Skoda Roomster 2 1.4 16v review
Skoda Roomster 1.4 16v 2 Road Test
Test date 08 September 2006
Price as tested £11,545
For Practicality, thoughtfully designed interior, handling
Against Expensive compared to rivals, heavy rear seats
The foolish could easily dismiss the Roomster as a niche irrelevance Skoda could do without. That would be foolish because the Roomster represents a milestone in the rejuvenation of the Skoda brand. It is exactly the type of car Skoda needs to be making: that show that practical needn’t mean boring, and that its products are much more than watered down, re-badged VWs.
It is a model of how platform-sharing should work: economies of scale for lower parts costs and component modularity (the Roomster chassis mixes parts from the Fabia, the old and the new Octavia and original construction). But most of all: intelligent, consumer-focused design.
Your preconceptions - likely informed by the quirky exterior design and similarity to MPV-from-a-van rivals from Citroen and Renault – are twisted on their head by a surprisingly good drive, and a genuinely practical design. You realize that what you thought was frivolous or functionary, is useful, enjoyable and desirable.
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