Which Roomster would you recommend

[landi311]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forum. I haven't purchased a Skoda yet but I am considering to buy one in the summer. I was very close to buying one almost two years ago but than I decided to get a second hand renault scenic from 2000. That was a good car but i had problems with its automatic transmission. Later I read the auto trans in those cars are a headache. Anyway, i have sold it now and will buy a new car soon. Skoda Roomster is the preferred choice, at least until now.

i would highly appreciate if you guys have anything to say.

First, would you recommend a Roomster, or would you recommend another make in this category (scenic, picasso, Mazda 5, Mercedes B-class, etc)

Second, which type of Roomster would you recommend in terms of frame/chassis and engine.

I know you will ask me questions so I will provide some info beforehand. I live in Copenhagen so as you may imagine I will not use the ar very much here around town. We (me and my wife) have 2 kids (6 and 2). The youngest one suffers from Cerebral palsy so we may have to carry a chair or something with us for a bit longer than usual as he is not able to walk on his own yet. We may need the car to go around town especially with the kids but we may also have to use it for longer journeys since we are not from Denmark. I have no idea yet what are the difference in the running cost per each model, i.e. how much is the insurance and the other taxes and how they differ from one model to another.

Any suggestions will be welcomed.

Cheers to everyone

Roland

[fluffmeister]

Hi

The Roomster is a good car, my personal preference would be for a Scout, not just because I have one, but it seems that with Skoda shuffling the models around the Scout is the better model spec wise.

If you have to lift a wheelchair in and out, the scout's unpainted plastic rear bumper may be of benefit and the Scout has ESP as standard. The PD105 TDi is a reasonable performer and delivers good MPG. If you wanted an auto though you would be restricted to the 1.6 petrol.

I have got 7 year old twins and they love the Roomster, mine has the panoramic roof and the kids love that, being able to look around, watch planes fly over etc and it makes the cabin lighter and "airy". The kids also love the slightly elevated seating position in the back to see what is going on, and the centre folding seat which they use as an armrest, and sometimes for re-enactments of WW2 (we had a Tiger 1 and Pazer IV) taking on Cinderella and Belle this Saturday.

The door and dash plastics are bit cheap on the Roomster when compared to other Skoda models, but they are robust enough.

There's plenty of Roomster owners here, with a variety of trim levels so ..... over to them

[StuartBell]

I bought a Roomster 2 with the 1.9tdi engine around 16 months ago. The only fault I've had is that the seal on the forward edge of the rear doors can easily be pushed off at its lower end if someone getting out of the front seats isn't careful. It's worse in winter, when coats are bulky. That is literally the only fault in 15,000 miles - 25,000 km.

I find the balance of overall size and internal space excellent. The only downside to the design is that the centre rear seat is not really large enough for an adult. But the boot is huge, and when you take the seats out, the space is better than anything apart from van-derived cars.

The 1.9tdi is a good solid workhorse. We tow a small caravan, so it was the obvious choice. Non-towers recommend the 1.4tdi as being excellent, but the petrol/diesel choice will be affected by fuel prices in your country and the different purchase costs, and your annual mileage.

I bought a '2', as it seemed to me to strike a good balance between comfort and cost.

Would I recommend one? Yes - I have, and a friend bought one!

Stuart

[The PM]

All the other cars you mention are larger than the Roomie... if you need to carry a wheelchair around I'd also you look at the van based vehicles like the Berlingo - we carry our wheelchair with us but its folded down and if we go away then it will be stored between the rear two seats, if you put it in the boot there won't be much space for luggage.

I'd agree with the other poster, the build quality is ok, but doesn't feel as good as the Fabia, though that probably more to do with the size of the interior which makes it noisier than the "normal" cars. I'd also agree that the 2 is a good compromise, though I do like the glass roof on our 3!

[G.K.]

The Roomster is great in both 2 & 3 spec but I would think twice about the new SE spec unless you are strangely attracted to the appaling two tone interior.!

[steffo]

I would recommend the Roomster,I have the 1.9 TDI which I find has ample pace for safe overtaking.The only downsides I've found is that the interior can be a bit bland and dark,think Skoda could have added a bit more flair and go for a light body colour as the dark paint seems to show blemishes more readily than other makes.Went to look at the new Citroen C3 Picasso today came away impressed although the boot looked slighty smaller so that might be worth a look too.

[Jonny5ive]

Another vote for the 1.9tdi Scout Glass roof is great, not an option I would have chosen but it was on the ex-demo I bought along with 17" wheels and Maxi-dot

[landi311]

Thank you guys for the insights.

I will take a manual this time. After the problems I had with tha auto in the Snenic, I will not buy an auto anymore. And I also like manuals more than autos anyway.

I have notices that the Skoda websites now don't use the numbers anymore. I mean they say Roomster classis, family etc. I guess it would correspond as below:

Roomster classic = Roomster 1

Roomster style = Roomster 2

Roomster family = Roomster 3

Roomster scout = Roomster scout

but I could be wrong.

One more qustion I have is: what are the main differences between the different trims. is the car cabin (dimensions and size) different or is the quality of the fittings inside different?

I am still not convinced about the glassroof. I like it but I am afraid that may be source for trouble in the future (you know breaking down and stuff). I read one thread here and it looks that there are a few Skoda users who have problems with the panoramic roof.

