge extortionate prices for services and repairs.

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