[rkris]

Originally Posted by skinax

Hi,

I've checked the Skoda Yeti few months back when they had a demo at Bangalore. One negative feedback is the legroom for back seats are awfully small. I really mean it. However, leg room for front seats are good.

Boot space is good and can fit a golf bag and some luggage bags for a short visit.

Regards!

Awesome review Rehaan..!!

Checked the Yeti out a couple of days back here in Chennai and would agree with most of what you have just said. The electronics and the new additions like the plastic clip on the driver side windshield would impress many..!! The car looks great except for the leg room for those who sit at the back.

On the whole, a car to look out for, only if Skoda do something about their after sales service..!!

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by v.anand

@suhaas307, positive side to low sales of Jazz is owners like you can enjoy its exclusivity, something like Palio owners did too. Its a terrific package at mass market prices with exclusivity unlike something like Swift, i20 etc., which one sees in hordes on the roads. To me, the only area City beats Jazz in spite of all the additional features is the engine.

OT

I believe that it isn't a 'positive side' to it. It is, in fact, the actual reason as to why the Jazz hasn't set the sales-charts on fire. Nevertheless, as you say, we can enjoy its exclusivity. And yes, The Jazz may not be very different from the City, but the City enjoys a higher pedestal because of that tasty 1.5 iVtec lump.

Getting back to the Yeti.

I believe that it's a great package that will only get better once Skoda introduces the petrol variants and the DSG 'box and perhaps, even the L&K? But when it's priced at almost 21 lakhs OTR Bangalore, I wouldn't expect the cash-registers at Skoda dealerships to be ringing all that much! Blame it on the massive road-tax, because the ex-showroom price isn't that bad at all.

[StarrySky]

I spotted the Yeti today on my way to work. The car was being filmed for one of the car shows on TV. I had read all the Yeti size comparisons in the review, still I got a minor shock when I saw it on the road. It could be an alternative to some of the sedans (Laura, Jetta) in that price range. But I think many people who are looking to buy a car (read sedan) may not consider the Yeti because of its shape (not sedan-like). People looking to buy a SUV may also stay away from Yeti due to its size. So, I think Yeti is going to be a niche vehicle - I am not sure how successful it is going to be.

[j76]

Had been to the Autocar Performance Show 2010, the Yeti was on display there. The Brown Yeti looked really good from the front. The front seat experience was exquisite and becoming of a vehicle of this class. But in doing so Skoda have forgotten what comes after that. The rear seat is a compromise. All of the flexi seating has resulted in seats with inadequate support and less space. Standing behind and opening the tail gate was a shocker. It had half the space I had imagined. Suddenly the boot of a honda city and toyota corolla seemed huge in comparison. It actually felt as I was staring into the boot of a maruti hatch. And then the maruti likeness continued when i closed the boot. It had the same stance of a Ritz. Pardon me if I sound harsh, but that is the first thought that came to my mind. I was waiting for the Yeti to replace my existing corolla, but I am now quite clear that the this Skoda is a compact SUV and way too compact for my liking.

[shankar.balan]

Yes Sir
Bangalore has an extremely absurdly usurious rate of road taxes.

here's the breakup

Ambiente: Ex Showroom 1549731
Insurance: 53309
Extended Warranty: 19027
Road Tax @ 18.7% + Surcharges + Handling: 303200
ON Road BLR : 1925267

Elegance: Ex Showroom 1673216
Insurance: 57315
Extended Warranty: 19027
Road Tax @ 18.7% + Surcharges + Handling: 326292
ON Road BLR: 2075850

Given the amount of kit that you get in the Elegance vis a vis the Ambiente, the price differential of 1.5 lacs is really not much.

Hence the Elegance is a far far better buy than the Ambiente assuming in the first place one is in the market for a compact, pretty luxurious baby SUV at this price range.

Originally Posted by ampere

Is it that big a difference between AMD and BLR? I remember Shankar mentioning 20.75 OTR in BLR! Correct me if I am wrong Shankar.

[ByDesign]

Absolutely wonderful photographs, and beautiful attention to detail Rehaan. Thanks for the review.

My father and I are potential Yeti buyers here in Delhi. We saw her at the Auto Expo '10 and asked if we could book right there. Sadly it wasn't possible. Then came the after sales horror stories about Skoda. I went quite deep into this research, and I firmly decided that we would NEVER buy a Skoda thanks to the sheer depth of the bad reviews! I couldn't believe a premium car manufacturer like Skoda would have such bad A.S.S!

I've told my dad not to consider the Yeti now, and we're looking at other options like the Vento, Civic, etc. i.e. across all the ranges.
This review however, is making me think once more of the Yeti. Is the horrid A.S.S worth not buying the car entirely? Or is my fear more of an old wives tale. I've done a fair deal of research on T-BHP as well, and I've noticed people even trying to sue Skoda for defective Laura's etc. Bit lost here. When is Skoda going to step up its after sales instead of franchising it out with no quality control?

I think the Yeti looks and sounds perfect for an all round vehicle, fishing vacations, city driving, highway, the works.

Thanks

[sabynag]

Road Tax including surcharge is only 18.7% of invoice value. What the dealer is collecting over and above that (about 13.5K) is going straight into dealership's bank account.
Most dealers in BLR take advantage of common buyers' lack of knowledge about road tax rates and lump "handling" into road tax figures. Very few people question it thinking Karantaka road tax is anyway high, but in that process they end up paying more than what they should.

