I was watching Vauxhall's add for the Meriva recently and other adverts for similar cars by other manufacturers and realised just how little advertising Skoda do for the Roomster and consequently how few there are around... The really annoying thing is that the car is far far better than its rivals, it makes you wonder what they could have done if they'd only tried... At least in Eastern Germany they seem to have it sussed, there were loads of 'em around!

Edited 7 July, 201114 yr by The PM

I agreee with you about the ROOMSTER being better than the rest, but as for advertising it I think they need to improve there delivery times first.

I'm suprised Skoda haven't made a version with panels in the sides instead of Glass.

It's called a Van and I reckon they'd sell like hot cakes

I'm suprised Skoda haven't made a version with panels in the sides instead of Glass.

It's called a Van and I reckon they'd sell like hot cakes

They have, I saw quite a few in Germany on a recent trip.

I'm suprised Skoda haven't made a version with panels in the sides instead of Glass.

It's called a Van and I reckon they'd sell like hot cakes

They do and it's called the Praktik"...you have to look at the main (non UK) Skoda site for the brochure and info...very good...thing is VW in MK wouldn't like it as people wouldn't buy the VW caddy van (based on same polo/fabia chassis I think??)

I'm suprised Skoda haven't made a version with panels in the sides instead of Glass.

It's called a Van and I reckon they'd sell like hot cakes

IIRC the Praktik was around first and this spawned the Roomster a la the 5h1troen Berlingo et al.

The Roomster came first, 2006, the Praktik in 2007, you can still see the rear passenger doors on it! I think the latest Caddy is based on the Touran with Golf underpinnings, its certainly much bigger than the Roomster...

Going back to the second post, I agree that Skoda in general need to sort out delivery times, but, certainly over here in the UK they've never actively marketed it since it was launched in 2006, many more sales could have been made if they had...

One picture of a roomster van

Looked at the Meriva when researching the Roomster, much less space in the Meriva (couldn't handle 3 child seats) so went for the Roomster. It wasn't the advertising that persuaded me it was the fact the car could do what I needed when not much else (if anything) could.

I agree - the car gets much too little marketing space compared to how good it is.

But thatäs not only in Britain - In Finland there were some TV ads running back in 2006 when the Roomster was launched, but the FL went by more or less unnoticed - not to mention any other marketing. Sometimes it's visible when Skoda is promoting their Greenline cars, but I have not seen a Roomster-only ad for years. Consequently the new-car sales of Roomsters in Finland is currently around 10-15 cars /month.

I also looked at the Meriva before getting my Roomster. I'm 6'5" tall and the drivers seat of the Meriva would not go back far enough to get comfortable, and the salesman seemed to be uninterested, so I walked away, I'm glad I did.

I was watching Vauxhall's add for the Meriva recently and other adverts for similar cars by other manufacturers and realised just how little advertising Skoda do for the Roomster and consequently how few there are around... The really annoying thing is that the car is far far better than its rivals, it makes you wonder what they could have done if they'd only tried... At least in Eastern Germany they seem to have it sussed, there were loads of 'em around!

In Greece there is no advertisement for the Roomster since 2006, or at least I can't remember one. I first time saw Roomster back in 2006 at dealer's place while servicing my previous Octavia.

I also looked at the Meriva before getting my Roomster. I'm 6'5" tall and the drivers seat of the Meriva would not go back far enough to get comfortable, and the salesman seemed to be uninterested, so I walked away, I'm glad I did.

I am 192cm tall and 115 kg weight and Roomster seems to be the most comfortable for rear passengers than my previous Octavia MK1 and Fabia MK1.

I have just got off the telephone with the RAC, I was extending my European recovery, and the operator had no idea what a Skoda Roomster was! I explained it was a similiar concept to a Berlingo but better executed, he listed it as a hatchback. We then had a discussion about it's little engine, until I told him it would give my V8 a run for it's money up to 50mph and is far more agile, is quieter at 70, and gives back nearly 3 times the fuel economy. I bet he looks up Roomster tonight when he gets home!

Isn't it the RAC who do Skoda's first three years' cover?! :S

Edited 12 July, 201114 yr by The PM

In Italy Yeti and Octavia Estate sell fairly well, but I doubt Skoda's Italian market share is more than 1%.

