[pramods]

Perfectly normal nothing to worry about the fan running after the car is switched off :-) enjoy the drives and do let us know what FE you are getting on high ways.

-Pramod

[Thad E Ginathom]

Yes: this is normal, and happens even in cold London!

Once upon a time, the fan belt used to actually run the fan, as well as the generator/alternator. Then the fans became electric and thermostat controlled. Along with this, came a warning, under the bonnet, to take care where you put your hand, as just because the engine is off does not mean the fan will not run!

[shankar.balan]

Thanks a lot guys.

I have been thrumming the Yeti along these lovely hill roads - even this morning we were heading to my pal's main house and the roads to that area are good except in a couple of patches. I thought, in for a penny, in for a pound and have been "sending it" along the twisties. Plugging up to 3500 rpm occasionally between gears and generally having a blast.

Great fun but I am an old hand at hill driving even if I say so myself and am always very careful indeed, looking out for the "other halfwit" plugging along in the opposite direction, especially in the day time.

Then we took both the vehicles and waddled off into the deeper bits where my pal has one of his patches of land and I made him drive the Yeti, while I drove my old Scorpio behind him.

Suddenly, after one month of Yeti-ization the Scorpio gears and clutch etc feel so much harder and woolly in comparison!

There are some pretty bad roads and steep ish, deeply dusty and dry mud bits with very little traction per se and the Yeti was eating them up like a monster unleashed. I was keeping up in the Scorp, which it can do very easily on account of its fantastic torque up the hills in second and third gear. But the Yeti's 4x4 and all the tech jack really puts it at another level. The poor Scorpio does feel rather basic in comparison and given a choice I would rather not go back to that level any more.

So we reached that place and did a bit of toodling about on the plantation and we took some pics of both the beasts together and some more of an ancient looking Mahindra Major who was lurking alongside.

We then got back to town through the scenic route and I drove my Yeti this time. On the seriously bad bits I was babying the Yeti a lot more than I ever did, my Scorpio and it was great to drive behind my old Scorp which was being well driven by my pal. The Scorp seems to have found its calling as a "working vehicle" and has stepped up very well indeed to the challenges thrown at it in Coorg! The Yeti, the young turk in the mix, is literally "just the right amount of SUV" to quote another gentleman of the road, on our Forum!

I think on this trip I may well have eaten up a bit of tyre life, but hey, what the heck? If you cant drive a car the way it is supposed to be driven and used - well, one might as well not buy one in the first place!

The Yeti again surprised me with its amazing composure through the twisties, its lovely "Skoda diesel Growl", brilliant handling and braking and its total sports car like feel, vis a vis that heavy ponderous, top heavy Scorp! Lovely driving experience all round, throughout.

The tech stuff in the Yeti is an amazing bit of kit - I just love having a 4x4 again because it is simply amazing how much confidence it gives you, to go to strange places that one may otherwise fear to tread!

I dont think, if I had owned an I 20 for example or a Laura or something of that kind, I would even have ventured anywhere out!

My wife is extremely pleased with the comfort and security that the Yeti provides us with and I think we made a good decision overall to buy it!

It is absolutely ideal for just the two of us, with all my luggage and paraphernalia - though nowhere near as spacious as the Scorpio, it more than makes up for that by the overall experience it gives me each time I get into it and drive it!

I am not sure about the Fuel efficiency bit - I ve whacked it out for about 400 kms so far on this trip and the tank appears to have reached the half full point. I know I babied it well yesterday on the highway and must have got a very good FE reading then, but I must have run through all that gain in yesterday afternoon evening and most of today's twist-ology in the hills!

End of the trip I will record the FE overall that I ve experienced and share it with all.

Grace of God and all going well, this is one car I want to hang on to, for a reasonably long time to come!

(My Big Apologies to all for stealing large bits of this thread but I am way too lazy to start another ownership thread on my Silver LittleBigFoot!)

Cheers!

Originally Posted by pramods

Perfectly normal nothing to worry about the fan running after the car is switched off :-) enjoy the drives and do let us know what FE you are getting on high ways.

-Pramod

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Yes: this is normal, and happens even in cold London!

