Roomster Scout review

woodenspatulas · 01-10-2007, 11:58

I took a olive green 1.9TDI roomster scout out for the weekend, as i wanted to give it a proper trial out by filling it with my girlfriends old clothes and doing a boot fair!

Recently ive had a furby 1.9Tdi (which is waiting for a alloy) a 1.2 furby (which is one of the best small engines ive come across) and a 2.0TDI superb elegance (which spent most of its time with me stuck on a traffic jam!) and now ive borrowed the scout.

first impressions are how similar it is to the furby. the scout has the leather steering wheel which i prefer over the plastic ones in the lvl 2 furby. Our demo also has rear parking sensors and climate control. the RPS are way more important to me than climate imoa.

taking the seats out of the roomster is a piece of cake! took minimal time and required minimal strength too (which is good at 5.30am!) i left a rear seat in so the GF's mum could come along too. I filled the roomster up with all her bits for the bootfair and still had great rear vision and the car bearly noticed the extra weight.

The boot fair was near brands hatch, so about 30 miles or so away, and its a mix of motorway and A and B roads. so i got to test it out on all roads. its a great drive, with the low progile tyres giving a good amount of grip, not too much body roll and made for a firm but comfy drive

got the the field where the event was and had to navigate over some really boggy terrain. the car handled it well. the esp giving me enough slip to pull the car out of a few boggy patches. got parked up to find my lovely olive paint covered in mud! after only 40 odd miles from new!!

the day ended well, with even a few people coming to admire and ask about the car (which was good for me having a few cards in the car

) we filled the car back up with alot less gear than we came with and headed home.

overall i really like the scout, the tints, bigger rims, and chunky body work really set the car out from the norm, and i felt quite happy with the engine and got me thinking about a bluefin plug in chip for it

im hoping to keep it as my demo now and i hope to turn up at the maidstone meet in it too!

my only gripe is ive got a squeak coming from the steering wheel area which drives me mad!! apart from that its a thumbs up!

Dmac1969 · 01-10-2007, 22:00

Nice review! You only need an Octavia as a demo to complete the set , I suggest the new L&K...lol!

woodenspatulas · 07-10-2007, 17:46

thought i would include some pics of the battle bus

as you can see the dash and inteior are black, the speedo pod is the same as lvl 2 fabias. the wheels and extra bits of bodywork really set it off imoa, and the tints from the b pillar back finish the overall look. it would look the part after lowering it

des_pd_ tdi · 07-10-2007, 18:04

That colour is the nuts, looks almost grey from a distance. Damn, should have factory ordered that one. Mind you it's missing a lot of options mine has

I can't complain.......

Des

OctaviaT81 · 07-10-2007, 18:07

Looks like you've got the 17in wheels on that one, but are they the 17in Scout wheels or the Pegasus alloys from the Octavia?

Didn't think 17ins were an option on UK Scouts?

woodenspatulas · 08-10-2007, 12:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by des_pd_ tdi

That colour is the nuts, looks almost grey from a distance. Damn, should have factory ordered that one. Mind you it's missing a lot of options mine has

I can't complain.......

Des

well they only went for climate and RPS, oh and 17 inch wheels too

duesenberg · 08-10-2007, 18:02

Seems that in UK is possible to have Scout without panoramic roof.
Unfortunately in our market Scout is only with glass roof.

I did'nt want to have it so I ordered ordinary Roomster.

But Your Olive Scout looks awesome

woodenspatulas · 08-10-2007, 18:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by duesenberg

Seems that in UK is possible to have Scout without panoramic roof.
Unfortunately in our market Scout is only with glass roof.

I did'nt want to have it so I ordered ordinary Roomster.

But Your Olive Scout looks awesome

thanks, nice to see the roomster has its fans

i wonder if htye are using roomster level 3's to convert to scouts over with you then? the glass is optional over here but standard on the lvl 3. i quite like the glass roof to be honest!

des_pd_ tdi · 09-10-2007, 14:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodenspatulas

thanks, nice to see the roomster has its fans

i wonder if htye are using roomster level 3's to convert to scouts over with you then? the glass is optional over here but standard on the lvl 3. i quite like the glass roof to be honest!

That's what mine has

just to refresh everyone's mind my spec is:

Maxidot
Armrest
Glass Roof
Electric Rear Windows
Rear Parking Sensors
Airbag deactivation
Third Headrest

I never tire of mentioning it.........

