I CONFESS my heart sank when I realised a 500-mile round trip would coincide with my time with Skoda's Roomster Scout.

The quirky, compact Czech car is superb for scooting around for commuting, but would not have been my number one choice for a weekend trip to Falmouth.

It's a versatile number with distinctive styling, but it does not instantly strike you as an effortless long-distance cruiser.

As it happens, the Cornish trek was immediately preceded by another daily dash into the West Country and, to my surprise, the Roomster emerged from both motorway marathons with flying colours.

The Roomster in question was the Scout model, that shares the chunky body protection and increased ride height of its larger Octavia sibling, but retains the Roomster range's standard front-wheel-drive.

Under the bonnet was a tried-and-tested, 1.9-litre turbo diesel engine delivering a healthy 105 horsepower, making the car more than capable of holding its own in the traffic-packed melee that is the M5.

Even at speed it delivers a quiet, comfortable, ride and despite its upright stance, wind noise is much less than you might expect. Another feature that put a smile on my face was the 57mpg average consumption.

The Scout is distinguishable from other models in the range thanks to some unique styling cues and increased exterior dimensions.

Like the rest of the Roomster range, it shares the so-called 'twin-room' design, which gives the car its unique, or odd, looks, depending on your point of view. The idea is good. At the front is the 'driving room', where the design concentrates on the requirements of the driver and further back is the 'living room', dedicated to keeping passengers safe and relaxed.

At the rear, the vertically-stacked 'C' shaped rear light clusters allow for a taller-than-average tailgate that opens on to a whopping square boot space.

The standard specification is pretty impressive too, with styled body mouldings, 16-inch alloy wheels, roof rails and tinted rear glass.

Inside, there is special upholstery, branded floor mats, a leather three-spoke steering wheel and gearknob and aluminium pedals.

Electronic systems include anti-lock brakes, electronic stability program and a tyre pressure monitor. Six airbags are fitted to every Roomster which scored a maximum five-star rating in EuroNCAP crash tests.

Scout models start at about £12,500, while the Roomster range, which now has a new entry-level 1.2-litre engine starts at under £10,000.

Auto facts Skoda Roomster Scout 1.9 TDI

  • Price: £14,210
  • Ins group: Five
  • Fuel consumption (Combined): 53.3mpg
  • Top speed: 113mph
  • Length: 420.5cm/165.5in
  • Width: 168.4cm/66.3in
  • Luggage capacity: 15.9 cu ft
  • Fuel tank capacity: 12.1 gallons/55 litres
  • CO2 emissions: 139g/km
  • Warranty: 3 years/60,000 miles