[iTNerd]

I had been driving a Honda Civic since 2009. It has taken me to most of the northern, western and southern states of India, mostly along the Golden Quadrilateral. And with a one year stay at Bangalore, it has also experienced its share of ‘off-roading’ (considering the bad state of roads). On these tours, I realized how much I loved traveling and driving, to unfamiliar places and getting lost in the wilderness beauty of nature. And hence began the idea of owning a 4x4 SUV for the drives on the mountains and the forbidden tracks in the Himalayas.

Cars that were considered
Because this will be a car for secondary use (on weekends, trips), I was leaning towards a used option, especially a petrol guzzler at a dirt cheap price. I had put up a budget of 7 to 8 lacs. But I was a newbie when it comes to used car buying experience. So, I called up Ace F355s (Rohit) and gaurav_chopra04 (Gaurav) for their advises and suggestions. My first sight was on Grand Vitara, because I always liked the range rover type design. Moreover, from the ownership reports of Sudev, Samurai etc, it appears to be the exact mountain goat for my requirements. I did manage to test drive 3 used GVs and almost decided on the 3rd one, but for the price. My offer didn’t quite match up to the owner’s high expectation for a petrol SUV that is also a market dud. Outlander was another car I was very interested at, and along with Gaurav, took a test drive at Asian Motors, Shivaji Marg, Delhi. It was an amazing drive and I liked the CVT gearbox with the paddle shifters. It was too fun, and the handling was exceptional for a cross over (the Evo gene did help). However, finding a used Outlander was too difficult and few that I found were asking exceptionally high offer, way out of my budget. I was disappointed with the experiences so far, and my patience was running low. Then came the petrol hike, and that left me thinking if getting another petrol car makes sense at all! Even though my estimate running will be low, I started looking for a used diesel SUV, because the price gap between petrol and diesel was widening than ever. Along with this consideration, I upped the budget to 10 to 12 lacs. I looked at Pajeros from the older to the new SFX models. The SFX models were out of reach with my budget and the older models were plain jane and didn’t appeal to me. Most of these Pajeros on the used car markets have their odometer tampered. Moreover, with the outdated interiors and technology (10-15 years), it needed a hardcore fan or off-roading enthusiast to actually overlook these factors, which was hard for me. I don’t like Indian SUVs such as Safari, Scorpio etc, no offense to those who owns it (my parents have a Scorpio), so didn’t even consider it. However, I did have a liking of the Mahindra Thar, especially with the newly updated AC. But the climate condition up north is such that, it was not feasible to use it as an everyday car without extensive modification. So, there I was, with no options left to explore on used cars. I made up my mind to buy a new diesel car, a 4x4 SUV or even a hatch (if budget didn’t allow me), for peace of mind.

In diesel SUV, the foremost and obvious choice was the Fortuner. I like the road presence a lot, especially in white (though I hate to be associated with the ‘neta’ type). The interiors were quite OK to me (may be because I had not own or sat extensively in an Innova). However, I found the NVH quite poor, shaking of the gear lever irritates me to the core, and big and chunky steering wheel was not falling nicely on my hands (may be because I am so used to the Civic small steering wheel by now). As the test drive was taken on busy city roads, I also found it too big for my taste, reversing was a pain though the reverse camera did aid in securing a parking place comfortably. Fortuner was a mixed bag for me; it was a 50-50 opinion. But the ‘Toyoto’ badge and long term reliability and ownership came out too strong and my heart was almost set. I didn’t consider the new Pajero Sport because it was overpriced. The only diesel option left before Fortuner price tag was the Skoda Yeti. Initially, I didn’t even have a liking of this weird looking SUV (or was that a hatch!) and of course of it being a Skoda. Nevertheless, I took time to do a small research about it, read a few ownership reports on Team-BHP, and came to know it is not a bad car at all, and moreover, there are some good discount on offer on the top elegance model and so decided to take a test drive anyway (though not with the intention of owning it) before I can decide to put all the eggs on the Fortuner 4x4.