Also is it me or have they blacked of the front door frame around the window to match the bottom of the rear windows, was thinking about a mask to do this on mine. Anymore pics of this door mask? BTW the 17" really set off the car.

Des

woodenspatulas · 10-10-2007, 11:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by des_pd_ tdi

That's what mine has

just to refresh everyone's mind my spec is:

Maxidot
Armrest
Glass Roof
Electric Rear Windows
Rear Parking Sensors
Airbag deactivation
Third Headrest

I never tire of mentioning it.........

Also is it me or have they blacked of the front door frame around the window to match the bottom of the rear windows, was thinking about a mask to do this on mine. Anymore pics of this door mask? BTW the 17" really set off the car.

Des

that door vinyl was something that our vinyl man sorted for us. we did it too our first scout demo and liked it enough to do it to this one too! its just a matt vinyl sticker. it was does look good imoa. i can probably see how much for another set, and i will try and get some mores pics up soon

Dmac1969 · 16-10-2007, 21:54

Thats looking good....

OctaviaT81 · 17-10-2007, 15:03

Theres a group test of the Scout in Autoexpress today against the Nissan Qashqai (spelling?) and the Kia C'eed estate.

Scout came last unfortunately, but the main weaknesses were the 1.9TDI engine (noise and refinement) and the middle rear seat not being wide enough for a full sized person.

Other than that the consensus was very good, but this was a pretty wide test with 3 very different cars. Maybe the next Roomster will be slightly wider and cure they middle seat issue - and VAG really need to get on with those new CR-TDI engines!

woodenspatulas · 17-10-2007, 15:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by OctaviaT81

Theres a group test of the Scout in Autoexpress today against the Nissan Qashqai (spelling?) and the Kia C'eed estate.

Scout came last unfortunately, but the main weaknesses were the 1.9TDI engine (noise and refinement) and the middle rear seat not being wide enough for a full sized person.

Other than that the consensus was very good, but this was a pretty wide test with 3 very different cars. Maybe the next Roomster will be slightly wider and cure they middle seat issue - and VAG really need to get on with those new CR-TDI engines!

odd, wonder if theyve ever tested any of the VAG 1.9tdi's? to my knowledge they are all pretty samey when it comes to noise levels? plus i find the engine quite refined, but i suppose thats all about opinion and what your comparing it too. i find it easy to drive slowly and steadily, but also when you need to gather speed it does so at a decent rate. any ideas what engines the other were using?

i agree about the rear seat, but then i think its aimed at a family of 4, so the middle seat will always be a armrest or a divider between waring factions

OctaviaT81 · 17-10-2007, 16:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodenspatulas

i agree about the rear seat, but then i think its aimed at a family of 4, so the middle seat will always be a armrest or a divider between waring factions

Hehe, nothing wrong with that. I mean, who regularly takes 5 adults in their car anyway?

des_pd_ tdi · 17-10-2007, 16:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by OctaviaT81

Hehe, nothing wrong with that. I mean, who regularly takes 5 adults in their car anyway?

On Monday I drove down to Bluewater, son in the front (airbag deactivated) and my wife and in-laws in the back, didn't hear any complaints. Trick is to recline both outer seats as far as they can go then this releases more shoulder room for the person in the middle seat.

BTW, VAG common rail TDI engines are currently in the Tiguan.

Des

woodenspatulas · 17-10-2007, 17:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by des_pd_ tdi

BTW, VAG common rail TDI engines are currently in the Tiguan.

Des

are they now, well thats me off to the local vw dealer then to get the low down

OctaviaT81 · 17-10-2007, 19:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodenspatulas

are they now, well thats me off to the local vw dealer then to get the low down

I just looked on VWs website and it seems the CR TDIs haven't reached the UK yet.

And talking of the Tiguan, £19,370 for the base 1.4 TSI

des_pd_ tdi · 18-10-2007, 10:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by OctaviaT81

I just looked on VWs website and it seems the CR TDIs haven't reached the UK yet.

And talking of the Tiguan, £19,370 for the base 1.4 TSI

I thought VW would make more of the CRTDI engine and at least advertise it on their site. Here is the report from the times along with details on the engine in the base spec S.

