[rajblr]

Nitin, Why don't you try Vinayak? I also went through the similar issues with Tafe few months back. Finally went with Vinayak and got the final quotes etc, again tried to contact Tafe and to my surprise i got very good response. Overall i was happy with Vinayak from the first TD onwards and so finally decided to go with them. Shankar Balan's recommendation did help to make this decision as well. I got my elegance delivered couple of weeks back from Vinayak Marthahalli showroom. If you need contacts I/Shankar should be able to provide Vinayak's GMs number for sure he is going to take care of your needs! Let me know if you need his number.

[nitinbose]

Hi Rajblr,

Indeed yes, please provide me the number. I hope they would also provide some good discounts!

By the way, I've heard most people in this forum mention about tyres of the yeti cracking, is this because of the poor quality? Would I be required to replace the stock tyres?

[nilanjanray]

Nitin,

I am not sure you will find the Yeti satisfactory after the Fortuner. Why not also look at Santa Fe and Koleos while checking out the Yeti?

[fiorano88]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Nitin,

I am not sure you will find the Yeti satisfactory after the Fortuner. Why not also look at Santa Fe and Koleos while checking out the Yeti?

yes if you equate the size of the vehicle with its price you wont find it satisfactory but if you are looking for a more equipped, comfortable and a car with better built quality then the Yeti will actually be a step up from the fortuner. i have both and this is my perspective.
but your ultimate decision will be based on the reason you let go of the fortuner imo.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by fiorano88

yes if you equate the size of the vehicle with its price you wont find it satisfactory but if you are looking for a more equipped, comfortable and a car with better built quality then the Yeti will actually be a step up from the fortuner. i have both and this is my perspective.
but your ultimate decision will be based on the reason you let go of the fortuner imo.

It is not always about size for price or road presence. Depends on the use cases, requirement for space, need for low range, rough use, toughness, weightage given to comfort/luxury etc. Basically large body on frame offroader vs. smaller more comfortable crossover. Both have pluses and minuses. Caveat emptor.

I am willing to sacrifice some fanciness for rock solid reliability and toughness. And handling prowess and ride for extra space, low range etc. Many folks aren't.

[pramods]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

Hi Rajblr,

....

By the way, I've heard most people in this forum mention about tyres of the yeti cracking, is this because of the poor quality? Would I be required to replace the stock tyres?

Mine Yeti front right tyre has cracked, I need to now change the complete set, I would suggest you change at the start, you may get a better deal as the tyres will be new. I will have to incur a lot of cost as the current OEM tyre are of no use to anybody!

-Pramod

[rajblr]

Nitin, I couldn't send you a PM as i am a newbie in the forum. Can you send me a PM so that i can provide the number. you should be able to get a good discount with him with out much bargain.

I have just driven only 1K+ so i can't comment on the Tyre yet. All the feedback i heard on Tyre have been negative. Just read Pramods reply on this! I was thinking of driving on the stock for at least 20k before changing it to better ones. Probably if you are planning to off-road often you should plan to change it right away.
-Rajesh

[fiorano88]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

It is not always about size for price or road presence. Depends on the use cases, requirement for space, need for low range, rough use, toughness, weightage given to comfort/luxury etc. Basically large body on frame offroader vs. smaller more comfortable crossover. Both have pluses and minuses. Caveat emptor.

I am willing to sacrifice some fanciness for rock solid reliability and toughness. And handling prowess and ride for extra space, low range etc. Many folks aren't.

agreed. the ultimate decision does depend on the use you are going to put the car through but the Yeti or VW/Skoda cars in general have much better build quality and toughness than Japs. just 1 look at our long term current Gen CRV and Accord clearly show the difference.

As far as reliability is considered even i used to think the same that Japs are in general more reliable than euro cars but then i had to stay in europe for a year and there i saw skodas with very high miles (2-3lakh on average) as ocatavias and superbs are used by taxis in plenty there.
i used to follow the herd and always bought only hondas and toyotas but i got a chance to see the other side and I moved over

although i do agree AS$ of Skoda is leagues behind that of Toyota and in my opinion this is the only drawback. To each his own i guess.

[pramods]

I can comment on the toughness of Yeti, I have taken my Yeti to Leh-Ladakh this session and that too very early, mid of May and am thoroughly satisfied with the performance, at few place high ground clearance vehicle like Scorpio/xylo/Innova/Safari were having difficulties in crossing while my Yeti was able to make it comfortably, the only worry was the ground clearance, but if you take it slowly and carefully the 180mm ground clearance is more than enough. At Gayk while going toward TSO Moriri BRO just made the road as they are putting a new bridge that road was nothing but big boulders, even trucks and Gypsies were having difficulties, but Yeti made it, the 4wd kicks in without your knowledge and gets you out of the situation better(I know there is no 4L here, but most of the time you don't need them, I had 4wd Scorpio previously), I was worried about the suspensions, bushes and alignments, nothing has gone wrong after 5.5K kms out of which 1.5K on off/no road of Ladhak, done the servicing and everything is "as is" apart from tyres which are in real bad shape and need replacement. Yeti is quite tough and can take lots of abuse, the looks are deceptive, while in last 2 tour to ladhak in Scorpio had some or other problem in vehicle, but with Yeti no problems, went via Srinagar and came via Manali.

