Škoda Roomster can be classified as a minivan, leisure activity vehicle, or panel van, and was produced from 2006 to 2015 by the Czech company. Assembly took place in three Czech factories and one factory in Ukraine. It was designed by Peter Wounda and Thomas Ingenlath, featuring the characteristic rear sliding door, later replaced by two hinged doors.
The concept revolved around a car with sporty, driver-oriented front and a roomy, comfortable rear. These qualities could be the reason for the name Roomster - a combination of Room and Roadster.
Skoda Roomster Interior and Trims
The interior design in the front is similar to the rest of Škoda's lineup. The back seats are in a 'Varioflex' arrangement and can be folded individually, rather than in two parts. It comes with an optional one-piece panoramic sunroof.
The trunk has no separation from the rest of the cabin and has a flat surface. Seats are foldable in a variety of ways and continue the flat surface of the trunk, significantly increasing the functionality and size of the boot. In this configuration, the car is capable of transporting a bicycle.
Škoda produced Roomster in a large variety of trim levels:
- Standard trim included: ABS, body-coloured bumpers, CD, driver, passengers and side airbags, adjustable steering wheel, front electric windows, PAS, height-adjustable driver seat, and folding rear seats.
- Scout edition shared much with SE edition and included: air conditioning, alarm, alloy wheels, electric mirrors, front fog lights, heated mirrors, remote locking, roof rails, traction control, with parking sensors for the SE variant.
- Black, Limited, Special and Greenline editions share much of the features, including: air conditioning, alarm, alloy wheels, electric mirrors, front fog lights, heated mirrors, Isofix child seat anchor points, parking sensors, rear electric windows, remote locking, Sat Nav, service indicator, sports seats, and traction control.
Facelift
Škoda introduced the facelift version of Roomster at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, alongside Fabia. Externally, the front bumper and front fog lights received some changes. The redesigned headlights system has a two-reflector module, with an outer projector for the dimmed beam, and inner for the full beam.
The upgrade included a new steering wheel, standard for all Škoda facelifts. A seven-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox replaced the Aisin automatic transmission, substantially reducing CO2 emissions, while diesel engines got an update to the common-rail system and four-valve technology.
Safety
On the Euro NCAP crash tests, the 2006 Roomster scored five stars for the adult occupant, four stars for the child occupant, and two stars for pedestrian safety. In 2007, ANCAP tested the Roomster and gave it an overall score of 33.82 out of 37, which is equivalent to 5 stars.
Engineering
Like other modern Škoda cars, the Roomster is built on the Volkswagen Platform, being a hybrid of A04 (PQ24) platform in the front, and A4 (PQ34) in the rear. It shares the A04 platform with Škoda Fabia Mk1 and Mk2, Audi A2, Volkswagen Polo Mk4, Seat Ibiza Mk3, Seat Cordoba Mk2, Volkswagen Fox, Suran, and VW hybrid models. The A4 platform, on the other hand, is the module shared with Audi A3 Mk1, Audi TT Mk1, Volkswagen Golf Mk4, Bora, Lavida, New Beetle, Seat Leon Mk1, Seat Toledo Mk2, as well as Škoda Octavia.
The Roomster provided a cheaper alternative to the competing VW models, with the good build quality and reliable parts. Wheelbase is 2,617mm, length 4,205mm, width 1,684mm, and height of 1,607mm.
It has a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout, and a curb weight of 1125-1292kg. It has a cargo capacity of up to 565kg, roof load of 75kg, and up to 1200kg of braked trailer load (8% and 12%) or up to 630kg of the unbraked trailer load.
The powertrain options include petrol engines with a displacement of 1.2L to 1.6L, average power up to 77kW (103hp) and consumption ranging between 4.7L and 7.5L per 100km combined drive per official specification. Diesel engines have displacements from 1.2L to 1.9L, an average power of 55-77kW (74-103hp), and combined drive consumption of 4.8L per 100km. Combined CO2 emissions are 109-190g/km, falling into Euro 4 and Euro 5 standard.
The powertrain options that were available in Australia include:
- 1.2L I4, 8V OHC TSI, turbocharged, producing 77kW (103hp) at 5000rpm and 175Nm of torque at 1500-4100rpm, a top speed of 184km/h and 0-100km/h in 11 seconds, 7-speed automatic transmission
- 1.6L I4, 16V DOHC MPI, naturally aspirated, producing 77kW (103hp) at 5600rpm and 153Nm of torque at 3800rpm, a top speed of 183km/h and 0-100km/h in 11.3 seconds, 6-speed automatic transmission
- 1.9L I4, 8V SOHC TDI, Pumpe-Düse, turbocharged, producing 77kW (103hp) at 4000rpm and 240Nm of torque at 1900rpm, a top speed of 182km/h and 0-100km/h in 10.8 seconds, 5-speed manual transmission
The Škoda Praktik is a panel van version of the Roomster and has a 5-door, 2-seat configuration. Its cargo load space was measured at 1900L and could carry 550-640 kilograms. It came with full-length roof rails, anti-slip load bay, and under-roof storage.
Škoda Kodiaq succeeded The Roomster after its discontinuation in 2015. The unofficial number of sales in Europe is 324 thousand units. Kodiaq moves away from the leisure activity vehicle into the mid-size crossover SUV class, while keeping much of the ideas behind Roomster.
By Luka Kusic