Volkswagen Tiguan S TDI review | New Car Reviews - Times Online

Car Volkswagen Tiguan S TDI
Engine 138bhp 2.0litre four-cylinder common rail turbo-diesel with 320Nm of torque from 1,750rpm to 2,500rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual (automatic coming later)
Fuel consumption 37.7mpg (combined)
CO2 emissions 189g/km
Price From about £20,300
On sale February 2008

Also here is a quote from autoexpress;

'The real star is the engine, though. Our test car was fitted with VW’s new 2.0-litre TDI unit, which now features common-rail injection. Where the old Pümpe Duse engine was unrefined and noisy, the new TDI is super-smooth with a gutsy 320Nm of torque'

Des

OctaviaT81 · 18-10-2007, 14:16

Ahhh, yes, I just presumed it was the standard 140BHP 2.0 TDI as it didn't say otherwise on their site. Still bloody expensive though!

woodenspatulas · 19-02-2008, 18:31

NNNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

im gutted

my demo Roomster has just this second been sold (what makes it worse is it wasnt by me!)

looks like im walking home then.......

........or at least walking to my new demo

sadly not a roo, but the first furby estate we got in. the satin level 3 1.9tdi. i already miss the roomster though.. its tough, qwerky looks. the emense room in the boot, the feeling of height, and the looks of startled saxo drivers when i passed them

i did 6,500 miles in it and its been fun. i can whole heartedly say the roomster may be odd looking but its qualities as a brilliant car outweight the looks all day long!!

i wish the new owner all the best, maybe they will turn up on here, who knows!

Burnsey · 22-02-2008, 14:41

Quite funny. There was a blue roomster, and black roomster scout and my octavia all parked in a row when I left my car this morning. The black scout did look pretty good it has to be said, since the side pillars were then the same colour

gerasimos · 06-03-2008, 22:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodenspatulas

I took a olive green 1.9TDI roomster scout out for the weekend, as i wanted to give it a proper trial out by filling it with my girlfriends old clothes and doing a boot fair!

Recently ive had a furby 1.9Tdi (which is waiting for a alloy) a 1.2 furby (which is one of the best small engines ive come across) and a 2.0TDI superb elegance (which spent most of its time with me stuck on a traffic jam!) and now ive borrowed the scout.

first impressions are how similar it is to the furby. the scout has the leather steering wheel which i prefer over the plastic ones in the lvl 2 furby. Our demo also has rear parking sensors and climate control. the RPS are way more important to me than climate imoa.

taking the seats out of the roomster is a piece of cake! took minimal time and required minimal strength too (which is good at 5.30am!) i left a rear seat in so the GF's mum could come along too. I filled the roomster up with all her bits for the bootfair and still had great rear vision and the car bearly noticed the extra weight.

The boot fair was near brands hatch, so about 30 miles or so away, and its a mix of motorway and A and B roads. so i got to test it out on all roads. its a great drive, with the low progile tyres giving a good amount of grip, not too much body roll and made for a firm but comfy drive

got the the field where the event was and had to navigate over some really boggy terrain. the car handled it well. the esp giving me enough slip to pull the car out of a few boggy patches. got parked up to find my lovely olive paint covered in mud! after only 40 odd miles from new!!

the day ended well, with even a few people coming to admire and ask about the car (which was good for me having a few cards in the car

) we filled the car back up with alot less gear than we came with and headed home.

overall i really like the scout, the tints, bigger rims, and chunky body work really set the car out from the norm, and i felt quite happy with the engine and got me thinking about a bluefin plug in chip for it

im hoping to keep it as my demo now and i hope to turn up at the maidstone meet in it too!

my only gripe is ive got a squeak coming from the steering wheel area which drives me mad!! apart from that its a thumbs up!

Hello i consider in buying my first skoda (Roomster) but my wife likes the Scout version . I consider only of the low profile tires (215/45/ R16) do you think or did you felt in testdrive that this low profile cant stop noise and bumbs from the road? Ii is apossible to have less comfort in long distance travel, or i win in better grip in the road?

Thanks for you answers (and i am apologize for my poor english

Best Regards
Makis

Decron · 07-03-2008, 00:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerasimos

Hello i consider in buying my first skoda (Roomster) but my wife likes the Scout version . I consider only of the low profile tires (215/45/ R16) do you think or did you felt in testdrive that this low profile cant stop noise and bumbs from the road? Ii is apossible to have less comfort in long distance travel, or i win in better grip in the road?

