[fi.robin]

7th September, 3.30 pm. My wife and I go to Tafe showroom, Hosur road to take the delivery of a White Ambition 4x4 Yeti. I know Ambition 4x4 is rare but will come to that in a while. I’ll be using the [] brackets for digressions.

Things I like:
1. Compact size
2. Torquey engine
3. High seating position and overall visibility
4. Fun and easy of drive in city
5. Host of safety features
6. Good quality overall
7. Fuel efficiency

Things I don't like:
1. Small wing mirrors. Has a very limited visibility range.
2. Missing lighter and tyre protection nut at this price.
3. Engine noise and vibration felt inside at idle. My folks may have problem. They are not used to the diesel vibration.

I am adding my VIN here for clarity for the new buyers.
TMBMDE5L6CAXXXXXX
E is the month = May [note that I is not used to avoid confusion with 1]
C is the year = 2012 [most will have it as B = 2011]

below in detail:
TMBMDE5L6CAxxxxxx Code Description
Model name: 5L Skoda Yeti
Equipment level and body type: M RHD, 4x4, MPV (5 doors)
Engine: D 2.0 CR-TDI 16V turbo, DPF, diesel 103 kW (140 PS) @ 4200 rev., 320 Nm @ 1750..2500 rev., DOHC, EU5
Engine codes possible: CBDB, CFHC
Year of production: C 2012
Month of production: E may
Producing factory: A Aurangabad (India)
Country of manufacturer: TM Europe, Czech Republic
Name of manufacturer: B Skoda Auto a. s.
Validity code: 6 6

I have a question for gurus - does the Indian Yeti have DPF? I thought they are not suitable for Indian conditions.

Why SUV/Crossover
This is the reason we think a 4x4 crossover would do us good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-BgV...ature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sKef...ature=youtu.be

Options
Just like our first car, Fabia [which is now more than four years and 58,000kms old], I knew which car we were going to buy, given the near future launches and the existing bunch. It was a matter of when and not what. My wife wanted a Wrangler or a Juke, uh, crazy dream. I thought Mitsubishi may launch its new crossover ASX (or is it ASR, all the alphabets from the Yeti’s safety list is confusing me). HM being HM, what can you expect. XUV was not considered because of its bulk, though it is hard to reject for the VFM card it plays. My wife loves driving the Fabia so we wanted a car that would be equally fun and easy to drive for her. Duster – doesn’t have a 4X4. Plus after spending twice the amount it wouldn’t really have felt like an upgrade from Fabia. Top of the line Duster is 14 lacs OTR Bangalore. Three star Euro NCAP rating … hmm. In this era it is a step backward I think. Fortuner, Pajero etc – out of my budget.

Purchase
A few months back I took a test drive of Yeti, just for fun. I had no intention of buying it then. After some rigorous follow up by the sales exec, a short and tiring foreign trip and lots of work came a dull period. Dull periods can be destructive as you shall find out. I convinced my wife that we should buy the Yeti in December, mainly due to discount reasons, and so should start the ground work now. She does not like, shall we say, window shopping (lucky me). I came up with the exit plans so that we don’t sound as a non-potential buyer. Excuse 1 – color, any color except silver was fine for me, but is always a good excuse. My wife wanted Mato brown. Excuse 2 – date of manufacture, this was actually my requirement, as latest as possible. I knew from our fellow BHPians about the VIN dates availability. Thanks to them for updates.[There is a theory going that for CKDs it is okay if the VIN dates are a year old. Recently a member here posted about his clutch issues, which he attributes to long standing in the stockyard. It may be hard to find the actual cause but there is a point here. ] Since I was not in urgent need of the car, and for the money the Yeti sells, I was adamant. It had to be my way.

All geared up we go to the showroom. The showroom is very close to our house and the service center even closer. We meet the sales exec who informs us that there is an Independence Day offer going on. Two lacs off on Elegance and one lac on Ambition 4x4. The difference in the two after discount was only a lac OTR. Next we asked about the date of manufacture. They said they had nothing after October 2011. Excuse 2 kicks in as planned. We asked them to call us when a newer lot comes. We also enquired about the loan process and learnt that they have tie up with State Bank of Mysore (SBM) too, which is situated in the next to next building. [We prefer nationalized banks for loan. They usually do not charge repayment penalty. I could have gone my own way with SBI but they are usually slow with all the rush]. We thank them and go home.