-Pramod

[nitinbose]

Hi Pramods,

How is the under chassis protection? I've read in this forum that it can break fairly quickly as its made of plastic, do you feel so?

Has any of the Yeti owners installed their own ICE? I have some expensive gear and cannot throw them away. Buyers would offer dirt prices if I try selling them.


I'm not trying to deviate the topic but how would you rate the superb, is this a car that's strictly meant for a city and carpeted roads or can it handle some rough stretches?

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

Hi Rajblr,

Indeed yes, please provide me the number. I hope they would also provide some good discounts!

By the way, I've heard most people in this forum mention about tyres of the yeti cracking, is this because of the poor quality? Would I be required to replace the stock tyres?

Good. Talk to hemanth their GM. Tell him that you expect to be treated as well if not better than the way he has looked after me. I will PM you the number.
When I was evaluating cars last year I thought of the Captiva and Fortuner for a bit, but frankly they are too large for my needs. I love the Yeti as it is just right in terms of size for the city daily grind. Its really well engineered and the quality is of a very high order indeed.

The oem tyres arent meant for serious rough use as they are soft road going tyres. You should connect with another fellow owner Behemoth and take his advice on tyres.
Dont put any stuff of your own, electrical or otherwise, else the warranty gets voided.

The Superb is an extremely tough car. If pushed she will pick up her skirts and keep up with most things you can throw at her. She's tough as nails beneath that blingy exec sedate exterior. All skoda cars in India come with that rough road package as standard. Its pretty good to keep the underside safe on our horrible roads.
All the best!

[pramods]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

Hi Pramods,

How is the under chassis protection? I've read in this forum that it can break fairly quickly as its made of plastic, do you feel so?

...

Hi Nitin,
The answer is Yes and No both, the sump guard is quit strong as it had taken quite a blow during this trip and is still good as new, while the other plastic protections are not that strong, the under protection near the rear left passenger seat of my Yeti is broken, not that bad but still it's broken at 2 places, the service advisor is suggesting against changing them they can be fixed by mSeal.

-Pramod

[AltoHoncho]

Yeti is typical Skoda lineage which is suave and yet able to take you anywhere with equal comfort and premium feel. yes, there are admin issues with skoda in india that they're unable to resolve but still they're managing decent sales figures. The quality will be definitely superb and that too at a reasonable cost, look at the feature list and you'll have your answers.

Fortuner on the other hand, is more like a typical Indian politico.. all about brute presence and nothing really to offer. The body roll is terrible, the 2WD is just good for urban cruising, the 4WD is good for nothing since its a full time 4WD and will only end up drinking more fuel, Interior are quite comparable to a scorpio at best and noway in the league of yeti.

All in all, from the vehicle perspective yeti is a clear winner, and from the brand perspective, toyota. You want best of both worlds, I would say look for an Endeavor / Santa Fe.

[aravind.anand]

Having driven the Yeti, I can vouch for the car's performance and grip. The body roll is again very well contained by the taut chassis and suspension. I was taken aback by its performance and quality, as I went in with a mind set that the Yeti was a SUV. I haven't driven the Fortuner, but from the reviews I have read, the Fortuner is an off road vehicle, which would feel a bit uncomfortable in the city streets. It looks big and imposing, but the stylish lines and suave, confident stance of the Yeti would win my vote over the Fortuner any day. Especially in terms of driver involvement, Yeti is one SUV I cant ignore.

[Behemoth]

Hi Nitin
You must have had your reasons for selling your Fortuner and luckily Fortuner is one car that always appreciates and never does depreciate!
If you are considering the Yeti, I would certainly recommend it based on the past 18 months of ownership of my Yeti. In fact it is a practical mini Suv which can take you comfortably on long highway drives and adventurous trails and as comfortably into the most tight malls and parkings. It is also very frugal and I consistently get mileage ranging from 15-17 in mixed use. It is always a pleasure to drive and the handling and responsiveness are rewarding. As the weight is also less , it is quite torquey and fun to drive. The safety and features are also good Vfm.
A lot has been said about the Goodyear oem tyres and the fact is that they are really crappy and I would recommend getting them changed at the time of delivery itself. I changed my Goodyears after 23 k kms and when I changed them to Yoko c-drives in the stock size, the difference in the ride quality and road noise was huge (almost 40% less noise). Goodyears are known to be lousy tyres but many manufacturers give them Oem as they are the cheapest mnc tyres.

Regards
Behemoth