I am not sure if I want to buy a diesel or a petrol first and what engine size second. At the moment I am thinking to get a 1.4 dti or 1.9 dti but I will make my decision once I know the differences in cost of insurance and other taxes here. I am not sure how much we will drive it here but I dont expect to drive more than 10,000 miles per year.

Thanks again for your answers.

Cheers,

Roland

[The PM]

The trim levels used to have different names in each country... we in the UK started off with Classic, Comfort and Elegence and then they changed them before introducing the 1,2 and 3 which does make life easier as it seems constant Europe wide...

The interiors are the same, its just that the higher levels may have different seat covers and extra goodies such as electric windows, "comfort seats", better HiFi, etc... the basics such as folding rear seats, storage space, and dimensions, etc, are standard across the range.

I doubt that the glass roof will cause any issues, there have been the odd one thats failed, but against the total number sold its a very small risk and it does lighten the interior... I prefer it to an opening sunroof as I never used to open the things!

Re the engines, I know that from country to country the taxing of diesels and petrols are different so your decission of which fuel will be particular to your country... However I have run both the 1.4 and 1.9 diesels and would say that, especially in a larger car like the Roomie the 1.9 is the better engine, its smoother and more willing performance wise and is nearly as economical as the 1.4... but if you do get the 1.4 get the 80bhp, not the 70bhp! In the old Fabia I could get 55/57mpg from the 1.9 and 60/61mpg from the 1.4, but the 1.9 was much easier to drive and I'm glad when I chose the Roomie that I returned to the 1.9!

[Vroomster1]

Some more feedback, hopefully useful.

We have a 1.6 petrol Scout, 14 months old, 13.5k miles. We were initially looking at diesels and tried a 1.9 - loads of lovely torque but the 1.6 petrol demonstrator was so smoooooth! We were also keen on all the safety stuff you get in the Scout.

Indicated MPG ranges from 35 urban to 43 on long runs, max 53 - this was definitely a 1-off following an easy 60 miler. Based on actual tank fills average is about 40 but again 43 on runs. Bearing in mind price differential between diesel and petrol - currently about +11% for the former - this compares pretty well.

Car drives very well - close to Mondeo standards in terms of handling although can be a bit jiggly on rough roads - low profile tyres not helping I reckon. Corners flat, sticks well and with all the safety trickery it felt very poised in all the snow and ice recently. Some road/tyre noise at speed on some surfaces - tyres again!

Engine quite torquey for a 1.6 petrol and adequately brisk if not exactly fast - my last personal car was an RS2000 however and you don't buy a Roomy as a hot hatch. V smooth up to 3,500 rpm - normally you can only tell it's idling by looking at the tacho.

Steering, brakes, transmission all excellent. Interior space excellent, more headroom in the rear than an Octavia or Superb! Seats look fairly small in the base but fine over 3-4 hours. Definitely a 4 (adult) seater, not 5. Spacious and hugely versatile interior for size of car.

Completely reliable, so far! One or two minor warranty fixes eg rattly door trim. See also separate posts re smeary h'lamp projector lenses and intermittent rattle behind fascia. Plastic trim quality a bit variable but generally the car feels well built and tough. Decent Dealer. Then there's the strong J D Power etc. survey results.

Overall, recommended. And it's very individual! Why drive a Euroclone?

[JudyLoz]

We opted for a 2 nearly two years ago and have been very pleased with it. Chose the two-tone interior which, as we didn't want the glass roof, has brightened things up a lot. Also, there have been problems with the fabric in the 3, I think, whereas the smooth fabric in ours has been okay.

We have the 1.9 which was sensible when diesel was cheaper than petrol and there weren't any 1.6 petrols to try at the time. We're pleased with the performance, though. How do fuel prices compare in Denmark re petrol versus diesel?

Just wish we'd had this car when putting little ones into car seats. The rear doors open wide and there's plently of room to manoevre children - or pallets when the seats are out!

Stating the obvious I know but take along all the kit you need to fit into the boot when you do a test drive and see how you get on.

Good luck!

[Broomster]

Hi Roland,

I have had a 1.9TDi Roomster 3 for about 6 months now and I love it. I needed something I could use as a cross between an van and a bus for my photography business - to take a model, assistant and a load of lighting gear on location is a tall order. Trouble is my garage is very narrow and cannot take a car much wider than a Fiesta and no longer than a Focus. Estate cars were too long, van-based MPVs were too tall and most other MPVs were too wide.

The Skoda is much more like a car to drive than other MPVs with its hatchback cabin, and is the bet handling MPV I have ever driven - very stable with sharp turn in and little roll. Its barely wider than a small hatch but it actually has more luggage space with the seats up than nearly all of the small to mid-size MPVs and with the seats removed its cavernous.

The 105bhp TD engine has a lot of torque for overtaking but its also quite economical - I have managed 4.8 L/100km (60mpg) when cruising at 120kmh on the motorway. The diesel is a bit noisy when you rev it but is refined enough on the motorway and can cruise easily at 130 km/h or more. Wind noise is surprisingly low.

I would go for the best bargain you can get as long as it has aircon. The 2 is the sensible option but the 3 is loaded with every toy going. I admit have become addicted to cruise control so if you can get a good price I would go for the 3 or the Scout if you can.

[landi311]

Hello guys,

many thanks for your replies. Helped me a lot. Based on what I have read here i am leaning towards the Scout 1,9 dti. However I will make my final decision once I know the difference in the fixed cost taxes (annual insurance, annual taxes, etc). If the difference is not much I will go for the 1,9 version.