Long Term Roomster Scout 1.9 Review (and backstory)

[darrenm2001]

After driving nearly 17,000 miles in just 10 months I thought I would put fingers to keyboard and write a review of my experiences with my Roomster Scout 1.9 diesel. There’s quite a story to go with it so if you’re sitting comfortably, I’ll begin…

The Story

It was May 2007 and I was on holiday in the Isle of Wight, a place I had rediscovered the previous year after 11 years of absence. I was pleased to see that the island had changed little, which I consider to be a good thing. Something I had noticed on my recent visits to the island was how many Skodas the island was possessed with – although anecdotal it felt there was a higher ratio of Skodas to other makes than it was on the mainland. One model I had barely seen on the mainland was the Roomster but there were quite a number to be seen on the island. Despite its quirky looks I could see the hugely practical benefits of the car.

I started talking to my other half about it (a Furby owner herself.) We chatted about how useful the Roomy would be and how you could convert it into a small van by removing the back seats. I had a Furby vRS at this time which had been fantastic but a bit of extra space in the boot could come in very useful. I knew FH Winter and Sons were the only Skoda dealer on the island but I had previously read on the Briskoda forums about their very good reputation. I said to her that it might be handy to know where the dealer was just in case I had trouble with my car.

We went to the Steam Railway on the Tuesday afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed riding up and down on the train. I knew that both the railway station and Winter’s were both in Havenstreet so it seemed logical to find the dealer after playing on the steam trains. I turned left out of the railway’s car park and within a few hundred yards we came across the dealer – sales on the right hand side, servicing on the left. I was surprised at the large size of the establishment but it looked well cared for which inspired confidence if I ever needed to call on their services…

…which was sooner than I expected. It was around 8pm the next evening and I was about to pull out of the Tesco’s car park when I received a blown bulb warning light pop up on the dash. It took a little while to figure out as it didn’t come on immediately when I turned my sidelights or dipped beam. It was only when I put my foot on the brake the light appeared. I had only changed the other side’s bulb a few weeks ago and hadn’t got around to getting a replacement. Ah, that’s lucky I thought, at least I know where the dealer is now. I could have gone to Halfords but Winter’s was closer and it gave me a perfect opportunity to have a nose around.

When I arrived there the next day parking looked like a problem so I drove into the area where they store their new cars. I parked up next to a Roomster Scout in Satin Grey. Both me and my missus thought, ooh, we like that – the same flexibility but with chunkier styling, sunset glass as standard and nicer alloy wheels. We peered in through the windows and were both impressed by how the interior looked much more modern than previous Skodas. So instead of wandering towards the service and parts department we headed for the showroom.

We were warmly greeted by Ray Winter – I mentioned that I came in for a bulb but spotted the Roomster. He offered me a test drive which I duly accepted. I spent an hour driving down to Niton and back, driving it fairly hard when possible to gauge the handling in comparison to my vRS. I was pleasantly surprised how good it handled the bends – a bit more body roll which was entirely expected but surefooted nevertheless. On return to the dealer I looked into the boot, which is pleasantly large. I even got into the back of the car and was blown away by the amount of rear leg room. I’m 6’ 2” and even with the driver’s seat right back (the way I drive) I could still get in and out without bother and sit comfortably. I returned to Ray and said, “Let’s talk.”

Ray offered me a good price for my three and a half year old vRS which had already seen around 56,000 miles – way above the UK average. I believe the personalised number plate (S*** VRS) helped the trade-in value. Considering the trade-in offer I didn't push the deal too hard, just a rubber boot mat and a full tank of diesel, worth about £100 between them. We shook hands and I walked away – almost forgetting the bloody bulb I went in for!

I picked up the car in the first week of June 2007. I had to dodge around the Isle of Wight Festival so I ended up sailing over in the middle of the week, which was a little inconvenient but hey ho, that's life. However, it was a beautiful day which makes a change as most times I've picked up new cars (seven previous occasions) the weather has been awful. The sailing was uneventful until it came to actually getting off the boat. I was at the front of the queue on the upper deck and the ferry crew were having trouble getting the ramp down. They bounced us up and down quite a number of times trying to get the safety interlocks to work – whilst I got increasingly nervous about the strength of the handbrakes on the cars behind me, of which there were many. There I was only a couple of miles from handing over the car to Ray and here I sat with the potential for the car to be damaged in a bizarre boating accident. My bum cheeks relaxed once I finally saw the ramp drop down and the crew beckoning me on to drive off. I am pleased to report that the remainder of the journey from Fishbourne to Havenstreet progressed without further incident.

