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International Launch
Prague, Czech Republic

What we liked
>> Unique styling with visibility benefits
>> Interior feel and VarioFlex rear seats
>> Proven drivetrains

Not so much
>> Badge will take some learning
>> Manual-only turbodiesel
>> Petrol engine is underdone
 

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0
>> Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.5/5.0
>> Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.5/5.0 (see text)
>> Safety: 4.0/5.0
>> Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
>> X-factor: 4.0/5.0
 

OVERVIEW
If you think VW's sales rebirth Down Under has been impressive -- you ain't seen nothing yet. Indeed, if we're any sort of judge of what's good in a car and a car company from the consumer's viewpoint, over the next few years Skoda is a name you'll be hearing plenty about.

Already a hit in competitive markets like Germany and the UK, the company has been 100 per cent owned by Volkswagen since 2000. Thus it has direct access to all the goodies Wolfsburg can offer. That doesn't mean it follows that Skoda products are just dressed-up old VWs. It might have rebodied Golfs in the past, but the Czech marque is finding its own way now, aided but a fiercely independent cadre of research and development engineers that have a proud history of doing more with less.

Forget what you think you know about the Czech brand. Those quirky and fragile cars last sold Down Under wearing Skoda's winged arrow badge 25 years ago share about as much with the company's current products as the old communist Czechoslovakia does with the new thriving, democratic Czech Republic.

Skoda's latest new product, the Roomster is proof positive that sometimes the tail can wag the dog.

First unveiled as a concept around 18 months ago and built on the platform that will (in part) underpin an all-new Polo sometime in 2008, the five-door hatch cum MPV is actually the first VW Group product to be built using a new modular system.

This system allows front, rear and intermediate sub assemblies to be combined to form effectively bespoke chassis. In the case of the Roomster, there's plenty of Fabia II (see news story here) itself a vehicle closely related to the as yet unreleased new Polo. It also incorporates the rear end of a vehicle almost a full class above Roomster -- Skoda's own Octavia.

The result is a five-door vehicle that straddles the light and small car segments and offers buckets of rear accommodation with little or no sacrifice in terms of extra length or unwieldy dynamics.

The Roomster points to the new fresh face of Skoda. Quirky with its broken belt line, asymmetric glazing and high roof, Skoda says the look of the Roomster was in part inspired by aircraft, in part by sunglasses!

It works for us… Especially with the combination of the smart fresh colours, purposeful alloy wheels and little details like 'hidden' rear door pulls and black chrome roof rails -- all of which are likely to be part of the standard specification Down Under.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
The Carsales Network was part of a small group of Australian media that was given the opportunity to drive the Roomster and Octavia this week in Skoda's hometown, Prague. While our time in the car was short, the trip delivered valuable insight into the company's state of play and future ambitions.

Set to debut at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney in October, Skoda's new Sydney-based team is still finalising specification and pricing details. Thus it's hard to be definite on either price or equipment at this stage.

While Skoda offers three trim grades in Europe (Style, Sport and Comfort, plus sub-grades including Beat, Dance and Pulse!?!) it is likely that Roomster will arrive in Australia in just one trim level but with a choice of engines (petrol and diesel -- see below) and a comprehensive options list.

Far from being a stripper, however, the Oz Roomster offering will be well equipped. Expect aircon to be standard -- along with a full power pack of windows, mirrors, cruise control and central locking; trim to be cloth -- with, potentially, a sports seat upgrade option, and smart alloy wheels.

Those looking for the ultimate Roomster will be able to add a full-length (fixed) glazed 'panorama' style roof and high-grade audio systems, as well lifestyle items such as an internal bike carrier (more later).

ESP, ABS and side and curtain airbags will be standard across the range (see 'Safety' below).

The Roomster's trademark, however, will likely become its VarioFlex seating system (more below). This multi-mode second row is unique to the Roomster in the VW world. There's that tail wagging again...

