Skoda Roomster S 1.4 TDI road test
Under the ridged Skoda bonnet is a durable, dependable, and completely uninspiring 1.4 TDI unit which develops a not-so-mighty 70bhp and gives the Roomster a very pedestrian performance. But with a car like this it isn’t about the power available under the accelerator pedal, and it’s a good job too as put this car in a drag race with just about anything else on the road and you’d be mad to gamble on it winning. Zero to 62mph takes a leisurely 16.5 seconds and for the sake of your stake you better hope it goes up against the Volkswagen 1.2 Fox in the drag race as that takes a whole 1 second longer to reach 62mph! So we know it won’t win any racing cups but that really isn’t an issue for most people, and happily behind the wheel in most driving situations the car performs perfectly adequately. Acceleration isn’t swift but it’s assured with a decent level of poke in the first 4 gears as you get up to a variety of road speeds. First gear and when the rev counter creeps towards 3000 revs is when the engine is at its nosiest and in all aspects the engine sounds, well lets say ‘industrial’, that is, it isn’t very refined and engine noise is something you will have to live with if you opt for this car. Motorways should hold no fear with the Roomster perfectly at home between 65-70mph, although there’s precious little scope of anything extra for overtaking. Fuel economy is a real plus point, with 53.3mpg recorded as its combined economy figure, although a CO2 emissions figure of 139g/km isn’t going to win it any eco-awards.
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The Skoda Roomster’s OTR price is certainly pitched to be eye-catching, the S 1.4 TDI PD on test drive weighed in at £12,690, while you can grab a 1.2 petrol engine Roomster for about a thousand pounds less than this diesel. For the amount of space, and the overall quality of the car then this represents a very good deal. Throw in the diesel’s decent fuel economy figure and low insurance grading (3E) and this car isn’t going to burn through your hard earned cash. For people wanting a long lasting, flexible car with bags of potential boot space or families looking for plenty of rear space all wrapped in a quality finish – and crucially can look past the lack of oomph from the engine, and the “marmite” aesthetics then the Roomster should be definitely on your test drive list.
Read the full Skoda Roomster S 1.4 TDI road test
RoadTestReports.co.uk provides road tests reports written by members of the Guild of Motoring Writers. These reports are complemented by car reviews submitted by the members of the public who drive the vehicles day in day out.
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