Skoda Roomster test drive since 2006 -

Comparative test

The bestseller recipe is a verified balance between quality, price and style. Kia and Skoda have reached almost perfect balance in their compactwins
The idea to shoot cars at VDNH was unexpectedly creative. When the two compactwanes appeared before the once -front gate with a flashing stucco molding, the time seemed to turn back: both Kia Soul and Skoda Roomster introduced us with exhibition exhibits. If you call these cars the achievement of the Korean and Czech auto industry, then this will probably sound too pathetic. But if you look the truth in the eye, it is. Both manufacturers have seriously progressed in recent years in terms of improving the quality and appearance of their machines. And if Skoda wants to enter a premium segment on the shoulders of the partner VW, then Kia has more earthly goals. The main one is to gain a foothold in the European market, offering the new light a tempting alternative. The task of Kia Soul is to shake European conservatives. Compactwane from the country of morning freshness finally destroys the idea of \u200b\u200bthe secondary and slurred Korean design, and at the same time the boundaries between different types of bodies. The Czech car is not just kind and neat. He brings new shades to the concept of a house on wheels, knowing, like an illusionist, to expand the space. In other words, both models are emphasized by bold, even niche in some ways. They were born in the struggle for aesthetic pragmatists, who need a little more than just a means of transportation.
Vanguard
You look at the orange Kia Soul and once again admire the artistic instinct of the chief designer of the brand Peter Schreyer. The German seemed to fold a mosaic. He gathered various geometric figures into a handful, threw them into the body, and they stuck. The flowing lines of the hood, wheel arches and headlights are played with triangles of the upper ledge of the roof, rear lights and side glasses behind the rear racks. There are circles, ovals, rectangles, trapezia, there are complex, not amenable to classification of form. A lot of truly fresh decisions. Take, for example, strips of turning indicators, which have settled in the block of the block fact. Or rear lights drowned in metal. The colors of their reflectors are on the verge of kitsch. Red, silver-white and pink-lilac. The latter will probably appeal to the city fashionistas, but the paradox is that this color confusion does not annoy men. Schreyer acted here as a provocateur, but this is a provocation of a talented artist, a successful artistic experiment. A sense of taste and measure did not change the Germans when designing a salon. It would seem that there may be absurd inserts in mouse-gray plastic? But the Kia chief designer paints the inside of the glove boxes in red, and at the same time correlates these red accents with the lighting of the instrument panel. It turned out not just did not go, but exquisite. The youth accent is also important, which can be traced in most KIA innovations. USB, AUX connectors and a standard cord for iPod will surely appreciate music lovers and lovers of electronics. Two 12-volt sockets at the central console immediately turn Soul into a station for charging all kinds of gadgets.
The design of Roomster is equally organic and equally provocative. If Schreyer played with his Soul in a mose, then Thomas Ingalat (the author of the Roomster concept, at that time Skoda chef) conducted complex genetic experiments. A utility heel, minivan and a compact hatchback hybrid was complicated in our case with an admixture of off -roadness. Soul went into the competitors of Soul in the SCOUT version - with a plastic body kit, slightly increased compared to the standard Roomster clearance and pseudo -metal overlays on the rear bumper. As for the decoration of the interior (and in the case of Roomster I want to put it exactly so), then the topic of volume, airiness and lightness is erected here. The car justifies its name (Room translated from English - room, space). Roomster really looks like a cozy house with a large window. This window is in the ceiling. The panoramic roof can be hidden with white mesh curtains. Large glasses of the sidewalls are perceived against the background of the dominant transparent top with small windows. A two -tone front panel adds the salon. Its light lower part harmonizes with the same door trim and central tunnel.