The problem is Skoda is still considered a B-class brand by the average car buyer (the majority). Look and status still play a big role in the Italian car market, and young people generally prefer to spend the same money (or more...) for small 500s or Minis than spacious and practical Roomsters. Not to mention the general admiration for expensive small cars produced by brands as BMW, Mercedes and Audi, as if their reliability or price-value ratio were the same as, e.g., Toyota or Honda (please refer to most of the Reliability-Satisfaction reports - J.D. Powers, ADAC...).

SUVs are also selling well, in their 2WD versions, especially. Their appearance of increased safety and road mastery is particularly appealing to the young womens' market share.

Back to the roomster, it is generally an underrated car because of its brand, little advertising, a few dealers and its non-conventional exterior looks. On the opposite, the interior is rather conservative-looking, These are some reasons Italian buyers choose New Meriva instead, though I think it is a bit too expensive and that it offers less than it promises.

On the other side, I would say that the Roomster is the queen of viral marketing. When people see you parking one, they ask you about it and comment on how they look spacious and cleverly built. When somebody get on board or drive one, they are usually and pleasantly surprised.

In Italy, Skoda should pay people for test-driving roomsters in everyday situations and publicly demonstrating their features

I find it quite funny that Italians dont buy Roomsters for their non conventional looks, when as a nation they produce cars like the Multipla, Doblo, Quobo, the Mito and the brand new Ypsilon which has to be one of the world most hideous new cars.

As for the dull interior, well again we can look at Italys past, the Stilo for instance has a much duller interior than any Skoda. I also consider the new Meriva an ugly car but unlike the Roomster, it has no real character and is massively overpriced.

I couldn't agree more. Skoda should be selling thousands of Roomsters in the UK on the basis of economy, reliability, load-carrying capacity, looks (well, perhaps not looks). But people just don't know about it. Skoda seem to be advertising other models, but never the Roomy. Why?

I've just been in Madrid for a few days and most of the taxis there seem to be Skodas, mainly Octavias. Gave me a nice warm glow to see fleets of them rushing around the streets.

Edited 28 July, 201114 yr by grumpiestt

I find it quite funny that Italians dont buy Roomsters for their non conventional looks, when as a nation they produce cars like the Multipla, Doblo, Quobo, the Mito and the brand new Ypsilon which has to be one of the world most hideous new cars.

As for the dull interior, well again we can look at Italys past, the Stilo for instance has a much duller interior than any Skoda. I also consider the new Meriva an ugly car but unlike the Roomster, it has no real character and is massively overpriced.

Well. aesthetics is always a controversial topic, but let me explain: what is strange about the roomster is the sharp cut between the front half and the back one. The front is a rather conventional car, the back is a van meant to carry people in the most comfortable way possible. There are reasons for this and most of you already know: the car -like front means component-sharing opportunity with Fabia, lower mass centre, smaller front section and a taste of car-like road behaviour and agility. I have been into the New Meriva, it is impressive at first sight. At a second thought, when you drive, who needs all that space ABOVE your head and IN FRONT of you? Actually, you get a bit more light and view, but the car nose seems so far, the front section is bigger and the high roof means weight above. When I drive, I do not need to feel like I am in a winter garden, I just need to be comfortable and feel everything is at its right place.

But...back passengers enjoy being in a roomy and luminous winter garden. There you are: big doors, big windows, higher seating position, good space for legs and arms. Easy getting in and out, easy managing things and child seats.

Once you understand the reasons for that split, you understand the cleverness of the whole.

I think that what could disconcert people about it is that line disruption, the lack of continuous lines from the front to the back. Of course, it is just a matter of habit. But that van-like back is something that somehow decreases the value of a vehicle meant to mainly carry people instead of commercial goods.

Look, in the past ten years most carmakers have tried with any means necessary to differentiate their MPVs (or 'monovolume', as we call them in Italy) from vans. Just think about the 'sporty' looks of Ford C and S-Max. Just think about the complicated and backwards 'swooping' line of the Meriva, and you get the message. It does not matter if it is just a matter of looks and visual perception, marketing does not care about it.

As to the examples you give, there is maybe a general explanation: all of them have some kind of 'visual coherence' from the front to the back, from the exterior to the interior.

I vastly appreciate the Multipla for its cleverness and it is conceptually the car most similar to the roomster, in getting the most space from the smallest external dimensions. Everything was 'weird' in the first Multipla, but with clear functional meaning, and this is a matter of coherence. It was a car seemingly designed by a team of architects, instead of car engineers.

