[pramods]

I can guess not sure, you can also look at monthly sales chart and analysis posted by GTO each month, Yeti sales is some where <200 per month it was launched in Nov 2010 you can make safe count of 180 per month and that would come somewhere approx 3.5K vehicle on road!

-Pramod

[iTNerd]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

A 2010 model? I'm quite surprised that a car has been in stock for two years without being sold. Or What is Skoda trying to do by clearing the stocks by offering huge discounts? I'm sure a facelift is due or they're discontinuing this model atleast in India.

Any take on how many Yeti's would have been sold in India so far?

sorry typo there. I meant to say 2011 model (november manufactured)

Hi ItNerd,

Well since you have a Civic currently and are considering a Yeti, my older thread may be of some help to you:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...km-driven.html (Battle of the Unequals : Skoda Yeti vs. Honda Civic (10,000 km driven))

We have now sold the Civic and replaced it with a Laura Diesel..!

I have always regarded the Fortuner very highly in terms of its capabilities, but frankly it offers a lot more offroad capabilities than any normal city dweller can hope to utilize. But for people who are into hard core offroading and very frequent farm use/ rocky adventure trails, it is a great and reliable choice.
When I was making the buying decision for my Yeti, we had also gone to book the Fortuner before that with Cheque in hand, but the long delivery period (6 months at that time), high handed approach of the dealership, the plain jane interiors and the vibrations in the gear shift and vehicle made us back out and we went with a Yeti instead. Also, you will actually be surprised that inside the Fortuner, there is less headroom in the Fortuner than the Yeti - IIRC, Pramod had also measured this during one of his trips.

Regards,
Behemoth

Thanks Behemoth! I must have read your particular thread on Civic vs yeti 2-3 times over and over again. I liked the way you had put up the comparison. Sad to know about departing with the civic. I for once, won't part with it, yet

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by iTNerd

Took a test drive of Yeti elegance today. I must admit it is unlike any other SUV I had test driven - from Grand Vitara to Outlander. The 2.0 diesel engine packs a punch and is rev happy similar to i-VTEC. The seating position, steering feedback and handling is spot on. And I love the gear shift - it is so smooth. And lot of torque - the MID often suggests to slot to 6th gear . I drove it on the Greater Noida expressway and easily pulls to 130-140. I am sure, it should be able to do 170-180 without losing much juice. Overtaking is much fun, with very less body roll. And the steering is direct, but it is not as precise as that of the Civic. The interior - well, the quality is way beyond GV and fortuner, a bit better then Outlander. Anyway, I am already sold on to this car or SUV, whatever you call it. It is the perfect 'oil burner' no-nonsense, go anywhere (not offroad) platform. even with my Civic, I have covered much of India from North to South and vice versa and with this yeti, I see many trips from west to east India, northeast, himlayas etc... Anyway, I can only extract 2 lacs discount (max) from the dealer for a 2010 elegance model. The dealer is offering 4 years Skoda Shield/extended warranty free. Total on road comes to 18.35 lacs.. I am bargaining hard for upto 2.5 lacs, pitching one dealer to another to sweeten the deal. at 17.85 or 18 lacs, how is the deal?

I think 2 lacs off is very good. Push the dealer though. No harm done! The Elegance is a very good version. I also considered the Ambiente but the Elegance is just so much nicer! Its got a heck of a lot of torque and handles like a car. Brilliant vehicle.
I also bought a May 2011 model and took delivery in Dec 2011 with a rather good discount - very similar to what you ve been offered.
No other vehicle can compare with this quirky little beast as of now in India.

Caution! Long Hair pin bend sentence ahead! Do NOT overtake for next 5 km! (attempt at joke)