The heroes of our test would look even more attractive, if not for the evidence of savings. In Kia Soul, the percentage of inexpensive materials is slightly higher, but budget decisions are not striking, for which a separate compliment is a design team. True, the rough casing of the steering column Soul is easily scratched with the key, and the lever of the mechanical gearbox does not correspond to the general fashionable style and is not too pleasant to the touch. The situation, however, can be corrected by ordering additional proprietary accessories - such as the handle of the μP lever. In Roomster, I did not like the external pens of opening doors made of lightweight plastic, a hard plastic of the door panels, as well as a bare steering wheel without multifunctional buttons. At the same time, the steering wheel of the Czech itself is extremely pleasant to the touch and as if borrowed from the car with a class above.
For different families
Both compactwane without any stretch - family cars, but they only fell under different families. Kia Soul is clearly addressed to young couples who have not yet acquired offspring. A striking example: the Korean tested test for the placement in the trunk of a baby stroller, it was difficult to host this children's attribute only in a disassembled form, while in Roomster a stroller can simply be rolled up. In this case, not only the unification of Roomster Scout with a cargo version of Praktik, but also a serious advantage of the Czech car in the amount of the wheelbase. Roomster, relating to class B, is almost the same as the representatives of the golf class - more than, say, in the Astra Hatchback, the third generation. It is clear that the advantage of Skoda over KIA along the length of the base (67 mm) makes the placement of the rear row passengers more comfortable. If a tall man is sitting in a mother -in -law at Roomster, several more free centimeters will remain in front of his knees. On the gallerine Soul is also not crowded, but you still feel not so free. But the Korean is noticeably wider and above the Czech. In the shoulders and above the head, a significant supply of space, which will surely appreciate the front riders. But Soul is conceived first of all for them.
Roomster is also ahead of the competitor from the possibilities of transforming the salon. Varioflex advanced system allows you to shift the rear three -section seats in various directions, and completely dismantle them. Only the middle part can be folded, and compactwane will become 4-seater, and a wide soft armrest will share two rear passengers. Or you can configure the angle of inclination of the back of the rear seats for yourself. Soul has a small choice. The rear row seats are folded in a ratio of 60:40. Places for lobby in this case will still be a little. The fact is that on a full -sized reserve hollowed in the floor (Roomster is relied on), a huge organizer for tools and all sorts of little things rests. This foam plate can be destroyed as a class, but when folding the rear seats, in this case, a noticeable step will be obtained, which is also not too convenient. In a word, Soul is not for the transported needs. You can go on a supermarket on it or go to a picnic. The concept is not in the concept.
Face and wrong side
The inner world of the subjects is fully consistent with their appearance. Kia Soul is not without reason mimifies under the SUV. At the wheel you feel like a driver of a light all -terrain vehicle towering above the ground. This feeling of commander landing can be significantly strengthened if the driver's seat is raised to the stop - the control range is very solid. In the latter case, the entire chubby hood is visible through the windshield - so you get a more clear idea of \u200b\u200bthe external dimensions of the machine. You can do the opposite - lower the chair to the floor, and the landing will become more passenger. It is a pity that the capabilities of the settings are somewhat limited by the steering wheel regulated only in height. Another claim to the design of Soul is not the best review back. The reason is in wide rear racks. On the one hand, this is a fee for a bold design, on the other hand, an additional security guarantee in the event of an accident. Be that as it may, we recommend that you include the rear parking sensors among the mandatory options.
Inside the Roomster Sut, nothing reminds of an external gigiper - in a room with white wallpapers is too light and neat for a crossover. Review and landing - as in the average European hatchback, station wagon or sedan. The steering wheel is adjusted by the angle of inclination and departure, the front seats with manual adjustments, including in height. To someone, Roomster will appear fragmentedly clamped, someone-unnecessarily conservative, but what can not be taken from the Czech is erected in the principle of convenience and impeccable ergonomics.
Townspeople
