Skoda Roomster 1.6 Review

Skodas aren't built to resemble Sistine chapels on four wheels, and on the whole, neither are they performance vehicles, save for the rear-wheel driven Skoda Rapid 135 coupe of the 80s and the current Octavia RS 2.0 Turbo.

The new Roomster presents itself in a little more than a confusing package. Boxy, almost van-like and stiff looking, we were a little more than perplexed with the car's, or MPV's, err, people-carrying-van's exterior™

Well, you get the point.

And we don't see this as a bad thing. The Fiat Doblo/Panorama was the first of it's kind. It proved that you could have the space and efficiency of a goods carrier while at the same time, converting that into a people carrier from the exact, same chassis.

And now, the Roomster brings this idea a step further.

Inside

So we don't fancy the exterior. Big deal. The Roomster more than made up for that by means of making the most of the rather constrained, 4205 x 1684 x 1607 (length, breadth, height) frame. Lots of headroom, legroom, and even the driving position was good! Finally this writer found himself in a vehicle that did not reduce his spikly done, elaborately gelled and waxed hairdo into a messy puff of garbage.

All the controls were in the right place. So far so good then - the vehicle seemed idiot proof. The only grip we might have with the fascia might be the hard-to-reach hazard light. It requires some stretching, but that might be good for the overweight and their acing of sit and reach tests.

For it's price, we would have expected leather seats to come as standard, but unlike most, we prefer fabric to cowhide in terms of pure, family oriented, or active lifestyle everyday applications. As supportive and firm as they were, they were also a little troublesome when it come to turning the knob that reclines your seat.

Maybe we've gotten a little too used to electrically operated armchairs, but we can't help but notice that the upper echelon management of Skoda wants to target this car at DIY enthusiasts.

Take for instance, the rear seats - they split three ways and fold themselves away not once, but twice! This means that you have enough loading space to chuck a bicycle in there, and with ease too. Unlike the abovementioned reclining knob, the seat release levers were very easy to operate.

With the rear seats now folded up and the space inside resembling all of a panel van-like, 1780 litres, the not so pure at heart would probably be rubbing their hands (amongst other things) in glee at the thought of various nocturnal activities that could be accomplished with such huge boot space, but you didn't hear that from us, of course™
Driving Impressions

And so, we cranked the engine and had it roar to life. Actually, it was more of a cough than anything else. The Roomster utilizes the Volkswagen group, 1598cc engine that has a compression ratio of 10.5:1 and puts out a good 153Nm worth of torque at 3800rpm. Power isn't too bad too, with 105bhp coming in at 5600rpm, but don't expect it to sprint away like a dart.

Looking through the huge, panoramic windscreen, we felt like students going to watch a movie at Golden Village.

The driving experience started off rather well. As you settle into the fabric and adjust your bulky frame to the seats, the ride gets™very comfortable. It's like having a Kahlúa-Brown Cow, which by the way has an alcohol content of 40%. It doesn't get to you, but give it a while and you suddenly feel more relaxed, loosened up, and probably sleepy.

The sleepiness might have been better attributed towards the the sedate driving experience, and being the typical,l speed-loving motoring paparazzi, we found ourselves wringing the neck of the Roomster most of the time.

The engine, although well insulated, moaned like an injured camel as we piled on the beans. After a good fifteen seconds, the speedometer reading 100km/h, but this really isn't too bad considering we had two girls inside and that the fuel tank was fairly full. Despite the raging machine and the slight amount of wind noise, the Roomster's ride was rather plush, upmarket and most importantly, enjoyable.

There was an absolute absence in rattling, shaking or rolling. In complement to the interior's impressive fit and finish, the vehicle felt stable, surefooted and would certainly fit a mum rushing her kid to school in order to avoid detention, followed by a mad dash to work.

The kind engineers at Skoda added in a 6 speed automatic with the option of a self shifter but frankly, we saw no need as the boisterous engine had more than enough torque to waft us along at an adequate pace.

Throw a loaded Roomster into a corner, or simply present it with an upslope, and you will find no fault or problem with it's driving dynamics. It would be the perfect tool for that Malaysian B-road trip with it's excellent struts and multi-linked suspension configuration, you can be sure that it'll match it's bigger brother, the Octavia, in a corner anytime.
Why the Roomster?

So many people have been hit with the MPV craze over the past couple of years. They like buying huge automobiles with 3 rows of seats, only to find out how cumbersome and inefficient they are in traffic and that they do not actually need such space.

Skoda's Roomster is not a true blue MPV, and it was not designed to be a bona fide panel van either, because they would have to bring in the Praktik 1.4 TDI for that purpose!.

What this car offers is simple: A comfortable, relaxing drive, lots of space for your kids in the rear to hold food fights without causing worry when it comes to cleaning up, a good view of the traffic, folding seats for that piano and utter ease of parking.

This Skoda's nearest competitor would without a doubt, be the Fiat Panorama 1.4-litre that squeezes 7 in for $73,900 while the 5 seater costs just $100 more than the Roomster, but is lacking in terms of power, flexibility and refinement of the Roomster

For $69,800, it might not be the proverbial stylish bullet turbo or supercharged-something. But you know what, who cares? It gets the job done, and does it remarkably well, and despite our fetish for powerful MPVs, we can't think of a better niche for passenger transporters than this.