As noted above, Skoda Australia would not confirm pricing for the Roomster at its Prague launch. Local boss Matthew Wiesner eventually conceded "mid twenties" was where the car "had to be". If we were pushed, we'd say the petrol model will start at around $23K

MECHANICAL
As is the case with Volkswagen, turbodiesel engines will play and important part in Skoda's brand DNA, and the Roomster's no exception.

The base engine will be the same 77kW/153Nm 1.6-litre, 16-valve Euro IV compliant fuel-injected petrol that graces the base-level VW Golf. Step up to turbodiesel and you'll be getting the 77kW/240Nm 1.9-litre four-cylinder 'pumpe duese' that also does service in the Golf (and Polo).

Both engines are available with a manual five-speed gearbox (We incorrectly specified this as a six-speeder in our news story earlier this week). The petrol only can be optioned with a six-speed automatic gearbox. This is equipped with a Tiptronic function.

In suspension terms the Roomster follows a tried a proven route with MacPherson struts and lower wishbones up front and a semi-independent rear axle. Brakes are an effective, if basic, disc/drum combo fitted with ABS.

Though again local specifications are still to be formalized, Aussie Roomsters will ride on 15-inch alloy wheels as standard. Larger wheels may be offered as an option and a full-size 15-inch spare wheel will also be standard. Indeed Skoda says all its cars will feature full-size spares for the foreseeable future... Another example of Czech practicality.

PACKAGING
The Roomster blurs the line when it comes to packaging. Neither hatch, nor wagon nor MPV, the innovative proportions Skoda's designers have gifted the vehicle are its raison d'etre.

Sitting on a wheelbase of 2617mm, Roomster is 4205mm long, 1684mm wide and 1607mm high (without roof rails). By way of comparison, the wheelbase dimension is 17mm longer than the new Corolla hatch but the Skoda's overall length is a considerable 215mm shorter. The Czech car is narrower (-86mm) than the bloated Japanese hatchback.

Like the Toyo, the Roomster has a higher hip point than typical small hatches and wagons. The front seats are 30mm higher than the Fabia for instance. That said, with better than a metre of headroom both front and back there's no sense of been shoved up against the roof.

Skoda defines the front area as the 'Driving Room'. Here's there's a neatly presented centre console whose buttons, fonts and graphics are reminiscent of the current Polo (without being the same). There's a simple binnacle ahead of the driver and the wheel is adjustable in both rake and reach. A height-adjustable driver's seat completes the ergonomic equation.

The real story's in the rear, however. Dubbed the 'Living Room' this is where the Roomster earns its name -- thanks to National Trust style headroom and the VW Group's only implementation (yet!) of Skoda's VarioFlex seating system.

Divided 40:20:40 into three separate seats, the second row's H-point is 45mm higher than the front, which combined with the lower-silled side windows give amazing vision to the front and side -- even for littlies.

The seats themselves slide forward 80mm and rearward 70, for a total range of 150mm. As a result even behind a 180cm driver there's a surprising amount of legroom. Further, the second row seat backs can be reclined up to 13.5 degrees or alternatively tilted forward and tumbled (individually) to enlarge the rear cargo space from 450 to over 1600 litres.

The centre section folds forward to create a folding table with drinkholders. Alternatively, it can be removed completely without tools (just two simple latches, it weighs 11kg), allowing the outside seats to be slid 110mm inboard for more shoulder space or variable loads.

Finally, the remaining two outer seats can also be removed (each a still manageable 16kg) to create a van-like space. No coincidence Skoda has just launched a Roomster-based LCV called Pratik in selected markets.

Given Skoda's strong connection to cycling (the company sponsors the Tour de France and the world cycling Federation, the UCI) it's probably no surprise there's even a kit to transport two full-size bikes inside the Roomster.

Less energetic owners will appreciate the multiple storage and stowage options around the Roomster's interior. These including under seat storage suitable for laptops and the like, hooks in the rear cargo space, inbuilt 'occy' straps on the second-row seat backs. Skoda's slogan 'Simply Clever' is tailor made for the Roomster.