Thanks for you answers (and i am apologize for my poor english

Best Regards
Makis

To be honest I have had the same tyres/wheel size fitted to my scout and my VRS and the road noise isn't really effected by this set up or the ride for that matter. Having the 17" option though might be a different case. It's not set up to be a luxury vehicle but it's cuts a good balance between comfort and overall handling.

gerasimos · 07-03-2008, 09:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Decron

To be honest I have had the same tyres/wheel size fitted to my scout and my VRS and the road noise isn't really effected by this set up or the ride for that matter. Having the 17" option though might be a different case. It's not set up to be a luxury vehicle but it's cuts a good balance between comfort and overall handling.

My brothers VRS fabia have also the same but you know that roomster and fabia have different suspension setup!! ,
Thanks for your answer

gerasimos · 07-07-2008, 08:57

Hello, does anybody knows if the Roomster Scout 1.4 Petrol (Starter Version - Here in Greece we have only one version of Scout) in accessories includes also and the Maxi dot Screen ?

Thanks in advanced?
Makis

01-10-2007, 11:58	#1
woodenspatulas Briskodian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Kent Posts: 1,391 Members Car: vauxhall vectra and omega and 1.9tdi new fabia Thanks: 37 Thanked 68 Times in 56 Posts	Roomster Scout review I took a olive green 1.9TDI roomster scout out for the weekend, as i wanted to give it a proper trial out by filling it with my girlfriends old clothes and doing a boot fair! Recently ive had a furby 1.9Tdi (which is waiting for a alloy) a 1.2 furby (which is one of the best small engines ive come across) and a 2.0TDI superb elegance (which spent most of its time with me stuck on a traffic jam!) and now ive borrowed the scout. first impressions are how similar it is to the furby. the scout has the leather steering wheel which i prefer over the plastic ones in the lvl 2 furby. Our demo also has rear parking sensors and climate control. the RPS are way more important to me than climate imoa. taking the seats out of the roomster is a piece of cake! took minimal time and required minimal strength too (which is good at 5.30am!) i left a rear seat in so the GF's mum could come along too. I filled the roomster up with all her bits for the bootfair and still had great rear vision and the car bearly noticed the extra weight. The boot fair was near brands hatch, so about 30 miles or so away, and its a mix of motorway and A and B roads. so i got to test it out on all roads. its a great drive, with the low progile tyres giving a good amount of grip, not too much body roll and made for a firm but comfy drive got the the field where the event was and had to navigate over some really boggy terrain. the car handled it well. the esp giving me enough slip to pull the car out of a few boggy patches. got parked up to find my lovely olive paint covered in mud! after only 40 odd miles from new!! the day ended well, with even a few people coming to admire and ask about the car (which was good for me having a few cards in the car ) we filled the car back up with alot less gear than we came with and headed home. overall i really like the scout, the tints, bigger rims, and chunky body work really set the car out from the norm, and i felt quite happy with the engine and got me thinking about a bluefin plug in chip for it im hoping to keep it as my demo now and i hope to turn up at the maidstone meet in it too! my only gripe is ive got a squeak coming from the steering wheel area which drives me mad!! apart from that its a thumbs up!

01-10-2007, 22:00	#2
Dmac1969 Briskodian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Berwick upon Tweed , Northumberland. Posts: 2,469 Members Car: Fabia 1.4 MPi Comfort Images: 1 Thanks: 19 Thanked 57 Times in 44 Posts	Re: Roomster Scout review Nice review! You only need an Octavia as a demo to complete the set , I suggest the new L&K...lol! __________________ Duncan - England's most Northerly Briskodian! 2000/V reg Fabia 1.4 Mpi Comfort-Dynamic Blue Ex Octavia vRS and Octavia Slxi 1.8T.

07-10-2007, 17:46	#3
woodenspatulas Briskodian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Kent Posts: 1,391 Members Car: vauxhall vectra and omega and 1.9tdi new fabia Thanks: 37 Thanked 68 Times in 56 Posts	Re: Roomster Scout review thought i would include some pics of the battle bus as you can see the dash and inteior are black, the speedo pod is the same as lvl 2 fabias. the wheels and extra bits of bodywork really set it off imoa, and the tints from the b pillar back finish the overall look. it would look the part after lowering it

07-10-2007, 18:04	#4
des_pd_ tdi Briskodian Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Ruislip, Middlesex Posts: 711 Members Car: Thanks: 5 Thanked 13 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Roomster Scout review That colour is the nuts, looks almost grey from a distance. Damn, should have factory ordered that one. Mind you it's missing a lot of options mine has I can't complain....... Des __________________ Tiguan Sport Auto Gone but not forgotten, Roomster Scout, Fabia VRs.

