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Vroom with a view

Will they, won't they? Skoda is studying the possibility of the Roomster crossover for India

Recently put into production in the Czech Republic, the Skoda Roomster crossover might just make it to India in a short while. Selling the Roomster in India poses a big challenge to Skoda as Indians have rejected MPV-like crossover cars before. The lukewarm response to the Ford Fusion and the Fiat Adventure is proof enough, though their formula seemed tailor-made for Indian conditions - car-like size combined with high ground clearance.

Skoda's first independent project since Volkswagen took over in 1991, the Roomster breaks new ground in several areas. It's a unique pack of a radically styled family vehicle that has the look and proportions of an SUV and the space of a mini MPV. And unlike MPVs or mono-volume cars that attempt to maximise passenger space by using a cabin-forward nose section, the Roomster has a prominent bonnet. It defies the conventional three-row seating arrangement of this vehicle class with what Skoda calls `Vario-Flex'. Seating is for four or five, with the rear seats being movable by up to 750 mm. Built on a long, 2.7-metre wheelbase, the Roomster has generous space between the wheels despite its short overall 4.2 metre length. In fact, the Roomster just misses out on the small car excise reduction in India, passing the four-meter mark on overall length.

The Roomster is not a good-looking car by any stretch of imagination. It's striking though - BMW's new age styling seems to be getting popular, as the Roomster features an eclectic mix of flame-surfaced curves on the body panels alongside sharp edges. The new version of the Skoda grille looks great and the heavily raked front windscreen and windows are flush mounted and combine to look like a single element, giving a pillar- less effect, the curved roof and upturned door sills adding to it. The Roomster also has particularly tall side glass windows, which add to an airy feel, but missing from the production version are the central roof spine and long twin sunroofs, which added to the `roomy' airy feel of the car.

Built on the Fabia platform, the Roomster uses the semi-independent rear suspension of the Octavia, which means a simple beam axle set-up that takes up less space than the independent set-up of the Laura. While the Roomster uses engines similar to its sibling, the Fabia, for India, it will probably be powered by the Octavia's 1.9-litre 90bhp diesel engine.

The Roomster is certainly a unique new addition to the Skoda line-up. The big question is this — are we ready for such a vehicle?

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