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Should I buy a Skoda Yeti for long journeys?

I've been looking at the Skoda Yeti. It seems lovely. I really wanted the 2-litre TDI engine with DSG gearbox in a two-wheel drive, but they only do a much more expensive 4-wheel drive with that combination. My budget is £17,000, so even a used 4WD is beyond me. The dealer has offered me a low mileage 1.2TSI 105 which seems to me to be outrageously small for a car that I want to do long trips with, but he assures me it is up to the job. So I have two questions for you. Firstly, what do you think about that assertion about the 1.2 engine, and secondly, bearing in mind that I have arthritis in my hips and need a higher sitting car, if the Yeti isn't right for me, what would be your plan B? I reckon that over the next five years I will do 100,000 miles, and if I can do it with one car and one lot of depreciation that would be the smartest move.

Asked on 16 February 2013 by MB, London E3

Answered by Honest John
The VAG 1.2TSI 105 works well. I did 120 miles in a Mk VII Golf fitted with one in January: www.honestjohn.co.uk/road-tests/volkswagen/volkswa...o. But the DSG can have problems, in particular suffering from hesitation when emerging from side roads and entering roundabouts. My plan B would be a Ford B-Max 1.6 Powershift. Test here is of the 1.0 Ecoboost manual, not the Powershift, but the Powershift works better than a DSG in other applications: www.honestjohn.co.uk/road-tests/ford/ford-b-max-20.../
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