07-10-2007, 18:07	#5
OctaviaT81 Briskodian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Cornwall Posts: 965 Members Car: Octavia SLXI 1.8T Thanks: 6 Thanked 29 Times in 18 Posts	Re: Roomster Scout review Looks like you've got the 17in wheels on that one, but are they the 17in Scout wheels or the Pegasus alloys from the Octavia? Didn't think 17ins were an option on UK Scouts? __________________ Skoda Motorsport WRC news, photos & more!

08-10-2007, 18:02	#7
duesenberg Briskodian Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 9 Members Car: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Roomster Scout review Seems that in UK is possible to have Scout without panoramic roof. Unfortunately in our market Scout is only with glass roof. I did'nt want to have it so I ordered ordinary Roomster. But Your Olive Scout looks awesome

16-10-2007, 21:54	#11
Dmac1969 Briskodian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Berwick upon Tweed , Northumberland. Posts: 2,469 Members Car: Fabia 1.4 MPi Comfort Images: 1 Thanks: 19 Thanked 57 Times in 44 Posts	Re: Roomster Scout review Thats looking good.... __________________ Duncan - England's most Northerly Briskodian! 2000/V reg Fabia 1.4 Mpi Comfort-Dynamic Blue Ex Octavia vRS and Octavia Slxi 1.8T.

17-10-2007, 15:03	#12
OctaviaT81 Briskodian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Cornwall Posts: 965 Members Car: Octavia SLXI 1.8T Thanks: 6 Thanked 29 Times in 18 Posts	Re: Roomster Scout review Theres a group test of the Scout in Autoexpress today against the Nissan Qashqai (spelling?) and the Kia C'eed estate. Scout came last unfortunately, but the main weaknesses were the 1.9TDI engine (noise and refinement) and the middle rear seat not being wide enough for a full sized person. Other than that the consensus was very good, but this was a pretty wide test with 3 very different cars. Maybe the next Roomster will be slightly wider and cure they middle seat issue - and VAG really need to get on with those new CR-TDI engines! __________________ Skoda Motorsport WRC news, photos & more!

18-10-2007, 14:16	#19
OctaviaT81 Briskodian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Cornwall Posts: 965 Members Car: Octavia SLXI 1.8T Thanks: 6 Thanked 29 Times in 18 Posts	Re: Roomster Scout review Ahhh, yes, I just presumed it was the standard 140BHP 2.0 TDI as it didn't say otherwise on their site. Still bloody expensive though! __________________ Skoda Motorsport WRC news, photos & more!

19-02-2008, 18:31	#20
woodenspatulas Briskodian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Kent Posts: 1,391 Members Car: vauxhall vectra and omega and 1.9tdi new fabia Thanks: 37 Thanked 68 Times in 56 Posts	Re: Roomster Scout review NNNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! im gutted my demo Roomster has just this second been sold (what makes it worse is it wasnt by me!) looks like im walking home then....... ........or at least walking to my new demo sadly not a roo, but the first furby estate we got in. the satin level 3 1.9tdi. i already miss the roomster though.. its tough, qwerky looks. the emense room in the boot, the feeling of height, and the looks of startled saxo drivers when i passed them i did 6,500 miles in it and its been fun. i can whole heartedly say the roomster may be odd looking but its qualities as a brilliant car outweight the looks all day long!! i wish the new owner all the best, maybe they will turn up on here, who knows! __________________ Where has my sig pic gone????

22-02-2008, 14:41	#21
Burnsey Briskodian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: GLASGOW Posts: 458 Members Car: Thanks: 13 Thanked 20 Times in 20 Posts	Re: Roomster Scout review Quite funny. There was a blue roomster, and black roomster scout and my octavia all parked in a row when I left my car this morning. The black scout did look pretty good it has to be said, since the side pillars were then the same colour __________________ Burnsey 1.9 tdi Octy II elegance estate (gone but not forgotten... 2.5v6tdi Superb, MkI Octy 1.6)

07-07-2008, 08:57	#25
gerasimos Briskodian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Greece - Pireaus Posts: 21 Members Car: Roomster Scout 1.4 16v Thanks: 19 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Roomster Scout review Hello, does anybody knows if the Roomster Scout 1.4 Petrol (Starter Version - Here in Greece we have only one version of Scout) in accessories includes also and the Maxi dot Screen ? Thanks in advanced? Makis Last edited by gerasimos; 07-07-2008 at 10:11.