Hi!

We took delivery of a 2WD SM last summer, and have been very happy with the car. It has performed very well in the snow we have had this winter, and is a very well build and comfortable car.

But...

After around 6 months we realized that we are missing some small practicality details from our previous car, the Roomster. As we have 2 kids under 4 years old (with their childs' seats and all) and very rarely do any longer trips - mostly 7 mile commuting - we came to the conclusion that we need daily practicality more than a car that is extremely comfortable on longer trips. We have also realized that the Roomster has much more space between the front and rear seats, and the rear door opening is higher up on the Roomster - both of these make the daily life a lot easier.

So, even thought the SM is a fabulous car it's not just the right car for us right now, so a Roomster 1.2 TSI DSG is on order, but due to the demand of this engine-gearbox combo the current estimate for delivery is end june

As my wife has had a Roomster for just over two years and I have just got my Yeti I can understand and appreciate your situation.

Good luck and good to know you have stayed with Skoda.

That is why car mfrs have ranges, you find the one that is right for you. No disgrace there.

Hi there,

Yes we run both a Yeti and a Roomster and are delighted with both. Your points are spot on the differances between the two. Enjoy the Yeti while you have it, but the Roomster sounds like a good spec.

Have to agree with whats been said - I had a Roomster for six months and totally agree with the OP! The Roomster is so underated as a family hold all! Its a brilliant, if quirky car.

Never been a fan of the Roomster because of its looks, BUT I can appreciate that the looks are not everything and that the interior design is so important.

I have always advocated a tick list of what I (and you) need from a car. We downsized from a Terrano to an X-Trail to the Yeti. and, along with others, were disappointed with the boot space BUT again the smaller boot space has not become a serious problem. We have two young grandchildren and that means a mass of extras, buggies, bottles, nappies, clothes, toys plus the loss of the back seats for storage. I have had to remove the parcel shelf only twice to accomodate the extra luggage.

You adapt to what is available. Soft packing (clothes in bags instead of suitcases) does help. I have had great experience of soft packing when I owned two TVRs (Tuscan and an 2500M) where the luggage space was between the seats and the sloping rear window.

Edited 20 January, 201115 yr by Terfyn

Hi!

We took delivery of a 2WD SM last summer, and have been very happy with the car. It has performed very well in the snow we have had this winter, and is a very well build and comfortable car.

But...

After around 6 months we realized that we are missing some small practicality details from our previous car, the Roomster. As we have 2 kids under 4 years old (with their childs' seats and all) and very rarely do any longer trips - mostly 7 mile commuting - we came to the conclusion that we need daily practicality more than a car that is extremely comfortable on longer trips. We have also realized that the Roomster has much more space between the front and rear seats, and the rear door opening is higher up on the Roomster - both of these make the daily life a lot easier.

So, even thought the SM is a fabulous car it's not just the right car for us right now, so a Roomster 1.2 TSI DSG is on order, but due to the demand of this engine-gearbox combo the current estimate for delivery is end june

What about the safety of your family then?

I chose the Yeti from one point, and one point only, safety. (than I also found out that the Yeti has a lot of other qualities as well ) The Yeti is the safest of the Skoda models right now according to EuroNcap and even though the Roomster has a 5 star rating according to the old EuroNcap test (2006), I firmly believe that the Yeti is a considerably safer car. I even believe that it is the safest car around in it’s weight class right now (perhaps together with the new Opel /Vauxhall Astra). For that reason I wouldn’t change to a Roomster, even if the Roomster has some more space inside.

A severe car crash can happen also on a 7 mile journey.

Stephan.

What about the safety of your family then?

I chose the Yeti from one point, and one point only, safety. (than I also found out that the Yeti has a lot of other qualities as well ) The Yeti is the safest of the Skoda models right now according to EuroNcap and even though the Roomster has a 5 star rating according to the old EuroNcap test (2006), I firmly believe that the Yeti is a considerably safer car. I even believe that it is the safest car around in it’s weight class right now (perhaps together with the new Opel /Vauxhall Astra). For that reason I wouldn’t change to a Roomster, even if the Roomster has some more space inside.

