[dkaile]

Well Nitin, it really is a no brainer. Always think 5 years down the line. Impulsive buying to look different have landed many into trouble. Yeti may be a new kid on the block and a rare bird to sight (as hardly anyone buys one) and you make look like a rare fruit sitting in that, but Fortuner is no potato.

However your off-roading and highway is quite less and if you plan to drive 80% in the city I would suggest you reconsider your choice of vehicle all together. But if you are going by your heart and want a SUV nonetheless, with street presence to feel like Moses, reliability, toughness, economy in maintenance and running, good resale value and last but not the least complete peace of mind 5 years down the road, you have only Toyota as an option. Even though I feel this particular one (Fortuner) is not required due to your 80% in city driving.

I have just booked a Fortuner, but it will not be my only vehicle. I will use it 50% for Highway driving, 20% off-roading and only 30% in the city, as it is not practical to drive in the city with such a big vehicle. I will use my smaller hatchback or sometimes a sedan for city driving. So do consider your needs and practicality before signing the cheque...

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Rameshdude

Great comparison GTO. I am also in a similar dilemma,but between yeti and captiva. Captiva has a limited edition model,extreme.it has red and black interiors and also with sunroof. How would you compare with these two? At present, Captiva on road is about 3L more. And yeti is planning to come out with a sub 12L one too. Would like hear your opinion on these two.

I'm not a fan of the Captiva at all. Massive turbolag, ride & handling aren't balanced and you get the AWD only with an Automatic (MT is a FWD). Product to product, the Yeti is way superior in terms of engineering finesse & balance.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Even the X1 base variant works well with your 80% city run.

The X1 is a poor excuse of an SUV.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by GTO

The X1 is a poor excuse of an SUV.

True, I mentioned that as a suggestion only because of the usage pattern mentioned – 80% in city, and 20% of highway/off-road.

[ACM]

pls note response in bold inline in your quote

Originally Posted by nitinbose

I would want an SUV which would be self-driven and I would be the only person traveling in it. The usage would be 80% city driving and 20% highway/off-roading.
Yeti /Aria. Yeti a bit more than Aria if 7 seats and size are not important. Fortuner would be the best option of you had a serious off roading plan. Yeti and Aria both should serve you better on highways and in the city. In the City except for the absence of an imposing size Yeti would serve best. Captiva engine has too much of a lag, so if you do for it then go for an Auto version.

I would like a reasonable resale value, say after 5 years, I would expect around 60% of the initial value. I would also like the maintenance and repair costs to be within my acceptable limits, say about 3K max., per normal services and can spend about 25K in 3Years for some repairs, if needed.

Repair costs incase of accidents would be Aria < Yeti < Captiva = Fortuner, check out the prices of their side view mirror to see how exponential the rise is.

Routine service costs on the other hand are Fortuner < Aria < Yeti = Captiva

Service quality is I belive Fortuner > Captiva = Aria = Yeti (If you choose the right Service Centre)


The service should also be reasonable, even if there are some delays in obtaining the spares, it should not go to months and obtain duplicate spares or poor quality workmanship, or unable to troubleshoot some issues.

So which of the two would be ideal?

Dont expect 60% resale value after 5 years except in the case of Fortuner, it is likely to be 45% at best for all the other 3.

I would suggest the Yeti first and the Aria / Fortuner as the next two alternatives for you requirements. If you need an Auto get the Captiva.

Test them all out personally, and go for the one you love the most post trial. All can to some extent address your requirement.

[nitinbose]

I came to know the Yeti needs service only every 15K kms. What worries me is whether or not Skoda vehicles breakdowns often and major components fail, service centers unable to diagnose the faults/replace with fake spares or indefinitely wait for spares.

[dkaile]

Read the official Team BHP review of the Yeti here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...-pictures.html

Also note the the stalling issue -

Slot the 6-speed box into 1st, tap the gas and start off – wait. What? You just stalled! Yep, it’s a fact. Each of the 4 BHPians present at the Yeti testdrive (embarrassingly) stalled the Yeti several times. Unlike the diesels you’re used to, you need to ignore the audible feedback of the engine revving and plant a solid foot on the accelerator before releasing the clutch. The CR engine doesn’t have the power below 1000rpm to lug the car along and perhaps a light flywheel further adds to this predicament when starting off. On international forums I’ve read Yeti owners proudly proclaiming (after about 5000 miles of ownership) “…now I only stall about once a week!”

