Okay, I see lots and lots of points against the Yeti for its price tag. Since the negatives have been repeatedly mentioned here, lemme just talk of the positives. Not saying there are no negatives but read enough on that here already.
A common man looking at buying a car would go by the price, quality, size, A.S.S., brand value, resale value, features commonly seen in cars, etc. Skoda Yeti would not appeal to the mass who judges a car in this conventional way and stops the research right there because Yeti's advantages are not confined to these popularly admired list of features. One needs to dig deeper, know the car technically to appreciate its value.
Before I get back to that, the other day I was discussing the VFM of the previous model L&K Laura compared to that of a lower trim like ambient version of Laura. If you actually see the price difference between the 2 cars and take each additional feature and sum up the cost, one would wonder how the company manages to offer the whole extra lot at such less cost difference which makes L&K much much more VFM than an ambient though it is more expensive.
Similarly, Yeti needs to be looked at from a different perspective. It is not just another car which does one or two roles happily. It is a proper cross-over which takes care of multiple roles at its best.
Just take the Haldex intelligent AWD system. Skoda offered that level of AWD traction only in 4x4 V6 Superb in India which is their flagship model. The other cars in which the Haldex AWD system was featured in India were Freelander 2 and Volvo XC 60 both which costs more than double the price and belongs to a higher category. Means you can't even dream of Haldex AWD system (be it any version) in a car anywhere near this price bracket. Forget the 4x4 capabilities. I'm not saying Yeti is a very capable off-roader. I would not buy Yeti if I wanted a capable off-roader. I would buy a Thar, Pajero or X-trail if I wanted to go off-road. That is the mis-leading part. Apart from off-road capabilities, or shall we say above and beyond the off-road capabilities, what people fail to see is the on-road capabilities and the level of unbeatable traction this system offers with a whole lot of electronic aids to make sure you ride safe and sure footed. Though Yeti has slightly more GC and taller than the Laura or Octavia giving it a slightly disadvantageous higher COG, with this system it offers more stablility than the sedans with same engine and similar power. This comes from a tuner who has tuned up enough Yeti's and Laura's and tested them together. And I can endorse that very confidently. The traction and stability this system offers puts sedans to shame. Only Skoda's flagship model Superb V6 would offer better traction than that or talk about cars atleast 20, 30 lakhs more expensive. A person who is actually looking for a sedan with manual shifter, oodles of torque and power, mind blowing traction, excellent handling, etc. would not look into this category while actually Yeti fits all this better than any car in that price range. That's the sad part. That is why Yeti owners appreciate it so much and others fail to understand it. Octavia, Laura, Jetta, Passat, Superb (except the discontinued V6 4x4) all are very capable cars but they are FWD cars and AWD cars are on a league of its own (not talking about full grown SUVs but just AWD cars).
When a person sees the dimensions of Yeti, the first thing that he would imagine is it must be pretty cramped inside. Wrong! Sit inside and you fail to understand where all that space appeared from. Most efficient utilization of interior space is what you see. You get varioflex seating. The flexibility these seats offer are in a league of its own. And the taller seating position unlike sedans make sure you travel with less fatigue. And since Yeti does not roll like an SUV, you don't get thrown around. You are in slightly better travel comfort as compared to a sedan in that range. Rough patches, broken roads, no roads - all taken care of without any trouble.
While new Octavia offers refreshed interiors, I don't think quality wise it has improved over the Yeti's interior. Aesthetically it might appeal more like the Passat but Yeti's interiors are not far behind. It uses quality materials and do not show any signs of deterioration in close to 4 years of ownership. Not only looks good but functionally great too with lots of storage space.
It is not just a city car, it is not just a weekend car, it is not just a soft roader, it is not just a highway cruiser. Give Yeti any of these titles and it feels like Yeti is that. It does not just take up each role, but be the best at that.
Compared to the additional features available in the Yeti abroad like DSG, more engine options, Pano roof, Auto parking, etc. Indian version feels quite basic. But it still is technically rich in what it offers. And for the guys interested in mods, there is plenty of scope! Very few goes that deep researching about a car before purchasing it. And being a crossover means, a person looking for a sedan might not consider it, and a person looking at an SUV also might fail to consider this car. Could be another reason for this car to be not considered seriously by a large crowd. In Indian market, it did not sell much but ours is a very strange and highly price sensitive market. Add to it the experience of some owners and stories about Skoda that scares the bejesus out of many to go anywhere near Skoda brand, our size to price ratio - way of evaluating a car, it is not surprising that it did not do well in India. But Yeti sold suprisingly well in EU and other parts of the globe unlike India. I think the supply of cars vs initial demand has played a key role too in making it a poor seller. I remember the initial bookings at Marikar Skoda in Kerala had crossed 60 nos. even before the first Yeti was delivered. But shortage of supply meant most of it got cancelled and only very few got actually delivered.
A person who is looking at an all round car with good built quality, who needs huge FTD factor, enjoys manual shift, is tech loving to appreciate the advantages of Haldex traction system, etc. can invest in a Yeti without thinking twice. I am one of the first Yeti owners in India and got it OTR for around 18.7 lakhs in 2010 soon after the launch. Driven around 57K Kms now and Yeti still impresses me with every drive.
I am aware I just spoke about Yeti to a market which sees it as a car which is totally not worth the price tag. I know I have spoken about a Skoda product positively. I speak from my experience, from my perspective and not making any kind of commercial endorsements here. Majority of you might disagree on justifying Yeti's price and I'm not going to argue on that
, but I agree to disagree with that thought process which fails to see its technical worth and overall VFM.
Now coming to the new model, while it has a more balanced VW family corporate look, I feel it was better left the way it was for it had a character of its own.