Once upon a time, the fan belt used to actually run the fan, as well as the generator/alternator. Then the fans became electric and thermostat controlled. Along with this, came a warning, under the bonnet, to take care where you put your hand, as just because the engine is off does not mean the fan will not run!

Originally Posted by mnemonic

Shankar- a good piece as usual. I am no Yeti expert but this is typical of most well engineered European cars where the radiator's fan comes on/is on for sometime after the engine has been turned off to allow for gradual cooling. Have been living with this for the past 5.5 years when parking lot attendants and security guards come and tell me " Sir, aapka engine bandh nahi hua". Don't think it is a cause of concern, however, Yeti owners can supplant.

[DeKay]

Good to know that you're enjoying this gem of a vehicle shankar. It is definitely the best all rounder in the market currently.
Keep us all updated!

PS- How about some more pics of both your beasts in coorg?

[shankar.balan]

Thanks a lot. I agree it is probably the best all rounder available in the marketplace at the moment. Every thing about it shrieks of quality and that is why I just love it. Nothing to touch or even come close to that "European look, feel, fit, finish and overall finesse". Trouble is that it is so very easy to get used to great quality that one simply cant go back to what one was used to earlier - none of the Japanese, Korean or Indian vehicles come anywhere close to the Euro lot in terms of overall finesse! I have no idea how I ve been buzzing about in those old rattletraps all these years and loving every moment too!

Yes I will certainly do that once I download the stuff from my camera.
The other pics I took on the phone yesterday are already on the computer and hence I was able to post them.
Tomorrow and day after there should be some more photo ops which I will try and make the best use of and share.


Cheers

Originally Posted by DeKay

Good to know that you're enjoying this gem of a vehicle shankar. It is definitely the best all rounder in the market currently.
Keep us all updated!

PS- How about some more pics of both your beasts in coorg?

[DeKay]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Thanks a lot. I agree it is probably the best all rounder available in the marketplace at the moment. Every thing about it shrieks of quality and that is why I just love it. Nothing to touch or even come close to that "European look, feel, fit, finish and overall finesse". Trouble is that it is so very easy to get used to great quality that one simply cant go back to what one was used to earlier - none of the Japanese, Korean or Indian vehicles come anywhere close to the Euro lot in terms of overall finesse! I have no idea how I ve been buzzing about in those old rattletraps all these years and loving every moment too!

Yes I will certainly do that once I download the stuff from my camera.
The other pics I took on the phone yesterday are already on the computer and hence I was able to post them.
Tomorrow and day after there should be some more photo ops which I will try and make the best use of and share.


Cheers

Very true Shankar. None of the korean or Japanese competitors come even close to germans when it comes to fit and finish and build quality. I've been using a Swift Dzire since the past 3 years and I am tired of all the rattling and squeaking noises from all over the car. It indeed is a rattletrap.

That said, I hope to replace it with the All new Jetta or a Yeti in the month of May if things go according to plan. Fingers crossed!

[shankar.balan]

Buy a Yeti!!! You will simply love it!

Dont bother with the Jetta - ground clearance etc and frankly too commonplace! My pal in Bombay has a Jetta (2008-2009) and is highly displeased with its bottom-scraping everytime he goes over a speed bump or anything which is remotely higher than the normal road surface!

If it helps I shall keep my fingers crossed too, on your behalf! Really, the Yeti is just too good a vehicle that is badly under-rated by our "sedan-status conscious or super size SUV mad" marketplace!

Originally Posted by DeKay

Very true Shankar. None of the korean or Japanese competitors come even close to germans when it comes to fit and finish and build quality. I've been using a Swift Dzire since the past 3 years and I am tired of all the rattling and squeaking noises from all over the car. It indeed is a rattletrap.

That said, I hope to replace it with the All new Jetta or a Yeti in the month of May if things go according to plan. Fingers crossed!

[DeKay]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Buy a Yeti!!! You will simply love it!

Dont bother with the Jetta - ground clearance etc and frankly too commonplace! My pal in Bombay has a Jetta (2008-2009) and is highly displeased with its bottom-scraping everytime he goes over a speed bump or anything which is remotely higher than the normal road surface!

