Skoda Roomster Review (2006-2015)

What is the Skoda Roomster?

The Skoda Roomster’s styling is, shall we say, quirky, rather like an unfortunate collision between a van and a small hatchback. But once you’ve spent some time enjoying the car’s practicality then it quickly ceases to be an issue, at least if you’re the owner.

Unlike some rivals, such as the Citroen Berlingo and Renault Kangoo, the Roomster isn’t a van with windows, and while that denies you a few litres of ultimate boot space, it does mean that the Skoda feels more refined and civilised to drive. It was discontinued in 2015 with no direct successor.

How practical is it?

Up front the Roomster very much is a small car, the seats and facia a straight lift from the Fabia hatchback, which means a neat, unflashy design, well laid out controls and dials, and a sense of robust quality. It’s in the rear that the car lives up to its name, with towering headroom and ample legroom. Shoulder-room? That’s a slightly different story. The Roomster is comparatively narrow – a boon for city driving – so in the back the two outermost of the individual seats are adult-sized, while the middle one is just for kids.

However, all three can individually recline, slide forwards and back, fold, tumble, or be removed from the car entirely, and they’re not very heavy. Additionally, the outer seats slide sideways so that with the centre seat removed they can meet in the middle. Alternatively, fold the centre seat’s backrest flat and you have a table complete with cup-holders.

With the back seats in place there’s a minimum of 450 litres of boot space and a maximum of 530 litres, which increases to a huge 1,780 litres with the seats out of the car. The boot also has a two-position floor and storage bins in its sides. In fact, the whole of the Roomster’s interior is littered with storage bins, cubbies and gloveboxes. The sole drawback to the car’s practicality is the fact that the large, top-hinged tailgate requires a lot of empty space behind to get it open.

What's it like to drive?

From behind the steering wheel you wouldn’t call the Roomster an involving drive, but it’s pleasant enough, with a relaxed, comfortable ride quality, tidy handling and adequate performance.

During its lifespan the Roomster had several engine range updates, so now is available with 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6-litre naturally aspirated petrol engines, a pair of 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol units, and a collection of turbodiesels with 1.2, 1.4, 1.6 and 1.9-litre capacities. None of them are sizzling performers, but most do have decent fuel economy, up to 67.3mpg in the case of the economy-configured Roomster GreenLine II.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

In line with it being the sensible, budget-conscious choice, the entry-level Roomster, the S, comes with 15-inch steel wheels clad in some low-rent plastic wheel trims. It does at least have electric front windows and a CD player.

Spend a little extra on the SE trim and the picture improves markedly. Not only do you get alloys, air-conditioning is also standard – vital in a car with such a large glass area – as is metallic paint, parking sensors, central locking, cruise control, floor mats and lids for the two gloveboxes.

Skoda Roomster running costs

Because the Skoda Roomster is one of those cars that doesn’t encourage you to thrash around the countryside or motorway in it, many owners report achieving fuel consumption not too far adrift of the claimed figures. In fact, some owners reckon to have matched or even beaten the mpg in the brochures. Thirstiest of the petrol engines is the 1.6, down at 36mpg, but the turbocharged 1.2 TSI motors are good for almost 50mpg: the others are in the low 40s. Pre-facelift diesels are claimed to give between 53 and 55mpg, but the later 1.6 TDI models give 60mpg, while the 1.2 TDI as used in the Roomster GreenLine II takes the economy crown with a quoted 67.3mpg. Road tax for the Roomster ranges from £20 annually to £265, depending on engine and model.

The Roomster is due an interim service every year or 10,000 miles, and a major service every 24 months/20,000 miles. Because even the youngest Roomster is well out of Skoda’s three-year warranty period you’re unlikely to take it to an official dealer for servicing, and there are plenty of independent specialists out there who can help keep your running costs low. Skoda is part of the Volkswagen group and there’s no shortage of VW specialists around the country. An interim service can cost as little as £80 at an independent, and around £125 for a major service.

All the Roomster’s engines bar the three-cylinder naturally aspirated 1.2-litre petrol and the four-cylinder turbocharged TSI units have cam belts and tensioners that require replacing every four years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes soonest. At a Skoda dealer that can cost you between £450 and £480 depending on whether the belt is for a diesel or petrol, but between £295 and £325 at an independent, You’ll also need to add another £80 or so for a replacement water pump that is often changed at the same time as the cam belt.

Tyres for the Roomster are very modestly priced even for premium brands: between £48 and £76 per corner. Insurance costs should also be reasonable, the Roomster sitting in groups 4 to 14.

Skoda Roomster reliability

Electrical gremlins are the biggest bugbears with the Roomster’s reliability, affecting items such as the electric windows, the parking sensors, the engine cooling fan, door mirrors and headlight control switches, and the control module for the DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Sometimes software updates sort out the glitches, but on more than one occasion owners have had to endure the considerable expense of having sections of the engine’s wiring loom replaced.

Power steering failure is a reported fault on Roomsters fitted with the 1.4-litre TDI turbodiesel engine in particular, while the 84bhp 1.2-litre TSI petrol is known to have oil leaks from its cam cover and you need to keep an eye on the oil consumption of the 103bhp version of that engine.

Knackered console bushes – the bushes on the back of the front suspension’s lower arms – are a common cause of MoT failures on Roomsters with around 60,000 miles on the clock: they’re about £180 to replace at an independent specialist. Meanwhile excessive tyre wear at the rear – another possible MoT failure – can be caused by the rear suspension’s torsion beam becoming misaligned, often because the car has been jacked up using it instead of the proper jacking point.

On diesel engines the EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) valve has a reputation for failure at mileages as low as 40,000, and it’s about £700 to replace. Post-facelift diesels with DPFs (diesel particulate filters) can suffer with the filters becoming clogged, which affects performance and ultimately can harm the engine, but this issue doesn’t seem as pronounced with the Roomster as with other similarly-equipped cars from the Volkswagen Group.

The same is true with failure of the Mechatronic control module inside the DSG gearbox. Some Roomster owners have suffered major problems with their DSG, but nothing like in the numbers experienced by owners of many other Volkswagen Group cars.