If you tinker the file system of your brain you will recall that the period around 15th August had some extra holidays. Id, Independence day and weekends. I was getting bored on one such day and made up my mind to visit the stockyard to see what is the latest available. The exec gladly showed around in the basement where they had all the Yetis. We surprisingly found a Feb 2012 model [sixth character of the VIN is the month and the 10th is the year]. We booked the car. Next day we start the loan process. Wait a minute!

Manager walks to us to inform that the car is already booked by some else at the Jayanagar showroom. After lot of !@#$%^&*( and (*&^%$#@! we walk out. It was an easy decision for us since we were not in urgent need .. Within an hour something cooks up and we get a call from the manager with a new offer. Two lacs discount on a White Ambition 4x4, born in May 2012. I wanted the Elegance not for its gadgetry but for the additional 4 airbags.[I am not a big fan of gadgets or features. Four years ago Fabia came home packed with features. A lot of them are just there and used only at the time of bragging. I think I have matured now] I thought about the offer for some time. It was a tradeoff between DoM and 4 airbags. We went for the DoM. All the other safety features are the same as Elegance. Two lacs discount sweetened the deal. It seems one cannot get enough of anything. Even with Elegance I had wished it came with the driver knee airbag and panoramic roof too.

What followed was a series of inspection – underbody, over body, inside body, underbody, over body, in the yard, in the showroom, on the road, on the roof etc. All satisfied we take the delivery of the vehicle in the evening of 7th September. The loan officer and the manager at SBM where very nice [I still have to get them their share of sweets], so was the sales exec Rakesh Raju.

Dealer choice
The decision to go with Tafe were based on two factors, their tie up with SBM and vicinity of their yard to our residence. I just didn’t have this luxury with Vinayak whose yard is almost 20kms away. They too kept maintaining that they don’t have anything after October 2011. It would have been very difficult for me to dig out a new model from them even when they knew that I had a good rapport with their ex service managers. My Fabia still gets serviced at Vinayak, thanks to the exes. [I have had lunch with them on a few occasions when the car was being serviced. Nice and approachable gents. Wish them all the best in life.]

Comparison
Switching between Fabia and Yeti. Fabia was and is my second love. [After my wife who was my girlfriend then ] The excitement with Fabia was like a spike, a spike which went up but didn’t come down [I am not able to find the right word for it, Jeeves?]. The association with Yeti is more linear like, getting it slowly but surely. There is no comparison between the two. One would rightly expect the Yeti to be better in all sense but there are a few things that I find better in Fabia. The rolling of the front windows is much more silent in Fabia, feels smoother. I also find the headlight switch of Fabia better to operate. Most importantly it is the steering. Fabia’s being a hydraulic unit feels good at all speed. [ My wife finds Yeti easier to drive, steering being one of the reason, it is lighter] . Yeti’s steering weighs up very nicely as speed builds. It will be interesting to see how it does on a slow and winding ghat turns. Fabia was good. Fabia’s engine bay is relatively empty owing to the puny 1.2 engine. I can see major components to analyze for wear and tear. For example the belt, it is very easy to inspect for cracks, loosening, grease etc in the Fabia. Yeti’s look so complicated. Being bigger in size Yeti requires that much more effort in cleaning and waxing. It is hard to cover whole of roof without standing on something. Mannerism of both the cars are very similar (Yeti better off course) on normal roads. That’s a lot saying about Fabia. I recently drove a host of cars in US and really missed my Fab. At low speed Yeti is gruff, Fabia is noisy at high speed while the TDI becomes smoother and smoother in this territory. On bad patches Yeti simply glides as one would expect. A long trip is expected later next month. That is when I will be able to know Yeti better.

My wife's reasoning on why she should use the Yeti
You are seated higher than in Fabia. There is good visibility all around. She can see the bonnet and that gives her confidence in judgement.
Steering is lighter.
Horn is lighter too. Fabia's horn is too hard. I am very easy on the horn. Sometimes the horn doesn't blow because I apply a little less pressure and why wife thinks I didn't intend to honk.
Parking sensors. She find's it very very useful.
She adapted much faster to clutch.
It is safer than Fabia. Chapter closed and I lose.

Ladies will love the Yeti.

