Skoda Roomster

Skoda's low-cost Roomster has been bolted together from other models but, says John Simister, the trick works - delivering an enjoyable, supple ride and neat, quirky looks

Price: from £10,505 (range spans £9,920-£14,050). On sale September
Engine: 1,390cc, four cylinders, 16 valves, 85bhp at 5,000rpm, 93lb ft at 3,300rpm
Transmission: five-speed gearbox, front-wheel drive
Performance: 106mph, 0-60 in 12.7sec, 40.9mpg official average, CO2 168g/km

Is it a house? Is it a plane? No, it's SuperSkoda! And a very roomy Skoda at that, called the Roomster. It's one unusual-looking car. Maybe it's a compact MPV. Or maybe it's one of those MPVs-by-accident that grow from vans (Citroën Berlingo, Renault Kangoo, Fiat Doblo). Certainly it looks that way, but actually it's an all-new creation, made out of major pieces of several other Skodas. That's why it can offer so much yet not cost the earth.

The engines, front suspension, steering and frontal understructure are from the Fabia. The rear suspension comes from the old-model Octavia, still sold in central Europe. Some other pressings plus the steering wheel are from the new Octavia, and all the metalwork to join the pieces is new.

"We wanted the roominess of a house and the agility of an aeroplane," says Skoda's technical development chief, Dr Harald Ludanek. Which is why the Roomster's cabin looks like a jet aeroplane's, with its wraparound windscreen flowing (via blacked-out pillars) into front side windows with kicked-up rear edges.

One thing I hadn't expected is how good the Roomster looks when it's moving on the road. All four wheels are pushed right out to the edges of the body, and the rear ones are set further apart than the front, which offsets the tail's lofty stance.

Inside, the first impression is of almost unnecessarily vast headroom, which creates a very airy aura, especially with the panoramic roof that's standard on the top model. There's a lot of rear legroom, too, thanks partly to the long wheelbase. The rear passengers sit higher than their companions in the front, and the outer two seats can slide, individually, back or forward over a six-inch range. All three seats recline.

The middle seat is narrower and you can fold its backrest down to make a table and drinks holder. Or you can fold all three backrests down and flip the seats forward to create more load space. You can also take the seats right out to create a virtual van if you're feeling strong, and they're mounted to a bar so replacing them is relatively easy. It also means that, if you take the middle seat out, you can slide the outer two towards each other along the bar and create more space around the outboard edge.

There's one snag with the Roomster's seat-o-batics, though, which is the gap between the backrests and the rigid, two-position (high or low) rear shelf. A bridging piece is needed to hide luggage properly. Nor are the gloveboxes capacious.

This being a Skoda, the ambience is more practical than plush. Most of the plastic trim is hard, with the welcome exception of the dashboard top, and the grab-handles' movement is undamped. That's hardly a problem, merely one of the few remaining quality markers separating a Skoda from a Volkswagen. The trim is solid and well-moulded, and the fabrics have a cheerful, durable, denim-like feel.

In fact, the whole car feels very tough and solid, its rigid bodyshell eradicating rattles and allowing the perfect combination of a supple ride and keen handling. On the Czech roads of our test, ripply and often badly repaired, the Roomsters felt delightfully fluid as they soaked up the roads' worst lumps and hollows, yet they steered accurately and felt very positive as I aimed them through the curves.

My favourite engine, paradoxically, is the smallest and least powerful, the 1.2-litre, three-cylinder petrol unit, which gave 64bhp in my test car but will have 70bhp when it joins the UK range. It's smooth, has a deep, crisp note and a relaxed revvability that belies its modest pace. Being the lightest engine, it also makes for the nimblest Roomster.

Two of the three diesel engines have three cylinders, too; both are of 1.4 litres but with either 70bhp or 80bhp. I tried the latter, which proved gruffly melodious and very willing once past the considerable response lag at low speeds. There's a 1.9-litre, four-cylinder diesel, too. The other petrol engines are a 1.4-litre with 85bhp (likely to be the biggest seller) and a 1.6 with 105bhp, both crisp and willing if hardly rapid.

You get the picture. The Roomster is not a fast car, but it hardly matters because it doesn't need to be fast to be enjoyable. It is also a useful car, with looks so cleverly offbeat they can't fail to generate a reaction. And it's very good value.

The rivals

FIAT IDEA 1.4 from £9,995

Fiat's compact MPV is good value but less versatile than it looks. Engine delivers 95bhp, pace passable. Lancia Musa version is popular in Italy, not on sale here.

FORD FOCUS C-MAX 1.6 from £13,695

Skoda regards the C-Max, rather than cheaper Berlingos and Kangoos, as a rival, so would view the smooth, capable, comfortable C-Max as overpriced.

RENAULT SCENIC 1.4 from £13,820

The current interpretation of the original compact MPV is expensive next to the Roomster, but comes closest for radical design. Comfortable and well-finished.