Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 82%

The Skoda Roomster marked the Czech car maker's first foray into the midi-MPV market. Skoda says the Roomster is as much about the way it drives as how easy it is to live with.

That led Skoda to split the car into two separate compartments – the 'driving room' at the front and a more conventional midi-MPV layout in the rear. Understand this, and the crazy styling starts to make sense.

Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance
Running Costs | Reliability | Safety | Equipment | X-Factor 

1. Looks
Unconventional is one word to describe the Skoda Roomster's looks. The front half looks like its smaller Fabia hatchback brother, while the rear is a conventional midi-MPV. That means a huge, practical tailgate and large light clusters rising up the rear window pillars. But it’s the side where it looks the most odd. Critics say it's almost like a cut-and-shut (where the front half of one car is welded to the rear of another), but it turned heads during our time with the car.

7/10

2. Looks inside
The front half of the cabin will be familiar territory to anyone driving the current Skoda Fabia. That means the dash is well-built and laid out sensibly and clearly. Nowhere will you find a dash swamped with buttons and levers – there's three knobs for the air-con, a few big buttons on the radio and a rocker switch to cycle through the trip computer on the windscreen wiper stalk. And that's about it.

8/10

3. Practicality
The trump card of any MPV is the amount of interior space, and given the Skoda Roomster's compact external dimensions, it doesn't disappoint. There's lots of room for front and back seat passengers, and the boot space can be optimised through Skoda's VarioFlex system.

This allows the seats to be arranged in a number of different ways, including: folding the middle seat to create an armrest, cupholder or storage area, removing the middle seat and sliding the two outer seats inwards by 110mm to create a spacious four-seater, sliding and tilting the rear seats to create a balance of comfort and boot space. Any or all of the rear seats can be removed creating a boot which grows from 450 to a van-like 1,780 litres.

Additionally, the Roomster has a parcel shelf which can be installed at two different heights, splitting the boot in two, and a simple but ingenious arc of plastic stops smaller pieces of luggage sliding about.

10/10

4. Ride and Handling
Despite its height and comfort-rather-than-performance demeanour, the Skoda Roomster is a surprisingly good steer. Like the Fiat Doblo, the Roomster can thread itself from bend to bend while still putting a smile on your face. There's a fair degree of bodyroll, but the steering serves up a good level of feedback, and grip levels are high.

7/10

5. Performance
Skoda offers the Roomster with a choice of three petrol and three diesel engines. Petrol options range from the surprisingly able three-cylinder 70bhp 1.2 to an 85bhp 1.4 and a 105bhp 1.6. Diesel choices include two 1.4 TDis producing 70 or 80bhp and the 105bhp 1.9-litre unit we tested. None bar the 1.9TDi offers huge performance, with 0-62mph times ranging from 11.5 to 16.5 seconds and top speeds a little over 100mph. The 1.9 diesel should be the choice for anyone travelling long distances, or with a full load; but it is quite unrefined.

7/10

6. Running Costs
The Skoda Roomster undercuts many of its rivals such as the Ford C-Max and Renault Scenic, but is a similar price to the Fiat Doblo, Citroen Berlingo and Renault Kangoo. However, the Skoda badge scores points over the last three and unlike them, the Roomster does not have a whiff of commercial vehicle about it. All of the diesel engines return an average in excess of 50mpg, with the petrols capable of around 10mpg less. CO2 emissions are fairly high, particularly the petrols, but insurance is low – the entry level 1.2 Roomster 1 is just group 2.

9/10

7. Reliability
From our impressions, the Skoda Roomster should be a faithful and fault-free companion, and there are few common faults to report.

9/10

8. Safety
The Skoda Roomster scored a full five stars for adult protection and an excellent four stars for child safety in the EuroNCAP crash test programme. ABS is standard, as are driver, passenger, front side and curtain airbags. Options include electronic stability programme (ESP) and front fog lights which come on depending on which way the car is turning for extra illumination.

9/10

9. Equipment
Skoda has shunned clever naming conventions for its model names, so the Roomster simply has 1, 2 and 3. Standard equipment on Roomster 1 includes a 12v socket in the boot, electric front windows, adjustable parcel shelf, pollen filter, MP3-compatible CD player with a 3.5mm jack to connect an MP3 player, four speakers and the VarioFlex seating arrangement. The 2 model adds 15-inch alloy wheels, an additional four speakers, fully colour coded body trim, chrome bits in the cabin, electric heated door mirrors, air-con and remote central locking. Roomster 3 also gets larger alloys, a front armrest, cruise control, front fog lights, a panoramic sunroof and rear park sensors.

8/10

10. X-Factor
Practical and offering plenty of room inside, the Skoda Roomster is a quirky alternative to some of the more ubiquitous midi-MPVs on the road.

8/10