I will put it simply to you; If a 5 seater is fine, if your main usage is likely to be in city and on highways with a bit of hill driving, country side and off road adventuring - say even 70:30 respectively, if you like high quality, plushly finished, understatedly elegant, relatively anonymous, euro type things with real battle tank like DNA, if 4WD and reasonably good ground clearance are desirables, if safety features and good fuel efficiency etc are a priority, if intelligent and useful functions are important to you and if you're mature enough as a road user, to remain unfazed by sheer size and 'presence' as it is now euphemistically being termed, then my dear man, the Yeti it is! As a bonus in the Elegance you get thtat delicious touch screen 6 CD changer with iPod compatibility and 8 seamlessly door mounted speakers. The sound quality is tremendous in my opinion. Yes, you dont get bluetooth and sat nav but thats really not a deal breaker for me. As others have done, you can consider a post-fit with original parts, if they mean that much to you.
Unless of course you've got the bucks for an XC60, a Q3 or a Freelander, in which case, go and plonk on either the XC or Q3- I would!
Note that in our Indian urban sprawl of 2012, the Yeti is a far more practical choice than the Fortuner is, more so especially if you have said yes honestly, to 80% of the 'needs/ wants' that I have tried to outline above.

I was not for the Yeti initially as a vehicle for myself, on account of my earlier perceived need for size. However, right from its launch in Europe, I have desired it for its quality, functionality, ,safety, fit,finish,finesse and quirkiness. Finally I compromised on size and capacity for the Yeti's amaing quality and I am very happy I did so. I must have matured to some extent in my attitudes, needs and want states while I was car hunting and evaluating last year. Also got the opportunity to drive some nice new Euro cars on various holiday trips outside India and that decided me in terms of the quality aspects!

[vidyabhushan]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

Hi,

Thanks for all the info. I would be solely using the car as I dont have anyone. The car would be used in the city for 80% and 20% for long drives/offroading. So which would be better?

I'm just worried about the Yeti's maintenance costs, spare availability etc. It should not happen I have to spend some 1L after 2-3 years or wait for 6 months for spares.

Please suggest.

Hi Nitin,
I might be a little late, but I am sure many of us would still refer this discussion thread, hence thought of adding my experience in Yeti. Skoda's after sale service is undoubtedly below par, however after having used two Skoda vehicles (Superb 2006 model, and currently Yeti 2011 model) I can say Skoda makes engineering marvels. If only Skoda could match it with Service (which to some extent 4 yr Skoda Shield does) I would happily replace even a premium car for a Skoda. Compare the price of Yeti with the likes of Mahindra XUV, TATA Aria and you realise that our homegrown machines havent matured enough (engineering, operational cost etc) or they are overcharging.

Coming to your query, not all Skoda owners have undergone Servicing nightmares. I think you have to be really unlucky, to have a part replaced which is not readily stocked in India and needs an import. But if your luck decides to try you, this can happen with any car (though I dont deny Luck's job in trying you would be easier with Skoda ).

Bottomline - Buying Yeti is a risk, worth taking when the comparison is with Fortuner which in my opinion is not even half as refined and capable as Yeti. As far as offroading goes, Yeti can pretty much do all offfroading that a Fortuner can, for anything more, get a Gypsy or MM540.

Vidya

[iTNerd]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I think 2 lacs off is very good. Push the dealer though. No harm done! The Elegance is a very good version. I also considered the Ambiente but the Elegance is just so much nicer! Its got a heck of a lot of torque and handles like a car. Brilliant vehicle.
I also bought a May 2011 model and took delivery in Dec 2011 with a rather good discount - very similar to what you ve been offered.
No other vehicle can compare with this quirky little beast as of now in India.

Caution! Long Hair pin bend sentence ahead! Do NOT overtake for next 5 km! (attempt at joke)

I will put it simply to you; If a 5 seater is fine, if your main usage is likely to be in city and on highways with a bit of hill driving, country side and off road adventuring - say even 70:30 respectively, if you like high quality, plushly finished, understatedly elegant, relatively anonymous, euro type things with real battle tank like DNA, if 4WD and reasonably good ground clearance are desirables, if safety features and good fuel efficiency etc are a priority, if intelligent and useful functions are important to you and if you're mature enough as a road user, to remain unfazed by sheer size and 'presence' as it is now euphemistically being termed, then my dear man, the Yeti it is! As a bonus in the Elegance you get thtat delicious touch screen 6 CD changer with iPod compatibility and 8 seamlessly door mounted speakers. The sound quality is tremendous in my opinion. Yes, you dont get bluetooth and sat nav but thats really not a deal breaker for me. As others have done, you can consider a post-fit with original parts, if they mean that much to you.
Unless of course you've got the bucks for an XC60, a Q3 or a Freelander, in which case, go and plonk on either the XC or Q3- I would!
Note that in our Indian urban sprawl of 2012, the Yeti is a far more practical choice than the Fortuner is, more so especially if you have said yes honestly, to 80% of the 'needs/ wants' that I have tried to outline above.