A severe car crash can happen also on a 7 mile journey.

Stephan.

....."What about the safety of your family then?".........

Mmmmmmm....I'm not entirely sure that your question doesn't sound a bit like a somewhat condescending, judgemental dismissal of the_raz's choice of car suggesting he has less concern for his family than you feel he should have.

All things in life are relative and I'll concede that if he was talking about some more obviously dubious candidates, then you would be very justified in making the point. But, as you've said, the Roomster has been awarded 5 stars (34 points and 40 points respectively re. occupant/child safety) and is certainly no worse than very many, very popular, modern motor cars which I don't see as being the subject of an onslaught of public concern, unlike the old Metro or early French models, for example.

I'm sure many wouldn't have realised that there are some outstandingingly poor performers, according to NCAP, (BMW 3 early models, earlier Mondeos, Saab900) but we're not in that low score territory here with the Roomster.

You did liken Yeti safety with the Opel/Astra...rather than the latest Golf which has a higher score than the former example and I recently saw that if you drive a L. R. Defender you're least likely to suffer injury, but not everyone has disposable income sufficient to drive the new Golf, Astra, Defender and at the same time facilitate compliance with their own personal or practical requirements.

It is most certainly the case that Yeti is almost as well scored as the Golf and one or two other well considered cars shown on the NCAP listing and as such very safe.....but it's more expensive and of a different shape, size and category/configuration compared to the Roomy and the_raz and didn't consider it fitted in with his practical criteria and I feel that it's not entirely appropriate to call in to question his reasoning, logic or priorities with, what seems to amount to, such a direct accusation of lack of due concern for his family on this occasion.

I don't disagree with you point regarding accidents within 7 miles of home address.... statistics would agree that a disproportionately high percentage of RTA's (RTC's) occur on short journeys within a close proxomity to home address. But, of course, if that's the nature of the OP's journeys then so be it, no-one will suggest he takes a 20 mile detour in order to rank up his mileage and thus reduce his theoretical liklihood of having an accident.

All this is, of course only my thoughts on the matter....and as such doesn't amount to a lot so no-one's gonna lose sleep over it...

Thanks for your comments, I knew this was a controversy choice, and it as not one easily made.

The SM bootspace as such was not the problem for us, we have gotten everything we ever wanted in there (this lot for instance)

it was really the practical things such as easier access to the kids' seat belts, more convenient getting in and out of the car (both me and my wife are fairly short and more or less need to "climb" in to the SM), easier access in tight parking spaces (4 inches really make a difference) etc... that was the deciding point. And had we not had a Roomster previously we would have been totally satisfied with the SM as well. I'm still very happy with our SM, it's not just the right time for a car like this for us.

Nolhott - If the safety of your family is your main concern then you are letting your family down by not choosing a Golf which has a higher safety rating than the Yeti. Or is criticism of the Yeti your main concern?

I suspect this thread could deteriorate rapidly if we are not careful. I think the comment about safety was harsh and over the top but lets not get caught up in a slanging match over those comments, however much we may disagree with them.

I suspect this thread could deteriorate rapidly if we are not careful. I think the comment about safety was harsh and over the top but lets not get caught up in a slanging match over those comments, however much we may disagree with them.

+1 and remember that a large element of safety, as in the debate about 2- or 4-wheel drive, summer, winter or all season tyre performance in the snow and ice is actually down to driver skill and anticipation in avoiding danger. Yes, there will be times when others' behaviour causes a problem, but safety begins with each one of us driving sensibly within the limitations of ourselves, our vehicles and the driving conditions at the time..

I think the Roomster is lovely, and with VAT-back deals a real steal too, but my wife say's the only way we'd ever get one is if either of us are in a wheelchair...harsh...

Had the loan of a Roomster Scout when Pat went in for a warranty work; nice motor indeed but sadly my wife's not keen on the rear window lines. So come time to change her unreliable Corsa she went for the Fabia, which in TSI 86 guise is also a excellent motor.

