Roomster story

[Transporter]

The Yeti is coming in last 1/4 , not in 6 months time.

[Jake02]

The Yeti is coming in last 1/4, not in 6 months time.

Well that's a little bit crap then... I'm in NZ on Thursday so I'm wanting to have a big look at one .

[woofy]

Everything pretty much comes in the last qtr. If it's not being made now it won't get here by then.

[onyertod]

Many thanks for your well written article Julian.

There is a Roomster 1.6 Tiptronic and an Octavia TSI DSG wagon at our place and here is my 2 cents worth.
I have no regrets from buying either. The Octy has done over 30,000 klms now without a hiccup.
The Roomster has now 8,000 klms up with no problems. Both are Skoda quality but the two cars are very different beasts.
The Octavia:
The Octavia's ride and handling and the perfect drivetrain combination of the 1.8 turbo and the 7 speed DSG gives a rewarding open road driving experience. In my opinion, although not high powered and although not a sports car the Octavia TSI is a driver's car. (Yes, even without a manual gearbox). The extra touches like the folding mirrors, auto lights and wipers and the quality Bolero audio unit are just the icing on the cake. In heavy stop-go traffic, until you get adept at gentle use of the throttle, the DSG can mean jerky take offs and the brisk pickup of the 1.8 / 7 spd DSG combo can have you up close and personal with the car in front. So for the open road my first choice is the Octavia TSI but in town I prefer driving...
The Roomster.
Without a doubt this safe little car is the most useful and practical vehicle I have ever owned. Nothing comes close. A 250 litre fridge in the back with the tailgate shut? – No problem!
Not at all bad to drive, the relatively narrow and tall box makes city driving and parking easy.
The rear seats can be configured any way you like including in the shed. In fact the middle seat is probably best left in the shed so you can move the remaining two rear seats to provide lots of space for four big people. The width and height of the rear doors means access for the elderly or infirm is excellent. Purely for economy I would have preferred the diesel and although the 1.6 petrol donk is a bit asthmatic, the six speed Tiptronic helps and makes town driving less tiring than a manual. Although not as well appointed as our Octavia, the Roomster has all the regular good gear plus, would you believe it, tyre pressure monitors!
Even in Europe the Roomster is not a big seller. I suspect it’s not till you own one that you truly realise what a gem it is. Yes, it’s a pity the Roomster is gone from OZ but in my opinion Skoda should have played safe and brought in the more conservative Fabia at least until they had more brand recognition. And the OZ spec engine / gearbox options were simply wrong.
Now in Europe the Roomster comes with TSI engines and DSG boxes. How sweet is that? Too bad. I doubt if we will ever see them here.

Cheers,

Max.

[Lams]

my brother also has an Octy and a Roomster - even though I laugh at his Roomster all the time, secretly I think it is one of the coolest cars ever given the GO for production. Good on skoda for trying, I hope they will continue to be different. I hope the next brand new Roomster will be based on the mkV/VI Golf which should see improved powertrains and suspension... just like how the Caddy has evolved over the years.