Also note the street presence (the photo alongside the Nano) - http://www.team-bhp.com/carpics/skod...da-yeti-24.jpg somehow Skoda still calls this an SUV

Yeti is a fine vehicle, filled to the brim with luxuries (except bluetooth, usb and such minor things; not there in the Fortuner either) but (and that's a big BUT), its from SKODA!!!

A sincere advice - I would suggest you change your choice of vehicle to a good quality Sedan, rather than an SUV, seeing your 80% in-city running. The newly launched Toyota Corolla Altis (with 6.1" Touchscreen DVD system, powered seats, bluetooth, usb, powered seats, low maintenance, peace of mind) would serve your purpose better and save you some moolah too... http://www.toyotabharat.com/cars/new...tis/index.aspx

[RS_DEL]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

I came to know the Yeti needs service only every 15K kms. What worries me is whether or not Skoda vehicles breakdowns often and major components fail, service centers unable to diagnose the faults/replace with fake spares or indefinitely wait for spares.

There are several members enjoying Skoda vehicles without a complaint including a moderator Anshuman . The guys enjoy the vehicles and have not had complaints till date. So that is the positive side. However there are some, who have faced problems , whose troubles are recorded in great detail on the board.

So at the end of the day it is a toss of the coin as far as the Skoda A.S.S goes. That is not the case with Toyota. As of date the kind of troubles people have had with Skodas have not been witnessed with Toyota users to the best of my knowledge. I am open to correction here.

[rmonie]

Well while the general trend for most owners has been a good experience with Toyota & a bad experience with Skoda, I have had the reverse! I have a 2003 Octavia which was bought & driven in Chandigarh, then moved to Gurgaon & now is in Goa - all moves by road. No problems with the vehicle (89K Kms now) or service till date.
On the other hand I had a Innova V which had no end of problems & the less said about the service in Gurgaon the better. Finally sold the vehicle in frustration in 22 month & 45K kms for 40% of the value. No the vehicle did not have any accidents in this period. S
So if you ask me :-) you will probably get contrary answer!!

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

Hi Everyone,

Let me thank you for your responses. Many of you asked me on my requirements, so here it is:

I would want an SUV which would be self-driven and I would be the only person traveling in it. The usage would be 80% city driving and 20% highway/off-roading.

I would like a reasonable resale value, say after 5 years, I would expect around 60% of the initial value. I would also like the maintenance and repair costs to be within my acceptable limits, say about 3K max., per normal services and can spend about 25K in 3Years for some repairs, if needed.

If cost of ownership is that much of a concern then why not hold on to your brand new Innova? You will lose so much money in selling it off.

Between the Yeti and the Fortuner as everyone has already said, you have to assess your needs. Though I believe atleast 80% of the people who buy fortuner buy it only for the looks and not for its off-roading caapbilities.
With Skoda you will always be scared and apprehensive as to how much abuse your car can handle. No such worries with the Fortuner. If equipment and interiors are of a big concern then I sincerely recommend you go and TD Captiva MT/AT.

[noopster]

I tend to agree with what drmohitg is saying. Selling a 1 year old Innova to get a Fortuner or Yeti will set you back by quite a big amount.
Am also a little puzzled- you had the best possible response to your query a couple of posts into this thread when GTO so lucidly and brilliantly laid out the parameters and his pick for the better one on each. So why the confusion?

My take:
- Driving 80% of the time in the city means you need something extremely nice inside and relatively easier to get around in and park. Yeti wins on both counts.
- Innova to Fortuner will not be much of an upgrade in terms of interiors. The Yeti on the other hand is superbly crafted inside- even better than the Laura, probably on par with the Superb and 3-Series.
- Toyota means absolute peace of mind- am sure you have experienced this as an Innova owner. Skoda is a big IF. Check in your city for any good Skoda service dealerships. Your pre-sales experience also hasn't been the best.
- T Fort has amazing road presence and a 3 litre engine under the hood. Also, resale value is bound to better than that of the Yeti.
If you ask me, you can't really go wrong with the Fortuner. But if the A.S.S. fear is not a big factor for you (many have got over it, self included, though for VW not Skoda) go for the Yeti. Am sure it'll make you very happy- I would if I were in your shoes!