I was not for the Yeti initially as a vehicle for myself, on account of my earlier perceived need for size. However, right from its launch in Europe, I have desired it for its quality, functionality, ,safety, fit,finish,finesse and quirkiness. Finally I compromised on size and capacity for the Yeti's amaing quality and I am very happy I did so. I must have matured to some extent in my attitudes, needs and want states while I was car hunting and evaluating last year. Also got the opportunity to drive some nice new Euro cars on various holiday trips outside India and that decided me in terms of the quality aspects!

Though there is a difference of 1.5 lac, the extras on the Elegance were something I won't be able to put as aftermarket accessories on the Ambiente, barring the leather seats. To be honest, never though of yeti at all. Was inking more towards a used petrol SUV, like a GV or Outlander on a bargain deal. But finding a good piece was never happening. And searching for a used Outlander was almost impossible. And those few that came up, were asking astronomical 15-16 lacs for 2010/2011 models. But I did like Outlander and its road manners. Used Pajero SFX was also considered, as I love the old skool stance and looks. but the ones I came across were high mileage cars, most of them have the odo tampered, and those few I liked were demanding high premium. So, eventually, I got tired of the notion of buying a used car after 2-3 months of search. I know it requires a lot of patience, something I don't have. However, with the recent petrol hike, and other possible future raise, it was not a good idea at all to keep 2 petrol guzzlers.

How I wish we have some more good diesel SUV options between 12-18 lacs. (XUV and yeti apart). Anyways, have booked a test drive for Fortuner tomorrow. Let's see how the chemistry evolves

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by iTNerd

Though there is a difference of 1.5 lac, the extras on the Elegance were something I won't be able to put as aftermarket accessories on the Ambiente, barring the leather seats. To be honest, never though of yeti at all. Was inking more towards a used petrol SUV, like a GV or Outlander on a bargain deal. But finding a good piece was never happening. And searching for a used Outlander was almost impossible. And those few that came up, were asking astronomical 15-16 lacs for 2010/2011 models. But I did like Outlander and its road manners. Used Pajero SFX was also considered, as I love the old skool stance and looks. but the ones I came across were high mileage cars, most of them have the odo tampered, and those few I liked were demanding high premium. So, eventually, I got tired of the notion of buying a used car after 2-3 months of search. I know it requires a lot of patience, something I don't have. However, with the recent petrol hike, and other possible future raise, it was not a good idea at all to keep 2 petrol guzzlers.

How I wish we have some more good diesel SUV options between 12-18 lacs. (XUV and yeti apart). Anyways, have booked a test drive for Fortuner tomorrow. Let's see how the chemistry evolves

You cannot and should not put any leather aftermarket seat covers on cars that come with side curtain airbags. Anyway, your Ambiente 4WD ought to have leather seats, unless the newer ones dont come with these any more! If you're considering a 2011 model you will get leather seats I believe, even in the Ambiente. Yes, you will not be able retro fit many things which the Elegance has, onto the Ambiente, at least, not without some serious research into the quantum of work, costs and effect on warranty. Since you appear pressed for time, suggest just drop Ambiente from the consideration set- if of course you like and want all those extra thingys like I did! One of the nicest things on the Elegance, which you get very used to, very quickly, are those fog lamps that turn when you turn, thereby illuminating the road sides and peripheries when you are actually turning! Another such is the front parking sensor. Amazingly useful in tight squeeze city parking scenarios.
Also, do view one of my earlier posts of today. I understand your dilemma completely, because I was exactly in that situation 8-9-10 months back! I had made another thread where my choice was between the brand new yeti elegance and an immaculate used Tucson. No prizes for guessing what the tbhp members who took the time and trouble to respond, said on that thread! Check it out as it might help you.