Drive
We have done many wonderful trips and miles in the Fabia. We crossed the Little Rann of Kutch and part of Greater Rann of Kutch in Feb this year. The baton now passes over to Yeti while the siblings share the garage. There is no racer in me. I had suspected that but even with all the torque of the TDI my urge has settled down to the usual sedate style. So far it has been driven only 700kms and is going through the run-in. The FE is amazing already. Yesterday I was able to extract 5.5l/100km over a drive of 13kms. Today it was 6. I find it quite good for a new engine. My Fabia averaged 12-13 kms/l in similar conditions running on petrol.

I have almost gotten used to the Yeti’s clutch. On a plain road releasing the clutch slowly works. No need to press the accelerator and no more stalling. On inclines, HHC though helpful, is confusing me. I have to treat it like a petrol car. Driving back to back, it is simply impossible to stall Fabia. It is a first diesel car for me.

Features
I haven't got the time to explore the full feature list so far. I am using the Yeti with my Fabia experience. Power window, key operation, and that the volume of music increases with speed etc.

I know it has hosts of safety features ESP, EDL, ABS, HHC, BA, ASR, AA, BB, CC,DD and many more . I need to understand them fully before I can start talking about them and even otherwise. For example, when to switch off the traction control.

I have almost gone through the manual. And have just managed to operate the information display. Who thought about the memory 1 and memory 2? It is useful but was so confusing in the beginning. I still don't understand half of the things in there. I have left on average fuel consumption in memory 1 and sometimes flip to memory 2. Is there a way to change l/100km to km/l ? The l/km may be good in the long run in preventing Alzheimer's but I would prefer km/l.

The fog light is really effective. I mean really effective but I avoid using them in city as it may be quite sharp for the oncoming driver, plus it is situated quite high.
The number of ways in which the rear seats can be adjusted is amazing. The auto dim of the inner rear view mirror is good too.

I have not been able test the rain sensing wiper yet. One time when it rained I didn't know how it functioned. It is now raining in the night only so can't test it. The wiper action is nice and smooth. I loved Fabia's wipers [They are better than most found in much costlier cars. They are costly. Two years ago I paid 1600 for a pair. This year I paid 700 something] and this is even better [Not sure how much they will charge for this, 20,000 ?]. Anyhow they are good not just in feel but also in wiping. I haven't gone to the merc and bmw end but on this side VW group has got this perfect [Rapid, Vento and Polo do not come with these wipers]. I know we can get these aero wipers from bosch [most likely Skoda would be getting them from Bosch itself] and others, just making a point.

The music system is playing on the setting it came from the dealer. I haven't tinkered with in yet. I like the quality. Since the Speaker is situated in the door panel, I think I hear more from my right ear. Fabia had speakers on the A pillar too. I can feel the difference. May be I should sit in the middle for the uniform effect.

[iTNerd]

Congrats on your Yeti! You got a fabulous deal with the discount. Is that ribbon or paint in the bonnet?

[supertinu]

Congrats on your purchase Robin, what as the final OTR price in Blore?

[fi.robin]

Originally Posted by iTNerd

Congrats on your Yeti! You got a fabulous deal with the discount. Is that ribbon or paint in the bonnet?

Thanks. That is ribbon. I like the new slanting style better than the usual V although it doesn't hold well in the wind drag. It flew off the moment we crossed 100. It was stuck under the bonnet with tape. The tape had left me wondering for days about its presence till it finally clicked. Skeptical me.

Originally Posted by supertinu

Congrats on your purchase Robin, what as the final OTR price in Blore?

Thanks.
18.6 after Skoda shield and zero depreciation insurance. Elegance was coming to 20.6. Skoda had increased the price in the beginning of August.

[TRANSAM]

congratulations, the Yeti is a great daily-city vehicle and with the 4x4 lots more. The discount you got is amazing, shes looks great in white. Drive safe..

[roy_libran]

In my limited opinion, Yeti is one of the best vehicles one can buy in India, for each Rupee that you pay. After the few test drives that I have had on it, no other vehicle appeals to me, as completely. The only sore point is the sub-standard tires they usually come shod with.
I really hope that the Yeti is still available to buy in India, when I collect enough money to buy one. I am just concerned that the dismal sales figures do not make Skoda dump this model prematurely.

[shashank.nk]

Congrats on the Yeti ! Its a brilliant car in its own right. Wish you a memorable and pleasant ownership experience with your Yeti

[scopriobharath]

nice pics and congrats on your purchase.

How much did you pay OTR for your vehicle.

Do post some interior pics also.

[Omtoatom]

Many congrats Robin. Splendid choice for a car.