Finalizing the car
Jeremy Clarkson termed it the ‘Best Car in the World’ status. It is roomier and more practical than a Maybach, faster than a Ferrari around Donington race track, tougher on the inside than fire brigade, comfortable than a Range Rover on off-roading, it’s air-conditioning does not sweat when driven in a burning building and it can even support landing of a light helicopter on its roof.



Watching the Top gear episode of Jeremy Clarkson putting the Skoda Yeti on various tests left a profound impression on me about this car on how it is a different breed of ‘go anywhere’, overly engineered to perfection.

I called up Jai Auto, Mathura Road showing them interest on the 4x4 yeti. They promise me a test drive the same day, but I was informed late in the evening that the test drive vehicle has just returned from a customer’s home from Ghaziabad, and they will provide me a test drive the day after. The next day, the salesman came with the elegance 4x4 ‘Matto Brown’ to my residence in Noida. Upfront, my expectation from a Yeti was very low. It looks small, strangely weird and is it a hatch or a mini van, forget a SUV, who can tell! But looks can be deceiving, and when I sat inside, I liked what I saw. I felt right at home, because the quality and refinement of the interiors was at part with those of my Civic, if not better. I was able to get to a comfortably driving position in seconds, and holding the leather steering was firm and nice (though a little tad bigger and thicker than the Civic). The salesman was knowledgeable and guided me on how it is different from a petrol car, explaining the engine characteristics, the gear change and how to read the MaxiDot. I took the test drive on the Noida-Greater Noida express way and so I pushed the car to 130+, and it was so composed and the handling was very car like. The most fun was the rev happy engine – abundant power and torque was available when needed. Visibility and driving position was of my liking, and that helps in navigating the car on narrow lanes with ease. Turning radius of just about 5m is a boon in crowded city lanes. So far I liked everything about this car, however, the pricing of 21L OTR Delhi was a deal breaker, because with just a few lacs more, the fortuner 4x4 was on my reach. And no matter how good the Yeti was, at the current price point, I was decided that it has to be a Fortuner. I told this simple fact to the salesman, and that I can only consider this car if they provide me a good offer. On the onset, the salesman offered 1.5L discount (I did mention on how many of Team-Bhpians have got upto 2.5L discount). He was very desperate for a sale, and from my profile, I guess he knew I was serious. I demanded not less than 2.5L discount and that I will book right away with a 50K check. He made some phone calls immediately, and the most he could offer was 2L. But I didn’t bulge and insisted of more. I knew I can easily pitch offer from one dealer to another to extract the most out it. So, the next day, started calling another Skoda dealer in Connaught place, and another in Noida (Nawab Motors). From all these, the discount amount was same (2L max) on the elegance variant.

Booking and Delivery
So clearly, the decision process was tilting more towards the yeti because of the 7 to 8L difference in the on-road pricing between the Yeti and the Fortuner 4x4. I nevertheless visited the Toyota dealer again, to have a second look at the Fortuner. Now that I had been inside the Yeti, the interior of the fortuner felt as if it was 2 or 3 levels down the segments. But the turning point was when I was told of the 6-7 months waiting period. That suddenly killed any chance for the Fortuner landing up in my garage. So, without any regrets or misgiving, I went straight to the Skoda dealer and booked a white Yeti. The dealer offered mud flaps, mats, car cover as freebies.

During this time, another Team-Bhpain ‘Abbey4u’ was also contemplating purchasing a Yeti. We got in touch and discussed the discounts available from various dealers. By pitching the max discount he got offered from Nawab Motors (Noida) which was around 2.20 to 2.3L, I asked my dealer to match up, or else I’ll have to cancel the booking and go with Nawab Motors. Finally with lot of hesitations, they did match up the offer. Another sweet thing was the registration of the car – found out that Delhi registration was at least a lac expensive than that of UP. And anyway, I have addresses in both Delhi and UP and so, inform the dealer for UP registration. During the same period, I switched the color from White to Black, to Silver and the finally to Aqua Mist.

