Review: Skoda Roomster (From Crewe Guardian)

Review: Skoda Roomster

1:53pm Tuesday 14th February 2012 in Motors By Catherine Lawler

With all the practicality of an MPV and the load space of a large hatchback, buying a Skoda Roomster as a family car makes perfect sense.

Its rather unusual styling may not be to everyone’s taste, but it is certainly a vast improvement on the original. And in terms of space and value for money, the Roomster Scout scores highly.

There are four engines on offer – all turbocharged.

The petrol line-up consists of a three-cylinder 1.2 TSI unit that dev-elops 86PS, along with a more powerful 105PS version of the same engine.

Those preferring diesel have the option of a 1.6 TDI CR with outputs of 90PS and 105PS. All Roomster Scout engines are linked to a five-speed manual transmission, with the 1.2 TSI 105PS version also available with a seven-speed DSG gearbox. There are five models to choose from – S, SE, SE Plus, GreenLine II and Scout. All are fitted with driver, passenger, side and curtain airbags as standard, along with a CD player with an auxiliary socket for MP3 players and Varioflex seating.

As you would expect from a car designed with families in mind, Room-ster has achieved the top mark of five stars in the Euro NCAP rating for adult passenger protection, four stars for child safety and two stars for the pedestrian test.

Those wanting to personalise their Roomster can choose from a wide range of options, including an innovat-ive luggage compartment cycle holder and Curve projector halogen headlights with cornering front fog lights.

It has a nice, high up seating posit-ion for the driver, and there are plenty of adjustments on the seat and steer-ing wheel to find a comfortable position.

The extra-deep side windows also help make the rear seats feel like observation posts, while the panoramic roof – complete with roller blinds – floods the cabin with natural light.

Front seat passengers also benefit from a number of storage options, including extra-wide door bins that hold large drinks bottles.

On models fitted with air-condition-ing, the lower glovebox compartment has a cooling airflow to keep food and drinks fresh.

The armrest was a bit pointless and seemed to be in the way, if anything. But, overall, considering its height the Roomster handles well and has plenty of grip, which was especially useful during the recent cold snap (although heated seats would have been nice!) The Roomster is a great car, and it’s a breath of fresh air to drive – some-thing that stands out from the crowd.

FACTS

Car: Skoda Roomster Scout 1.6 TDi

On the road: £15,760

0-62mph: 13.3 seconds

Top speed: 106mph

Fuel: 60.1mpg (combined)

CO2 emissions: 124g/km