Regards,

TP

A neighbour of ours has a Roomster and I really didn't like it at first. Weird looking car.

However, the more I see them now the more and more I like them. The styling seems to have grown on me. A like something a bit different. Why follow the herd?

I owned a Roomster and a Yeti for around 1 year each, now driving an Octavia!! Ultimately 3 quite different cars.

My personal preference would have to be:

1. Octavia

2. Yeti

3. Roomster

Edited 20 January, 201115 yr by pinkpanther

Sorry, I didn’t mean to be condescending and judgemental in my remarks but I see that it can be interpreted in that way. I only wanted to refer to the fact that it´s for “family reasons” that the_raz decided to change to the Roomster, and perhaps he hadn’t even considered the safety issue.

Regarding the safety of different car models I had missed the new Golf for some reason. It has exceptionally good results in the EuroNcap, better than both the Astra and the Yeti. However, I believe that when it comes to real life accidents the Yeti might have an edge over the other two due to it being a crossover. “Normal” cars today are penalized by the fact that there are so many large SUV: s out on the roads. Besides shear weight their raised design make a SUV "climb over" the deformation zones of the normal car and crash in to the passenger space. I think the Yeti has a better chance to cope with a crash with a larger SUV than the Golf has. Why the L.R. Defender turns out in statistics as a “safe car” is precisely for that reason. They mostly crash into much smaller and lighter cars. However, I wouldn’t like to sit in a Defender in a crash with another Defender or a concrete bridge pillar. Would also be interesting to see how it would do in the EuroNcap tests :yes:

At the same time the Yeti is not so much higher/heavier than a normal car so I think it won't “climb over” in a crash in the same way that a larger SUV might do. The Golf is also a lighter car than the Yeti and a lighter car are generally less safe than a heavier by default.

This doesn’t mean that I’m promoting buying bigger and heavier cars. I’m very much against the race towards bigger and heavier cars that seems to be going on right now, were people are getting bigger cars just because that all other around them are getting bigger cars and they don’t want to feel “small and unsafe”.

Dibujos comment that I should get a Golf if safety is the main concern of my family (I have a 1 year old daughter that rides a rearward facing child seat so my situation is similar to the-raz) could be right. But probably I should get a “supersized” SUV like the Cadillac Escalade or similar instead then. Or even a 20 tonnes truck. But that safety comes with the sacrifice of the other party in a possible crash. Then there are also the practical and economical limitations for what car you choose.

And remember, my remark was not regarding finding the absolute safest car. It was about downgrading safety. I.e. you already have a comfortable, economical, practical and safe car and then decide to downgrade for a couple of centimetres more space in the back seat. So subsequently, my main concern is not to criticize the Roomster as such (I assume you meant the Roomster and not the Yeti). I think that the Roomster is an excellent car and it was amongst the candidates when I chose what new car to buy. But I decided for the Yeti for better safety mainly. But I did some own measurements then to check the difference in space between the different candidates. And a comparison between the Roomster and the Yeti looks like this:

Yeti interior width front seat: 139 cm

Roomster interior width front seat: 133 cm

Roomster + 6cm foot space in back seat compare to the Yeti

Yeti luggage compartment width: 101 cm

Roomster luggage compartment width: 100 cm

Yeti luggage compartment length: 78 cm

Roomster luggage compartment length: 76 cm

Yeti luggage compartment height (to parcel shelf): 60 cm

Roomster luggage compartment height (to parcel shelf): 60 cm

So, the only advantage that the Roomster has over the Yeti is more or less the 6 cm more space in the back seat (I would have loved to have them on the Yeti as well), slightly larger rear doors and a slightly lower fuel consumption (if the Roomster will be cheaper to own in total costs than the Yeti could be another thing to debate. I think that the Roomster will have a higher depreciation than the Yeti, but only time will tell). In all other respects the Yeti is better or even far better than the Roomster in my opinion, not saying that the Roomster is a bad car in any way. But if you can't do without those 6 cm ....