We deliberately picked up for the test comparable modification for energy supply. Both cars are equipped with gasoline 1.6-liter engines that work with 5-speed mechanics. At the disposal of the Korean 124 hp, the Czech is content with a capacity of 105 hp, but does not feel deprived, because it has some kind of advantage in the peak moment reached at lower speeds. Soul shows the character in the first gear, trying to break away from the neighbors in the stream. The second transfer of the Korean, however, is completely civilian - the ride becomes measured. The third provokes again to a jerk, especially if the engine is well promoted. The fourth and fifth - for measured movement, and the early transition up in the city is contraindicated. The motor for such liberties is not elastic enough. A similar character is Roomster. The Skoda engine has an even selection in all programs, but, like the KIA unit, does not like low revolutions. But both cars are perfectly adapted to driving in traffic jams. Here, as it seemed to us, the Korean compact slightly surpassed the competitor. At a speed of up to 2-3 km/h, you can go not only in the first, but also in the second gear without squeezing the clutch. However, the Czech also had almost no had to help the clutch at the turtle speeds.
As for the convenience of gear shift, the favorite is unobvious. The Skoda box works clearly and sonorously, the programs are stuck accentuatedly. KIA KP is more impressive, a lever in comparison with the Korean unit has a more free move. He sails his distance like a swimmer, not meeting any obstacles in his path. However, the convenience of switching does not suffer from this. Kia and Skoda brakes also there were not the slightest complaints, despite the fact that the Korean car on the rear axle has budgetary drum mechanisms.
In terms of controllability, cars showed themselves by the standards of cars as strong middle peasants, and a slight advantage was, in our opinion, on the side of Skoda. Both have a slightly empty steering wheel in the near -Stolium zone, but Kia has a lack of information content to a slightly greater extent. On the other hand, it is clear that the Koreans paid increased attention to the steering settings. Information about the road on the steering wheel Soul is subjective even more than that of CEE'D and Serato.
High bodies and an increased road clearance compared to most cars - a tribute to the Off -Road style and help on a bad road. It is clear that these same features provoke cars to the rolls in corners. And, of course, Soul and Roomster Scout (the clearance of the latter is increased compared to the usual Roomster by 43 mm) was no exception. At the same time, Roomster’s slightly greater resistance to the rolls can be attributed to low -profile tires with a dimension of 205/45 R16.
The Korean, however, takes his own on a straight line, demonstrating the smoothness of the course characteristic of most models of Kia and good exchange rate stability. The suspension is configured, however, to European roads. Serious flaws of asphalt or lying policemen convey hello to the spine. However, Roomster shocks no less on the potholes. The engineers of two brands, apparently, thought in one direction and, I must say, succeeded in many ways. Both Soul and Roomster are controlled for compactwenes very gambling, but such chassis settings are not to the detriment of comfort.
It is inappropriate to compare the off -road potential of pseudo -decisors - the four -wheel drive for both models is not provided even in plans. However, both cars have very short overhangs and enlarged, compared with average family cars, clearance. Moreover, if in the absolute numbers the Czech road clearance looks more solid, then the de facto, due to the low-set front bumper Roomster, the subjects have parity in this aspect. I would like to move out on a light off -road - we ask for mercy.
And finally, the emotional component. Here is a clear advantage on the Soul side. There is no doubt that this car will be bought primarily because of the design, and the decision to buy with their hearts. Our small study is quite significant. Roomster is more interesting in terms of controllability and cunning manipulations with a salon. And Soul causes sympathy due to the fact that it is closer to the peak of fashion trends. This does not mean that Roomster is less sympathetic or less original. He just has his own audience. More adult and conservative, but filled, nevertheless, taste and love of life.
 
Technical characteristics Kia Soul 1.6 Skoda Roomster Scout 1.6
Dimensions, mm 4105x1785x1610 4219x1695x1650
Wheel base, mm 2550 2617
Trunk volume 220-700 450-1780
Equipped mass, kg 1245 1175
Type of engine gasoline 4l gasoline 4l
Working volume, cubic meter. cm 1591 1598
Max. Power, L.S./O/min 124/6300 105/5700
Max. moment, nm/rpm 156/4200 155/3500
Mechanical transmission 5-speed mechanical 5-speed
Max. Speed, km/h 177 184
Acceleration time 0100 km/h, with 11.0 10.9
Fuel consumption (average), l/100 km 7.9 7.0
Tank volume, l 48 55
Vasily Sergeev
Photo by Yana Segal

 
 
  

Source: Avtopanorama magazine