I’d seen one or two out and about on the road but had never really paid a great deal of attention to them.
The strange looking Roomster 3 has a dual identity.... In a Minotaurean or Sagittarian way, it has that part man, part beast air about it. Viewed from the front it has that elegant child-like look of the new Fabia, which I honestly think is one of the prettiest of the small hatchback vehicles on the roads today, whereas the back… well… it’s a square box, quite ‘Popemobile’ in its funny sort of way. The rear seats are slightly elevated and the passengers have tremendous visibility all round. I found the front door pillars a little disconcerting to the driver at first, as they slope and encroach into your peripheral vision, but this soon ceases to be an issue once you begin to appreciate the sheer number of positives that the Roomster offers.
My first thoughts questioned what Skoda were up to here. When scrutinised, the Roomster appears to have two distinct roles, one of economical small car and the other of utilitarian load-carrying small van, but a few days putting it through its paces taught me how effortlessly and seamlessly it combines the two. We had the ideal project to put it to the test – to transport everything needed to furnish our display stand at the Manchester Central Convention Centre, our own personal luggage for the duration of the show, and of course ourselves.
The latter two place little challenge on most cars but fitting in display cases, stools, several roller banners, computer monitors, laptops, boxes of display materials, flyers, and various other giveaways was the biggest challenge. After a brief look through one of the most intuitive and yet comprehensive instruction manuals I’d ever seen for a car, I discovered that the palatial rear interior could be instantly converted into a veritable warehouse by very simply tipping and lifting the rear seats out completely. The amount of space inside is quite breathtaking for a small car. It swallowed our entire cargo with ease and left enough room for the same again, I swear! The rear door opens wide and high, making it extremely easy to get even quite large items in and out without having to twist and turn around the sort of chicanes that many hatchbacks present at the entrance to their load bays.
You might think, with this functionality and versatility making up the Roomster’s persona, that compromise would inevitably be a compulsory ingredient. Far from it! If you were sat up front and didn’t turn to look at what was behind you, you would still honestly believe that you were in a well-appointed, comfortable family car. There was none of the echoing van body drone that you would expect from such a cavernous interior. Instead, it remained refined, quiet and with an extraordinarily good ride and comfort that belies its true identity and purpose. It is light and airy, partly helped by having a sunroof the size of Wembley Stadium. The instruments and controls were slick and stylish, with all mod cons there to boot: cruise control, remote audio stalk controls, even ‘hot-bot’ seat heating!
This must all be too good to be true, surely! How does it drive? Like a dream! It’s no racer of course, that’s for sure, but so what…. I don’t want to race it! I want to drive 400 miles at safe motorway speeds, with the minimum of effort, in comfort. Once trundling up the Motorways in fifth, it is a competent and lively tourer, still having plenty of ‘oomph’ even up there for nipping in and out of the busy lanes.
However, one of the things that amazes me most is its outstanding frugality. I initially questioned whether I’d have enough juice in the tank to get me to Manchester, run around for a week and get me home. I needn’t have worried! I could have done another journey up with what was left in the tank at the end of the week! It seems to be able to go forever on a single gulp and when this is combined with the quality and refinement of its interior, the Roomster really does take my breath away.
Skoda, whose reputation was undoubtedly badly dented by some of their offerings during the eighties, now offer a car which for its price is nothing short of astounding. It is smart, if a little unconventional, beautifully engineered and put together, immaculately finished and offers the sort of versatility I’ve never ever seen in a small car before. I dare anyone to spend a week with this quirky, yet endearing little workhorse of a car and not like it!
Nigel Crawford
November 2008
Model Driven: Roomster 3 1.9 TDi PD 105bhp.
Price OTR £14,220
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