[iTNerd]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

You cannot and should not put any leather aftermarket seat covers on cars that come with side curtain airbags. Anyway, your Ambiente 4WD ought to have leather seats, unless the newer ones dont come with these any more! If you're considering a 2011 model you will get leather seats I believe, even in the Ambiente. Yes, you will not be able retro fit many things which the Elegance has, onto the Ambiente, at least, not without some serious research into the quantum of work, costs and effect on warranty. Since you appear pressed for time, suggest just drop Ambiente from the consideration set- if of course you like and want all those extra thingys like I did! One of the nicest things on the Elegance, which you get very used to, very quickly, are those fog lamps that turn when you turn, thereby illuminating the road sides and peripheries when you are actually turning! Another such is the front parking sensor. Amazingly useful in tight squeeze city parking scenarios.
Also, do view one of my earlier posts of today. I understand your dilemma completely, because I was exactly in that situation 8-9-10 months back! I had made another thread where my choice was between the brand new yeti elegance and an immaculate used Tucson. No prizes for guessing what the tbhp members who took the time and trouble to respond, said on that thread! Check it out as it might help you.

I see that in the brochure, the ambiente variant does have leather. Yes, I do see many other features, which I was not aware during the test drive. Love these gizmos. However, one crucial gross (at least for me) I found is the HU does not have USB support, only Aux. I meant what good is Aux, because, when the iPod is connected via Aux, you can't use the audio controls (next, forward etc) from the steering wheel. One would have to do it from the iPod instead. This defeats the purpose of the steering controls at all. Who now uses CDs at all. And another omission is the electronic seat adjustments. These should have been there instead of the front parking sensor, or the 8 speakers. Not good :(

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by iTNerd

I see that in the brochure, the ambiente variant does have leather. Yes, I do see many other features, which I was not aware during the test drive. Love these gizmos. However, one crucial gross (at least for me) I found is the HU does not have USB support, only Aux. I meant what good is Aux, because, when the iPod is connected via Aux, you can't use the audio controls (next, forward etc) from the steering wheel. One would have to do it from the iPod instead. This defeats the purpose of the steering controls at all. Who now uses CDs at all. And another omission is the electronic seat adjustments. These should have been there instead of the front parking sensor, or the 8 speakers. Not good :(

I dislike USB connectors as I dont use music that way. I vastly prefer CD' s. i do believe that music sounds better from a CD and I love original CD's nicely packed. I hate those pirate ripped cheap data CD's which contain 7 squillion mp3 songs and whatnot. I will not defile my audio systems with those! For one thing I am unable to even import them to an ipod through itunes. I do take time to put in all the CD's I like into the 6 CD changer and change them around from time to time. Also, I create vast playlists on my iPod, which obviates the need to fiddle about too much. Should any fiddling be required, my wife does it.

Electronic seats I agree with totally. That, and the Bluetooth for the phone would indeed have been the icing on the cake for me! A sat nav possibility and it would have been as near perfect as a vehicle can get from my perspective again, as well as some decentish tough tyres as OEM to better handle the vile and wicked potholed craters on our roads. All these things and more are available in the UK top spec Elegance SE. Costs quite a bomb too when fully loaded like that, so the pricing may not have cut it here in India.
However, they should allow us to customize and buy these cars, like they do abroad - that way one gets all that one wants. Me for example, I would have vastly preferred black leather instead of gobi sand as I hate the typical obsession that we seem to have, with beige blasted interiors!

Having said all of this, just see all that one IS getting with the Elegance instead of looking at the relatively few omissions that there may be! See at what price one is getting all of this and then do a comparo with any other vehicle in the consideration set. I would bet that feature for feature and with a specific eye to high quality, you would find most vehicles struggling to beat the Yeti.

[Rameshdude]

Soda Yeti facelift model is due to arrive soon & there are rumours of an AT model too. Maybe you could wait for a few months.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by vidyabhushan

Hi Nitin,
I might be a little late, but I am sure many of us would still refer this discussion thread, hence thought of adding my experience in Yeti. Skoda's after sale service is undoubtedly below par, however after having used two Skoda vehicles (Superb 2006 model, and currently Yeti 2011 model) I can say Skoda makes engineering marvels. If only Skoda could match it with Service (which to some extent 4 yr Skoda Shield does) I would happily replace even a premium car for a Skoda. Compare the price of Yeti with the likes of Mahindra XUV, TATA Aria and you realise that our homegrown machines havent matured enough (engineering, operational cost etc) or they are overcharging.

