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Oddball? Yes. Practical? Sure. But is the Skoda Roomster charming and fun to drive? Byron Mathioudakis knows the answer.
Skoda? What the …
Those with long memories might remember Skodas as being ancient rear-engined brick-like bargain-basement social-death-mobiles from a place called Czechoslovakia.
So obviously things have changed right?
And how! In the 30 years since you could last buy a Skoda, Volkswagen bought the company, threw away the junky old stuff and then began to wow Europeans from the mid 1990s with Polo and Golf-based models with real flair but without the ‘premium pricing’ that VWs usually attract.
So this Roomster is really a VW?
Yep. Just to get techie for a mo, the suspension is front part-Polo, back part-Golf, and the engine is the gutsy if noisy 1.9-litre TDI turbo-diesel you’ll find in most VWs, while the striking if not entirely pretty body and interior are totally the work of Skoda’s talented Czech artisans.
Keep going…
And it all comes together more coherently than the Roomster’s styling suggests.
If you imagine a car barely wider than a Toyota Yaris, but with a long wheelbase in order for five people to be accommodated in ample space and comfort, then you start to get the picture.
The dash has an Audi-esque look, the finish is first class, and you can fit stacks and stacks of luggage thanks to the extraordinarily tall ceiling, which really does make the Roomster feel like a Tardis. Plus the three rear seats slide, recline and remove individually should you want a shaggin’ wagon.
But it drives like a bus right?
No way! Get behind the wheel of the 1.9 TDI diesel, and you have tonnes of torque to pull you along at a steady clip. The steering is responsive, the ride supple and the handling – remembering there are VW bits lurking underneath – is surprisingly sharp and agile.
And you get the bonus of excellent diesel economy.
Skoda also includes a full suite of safety gear, including six airbags, ABS anti-lock brakes and this year’s must-have item … ESP stability control. The Roomster is as safe as houses.
Do you actually have anything bad to say about it?
Not really. It’s a bit noisy on some road surfaces. Some interior plastic trim looks and feels cheapo (but this does cost under $30K) and we’d like an interior light for back-seat passengers.
The diesel is a manual-only proposition for now, so if you want an automatic you gotta settle for the smooth but fairly weak 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. But as the Roomster doesn’t weigh too much, it isn’t so bad a choice.
Except that the Roomster looks like a committee of people who never met each designed a separate part of it?
No, that’s harsh. There is some real individuality to the Roomster’s styling, and it actually has presence and finesse.
So did the Elephant Man!
OK, so the Roomster is no Alfa Romeo to look at. But it’s supremely versatile, super safe, engineered with proven VW bits, and a statement of non-conformity.
We like it.
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