So, no, I’m not amongst the ones that applauds “the-raz” choice of new car. I assume the reason for raising this topic was in order to have comments from others about his change of car, and these are mine.

Stephan

Sorry, I didn’t mean to be condescending and judgemental in my remarks but I see that it can be interpreted in that way. I only wanted to refer to the fact that it´s for “family reasons†that the_raz decided to change to the Roomster, and perhaps he hadn’t even considered the safety issue.

Regarding the safety of different car models I had missed the new Golf for some reason. It has exceptionally good results in the EuroNcap, better than both the Astra and the Yeti. However, I believe that when it comes to real life accidents the Yeti might have an edge over the other two due to it being a crossover. “Normal†cars today are penalized by the fact that there are so many large SUV: s out on the roads. Besides shear weight their raised design make a SUV "climb over" the deformation zones of the normal car and crash in to the passenger space. I think the Yeti has a better chance to cope with a crash with a larger SUV than the Golf has. Why the L.R. Defender turns out in statistics as a “safe car†is precisely for that reason. They mostly crash into much smaller and lighter cars. However, I wouldn’t like to sit in a Defender in a crash with another Defender or a concrete bridge pillar. Would also be interesting to see how it would do in the EuroNcap tests :yes:

At the same time the Yeti is not so much higher/heavier than a normal car so I think it won't “climb over†in a crash in the same way that a larger SUV might do. The Golf is also a lighter car than the Yeti and a lighter car are generally less safe than a heavier by default.

This doesn’t mean that I’m promoting buying bigger and heavier cars. I’m very much against the race towards bigger and heavier cars that seems to be going on right now, were people are getting bigger cars just because that all other around them are getting bigger cars and they don’t want to feel “small and unsafeâ€.

Dibujos comment that I should get a Golf if safety is the main concern of my family (I have a 1 year old daughter that rides a rearward facing child seat so my situation is similar to the-raz) could be right. But probably I should get a “supersized†SUV like the Cadillac Escalade or similar instead then. Or even a 20 tonnes truck. But that safety comes with the sacrifice of the other party in a possible crash. Then there are also the practical and economical limitations for what car you choose.

And remember, my remark was not regarding finding the absolute safest car. It was about downgrading safety. I.e. you already have a comfortable, economical, practical and safe car and then decide to downgrade for a couple of centimetres more space in the back seat. So subsequently, my main concern is not to criticize the Roomster as such (I assume you meant the Roomster and not the Yeti). I think that the Roomster is an excellent car and it was amongst the candidates when I chose what new car to buy. But I decided for the Yeti for better safety mainly. But I did some own measurements then to check the difference in space between the different candidates. And a comparison between the Roomster and the Yeti looks like this:

Yeti interior width front seat: 139 cm

Roomster interior width front seat: 133 cm

Roomster + 6cm foot space in back seat compare to the Yeti

Yeti luggage compartment width: 101 cm

Roomster luggage compartment width: 100 cm

Yeti luggage compartment length: 78 cm

Roomster luggage compartment length: 76 cm

Yeti luggage compartment height (to parcel shelf): 60 cm

Roomster luggage compartment height (to parcel shelf): 60 cm

So, the only advantage that the Roomster has over the Yeti is more or less the 6 cm more space in the back seat (I would have loved to have them on the Yeti as well), slightly larger rear doors and a slightly lower fuel consumption (if the Roomster will be cheaper to own in total costs than the Yeti could be another thing to debate. I think that the Roomster will have a higher depreciation than the Yeti, but only time will tell). In all other respects the Yeti is better or even far better than the Roomster in my opinion, not saying that the Roomster is a bad car in any way. But if you can't do without those 6 cm ....

So, no, I’m not amongst the ones that applauds “the-raz†choice of new car. I assume the reason for raising this topic was in order to have comments from others about his change of car, and these are mine.

