Skoda Yeti : Review, Price & Pictures

[nkrishnap]

Great Review there!. A five star rating for the test drive report.

The white Yeti in the Grassy background actually looks pretty good. Stalling? Any specific reason for this.

Puddle light placed below the ORVMs is waste IMO.

[Ricky_63]

Great review. The one thing that I did not quite get, if there is a problem with stalling at start up, why has that not been addressed ? Seems simple enough.

From the looks of it everything inside the car looks fine. If the outside was as pleasing they'd certainly have sold a lot of these.

It has looks that you either hate or something you get used to over a period. I do not think anyone would fall for the way it looks. What kind of mileage did it give in city & on highway drives ?




Thanks

[BusyBoyKK]

Have been longing for the TBHP Yeti review and there it is. Superb review and high quality pics cover all aspects. The TBHP trademark coverage is carried. Thank you Rehaan and others for bringing this.
Though I have not complaints about the design, I feel this appeals more to urbans and really have to wait to see how the other part of country take it.
Features rock!!

Thumbs up!!

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

• The doors auto-lock, but don’t unlock when the drivers door is opened from the inside. Irritating! The lock icon on the button lights up orange when engaged.

How to unlock the other doors? Do you need to press the unlock button on the key fob/remote?

Or is this the answer?

• You have to press the remote unlock button twice to unlock all doors. Boot release button on the remote control can be useful too. A long press will roll windows up / down.

Windows rolling up when it starts to rain is a neat feature.

The review is one of the most comprehensive on T-Bhp I think and I really like the Yeti.

How is the handling when compared to CRV?

[vgsr]

Great review and in detail. i quite like its quirky looks and the little touches like the ticket holder , the string to hold long magazines, the handle to bring the rear door down, But it does appear too crowded for 5 people as the review itself says. The boot space with all seats occupied is not all that big, is it? As someone mentioned, The *** of the skoda(from what I have read on BHP) will would deter me .Overall, i am not unhappy I paid the 3 lacs extra for the captiva

[vb-san]

Excellent Review. A buying decision can be easily made out this, even without a test drive!

Agree with Dippy, the DSG will make it even more attractive.
If the Yeti is a success, maybe we can see the likes of Nissan Qashqai getting into India - which is a direct competition to the Yeti in many markets.

[@tombum]

Wow. The interiors are top notch. I was a bit skeptical about the subtle understated look of the Yeti, but the interiors surely seals the deal. As GTO said, this is going to be a sure shot winner among the ladies!

[Rehaan]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Originally Posted by superboy44

though as you said the lack of body colored bumpers does look out of place now but still i feel it adds to its robust looks, makes it stand out.

It sure does add that robust look, though we felt like the black bumper on the rear could have been a little smaller / ended lower.

Originally Posted by blackasta

Are the mirrors electronically retractable? What is the consumption unit? ( L / H ??)

I have edited the original post to clarify these issues :
- The mirrors need to be folded and opened manually
- L/h is Liters/hour, shown only when the car is idling. Pretty cool eh?

Originally Posted by //M

...what impresses is the extra bits like 3-point seat belts for the rear middle passenger, adjustable arm rests, that thread to hold magazines...

Absolutely. Theres tons of these little details that impress.

Originally Posted by jkdas

And bad at 4x4? Hope the it comes with a free clutch change package.

If you don't push it to its limits (eg. over large obstacles or in and out of major ditches) there won't be too much need to slip the clutch. Tricky part is restraining yourself to stay within its limits.

Originally Posted by skinax

One negative feedback is the legroom for back seats are awfully small. I really mean it.

I have a feeling that when you sat in the car, the rear seats were slid to their forward position. Look at the picture we have posted - thats with a 5'8" person's front seat setting, and there is still decent room at the rear.
^ This should answer other people's legroom questions too.

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Neat feature. Is this feature available in any other current car in India?

Skoda Superb. Not sure which others.
Though the Yeti's fogs provide significantly better illumination in this case.

Originally Posted by sukiwa

What happens with single press on unlock button? Does it open driver door at least?

Correct. A single press opens just the driver's door.

Originally Posted by Dippy

The omissions of sunroof, xenons and a DSG are surprising but that could be the indication that a top end L&K will surely be in the pipeline soon.

Excellent point!
The DSG should probably be available all around, and the L&K might come in if the Yeti can pull in good enough sales numbers to warrant it.

cya
R

[vcash]

Great review, R! Still not convinced on the value \ utility that the Yeti aims to deliver. Were you able to take pictures against other cars in the C/C+ segment? I still can't visualize the size.

[sandeepmdas]

Fantastic review there Rehaan.

As Mod. Dippy has pointed out, a version with xenons, sunroof, bluetooth and probably GPS could be in the pipeline.

IMO, this car resembles the FJCruiser in some angles, it is purely IMO.

[Hatari]

Nice review! very useful
the small things are quite significant.. "the devil is in the detail"

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

What's the wheelbase for Yeti?

Wheelbase = 2578mm.
(Which is identical to the Laura and about 40mm less than the CRV)

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Suppose the seats are left as is for passengers, do you think the boot space can carry a full size golf bag and trolley as well as normal luggage for an out of town holiday?