I parked the vRS up and wandered into the showroom, brother and other half in tow. And there she was, my Roomy Scout, resplendent in her Ocean Blue paintwork and dark grey tupperware plastic trim. There was no going back now. Ray checked over my Furby just to make sure it was in the same condition as when he'd last saw it – it was, although with even more miles on the clock. We slogged through the copious amounts of paperwork and then was shown around the car. Being a Furby derivative that didn't take long – the only real difference being the placement of the switch to lock the doors from the inside. This now resides in the centre console which makes it easy for both the driver and passenger to press. I loaded up my entourage into the car and we set off.

My first port of call was to drop my missus off at the bingo hall so she could spend an enjoyable afternoon dabbing away while my brother and I spent the afternoon driving around the island, taking in the views, taking photos of the sparkly new motor and drinking cups of tea. However, after just a few miles of driving I thought I wrecked a wheel after diving down a huge pothole which just looked like a bump in the road from where I was sitting. I pulled up in a pub car park to inspect the damage but was pleased to the see the tyre was still inflated and the alloy intact. Thankfully the rest of the day on the island was uneventful and we caught the boat home without incident. After stuffing our faces at the Water Margin Chinese Buffet restaurant in Portsmouth the drive home was wet, very wet in fact but at least I got the chance to try out the new style windscreen wipers.

Well, that was nearly 17,000 miles ago so do I still like the car? Oh, yes, most definitely. Here's my rundown of the good and the bad things about my Roomy...

The Review

Good Stuff:

Exterior:

• The Roomster's design is a bit Marmite – some like it, some don't. The Scout trim adds an level of Marmiteness to the proceedings. I like the chunkier look as looks more aggressive than the standard trim levels and I feel it makes the car look less tall on the sides, breaking up its vanesque shape. I would agree that the overall look is quirky but not ugly like a Mk1 Fiat Multipla. Now there's a vehicle that has been severely beaten with the ugly stick but undoubtedly really practical like the Roomy.

• The design of the rear doors make getting people in and out of a breeze and come in handy when you're packing the back seats full of boxes, which happens regularly due to my job.

Interior:

• The cabin is airy, especially in the back. I like the dark dash, seating and carpets which complements the lightly coloured headlining.

• The stereo is far better than the old Furby, with a huge LCD screen, better radio tuner and the ability to play MP3s out of the box. The speakers seem to be better screwed in and don't vibrate unless you're really cranking up the volume. The general soundstage seems to be a vast improvement too.

• The overall look is far more modern than the Mk1 Furby, which was functional and hard wearing.

Practicality:

• The big boot is really handy. Probably not as a big as an Octy but considering the size of the car, it's very spacious.

• The flexible rear seating. Flipping them forward is slightly fiddly but at least you don't have take the headrests off like the old Furby. Folding them up against the front seats or taking them out altogether creates a huge load space which can come in really handy if you don't know anybody with a van – which I don't.

Behind the Wheel:

• The steering wheel is nice and chunky – the Scout's one is different to the other Roomsters as it's a three spoker and clad in leather – ooh er, missus.

• It has the same aluminium pedals as the Furby vRS, which is nice

• It's an easy car to drive. Visibility is good and the handling is fine, probably due to the longer wheelbase and the wide, low profile tyres – strangely exactly the same size and profile as the Furby vRS.

Economy and Costs:

• My 'real world' MPG is 43, which is about the same as my vRS. However, I do use BP Ultimate Diesel to give me more oomph and less smoke. Shame about the whopping price tag that comes with it – 121.9p at my local BP when I wrote this review.

• The insurance group is 5E, making it a wallet friendly £300 to insure fully comprehensive with maximum no claims discount.

Bad Stuff:

Exterior:

• Both front doors leak, which appears to be a design flaw rather a actual fault – bloody annoying though. It appears the water gets under the rubber seal that runs along the top of the door, and pools in the rough foamy section inside the door just before the window starts dipping down towards the windscreen. However, it is only the odd drip I see fall inside the car so it's not going to rot the carpets too quickly. Crap design on Skoda's part nevertheless.

• Due to the design of the car the bootlid needs a far bit of space behind it so you can open it properly. Therefore reverse parking against walls can be a problem. However, I'm sure all mini and standard MPVs have a similar so I'm being picky here.

• Due to the exterior design (and colour scheme) I am regularly asked for two 99ers and a strawberry mivvi Strangely enough these are the same 'friends' who ask me first if they need something bulky transported...

Interior:

• I get an occasional rattle in the dash – above the dials I believe. I also have a rattle in the left hand A pillar, which is more annoying. I guess this is why they fit loud stereos

• The centre console digs into your left leg – I remember someone else on this forum complaining about the same thing. However, I think I've changed where I position my leg so the problem has been minimised.