Stephan

Thanks for the above, which, to me, comes across as a considered and balanced response and covers the couple of points I was making. You have specifically addressed my particular point about the opening phrase which didn't come across too well but which you have expanded upon. I'm sure that, as may have been feared, the thread won't degenerate in to a war of words and I won't perpetuate it. I do accept your conjecture that the 'very nature' of the Yeti may contribute to a feeling of increased safety, rather than lower slung cars....at the same time as acknowledging the disapproval by some of the 4x4 type of vehicle which they see as posing the threat of 'mowing through / over anything in it's path'....I took the view that I liked the looks and character and economics of the Yeti, I can afford one so I ordered one...I might even change it for a facelifted 4x4 in due course...who knows?

As it happens I did look at the Roomy at the same time as looking at the Yeti. The first, and main, problem I had with it was the height of the seat was lower than the Yeti and I was specifically looking for something with a higher seat due to my difficulty in getting in to and out of lower cars. The dimensions, inside and outside, were, for me, close enough to make no difference but the increased ground clearance was a bonus, living where I do, and, it has to be said, I / we very much preferred the more conventional, squared off, look of the Yeti. I think I would have taken to the looks of the Roomy if the contrast between the front half and the back half wasn't quite so great - but that's just a personal thing. I spoke to a Roomy owner before deciding and she loved it - but - she did criticise the high waistline and exaggerated rounded off, filled in, solid bit where it meets the door upright (if you know what I mean) on her drivers door which, she found, didn't aid her vision when looking over her shoulder.........but, again, this was just her view and not an overt crticism.

The end.

Edited 21 January, 201115 yr by oldstan

But I did some own measurements then to check the difference in space between the different candidates. And a comparison between the Roomster and the Yeti looks like this:

Yeti interior width front seat: 139 cm

Roomster interior width front seat: 133 cm

Roomster + 6cm foot space in back seat compare to the Yeti

Yeti luggage compartment width: 101 cm

Roomster luggage compartment width: 100 cm

Yeti luggage compartment length: 78 cm

Roomster luggage compartment length: 76 cm

Yeti luggage compartment height (to parcel shelf): 60 cm

Roomster luggage compartment height (to parcel shelf): 60 cm

So, the only advantage that the Roomster has over the Yeti is more or less the 6 cm more space in the back seat (I would have loved to have them on the Yeti as well), slightly larger rear doors and a slightly lower fuel consumption (if the Roomster will be cheaper to own in total costs than the Yeti could be another thing to debate. I think that the Roomster will have a higher depreciation than the Yeti, but only time will tell). In all other respects the Yeti is better or even far better than the Roomster in my opinion, not saying that the Roomster is a bad car in any way. But if you can't do without those 6 cm ....

So, no, I’m not amongst the ones that applauds “the-raz” choice of new car. I assume the reason for raising this topic was in order to have comments from others about his change of car, and these are mine.

Stephan

I appreciate you taking time to comment my choice, but I suppose you understand that I'm not too cheerful about the content of your comments.

I never said that the Yeti is not a good car, in fact I think it is the best car I have owned so far (and that includes BMW 320s) and might probably be the best car I will ever own when it comes to build quality and handling and general "feel". We have just realized that it is just not the right car for us currently.

You did not mention the 2 cm difference in rear door frame height measured from the ground in the Roomster's advantage (Roomster is higher) that is the difference between hitting and not hitting your own and the kids' heads when buckling them up this is in my opinion a definitive safety feature.

And I think you got some measurements wrong with the boot space, the Roomster boot is stated as 480 l while the Yeti has only 405 l (figures from Skoda FI page). In practical life this means that our buggy fits eather way in the Roomster, but needs to be exactly positioned in the Yeti to get it in. Once inside there's plenty of room in both cars. You did also not mention that the difference in total width of car plus open rear door means that the Roomster is much easier to access in tight spaces such as parking areas.

As we have had both cars for quite some period I know the differences in day-to-day life, and this is what made the decision for us.

However, I wouldn’t like to sit in a Defender in a crash with another Defender or a concrete bridge pillar. Would also be interesting to see how it would do in the EuroNcap tests :yes:

Don't forget EuroNCAP tests are also a set criteria that are highly unlikely to be repeated on the road - hitting an equal-mass block at a certain point on the car. Car manufacturers engineer their products to meet the tests (just like economy and emission cycles) rather than real-life accidents. Being Sweedish, I'd have hoped to see you cite Folksam which has some slightly different thoughts than EuroNCAP, based on real accident data...