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

I came to know the Yeti needs service only every 15K kms. What worries me is whether or not Skoda vehicles breakdowns often and major components fail, service centers unable to diagnose the faults/replace with fake spares or indefinitely wait for spares.

See if you treat the vehicle well, it will treat you well. In general European vehicles aren't as abuse friendly as Japs, and are more sensitive. There are enough people, who think they are taking care of their vehicle, but actually have bad habits, like lugging the engine. Pressing the accel while starting, not idling before shutting down to name a few.

My advice - Its perfect for your criteria, and you will enjoy this vehicle thoroughly. So go ahead and buy it without any worries. There is atleast one member from Bangy who has the Yeti. Why don't you PM him for service info.

[Dr.D]

well I see we are still debating :-). Lets put one thing to rest. If properly categorised the Yeti is not a suv.
It is a crossover.
The Fortuner is in all rights a suv with the DNA of a Hilux.
Hilux the mini truck is tough as nails and will not breakdown period!
Trucks were designed to transport people and goods(potato and onion) over long distances.Hence, needed to be tough ,reliable and relatively simple to maintain.
Then came the urban revolution where the urban male needed to go pick kids, wife and the mother in law for various activities.
Sundays throw in a golf set and on Saturday stuff-in his friends in for a beer.
All this had to be done in relative comfort travelling over dimpled roads, bearing the traffic and avoiding the occasional idiot on the road.
The truck oops the hilux oops the Fortuner looks a bit out of place again.
On the other hand the yeti does all this and climbs a hill or more.
The best off road vehicle may be the tank(Panther) but when manoeuvred in the city it is hopeless.
The yeti offers the owner more than the fortuner. If it were utopia and we could buy a vehicle for each specific purpose then I would say buy the Fortuner.
As it is not utopia buy a vehicle which is most suited to your needs.
All the cons for the yeti dont sum up for one leaving it and buying the Fortuner.

[RS_DEL]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

Here is the funny conversation I had with Skoda:

skoda: Good afternoon sir, you had requested for a test drive of the skoda yeti, when would you be purchasing the yeti?
Me: In 2-3 months time-frame, but first I must test-drive and understand its features and benefits/advantages.
skoda: Ok Sir, then you can call us by August when you are going to purchase the vehicle.

.... and with a bang, they put the phone receiver down!

.

Forgive me for cluttering the thread with this second post.

I had not read this gem of a post(quoted) from you. Speaks most eloquently of customer centricness(?) of Skoda. While everyone here is focusing on the desirability of one vehicle or the other WRT the features, your needs etc. - no one is looking at the pre-purchase response you have got from the dealers of the two competing products.

To me this is a red flag if ever there is going to be one. May seem extreme to Skoda fans but if they(Skoda) can not extend me the courtesy of a response which shows they enthusiastically want to make the sale to me and cater to a very legitimate/justifiable request for a test drive, they DO NOT deserve my money.

[noopster]

RS_DEL, can't argue with a thing you said but it's a documented fact that most Vento owners on the forums (self included) had an indifferent pre-sales experience from VW but went ahead and bought the car anyway. Of course Skoda has a much more mature setup than the parents company and that should not be an excuse.

[Santoshbhat]

Given your usage pattern, I would definitely recommend the Yeti over the Fortuner. Since you don't intend to carry too many passengers most of the time, you don't want to to be hauling the bulk of the Fortuner around in namma Bengaluru's traffic. Let alone finding parking space. Yes, one needs to consider future resale value while deciding on a car, but I believe one should give more weightage to factors which would make the car suit the owners needs while he is owning it rather than when he is finished with it. Modern cars are known to be reliable, but its when the problem arisies that the quality of A.S.S. becomes critical. On this point any Toyota is a safe option. On the other hand I know many owners who have had Octavias clocking over 2 lakh Kms without any major issues.