• I find the roof lining comes down too far slightly obscuring my view. I'm very tall (see above) and even with the seat fully down it's a minor problem but to be honest, I've got used to it now.

Behind the Wheel:

• One of the things I really miss is the 6th gear from the vRS. As the engine revs are higher in 5th I find myself driving slower than I used to as to avoid the additional noise.

• The Euro IV engine is noisier than the Euro III one fitted in the vRS. I guess it's down to the tinkerings VW had to make to get it into the Euro IV bracket. My brother's Special Edition Furby vRS suffers from the same problem.

Closing Thoughts:

Do I regret giving up the vRS for a Roomy? No, not at all. The vRS was fantastic and I loved driving it every day but let's face it, 56,000 miles in 3.5 years is quite a lot. I was also impressed how well the car coped with that mileage. The controls and overall feel were as good after all of those miles as from when it was new, which is a credit to Skoda's build quality. However, the Roomy is very drivable and my work and personal life is made much easier due to the practicality of it all.

As a footnote to this rather long posting, my brother is also trading-in his Special Edition vRS for a Roomy Scout but plumping for the 16v Tiptronic. This is due to where he lives resulting in a much more stop-start kind of driving. He's also going across the Solent to buy it from Mr Winter, thanks to a good deal and my positive previous experience with the dealer. It also makes for a good day out on the lovely Isle of Wight.

Any comments or questions?

[mdk1]

Nice little story
Glad your enjoying your car.

[Tdi Scout]

It all sounds good to me - have read about door seals also coming away- but i'm not too worried about ordering one- nice review mate.

[Decron]

Good in depth review.

A few points;

1. Don't bother with BP ultimate, it's not worth the extra
2. The MPG will get better with a bit of milage
3. If you do find yourself missing the power and driving experiance of the VRS, have a search and you will find a few mods

Interesting to see a more people going from VRS's to Roomy's! It's becoming quite a popular move!

[ggireland]

I've made the swap from an Octavia VRS to a Roomster and am very impressed with the car. In particular, I was amazed to find that I could do over 600 miles on one tank as opposed to 300 with the VRS.

[darrenm2001]

Originally Posted by Decron

Good in depth review.

A few points;

1. Don't bother with BP ultimate, it's not worth the extra
2. The MPG will get better with a bit of milage
3. If you do find yourself missing the power and driving experiance of the VRS, have a search and you will find a few mods

Interesting to see a more people going from VRS's to Roomy's! It's becoming quite a popular move!

Thanks! It took a while to write (and remember for that matter.)

1. Funnily enough I only ran the vRS on Ultimate for a few months before trading it in. I drove it on supermarket diesel before then and the smoke reduction was significant with Ultimate. My vRS smoked a bit more than other vRSes but I didn't have a clue why

2. Perhaps, but my lead foot doesn't help

3. I know nothing of this modding lark you are talking about

[Dmac1969]

Very well written and enjoyable to read post/review!!

[youngsyd]

Any pictures of said beast?

Im glad your happy with it, there a fine looking car, the Scout.

Top write up.

If you get chance, drop me a PM if you dont mind, thanks...

[mluton]

Great read, nice work

[darrenm2001]

Originally Posted by youngsyd

Any pictures of said beast?

Pictures? Your wish is my command! There were only a few miles on the clock when these were taken... not any more!

[youngsyd]

Great car that mate, and a fine choice of colour!

You can tell its new as you still have the long tag on the key...!!

Im still really wanting one....But in White!!!...(I wish)

[Dmac1969]

Ocean blue I presume? Lovely!

[Skoda_Scout]

Hi

good review.

I've had my Scout since last July when I got a real good trade on my Fabia 1.2 Ambient.

I've done 8500 miles in it so far and can honestly say I love the car. The room in the back and the seating position for the rear passangers is excelent. So much so that I often like to be driven around in it for the experience.

Mpg on motorway and duel carriage way is showing on the trip computer to be around 55 recently.

I went for a silver exterier with a black and cream interier which keeps the inside realy light and a nice place to be.

As for room in the boot, plenty! with the seats out this weekend we took shed loads of things to the car booty such as a wicker chair, large TV stand, cd rack and about 6 plastic boxes. No nead to pack properly, just chucked it in there.

[OctaviaT81]

Originally Posted by Skoda_Scout

Hi

I've done 8500 miles in it so far and can honestly say I love the car. The room in the back and the seating position for the rear passangers is excelent. So much so that I often like to be driven around in it for the experience.

I've done that! Great isn't it

[L-Y-K]

Originally Posted by OctaviaT81

I've done that! Great isn't it

it was good fun to drive! woo summer