You also have the active v passive safety argument; it's easier to avoid an accident in the first place by driving a smaller and nimbler car than steam-rollering in with an SUV.

Ultimately, it's all percentage points and I suspect both the Roomster and Yeti would perform largely similar in a real accident - only at extremis would a Yeti likely show a better response.

Don't forget EuroNCAP tests are also a set criteria that are highly unlikely to be repeated on the road - hitting an equal-mass block at a certain point on the car. Car manufacturers engineer their products to meet the tests (just like economy and emission cycles) rather than real-life accidents. Being Sweedish, I'd have hoped to see you cite Folksam which has some slightly different thoughts than EuroNCAP, based on real accident data...

You also have the active v passive safety argument; it's easier to avoid an accident in the first place by driving a smaller and nimbler car than steam-rollering in with an SUV.

Ultimately, it's all percentage points and I suspect both the Roomster and Yeti would perform largely similar in a real accident - only at extremis would a Yeti likely show a better response.

Interesting debate this!

I probably would have cited Folksam in the "next round" if you wouldn't have beaten me to it, Frank. For those who are interested you can find their latest report in English at http://www.folksam.se/polopoly_fs/1.11226!/webbversioneng_R6546.pdf . Even though I believe that their statistics is very reliable there are also some disadvantages with that method. It requires that the car model is fairly common in Sweden. Unusual car models will not produce a base for reliable statistics and will therefore not be included. It's also valid for the road- and traffic conditions here and might not necessary be valid in other parts of the world. And it's also well known that certain car brands/models will attract a certain type of owner which also might affect the result. Besides, it will take a number of years for a model to be on the market before Folksam can give a reliable rating. So, when it comes to assessment of new models on the market there isn’t much besides EuroNcap is there? And even though the EuroNcap test is a "theoretical design" it's designed to mimic reality as close as possible and there is a strong correlation between the EuroNcap results and the Folksam findings for sure.

Stephan

Every motor show I've gone to over the last how many years I walked away only wanting one of two cars: either a Roomster Scout or an Octavia Scout. I never got either since the Roomster has a fixed non openable sunroof and the Octavia has a glass postage stamp. I love the huge sunroof on my Yeti and won't want it without.

I think you've considered the options carefully and will be very happy with your Roomster. Enjoy!

And now the time has come for the change. I am now a somewhat sad ex-SMOC member, but a very happy Roomster owner. The small turbocharged petrol engine makes wonders in the Roomster - and I thought the engine was great in the SM! I will miss the SMs high build quality and "feel" on the road, but the kids love the Roomster, and my wife is also happy now that she no longer needs to jump into and out from the car and get bruised in the process. I stuck to the well proven color:

The Roomster is actually quite nice to drive as well, and the fuel economy is wastly improved compared to the SM.

Now I just have to learn to watch out for edges again

And now the time has come for the change. I am now a somewhat sad ex-SMOC member, but a very happy Roomster owner. The small turbocharged petrol engine makes wonders in the Roomster - and I thought the engine was great in the SM! I will miss the SMs high build quality and "feel" on the road, but the kids love the Roomster, and my wife is also happy now that she no longer needs to jump into and out from the car and get bruised in the process. I stuck to the well proven color:

The Roomster is actually quite nice to drive as well, and the fuel economy is wastly improved compared to the SM.

Now I just have to learn to watch out for edges again

Looks very nice; like the wheels particularly, enjoy your new family transport

Regards,

TP

We've got a Roomster on loan, awaiting our Yeti arrival. Youngest daughter loves it, wife enjoys driving it, but we're driving it with both the Glowplug and Exhaust orange warning lights on . Bags of space and funky rear seats, but yawning gap between seats and parcel shelf, even with seats tilted back. Not sure I can find a straight line throughout the design

Oh yeh - it's got a panoramic sunroof - how brilliant is it