I took up a loan from HDFC, and the dealer (DSC) handled all the paper work and hassles. As I already have 2 current car loans running, I was offered 10.35% which was way less than other banks. The loan was approved within 2 days. Around the end of June, I was informed by the dealer that the car has arrived. Dev (@d.devnath) was visiting NCR that time around and was kind enough to company me for the PDI. Went to the showroom, and there was this aqua mist Yeti, being cleaned up. But wait, something is not right at all – the alloys were of the old designed, but in the brochure, there is the new 5 spoke ‘nevis’ alloys (starting April 2012). And there were two small dents on the driver side door and on the bonnet. There were white powder residues on the front fog lamps enclosure. That can only be the polishing powder, what else it can be? But why do they need to polish it when it had just arrived from the factory? Something was fishy! This can’t be a fresh car, must be a very stock. I angrily pointed out the discrepancies to the salesman and the manager and told them who they were trying to fool! Immediately, I was allotted another fresh aqua mist (took note of the VIN/Chassis no.), and Dev took them to task, and insisted that we will perform the PDI in their stockyard (located in Gurgoan) with the car in ‘as it is’ condition with all the white sheet coverings. Next day, I went to Gurgoan, picked up Dev and went to the dealer’s stockyard. There were around 500 cars in their yard, and only one of them was an aqua mist ‘Yeti’. The white sheet covering on the bonnet reads 5th May 2012. Satisfied there were no dents, or scratches, I gave the green light to the salesman for delivery in the next few days.

On 30th June 2012, it was Saturday (I know not the auspicious day, but I insisted it) the car was readied in the showroom. As I wanted to surprise my sister, nieces and brother-in-law, I took the delivery alone. The dealer had only put 3 or 4 litres of diesel and the fuel indicator was at E. Went straightaway to the nearest IOC petrol pump and paid 2300 bucks for 55 litres diesel (~Rs. 41 a litre). You should have looked at my face – how much I was smiling! And with the anticipation of many more smiles and miles with this car, I drove to my sister’s place. We went out for a ride and my niece – 6 yrs old commented ‘Mujhe dusra wala gaddi passand hain’ – she was referring to my Civic. Why I asked? – ‘Arrey yeah gaddi mein mera wale seat hain hi nahi’ – she was referring to the big armrest of the civic, where she can sit over it facing towards the rear comfortably (the gap between the driver and front passenger seats is much wider in Civic).

The dealership experience was unsatisfactory in the way they tried to push an old car to unsuspecting customers. I was also told about Teflon coating as one of the freebies during the booking process. However, on delivery, the manager went back to his words and insisted the car comes with Teflon from factory (not that I want the Teflon thing badly). However, the dealership did all the paperwork for the loan, registrations and sent their staffs to my residence in Noida to collect any pending papers. My advice to any potential Skoda customers is to insist on performing the PDI with the white sheets covered on. And of course, religiously follow the Team-BHP pre-delivery inspection lists.

Initial impressions:
I am glad I found my perfect ‘little’ mountain goat. As Shankar.balan mentioned, one needs a lot of soul searching before finalizing on a Yeti, because it is very difficult to let go off the ‘bigger the money, bigger the car’ perspective. The Yeti fulfills almost all my requirements, and more, and yet the small compact size tends to overwhelm the decision process to go with a larger SUV, just for the sake of more metals for the money.

The higher seating position, the large front windshield and the bonnet visibility provides for a commanding view and posture, and one can feel it’s a SUV (which may not appear so from the outside). All the controls are green lighted and are easily within reach from the driver seat. The gear shift is very smooth and effortless and unlike in other diesel SUVs, the gear lever does not vibrate. There is very minimal turbo lag and one can accelerate pretty much from 1000 rpm. Though there is no vibration felt inside the cabin, one can still hear the engine noise filtering inside. It is less pronounced once you are at cruising speed. I have completed around 650 kms so far, and the average consumption is around 15.4 kms/l, with most of the driving in city/expressways. I am waiting for the day I’ll take this beast to trips and play around with its capabilities.