I'm not too well versed with the size of a golf-bag (thats usually the unit of measurement reserved for ultra-luxury tourers ) -- however, i think this should be possible.
If the golf-bag doesn't fit lying down, it will definitely fit standing diagonally.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

How would you rate the luggage boot space in comparison to the Scorpio for example?

I think its on par with the Scorpio. Others can confirm.
Later today, I'll upload a new picture to the original post that should give you a better idea.

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Stalling? Any specific reason for this.

As mentioned, probably a light flywheel + low torque at idle of the engine.

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

why has that [stalling] not been addressed ?

Actually it just takes some getting used to. You need to modify your driving style, and read audible feedback from the engine differently (ie revv high despite the higher than normal engine noise).
The petrol Superb had a similar behavior, though in its case the engine is dead quiet!

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

It has looks that you either hate or something you get used to over a period.

True. After looking at this thing for a couple of days, im already getting a little used to it.

I think blacked out B-pillars would make it a lot more livable :

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

What kind of mileage did it give in city & on highway drives ?

I noticed a real-time reading of 19.7km/l when cruising lazily on the expressway in 6th - however, we can't really base anything solid on this.

Originally Posted by Sheel

How to unlock the other doors? Do you need to press the unlock button on the key fob/remote?

The lock/unlock switch is places on the center console between the driver and passenger seats. Atleast with this placement the passenger can also get to it, unlike in the case of the Polo/Vento.

cya
R

[rohan_iitr]

Great review Rehaan !!!

Any reason why the Yeti review is coming so late ? Generally Team-BHP reviews are the fastest.

We will have to wait and see how the market reacts to the Skoda Yeti. In the past, the Indian market has not shown keen interest in cross-over vehicles like this one. (Even though I am a great fan of cross over vehicles)

Most people with such cash would rather buy a proper sedan (for image factor) or a proper SUV (for offroading ability and image factor). IMHO, such XO models fall in no man's land. Like Dippy mentioned above, Yeti looks like an overgrown (and overpriced, if I may add) Fabia.

Not having an AT option is really strange, especially considering that this is targeted towards self-driven customers.

The ground clearance is not that good. Low end response is poor. Skoda after sales service is not at par with the competition.

Still, it might be a good option for customers desiring exclusivity.

Rohan

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

Any reason why the Yeti review is coming so late ?

I believe all other Indian reviews you might have seen tested the lower Ambiente version.
We thought the Elegance was more important and had more to cover - so we waited. (I think maybe Team-BHP was the first to test the Elegance variant?).

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

The ground clearance is not that good. Low end response is poor.

Just to clarify - ground clearance is more than adequate on bad roads, its just that it doesn't have SUV like GC. They are different beasts.

Also low end response is actually good - theres minimal turbo lag, its just that there isn't much torque near idle (~800RPM) till about 1000rpm, after which its fine.

Originally Posted by vb-san

A buying decision can be easily made out this, even without a test drive!

Appreciate the comment, but always take a test drive

Originally Posted by vcash

Still not convinced on the value \ utility that the Yeti aims to deliver.

Looking at 4x4s or soft roaders, there's a huge gap between the Scorpio/Safari and the Captiva/Fortuner. The Yeti jumps right in there. Sure, its not for everyone, but this is a niche that has potential. The Aria is trying to exploit it too.

Think of it this way : minus a slight bit of space and the less quirky looks, you're getting everything that a soft roader like the X-trail offers, and much much more goodies, for several lakhs less.

Originally Posted by vcash

Were you able to take pictures against other cars in the C/C+ segment? I still can't visualize the size.

I was going to add this to the original post later today. I think it should clear any doubts you might have about the size!



cya
R

[shankar.balan]

thanks bud for this info!

My humble Scorp cannot be called a Ultra-Luxe Tourer and nor am I frankly anywhere near that bracket of consumer.

However, the vehicle is easily able to take a combi of 2 Fat Golf Bags + 2 lighter stand bags all stacked up on top of each other but lying down laterally - they fit very neatly in the available boot space.

4 of us travelled to eagleton with our individual golf bags and my scorp was easily able to accommodate all 4 of us and our golf bags as well as some wash and change type small luggage.

Normally the Scorp boot takes the Fat Bag + Trolley + my CAR tool/ general bag + an assortment of stuff including luggage etc. All handled very peacefully because the boot is pretty large.

For example, by contrast, the Ford Fusion could just handle my fat bag, with its rear seats folded down and when the bag was placed diagonally and lying flat.

Best for me to go and view the Yeti in person and see.
Any idea if it is on show at TAFE BLR anyone?

Originally Posted by Rehaan

I'm not too well versed with the size of a golf-bag (thats usually the unit of measurement reserved for ultra-luxury tourers ) -- however, i think this should be possible.
If the golf-bag doesn't fit lying down, it will definitely fit standing diagonally.
I think its on par with the Scorpio. Others can confirm.
Later today, I'll upload a new picture to the original post that should give you a better idea.

R