Skoda Roomster - Family View : ROOM TO SPREAD OUT

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British families are happily adapting to van-based mini-MPV people carriers - and there have never been more of them to choose from on the UK market. We've even been running one on our long term test fleet. Jonathan Crouch and family report on a happy few months with Skoda's Roomster

The idea of a van-based mini-MPV is a good one. All the space a typical family needs at an affordable price. The only issue is the stigma of running a van with windows. Fortunately, that's a problem Skoda's Roomster neatly side-steps.

You see, though it's based on a van (Volkswagen's Caddy), it doesn't look anything like one. I was going to say that it doesn't drive like one either, but that's not quite true. Today's best vans (and the Caddy is one of them) drive quite as well as a decent modern family supermini or hatchback. To be honest, some of them actually handle better as they're more stiffly sprung, but that's another story. The Roomster then, offers everything you want and nothing you don't from a car of this genre. An ideal package, I thought, to offer up to a family like mine, bored with conventional family hatchbacks and superminis. It's certainly had a tough life in its few months with us. I have three girls - Amy who's two, Ellie who's seven and Caris who's ten. All have an aversion to taking their rubbish with them after any journey and each seems to prefer the crumbliest, messiest food possible when travelling. As a result, I may have to employ the services of a reputable car valeter before Skoda come to collect their car. Oh the joys of family life. Still, cars like this are supposed to be about that kind of treatment. I tried, fruitlessly, to explain to my tribe Skoda's vision of this model as `a car of two halves' - or `rooms' as the company's PR machine would have us refer to them. What they call `the `Driving Room' is the area occupied by the driver and front passenger and it feels very much like that of a conventional family hatchback. The driving position is comfortable, with a good degree of adjustment and much less upright than in most MPV products. Quality materials have also been used and build quality is strong. My girls of course immediately clambered rearwards, entering the Roomster's `Living Room'. It's here that the vehicle's van-like silhouette pays dividends. The roofline steps up, allowing the rear seats to be mounted 46mm higher than those in the front: this boosts the space available to passengers. Leg and headroom are both extremely generous and there's a light, airy feel to the space thanks to the large windows. An optional panoramic glass roof (unfortunately not fitted to our test car) increases this effect with Skoda pointing out that children become bored more quickly if they don't have a good view of the scenery. My own experience bears this out.

"It's not the most exciting car my family has trashed but it's probably one of the most practicalâ€¦"

My wife Katie was immediately impressed with the thoughtfully designed rear seating arrangement. All three sections of the rear bench are individually foldable and removable. She particularly liked the fact that they also recline as well as sliding forwards and backwards so that passengers can choose either to maximise passenger legroom or to bump up capacity in the extremely generous boot behind. This boot is accessed through a large tailgate which lifts to reveal a capacity of 450 litres. Then, depending on the position of the rear seats, there's the option of increasing that cargo space right up to a truly van-like 1,780 litres - which is achieved when all three of the rather heavy seats are positioned in the garage at home. All this helps to open up a wide range of potential interior configurations for the Roomster - a real strength when it comes to meeting the varying needs of modern families. We tried the range-topping 1.9-litre TDI diesel which offers 105bhp and a sizable 240Nm torque rating. At around £13,000 for the version we've been running, this might be hard for many families to justify, so it's worth pointing out that more affordable 70 and 80bhp 1.4-litre diesel units are available. The petrol range opens with a 70bhp 1.2-litre unit, then there's an 85bhp 1.4 and a 105bhp 1.6. We've also tried the three-cylinder 1.2-litre version and found it more capable than you would expect given its size: it will be quite adequate for many family buyers. If you plan on undertaking longer journeys, the 1.4 may be a better option with its 132Nm torque output at 3,800rpm. The 1.6 feels more muscular still with 155Nm produced at the same engine speed. This looks like a tall car, which led me to fear that the handling around twisty roads might be of the roly-poly variety, something which would lead to the need for the inclusion of sickbags on those occasions when we might be running late for the school play. Fortunately my concerns have proved groundless. The car resists body roll admirably and the general ride quality is far superior to van-based MPV rivals. It stays nice and quiet when you're on the move as well, with only limited wind and road noise finding its way inside. Overall, the family reaction to Skoda's rather unique offering in this sector has been positive. It's not the most exciting car my family has trashed but it's probably one of the most practical. Which is what it's all about from their point of view. Now, does anybody know of a good valeterâ€¦â€¦.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Skoda Roomster range
PRICES: £10,055-£14,220 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 2E-5E
CO2 EMISSIONS: 138-170g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.9TDI] 0-60mph 11.5s / Max Speed 113mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.4TDI 80bhp] (combined) 54.3mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: ABS, front, side and curtain airbags. WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE ?: Length/Width/Height 4205/1648/1607mm