It took years before Italians began to appreciate it and buy it, mostly after they could try and drive one for some time.

Doblo is mainly a commercial vehicle, and secondarily a families' carrier, and this is a different story.

Qubo is built on a car platform (Punto) with some commercial lightweight vehicle features, and among the examples you give is the nearest to the roomster. I find it visually appealing and catchy, with its little tank sturdy looks. But back passengers have small and fixed windows (they only open compass-like, because of sliding doors).

The Mito is just a funny toy for sporty-headed young people (males especially). It is also built on a Punto platform, nothing transcendental, then.

From a pure design point of view I am just saying that externally the roomster is original, new, but lacks some linear coherence (there are reasons, we said) and internally is classical and traditional VW design.

As to this matter, the Stilo has been one of the most traditional, boring and plain looking cars ever made. The inspiration for the Stilo came straight from the VW Golf (the strongest and unbeatable competitor). Though, you know, there is only one Golf recipe, and nobody buys a Fiat because is a Golf copy.

Sorry for writing so much, but the thread is so interesting

Edited 28 July, 201114 yr by Lorenzo

Thanks for the answer, interesting observations there but the Roomster is still better than all of the cars I mentioned and more durable. But then I guess Italians dont really go for durable You mention liking the Quobo, and yes it is a funky little thing but the inside is really poor, everything seems about to break. Ive owned loads of Italian cars, I thought they would like the Roomster because it is quirky and Italians do like some odd looking cars.

Thanks for the answer, interesting observations there but the Roomster is still better than all of the cars I mentioned and more durable. But then I guess Italians dont really go for durable You mention liking the Quobo, and yes it is a funky little thing but the inside is really poor, everything seems about to break. Ive owned loads of Italian cars, I thought they would like the Roomster because it is quirky and Italians do like some odd looking cars.

I agree with you, this is why I bought a roomster after some readings and after having seen and driven most of its competitors! And, after all, I would not buy a car solely on the base of aesthetics judgement.

I was just trying to see the whole thing from an industrial design point of view and, if possible, try to explain why the roomster is not coherent on the whole as a object of industrial design. I am sure that roomster designers would have preferred more innovative-looking interior equipment, but sharing most components first with Fabia and secondly with Polo and Ibiza brings large scale savings.

I consider the C3 Picasso a perfect example of design coherence, externally and internally. Or, on the opposite side, the streamlined and nearly anonymous design of a Polo.

As to Fiat cars (including Alfa Romeo and Lancia and excluding Ferrari and Maserati ), I often find them beautiful design objects but unfortunately, as you said, lacking reliability in some parts.

There are exceptions, though: Panda and 500 are universally acknowledged as reliable and well built cars, and the quirky Multipla had lately reached a very good level of reliability. It also seems that the new Giulietta is not that bad.

Been in Italy a lot recently and can't remember having seen many Multiplas, but quite a few Roomsters in the north near the swiss border.

Just as a matter of interest I owned a Meriva before I bought my Roomster. The Meriva should be a good car but it wasn't because of a number of faults which should not be there and cost me money to put right. In theory the two cars should have roughly the same amount of space but the Roomie is significantly better due to it's low loading platform and seat removal capability, also far better driver visibility and fuel consumption. Oh and the Roomie has been fault free for the two years I have now owned it.

Yep, just my point... Its a far better car than the Meriva but both journos and the public always think of the Meriva when a mini MPV is mentioned because Skoda simply don't bother to market the Roomster...

Roomsters all over the place in Latvia, Estonia and Poland.

In Ireland they are fairly rare, although I saw three in one day once, which was kind of creepy.

I LOVE THE MITO :-)

My neighbour(76yr) bought a Roomy 2yrs back, lent it too his son(51yr) for a week, four months later his son had one.

My other neighbour clocked on and went and test drove one and bought a showroom one a week later!

now two more neighbours seem to have taken the leap and bought Roomys', one second hand though.

So outside my window on occasions when my neighbour has his son visiting there is 4 Roomsters parked up, next to that is my felicia, my fabia, my dads fabia and the guy opposite us has a felicia too. i actually took a picture on my road when i saw a brand new yeti parked up, next to the 3 roomsters, the two fabia's and the two felicia's!!!! the only other car parked up at the time that wasn't a skoda was a red mk2 golf gti.

It's was an interesting and memorable sight that put a big grin on my face.

Roll on Skoda World dominance campaign