Skoda Roomster Review (2006-2015)
Skoda Roomster cars for sale
4.0
Expert review
Pros
Very spacious for such a small car
Clever rear seats make for a flexible cabin layout
Affordable used prices
Cons
Quirky looks put off some potential buyers
Not an exciting car to drive, even by MPV standards
Some reliability issues with DSG auto
The CarGurus verdict
There’s an important question to ask yourself: can you live with the Skoda Roomster’s looks? Sure, its styling isn’t as divisive as that of, say, a Fiat Multipla, but several owners report having bypassed the Roomster initially while they took time to come to terms with its quirky profile. Once that hurdle is cleared then the car’s space, intelligently managed practicality, ease of driving and low running costs tend to make ownership a pleasure.
Parents of small kids who need to be bundled into child seats relish how wide the doors open, as do mobility-impaired older owners, and everyone appreciates the fantastic view out you get when sitting in the Roomster, especially when fitted with the optional panoramic roof. Shame it’s often overshadowed by its Yeti and Octavia stablemates. But for easy-going versatility and great value for money, the Roomster is hard to beat.
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.
- The Roomster’s cleverness doesn’t just extend to its practicality. For example, its back seats are mounted higher than the fronts to improve the view for passengers in the rear and reduce the risk of car sickness, while massive windows – as well as the optional panoramic glass roof – add to the sense of airiness.
- The Skoda Roomster performed well in the Euro NCAP accident tests, scoring a five-star rating. The mini-MPV has six airbags, two at the front, two to the sides, and a pair of curtain 'bags, as well as Isofix child seat fittings on the two outer rear seats. It seems slightly strange, then, that electronic stability control was an option at one stage. Check to see if the Roomster you’re considering has this important electronic safety device fitted.
- The Roomster was treated to a facelift early in 2010, including a redesigned radiator grille and bolder headlights. More importantly, the engine range was updated to address tougher CO2 emissions regulations, the previous 1.4 and 1.6 petrol units displaced by a pair of 1.2-litre turbocharged TSI petrol engines (the naturally aspirated 1.2 three-cylinder stayed on), while a 1.6-litre TDI in 89bhp and 103bhp guises took care of the diesel range. A few months later a 1.2-litre TDI joined the line-up to power the eco-minded GreenLine II model.
- If you want the most fuel efficient Roomster: In May 2010 Skoda introduced the GreenLine II as the eco model in the Roomster line-up. It’s powered by a 74bhp 1.2-litre TDI turbodiesel engine equipped with a stop/start system, a regenerative braking set up, and a gearchange indicator. Its combined fuel consumption figure is 67.8mpg and it emits 109g/km of CO2.
- If you want a well equipped Roomster: Available from May 2011, the SE Plus trim grade is a very appealing package. It features 15-inch alloys, roof rails, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, unique upholstery, climate control, a multi-function steering wheel and a cable connection for hooking up your MP3 player (well, it was a while ago…). Look out for an example with the optional panoramic roof, as it makes the cabin seem even bigger.
- If you want to pretend you have a Roomster off-roader: No, there isn’t a 4x4 Roomster, but with the Scout, Skoda makes its front-drive mini-MPV look a bit as though it has off-road capability. There’s chunky black plastic cladding on the doors, the lower sections of the bumpers are ‘purposeful’ black plastic, too, and the Scout rides 43mm higher than a standard Roomster. Engines include 1.9 and 1.4 diesels and a 1.6 petrol. We wouldn’t advise heading off the beaten track in a Scout, but the body mods do make it look more interesting.
- You’d rather your Roomster changes gear for itself: From launch Skoda offered an automatic gearbox option for the Roomster, available in conjunction with only one engine, the 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol. The ’box is a five-speed Tiptronic torque-converter-style automatic. When the Roomster was facelifted in 2010 the 1.6 petrol engine was dropped, and the Tiptronic with it. A six-speed DSG dual-clutch automated manual took over as the auto' choice, but now mated with the 103bhp 1.2-litre TSI turbo petrol engine.