To close the deal, many dealers generously offer dealer-discount (or corp discount) which in most cases will be around this "handling" figure. Buyer thinks that he got a good deal, and dealer knows that he didn't lose anything. It's a win-win.

[shankar.balan]

When I bought the Scorpio and the Bolero before that I had paid about Rs 5000 to the dealer for handling charges.

At that time I understood that this charge included transportation from the Yard outside the city, the RTO charges, getting the vehicle registered and providing me with its RC book and number plates, as well as the Puja and final wash before the delivery to me.

I think the amount charged was fair.

Originally Posted by sabynag

Road Tax including surcharge is only 18.7% of invoice value. What the dealer is collecting over and above that (about 13.5K) is going straight into dealership's bank account.
Most dealers in BLR take advantage of common buyers' lack of knowledge about road tax rates and lump "handling" into road tax figures. Very few people question it thinking Karantaka road tax is anyway high, but in that process they end up paying more than what they should.

To close the deal, many dealers generously offer dealer-discount (or corp discount) which in most cases will be around this "handling" figure. Buyer thinks that he got a good deal, and dealer knows that he didn't lose anything. It's a win-win.

[anjalikapoor]

Her interiors are Laura-inspired and she does have really oddball looks! It'll be interesting to watch how she performs against Aria.

[kadanaJ]

Well both Skoda and Tata have pretty bad A.S.S., can't say which is better.
Atleast Yeti owners won't have to deal with the swarms of indicabs Tata Service Centres probably see.

[EasyR1der]

Originally Posted by ByDesign

Absolutely wonderful photographs, and beautiful attention to detail Rehaan. Thanks for the review.

My father and I are potential Yeti buyers here in Delhi. We saw her at the Auto Expo '10 and asked if we could book right there. Sadly it wasn't possible. Then came the after sales horror stories about Skoda. I went quite deep into this research, and I firmly decided that we would NEVER buy a Skoda thanks to the sheer depth of the bad reviews! I couldn't believe a premium car manufacturer like Skoda would have such bad A.S.S!

I've told my dad not to consider the Yeti now, and we're looking at other options like the Vento, Civic, etc. i.e. across all the ranges.
This review however, is making me think once more of the Yeti. Is the horrid A.S.S worth not buying the car entirely? Or is my fear more of an old wives tale. I've done a fair deal of research on T-BHP as well, and I've noticed people even trying to sue Skoda for defective Laura's etc. Bit lost here. When is Skoda going to step up its after sales instead of franchising it out with no quality control?

I think the Yeti looks and sounds perfect for an all round vehicle, fishing vacations, city driving, highway, the works.

Thanks

We saw the Yeti @ autoexpo, both my and wifey were looking forward on buying one but sadly the all the negative reviews about Skoda has put us off it.

[ntrack]

Great review Rehaan!

I would opt for this car despite the poor A** of Skoda. It is a great product!

I feel the Yeti justifies its price very well. Kudos to Skoda!!

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by Guna

The question was, whether this differential lock can be controlled by the driver using a button or is this completely decided by the system depending on the road condition or is this one of the many things that gets triggered when you put the car to off-road mode.

From what i know, there is no button to manually lock the differentials. Its completely decided by the electronics (EDL = Electronic Diff Lock).

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Does anyone know the max speeds/ corresponding rpms for each of the gears. Somehow I think that # of gears is becoming like the cheap digicam megapixels. Driven by marketing rather than function.

Ratios:
1st: 3.77
2nd: 1.96
3rd: 1.26
4th: 0.87
5th: 0.86
6th: 0.72
Final Drive Ratio: 3.875
Low range ratio: NA


^^ Notice how close 4th and 5th are !!

Originally Posted by Sawyer

It is these kind of tricks that leads me to think that these are not genuine 4x4s. One of the good practices for the use of 4x4 is to be in it before you actually need it,..

Well, these aren't genuine 4x4s.
I agree with what you say about 4x4 systems being pro-active rather than re-active, but for a car like this, that would just be a waste, as it would rarely be needed. With the current setup, the result is about a second or so of lost traction/wheelspin before the electronics kick in and the 4x4 system provides the needed traction to bail you out. Useful for snow covered roads, slush etc.

Originally Posted by arethusa

Had an extensive TD subsequent to reading the review. The heart says "Go for IT" but given the price and the Skoda horror tales, the brain says "Think Twice!"

+

Originally Posted by ByDesign

...We saw her at the Auto Expo '10 and asked if we could book right there. Sadly it wasn't possible. Then came the after sales horror stories about Skoda.

There are a high number horror stories... but there are also Skoda owners who have had good ownership experiences. If you really want the car and this is the only thing holding you back - i'd say go for it! But just tread with caution when it comes to the services, replacements etc.

cya
R

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Ratios:
1st: 3.77
2nd: 1.96
3rd: 1.26
4th: 0.87
5th: 0.86
6th: 0.72
Final Drive Ratio: 3.875
Low range ratio: NA


^^ Notice how close 4th and 5th are !!

I'm sure there's a typo somewhere.
And the max speeds/ rpms in each gear?

Regards
Sutripta

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Ratios:
1st: 3.77
2nd: 1.96
3rd: 1.26
4th: 0.87
5th: 0.86
6th: 0.72
Final Drive Ratio: 3.875
Low range ratio: NA

There seems to be a typo. I think that 4th should be 1:1, then the ratios make sense.