SAFETY
Roomster gets a five star Euro NCAP rating and in Australian trim will come with the full complement of active and passive safety systems. This commitment to safety will be one of the foundations of the brand Down Under, the company claims.

ESP with traction control will be standard on all Skoda as will ABS. Twin front airbags, side and curtain bags will also be standard. As noted above, in this respect, Skoda will match its VW counterparts.

COMPETITORS
With its unique blend of proportions and accommodation, Skoda will be hard-pressed to find a direct competitor for the Roomster Down Under.

During development Skoda's own team benchmarked the car against the likes of the Opel Meriva and Honda Jazz as well as other VW Group products.

We'd suggest both teams might need to be more catholic with their assessments of what's likely to be shopped against the Roomster. Conventional hatches like VW's Polo and Corolla will likely come in for attention but alternatives like the Renault Scenic, Dodge Caliber, Suzuki's SX4 (soon to be released in front-wheel drive) and perhaps even Hyundai's Tuscon City might also lose some hearts to the stylish compact Czech.

And if, as expected, Skoda adds the higher riding but still steadfastly two-drive Roomster Scout to the stable you might find the consideration set widening even more to include the more expensive compact softroaders from the likes of Nissan and Honda.

ON THE ROAD
As is the case with 95 per cent of international launch drives, the best you can hope for is a taste of what the car is like and some indication of how it will perform in Australian conditions.

In the case of the Roomster we drove petrol/auto and TDI/manual versions on roads in and around Prague. Experiencing a cross-section of carriageways and surfaces -- from typical European multilane expressways where the 130km/h Czech limit was studiously avoided to narrow bumpy roads just like home -- the Roomster impressed with its polite manners and well resolved suspension tune.

Steering is on the firm side of the norm in this class (a plus in our book) and turn-in is sharper than you'd expect given the Roomster's humble aims. Body roll looks pronounced when you're following in another car, but was not particularly noticeable in the car itself.

The ride was particularly noteworthy on the less perfect surfaces. Even large potholes were soaked up with the sort of compliance that's missing from many small cars today.

Good ergos and bright clear graphics around the cabin made it simple to just get in and drive and the simple navigation systems fitted to the launch testers worked well. There's little of the ancillary gadgetry you experience in, say, similar vehicles from the French carmakers. That's another plus, we reckon.

Interior quality looks close to VW's though the materials don't quite have the 'depth' or density that you'll experience in a Golf, for instance. It's worth noting that in the most recent UK market JD Power survey for customer satisfaction Skoda was the highest placed of the VW Group companies; second only to Lexus in the overall table and ahead of Honda and Toyota.

We reckon the 1.6-litre petrol engine is just enough, even just two up with light luggage. Frankly, we reckon it'll struggle a little with a full load.

Skoda claims 7.7lt/100km for the auto petrol and 10 per cent better than that for the manual.

The gruff, grumbly but willing 1.9 TDI engine is the pick of the bunch -- and not only for its claimed 5.3lt/100km fuel consumption. While the petrol version has you rowing it along (auto or manual) to keep with traffic on the freeway and in the tight stuff, the TDI engine will grunt away from hairpins in third gear and happily maintain 120km/h with ne'er a complaint. Sure, the petrol's quieter but we'd rather the oiler's oomph.

Perhaps Skoda might see fit to add a TSI engine to the Roomster's parts list. The much-spoken of but not confirmed 1.2-litre three-cylinder 90kW version sounds like just the thing.

Unlike some seating systems, VarioFlex needs no instructions either. The tilt and tumble levers are in logical locations and the removal of the seats require neither particular dexterity nor overdeveloped muscles. Seated in the rear, the legroom's great especially considering given the car's compact external dimensions.

Our main criticism of the rear is the reach to the outboard lap-sash belts. They're a long way back, perhaps too far for littlies to reach unaided.

By now you should have the idea that we're impressed with both the Roomster and Skoda generally. It's early days, but pending the final pricing and spec, the Roomster has the makings of a very successful debut entrant into the Aussie market.

There's still dealers to find, and models and ranges to confirm but things look very bright for the Czech Down Under.

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