On-road price and discounts
The OTR came out to be around 17.25L and that includes the Skoda Shield (4 years or 1 lac kms warranty) + insurance + UP registration/road tax fee. Discount ~ 2.25L


Technical Specification: Skoda Yeti 4x4 Elegance

• 2.0 TDI CR/103 kW (140 bhp) with 320 Nm @1750-2500
• Manual 6 speed, with 4x4 Haldex clutch
• Disc brakes (front and rear)
• 215/60 R16 goodyear excellence
• 416 litres storage capacity, 1485 litres with rear seats folded, 1665 litres with rear seats removed
• 1543 kg kerb weight, 2075 kg (Gross weight)

What I liked:

• Just the right size of SUV – very suitable for our chaotic city.
• Very smooth gear shifting
• Fuel efficient and yet rev happy engine and power delivery
• 5m of turning radius is a boon in city
• Big Disc brakes all around. Love the short stopping distance.
• Cornering lights – very handy
• ABS + HBA + ASR + TCS + EDL + ESP
• Hill hold control
• VarioFlex - variable rear seat system
• Reinforced under-body panels to protect vital parts
• Dual climate controls
• Nicely thought usability and utilitarian features such as the plastic bags hooks on the rear, basket nets, rubber strand on doors to hold papers and other materials firmly.

What I didn’t like

• The side profile is not to my taste. The blackening of the B pillars would have improved the looks.
• The rear seats could have been wider.
• No full size spare wheel
• The inbuilt ICE can’t play DVD, no inbuilt support for Bluetooth or iPod compatibility (needs a separate add-on)
• The light steering setup
• Sun glass holder is a bit small (my 2 sunglasses won’t fit)
• The hand brake is difficult to reach and use when the arm rest is fully retracted front.
• No switch to retract the ORVMS
• The engine stalling (when on higher gears and suddenly the rpm climbs down below 1000 rpm)
• The audible engine noise inside the cabin
• Horn placement

Accessories and Modifications:

• Bluetooth and iPod plugin
  The inbuilt bolero system comes with phone/media buttons, but do not work as the Bluetooth and the iPod modules are not part of the system. The modules exist as plug-n-play parts from VW as well as from other 3rd party vendors. I went with Dension Gateway Five, which was available with the accessories dealer I usually go to. Now, I can call, receive or reject calls using the car's inbuilt speakers/microphone (and the phone books, logs also get displayed in the MFD as well as in the LCD touchscreen interface).
  
  The iPod functionality is natively available in the bolero and the MFD. If MFD is set to display the audio, I can also use the right hand side roller control (of the steering) to change to the next or previous track. There is also a dedicated port for USB drives. (Cost Rs 20K)

• Yokohama Geolander HT/S 051
  On the onset I decided to change the OEM tyres and had Yokohama C drives on my mind (thanks to Behemoth for the suggestion). However, it was very hard to find and out of the many dealers I contacted, only one dealer had 3 pieces. Disappointed, I asked the accessories guy I go to, if he can scan and arrange for any AT/HT tyres. Within few minutes, I was informed there are availability of Yoko Geolander HT/S tyres on the stock size (215/60 R16). Swapped all 5 tyres with it the next day. Extra I paid was Rs. 1800 each for 4 tyres, and Rs 4300 for the smaller space saver. Now there is very minimal noise and the tread pattern gels well with the stance of the car. It was raining for the last 2 days in NCR and I never felt any nervous or issue with the grip with the yokos. According to yokos specs, the UTQG rating the treadwear is 500, unlike the OEM Goodyear of just 240. And in other markets, Yokohama Geolander HT/S 051 come with 60,000 mile limited tread warranty. Wish Skoda had provided such tyre type from factory. (Cost Rs 11.5K)

• Kagu 3D mats (Cost Rs 5.5K)
• CR70 films all around (Cost Rs. 23K)
• Twin chrome muffler tips (Cost Rs. 3K)
• Garmin dashboard mount

Some few random shots:

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by iTNerd

I am waiting for the day I’ll take this beast to trips and play around with its capabilities.

Let me be the first one to congratulate you Bahrur.
Many Congratulations on the purchase and the happy experience in the Yeti so far. I m sure that you will begin to appreciate its capabilities even more as you begin to use it and, on those trips to the unknown.

