Skoda Roomster 3 1.9TDi

A brilliant, comfortable, economical car and no slouch.

We went to look at the Roomster soon after it was launched in the UK. We were impressed with the build and quality of finish. After a test drive we decided to buy it. It had stood in the showroom for a while so we got a £3000 discount. Our car is top of the range with glass roof, swivelling and cornering headlights, cruise control, reversing bleepers and other features. The car is very roomy, hence the name, and frankly riding in the back is the most pleasant passenger experience I've ever had. You can stretch out, and you get a panoramic view, with the slightly raised seats, deep windows and glass roof (which has sliding blinds for when it's sunny). We wanted a diesel as we do around 12k miles a year and the 1.9 TDi engine is ideal. Performance is more than adequate, making overtaking easy, when necessary. The controls are all easy to hand and work smoothly. We found the ride a bit harsh on the 205x45x16 low profile tyres so swopped them for 195x55x15s on new 15-inch wheels. (I would have gone for 14-inch wheels but they will not fit over the brake calipers.) The car is more comfortable now and handles as well as before. (We have also chosen the 15-inch wheels on our Skoda Fabia Estate 1.9 TDi). The car has proved very economical, returning over 60 mpg, driven sensibly, i.e. not braking for every corner. This has gradually improved to around 65 mpg over the 90k miles the car has now done, There is masses of space if you need it. The rear seats fold down individually and can be removed easily if you want to put a bike in without removing the front wheel. You can play games choosing your preferred setting of the front seats as there are so many options! The oil hasn't needed topping between 10k-mile servicing. Due to the diabolical roads in Herefordshire, the front suspension has required repair twice, as has our Fabia. The timing belt was changed after four years, as recommended. There was a problem removing an alloy wheel, after a puncture, but that was solved by wire brushing the hubs and smearing with copper grease. The other problem which unfortunately is ongoing is the rear parking sensors sometimes do not work, So far it has not been possible to reproduce this fault when at the garage so it can be rectified - what one might call 'the dentist syndrome'! The warning light for overheating/low coolant level came on recently. I topped up temporarily and called the garage. A pin hole in a hose was diagnosed due to rubbing on the metal clamp on an adjacent hose. Otherwise, the car has been completely reliable. Our car is Ocean Blue metallic which is smart and promotes favourable comments. Some reports claim the Roomster is noisy but we don't find it so. There is a 'brrm' as you start from cold, but it soon settles down and there's no difficulty listening to the excellent radio at 60 mph, the legal limit round where we live. The upholstery on our car is very pale and we were concerned this might look tatty after a while but this has not happened. I took the car for the interior to be shampooed and proofed recently and it is looking as good as new - after eight years and 90k miles. In one sentence: the best car we've ever had. I won't be changing it for a new one (with all the latest gizmos I don't want) any time soon.

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