3 1.6 16v Auto People Carrier

Practical family runabout

Does what it says on the tin. Roomy for it's size - not in the front, but has a large boot and loads of rear space for 2 adults. Panoramic roof is a must.

Rear seats both slide and recline fore and aft, and sideways if centre seat is removed. Seats are not too heavy to lift out. Steel loops for tying down luggage are a nice touch.

Previous car was a C-Max CVT diesel, which was a nightmare of unreliability, with Ford totally washing their hands of responsibility to fix a 3 1/2 year old, low mileage car. 15 dealer visits in 14 months. The Skoda has been into the dealer once, for a routine service with no problems other than a dashboard rattle.

Fuel economy is as promised on the 1.6 auto, but still not very good and road tax is steep. If you need an auto, go for the new facelifted 1.2tsi DSG - it'll be a lot more economical.

6 speed auto works well - but 1.6 engine sounds a bit primitive. Top gear is well and truly overdrive, so changes down when loaded going uphill on the motorway - not so relaxing. Fuel economy suffers if you push it much above 70 on the motorway.

15 inch wheels are the one's to have - 16's have very low profile (45) tyres, which affect the ride quality and are pricey to replace.

Where the Roomster scores over the C-Max is round-town ability. It's fairly narrow, making it easier to get in and out once you've parked - and it's a lot livelier mixing it in traffic.

A no nonsense, practical car.

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