Wish a million miles of happy and safe motoring.

[dkaile]

Let me be the first one to congratulate you on your fine acquisition. Skoda's perspective with prospective clients had taken a beating in the last few years due to a flawed service network and high spare parts cost. It is good you have taken the extended warranty for your vehicle as did I, as I too have still to be 100% sure of Skoda quality.

The Elegance trim is quite luxurious. It is sad to note that they have skimped on the Bluetooth module (compared to the Superb) and had to be fitted off market. I feel it is an absolute must in today's day and age. Do try the voice dialing commands with the bluetooth as it is quite nifty and a nice party trick in the car. Also the music streaming on BT is also an added bonus. The 4x4 Haldex is an added bonus as are the additional safety features.

I would have definitely gone in for a Yeti had it offered a little more space, which I desperately needed, when I chose the Fortuner instead. However I always liked Skoda's VFM proposition and went for the Superb as soon as I got a chance. Haven't regretted that decision till date and keeping fingers crossed for the future.

Keep revving and updating and congratulations once again.

[ghostrider]

Congratulations, the Yeti's a great little car. I've always been a fan of how the Yeti does almost everything well. It's one of the most complete cars available in the world today - something that holds true even more so in India.
The interiors are fantastic, it's just the right size for the perfect amount of haulage and it can go places where no sedan or MUV would dare. Add to that the level of kit and sophistication you get on the inside and it really makes it a winning combination.

Cheers... I wish you many miles of motoring happiness. Drive safe.

[vishaltanksale]

Congratulations ! Car does look very nice in Aqua Mist colour.

How about manufacturing year? It is 2011 or 2012?

[Behemoth]

Congrats ITnerd and good to have one more Yeti joining the Clan!
Coming from the Civic, you will enjoy many aspects of the Yeti alot and the fuel savings too! It is quite a mountain goat and you can take it practically anywhere and you will never need to worry about hitting any of the breakers ever.

The new Tyres are also looking good and will be perfect. Just let them break in well in the first 500 kms before attempting anything adventurous.
As the UTQG is high, you will tend to find a bit of tyre squeal on fast cornering/ but you should not face loss of grip as the Haldex will automatically come into play.
These tyres should last long and will also bear the brunt of off road use well.

Enjoy your Yeti and let's meet up sometime!

Regards,
Behemoth

[nurni76]

@iTNerd, that's a nice looking Yeti you have. I agree with you on the side profile. If they had blackened the B Pillar, looks could have been enhanced significantly. Fantastic detailed review and happy mile munching.

[arup.misra]

Congrats iTNerd on your Yeti. Indeed a good choice of vehicle and color to boot. Extended warranty will keep you far away from the horror stories of Skoda (fingers crossed).

Do post some interior shots as well. Happy motoring and looking forward to seeing you in the travelogues.

[shankar.balan]

Good Show! Well Done!
Nice report, lovely pics and nice choice of "easy maintenance" colour. Great tyres too!
All the very best with the new Yeti!!
Welcome to the motley gang of Yeti people on TBHP.

[Nicky]

Congratulations.
It is surely looking good. i like alloys. blackening of B pillar will surely enhance the look.
Can you post some pics of this bluetooth and usb port pics if you have?
some interior pics will be really nice to have.

[Alive2Drive]

Congratulations on your new ride !

It sure looks a robust looking vehicle ! I am sure it is a very successful crossover and will be very sucessful in off roading.

Happy Mile Crunching

[SmartCat]

Fits your requirements perfectly I guess. Time to look at some Youtube videos of Yeti going offroad then?

Those Geolander all terrain tyres - won't they be less grippier on a smooth twisty road than stock tyres?

[abbey4u]

Congrats iTNerd. I am guessing its my time to put ownership thread . But it won't be much different than the color of the car, so i can just copy and paste yours (kidding)

[iTNerd]

Originally Posted by dkaile

I would have definitely gone in for a Yeti had it offered a little more space, which I desperately needed, when I chose the Fortuner instead. However I always liked Skoda's VFM proposition and went for the Superb as soon as I got a chance. Haven't regretted that decision till date and keeping fingers crossed for the future.