Coming to your query, not all Skoda owners have undergone Servicing nightmares. I think you have to be really unlucky, to have a part replaced which is not readily stocked in India and needs an import. But if your luck decides to try you, this can happen with any car (though I dont deny Luck's job in trying you would be easier with Skoda ).

Bottomline - Buying Yeti is a risk, worth taking when the comparison is with Fortuner which in my opinion is not even half as refined and capable as Yeti. As far as offroading goes, Yeti can pretty much do all offfroading that a Fortuner can, for anything more, get a Gypsy or MM540.

Vidya

Hi Vidya!
Nice straight shootin' opinion! I completely second that!
On another note I observe that you have atleast 3 common interests including the Yeti. Golf and Horses being the other two.
Where do you play? We should catch up sometime.
What colour is your 2011 Yeti and which part of town do you live in?
Cheers!
Shankar

[nitinbose]

Originally Posted by Rameshdude

Soda Yeti facelift model is due to arrive soon & there are rumours of an AT model too. Maybe you could wait for a few months.

That's what am concerned about. When the dealers are offering hefty discounts, there's something to worry about. They're busy trying to clear their stocks. Hope Yeti is not being discontinued from India!

[nitinbose]

Originally Posted by iTNerd

I see that in the brochure, the ambiente variant does have leather. Yes, I do see many other features, which I was not aware during the test drive. Love these gizmos. However, one crucial gross (at least for me) I found is the HU does not have USB support, only Aux. I meant what good is Aux, because, when the iPod is connected via Aux, you can't use the audio controls (next, forward etc) from the steering wheel. One would have to do it from the iPod instead. This defeats the purpose of the steering controls at all. Who now uses CDs at all. And another omission is the electronic seat adjustments. These should have been there instead of the front parking sensor, or the 8 speakers. Not good :(

I guess they must have thought of cost cutting to keep the costs at a certain level. Above all, they would be having the Radio Bolero stock in plenty. Giving USB would mean a new HU, which means a production of new lot, drastically increasing the cost.

I'm already sold for the Yeti; what worries me is whether or not a new facelifted version is due or Skoda India is planning to discontinue the Yeti for India. Both are reasons to worry about!

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

I guess they must have thought of cost cutting to keep the costs at a certain level. Above all, they would be having the Radio Bolero stock in plenty. Giving USB would mean a new HU, which means a production of new lot, drastically increasing the cost.

I'm already sold for the Yeti; what worries me is whether or not a new facelifted version is due or Skoda India is planning to discontinue the Yeti for India. Both are reasons to worry about!

Hi Nitin,

As per my knowledge, the Bolero HU in the Elegance has a SD card reader, in which you can put in an SD card from which it can read songs - so with a 16 GB card, you should be able to keep around 4000 songs on it. Also, there is an MDI (Mobile Device Interface) unit available (as an accessory) with which you can connect it to an Ipod and it gives full control over the Ipod and playlists.
This thread on Briskoda gives an idea of the MDI unit fitment and costing (in UK).
MDI Retrofit - BRISKODA.net - The Skoda Forum and Community

You may need to check with the dealership on whether they can fit this for you if you are able to get it. Pramod has good experience in retrofitment and he has been able to get Bluetooth module retrofitted to his Elegance (I am not sure about MDI though).
Some more details in the attachment (From Skoda UK Accessories webpage)
Skoda_Acc-Music.pdf
and on the link: http://www.accessories.skoda.co.uk

Regards,
Behemoth

[dkaile]

I was not aware that they have skipped the Bluetooth module in the Yeti's Bolero. It is indeed an indispensable tool in today's world. It is highly convenient and not a day has gone past that I have not used it in my Superb.

The SD Card slot takes care of the lack of USB port and I have not felt it's need at all with the 16GB card that it supports.

I doubt whether they have any face-lift in the making as there is no news of the same in international circuits. But they could increase come features like the BT module etc. in the MY2013 cars. Also I seriously doubt that they will 'discontinue' the Yeti in India even though it may have failed to garner the required sales targets.

[nitinbose]

I called Skoda to check on whether there's going to be a facelift for the Yeti or discontinuing; however they're not aware. I also tried mailing them but did not even receive an acknowledgement! I'm confused.