Just yesterday on the New Car Price Check thread, I mentioned to someone that there no better time to get the Yeti, if you were planning for one. You demonstrated that to a nicety. The Yeti is a fabulous all-rounder - pretty effortless car to drive in varied conditions of traffic. With the 4x4, you even have a pretty competent off-roading option.

Enjoy this terrific car mate and wish you loads of happiness with the Yeti.

[fi.robin]

Originally Posted by TRANSAM

congratulations, the Yeti is a great daily-city vehicle and with the 4x4 lots more. The discount you got is amazing, shes looks great in white. Drive safe..

Thanks. My wife required a lot of convincing. See was struck with mato brown. The contrast of blackish shades and white actually appeals to me. She likes it now.

Originally Posted by roy_libran

In my limited opinion, Yeti is one of the best vehicles one can buy in India, for each Rupee that you pay. After the few test drives that I have had on it, no other vehicle appeals to me, as completely. The only sore point is the sub-standard tires they usually come shod with.
I really hope that the Yeti is still available to buy in India, when I collect enough money to buy one. I am just concerned that the dismal sales figures do not make Skoda dump this model prematurely.

It is actually a lot of things packed into one. I can't call it value for money but it does tick a lot of boxes for the urban adventurous type. Skoda will try to do a Superb with the next version. They can't let the SUV market slip.

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Congrats on the Yeti ! Its a brilliant car in its own right. Wish you a memorable and pleasant ownership experience with your Yeti

Thank you.

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

nice pics and congrats on your purchase.

How much did you pay OTR for your vehicle.

Do post some interior pics also.

Thanks. I don't have the interior pics right now. will shoot and post. OTR was 18.6 for complete package.

Originally Posted by Omtoatom

Many congrats Robin. Splendid choice for a car.

Just yesterday on the New Car Price Check thread, I mentioned to someone that there no better time to get the Yeti, if you were planning for one. You demonstrated that to a nicety. The Yeti is a fabulous all-rounder - pretty effortless car to drive in varied conditions of traffic. With the 4x4, you even have a pretty competent off-roading option.

Enjoy this terrific car mate and wish you loads of happiness with the Yeti.

Thanks.

[tantricindian]

Post deleted by the Team-BHP Support : Please do NOT post one-liners that add little or no informational value to the thread. We need your co-operation to maintain the overall quality of this forum.

Please read our rules before proceeding any further.

[GTO]

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

[Passiautonate]

Robin! that's great buy. It's great VFM, and it's uncommon on Indian roads that adds to it's charm. Looks are subjective but a little more beautification at the side and rear would have made wonders to sales figures. All in all you feel the value of the car when you sit inside and that is what the most significant aspect.

It's been kind of huge transition for you! from a petrol 1.2, 2 wheel drive you moved on to a torquey 2 liter 4X4. How is the overall drive feel. I must say it would feel much more planted and grippy to road.

Regards,
Maddy

[arup.misra]

Congratulations Robin. You've got yourself a sweet deal. For someone having a sub 20L budget the Yeti would tick most of the items on the list. Great to drive in city as well as occasional off roading.

Would love to see a few interior pics. Wish you continue your hassle free experience with Skoda.

[fi.robin]

Originally Posted by arup.misra

Congratulations Robin. You've got yourself a sweet deal. For someone having a sub 20L budget the Yeti would tick most of the items on the list. Great to drive in city as well as occasional off roading.

Would love to see a few interior pics. Wish you continue your hassle free experience with Skoda.

Thanks
I have some interior pics. Somehow I don't get it right. I know I need a training in photography.

Originally Posted by Passiautonate

It's been kind of huge transition for you! from a petrol 1.2, 2 wheel drive you moved on to a torquey 2 liter 4X4. How is the overall drive feel. I must say it would feel much more planted and grippy to road.

Regards,
Maddy

On a good road I don't feel much difference between the two. They are so close even with the multi link set all round in the Yeti. On patched road Yeti glides in comparison. It feels more cushioned. On no road - I don't need to say that . I haven't got the opportunity to test full capabilities yet. I should have a better report in a months time when we do our pet Bangalore-Vapi trip.

The biggest advantage is the power and the brakes. Gear shifts are also similar but I like Fabia's shift. It shifts with a click sound which feels very nice. I can even operate Fabia's stick from the bottom end. Yeti's shift needs more focus in comparison.

Fabia should be hell of a car with the 1.2 TSI