If it helps I shall keep my fingers crossed too, on your behalf! Really, the Yeti is just too good a vehicle that is badly under-rated by our "sedan-status conscious or super size SUV mad" marketplace!

Will surely keep all this in mind Shankar. But the thing is, my budget will be restricted to 16.5 OTR at the most. In this, either the Yeti Ambition 4x4 (After discounts) or the Jetta Trendline are the only options.

When it comes to safety, the Jetta is a clear winner. The Ambition, as you know has lesser safety equipment then the elegance. But, apart from this, I am sure there are a lot of places where the Yeti wins hands down. Ground clearance being one of the major advantages like you pointed out. Plus, the build quality of the Yeti is far more better than the Jetta. So, will keep visiting various threads regularly and see which one suits me best since build quality too is one of the main criteria for my purchase.

[shankar.balan]

Quietly start saving some money and buy the Yeti 4x4 Elegance!

Originally Posted by DeKay

Will surely keep all this in mind Shankar. But the thing is, my budget will be restricted to 16.5 OTR at the most. In this, either the Yeti Ambition 4x4 (After discounts) or the Jetta Trendline are the only options.

When it comes to safety, the Jetta is a clear winner. The Ambition, as you know has lesser safety equipment then the elegance. But, apart from this, I am sure there are a lot of places where the Yeti wins hands down. Ground clearance being one of the major advantages like you pointed out. Plus, the build quality of the Yeti is far more better than the Jetta. So, will keep visiting various threads regularly and see which one suits me best since build quality too is one of the main criteria for my purchase.

[shankar.balan]

A few photos in a little track leading to an estate somewhere in Coorg..

[VBN]

Has anybody put up a roof top carrier on the Yeti? Any suggestions on which ones could be used?

Regards, VBN

[VBN]

Here is a snap of my Yeti, on a recent trip in Maharashtra.

[mnemonic]

These were visual treats of the highest order. Thanks guys.

The Yeti would look awesome with a Thule rack, won't it?

Also- can either of you share how much you threw in the boot during these journeys? Would appreciate some pointers.

Wishing you and your snowmen a great 2012 ( In case they have a calendar!)

[shankar.balan]

Tons of stuff actually
My golf bag. both our suitcases and plenty of fiddly stuff like hats, jackets, suit, other clothes, sweaters, and of course gifts for our friends of the imbibable variety and CDs and other bunk.
My Yeti fitted in all that my Scorpio used to - the only difference was that we were only the 2 of us as usual but the rear seats of the Yeti were put down flat to fit everything in comfortably whereas in the Scorp I ve carried all this and more and still would have had space for three passengers because of the humongous luggage area.
Frankly while I know the Scorp is much larger, I ve no complaints at all with my Yeti.
Cheers

Originally Posted by mnemonic

These were visual treats of the highest order. Thanks guys.

The Yeti would look awesome with a Thule rack, won't it?

Also- can either of you share how much you threw in the boot during these journeys? Would appreciate some pointers.

Wishing you and your snowmen a great 2012 ( In case they have a calendar!)

[VBN]

Originally Posted by mnemonic

The Yeti would look awesome with a Thule rack, won't it?

Also- can either of you share how much you threw in the boot during these journeys? Would appreciate some pointers.

Wishing you and your snowmen a great 2012 ( In case they have a calendar!)

Thanks for the reference. I did some further checks on briskoda. It seems that the Skoda provided roof racks in Europe are better than Thule or any other 3rd party, in terms of fit and aesthetics. Will check with the local dealer what they can offer in India.

I had about 60 kgs of bags in the boot. Basically 1 large suitcase and 3 mid sized bags plus my Dad's crutches.

When buying the Yeti, I was aware of the boot space constraints. Still opted for the Yeti given the various plus factors for the Yeti. I had factored in self drive(i.e.without my driver), wife plus 2 small kids for most of the out station travels. After the purchase of the Yeti, my aged parents too re enthusiastic on all travels(already had 2 long trips with driver, plus parents, plus wife plus me plus 2 small kids). So I need to clear off rear boot completely onto the top for next trips so that kids can play in the boot.