Keep revving and updating and congratulations once again.

Many thanks! Yup, I had to sit and examine the Fortuner 3 times before finally going with the Yeti. It was a very hard decision to take, even though it was 1/3rd more expensive. Moreover, I am single, 31 and don't have any dependents here and hence the Fortuner was an overkill for my requirements. Anyhow, there will be a point in the future when I've a wife & kids, that time, I will need a 7 seaters.

On the Yeti, I like the associated weirdness and the quirkiness - kinda makes a hippie car with lot of interesting personalities. Driving it around make me feel much cheerful and heartful.

Originally Posted by ghostrider

Congratulations, the Yeti's a great little car. I've always been a fan of how the Yeti does almost everything well. It's one of the most complete cars available in the world today - something that holds true even more so in India.

The interiors are fantastic, it's just the right size for the perfect amount of haulage and it can go places where no sedan or MUV would dare. Add to that the level of kit and sophistication you get on the inside and it really makes it a winning combination.

Cheers... I wish you many miles of motoring happiness. Drive safe.

You have summed up nicely! It is so practical and fun, that after driven it for the past few days, when I try to drive my Civic today, I feel like I am in the wrong car.

Originally Posted by vishaltanksale

Congratulations ! Car does look very nice in Aqua Mist colour.

How about manufacturing year? It is 2011 or 2012?

Thanks! Its CKD and the kits were manufactured 2011. However, the car was assembled in the Aurangabad factory on May, 2012.

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Congrats ITnerd and good to have one more Yeti joining the Clan!
Coming from the Civic, you will enjoy many aspects of the Yeti alot and the fuel savings too! It is quite a mountain goat and you can take it practically anywhere and you will never need to worry about hitting any of the breakers ever.

The new Tyres are also looking good and will be perfect. Just let them break in well in the first 500 kms before attempting anything adventurous.
As the UTQG is high, you will tend to find a bit of tyre squeal on fast cornering/ but you should not face loss of grip as the Haldex will automatically come into play.
These tyres should last long and will also bear the brunt of off road use well.

Enjoy your Yeti and let's meet up sometime!

Thank you a lot! if it wasn't for your ownership thread and others, I won't have considered this car at all. Today, I drove the Civic after a week of cold storage. And guess what happened - the steering felt so hard and the sitting position felt very low, that I had to put the max height. Used the wiper stalks 2-3 times for the left/right turn indicator. It took me at least 15-20 mins to get back to the Civic-sense. In fact, I almost forgot that I had a Civic in my garage. Talk about the effect of Yetism

Originally Posted by arup.misra

Congrats iTNerd on your Yeti. Indeed a good choice of vehicle and color to boot. Extended warranty will keep you far away from the horror stories of Skoda (fingers crossed).

Do post some interior shots as well. Happy motoring and looking forward to seeing you in the travelogues.

Thanks! Yup, a Skoda without extended warranty is like going to gunfight without a bulletproof vest. Will post the interior shots soon.

Originally Posted by smartcat

Fits your requirements perfectly I guess. Time to look at some Youtube videos of Yeti going offroad then?

Those Geolander all terrain tyres - won't they be less grippier on a smooth twisty road than stock tyres?

I had already done that, and the Yeti in my garage was the outcome of those videos . It has been raining in NCR and I have no issues with the grip. May be the 4x4 kicks in where there is lost of traction. In fact, with the new tyres, I feel much more confident in its road manner and handling. But I have no point of reference with the OEM tyres as rain didn't happen when I was driving on it. But I can surely tell the yoko HT are much more silent than then OEM GoodYear ones.

Originally Posted by Nicky

Congratulations.
It is surely looking good. i like alloys. blackening of B pillar will surely enhance the look.
Can you post some pics of this bluetooth and usb port pics if you have?
some interior pics will be really nice to have.

Thanks! Here are some pictures of the bluetooth/iPod/USB features added (aftermarket) to the inbuilt bolero system.