The Prelude
Let me think.. How did it all start? I remember first seeing her on TV. She was very much a celebrity and had not yet arrived in India. This was an episode hosted by Sid Patankar of NDTV reviewing a new vehicle launched by Skoda named Yeti. Throughout the 7-9 mins segment I was totally glued to the TV. I said to myself if this car ever comes to India – I am going to buy it. Of all the new cars we see in international segment, hardly a few end-up being in India. So even if he said it will be introduced in India I took it with pinch of salt.
Let’s now fast forward to June’11. By this time we had started seeing few Yetis on the Mumbai roads. My wife at times, had to nudge me to look back at the road in front as I rubber-necked to absorb every bit of this passing by beauty.
Come Dec'11, my Getz is 6.5 yrs. old. I was now serious on replacing her. I was initially impressed by the looks of XVU500 but more I saw them on road, I thought they are too crude (for my taste). Another constraint was size of my stilt parking. It would not have possibly accommodated XUV500.
Wanting to read more on Yeti, I bumped into Team-BHP and then came across these amazing threads by Reehan ( official review), Behemoth, Shankar, Promod and SushilBajpai. Just like a kid hooked on to a comic staring his favorite super-hero I read and re-read every bit of information posted on these threads.
I had to keep thought of buying a new car on hold as overseas travel was expected on job front and there was no point in buying something and keep it idle in garage.
This was during my visit to Paris in June’12, like everybody else; I waited outside the airport for my turn in the queue for a cab - with hope to get a cabbie who knows English. Yeti in her Mato brown attire rolls by as my turn comes. It was the 1.2 TFSI version, I tried to get more info from Cab driver but I see him having extreme trouble putting together English words for my Yeti related questions. So I decide to sit back and listen to her and experience how she behaves on the expressway. I reached my hotel and called wife – my first line was – we are buying a Yeti once I am back.
Decision making
Which version was the big question. First class (Elegance 4x4), Business class (Ambition 4x4/4x2) or Economy (Active trim). Selection thought process was as below. I stared from top.
- Of course I wanted 4x4 elegance but gap between 4x2 Ambition and top variant was about 3L OTR. That’s a lot of money at least to me.
- We all know the spares could be pretty expensive with Yeti. I decided to set aside some money invested as a contingency fund in case things go wrong after 4 years of ownership. Hopefully money will grow as my car gets older and eventually out the 2+2 years of warranty period.
- I am a city slicker and travel outside would only be with Family and on tar roads only. It’s a nice to have of 4x4 but there is a good chance that it will never be used.
- Any 4x4 has more complicated mechanics at play. Why not lower risk of failure by going a bit low-tech to 4x2. It might help lower the malfunction risk.
So 4x2 it’s going to be! Buying experience / Tests drives
I had test driven Yeti 2 times by then. Both were Elegance 4x4. I asked them to get a 4x2 to my home, had Sales person park the vehicle in my little parking lot and then took it for a ride myself. I was not able to feel any tangible difference between 4x4 and 4x2 in terms of pickup, ride quality etc.
Dealership experience
I am not very impressed with Sales team of Autobahn. These folks are low on energy. All along my sales rep appears not very interested in anything. Not sure if it’s a one off experience or not. Even in test drives earlier, he was a mum like a bucket of rocks, I was explaining and talking about features in the car and he replied in mono syllables. I wondered who is selling car to whom.
Delivery day
Last week of July, on my father’s birthday, we bring her home. Delivery formalities were quick but again the energy level was too disappointing. All along, I thought is there something wrong in me buying this car? Sad if you are purchasing a new vehicle at this price point. A close relative had purchase Honda city 4 weeks prior and I was there to take the delivery. The environment was very bright and enthusiastic there. Not sure if anybody from Autobahn reads this but if do you. Please take a note.
First 6 months of ownership
She has been what I expected her to be. An Excellent car overall. I have by now clocked over 5K Kms making few trips outstation. Here’s a summary of my likes and not-so-likes.
Likes - The Engine is superb. Provides the right amount of power with no turbo lag that I can feel.
- Road handling. Does not feel like a tall-boy ride. Hugs the road no matter how twisted it is.
- Small size, fits in my parking and easy to drive on a daily basis
- Cabin Fit and finish. I see some excellent craftsmanship there.
- A different-ness - not many Yeti’s around and that’s what makes her stand out
Not-so-Likes - Come on Skoda, 16L+ car and you cannot add Bluetooth, a SD media slot there?
- I even today get cold feet with a thought of needing to visit service center in future.
- Accessories are too expensive. I inquired for upgrade to Bolero stereo from swing audio unit and it only costs Rs. 70K.
- Stalling in initial days. I had 66K Miles in US and 80K Kms in India under my belt and I still managed to stall it during first 2 weeks of ownership. Yikes!
- AC is not a chiller. Mumbai October heat, no sun films and it does take time to cool things down.
What’s on the wish list?
- I want to active needle staging, cornering fogs and if possible DRLs. I wonder if anybody else/shop/non Skoda service center can help me get these “software” options changed. It’s too painful to visit Autobahn for this and wait for hours for them to resolve it.
- I have disliked the idea that a 140bhp capable engine made 110bhp on 4x2. Thinking of using a tuning box but warranty related concerns have kept me away from it. Would love to hear from any Yeti owners who have tuning box installed.
I just want to recognize my 2005 Getz which gave me excellent service. I had to sell it as there is no place to keep the second car.
Thanks to
Sheel, Sunilrj and Shankar.Balan who inspired me write this review. Hope this becomes place for Yeti 4x2 owners to meet.
Few pics for your viewing pleasure
Driving Experience - One of the things I really appreciate about this car is – it drives like a car. Seating high perched. In addition to provide usual forward movement, it also allows you to raise the seat. So if you are vertically challenged like me, it’s a good thing.
- Turn the ignition and car comes live with a recognizable roar. I have never been a fan of noisy cabin so it took a little time to de-tune the engine noise. I think Skoda can do a better job on limiting engine noise in cabin.
- Gear shifts are smooth but slightly on a harder side. It takes more effort to shift than what I was used to in my 7 yr old Getz.
- There is no turbo lag what-so-ever. In fact I was told it’s to be expected with diesel engines but this engine is tuned to minimize it.
- Pick up is excellent, let it be a red one turning green or need to quickly get ahead of a truck. Engine responds to urgency very well.
Comfort - Passanger seating is very comfortable. Back seat is not really for 3 persons. It can be best enjoyed by two.
- Suspension does a very good job to handle usual broken Mumbai roads.
Some notable features - Superior safety offerings - ABS, EBD, ASR EDL, TCS and ESP
- 416 Lt of boot space.
- Rain sensing wipers
- Ability to adjust mirrors electrically, of course I would have liked auto folding mirrors too.
- Foldable and Removable seats