Long time since I posted but I thought I'd let you all know about my year driving a Yeti (now replaced with an Octavia!).

I have never kept any car for long and at 1 year / 10K miles the Yeti lasted longer than most recent cars (Lexus GS300, Octavia MKII 1.8 TSi, Roomster 2 1.9 TDi, x2 MKI Octavia vRS's, Qashqai 1.6 and Merc CLK).

It was definitely a distinctive car and on more than a few occasions I found random people asking me what it was etc.

Over the first year / 10K miles it required no oil or coolant whatsoever.

The tyres at 10K miles were 1/3 worn on the front and appeared virtually unworn on the back

I had 3 unscheduled visits to the main dealer
* ECU Flashed / interior bulb replaced
* Cam position sensor replaced after ESP failure popped up on the maxidot
* Passenger rear door lock replaced after child locks/central locking failed.

I then had the Bolero (radio) flashed by the main dealer in order to address the "slow SD card read" issue - this made a huge difference.

The overall average mpg was in the low 30's (70% Urban / 30% Mway). The best MPG was just over 40 mpg and the worst well into the 20's.

The car was exceptionally quiet at high speed. I came to the Yeti from a "proper" Lexus and didn't in any way feel short changed in the refinement department.

I found the ride a bit unsettled on the motorway. I assumed this was due to the relatively short wheelbase and low profile tyres. The roadholding was however very positive and reassuring.

The ICE system sounded very good, although I found the Bolero a tremendously fiddly thing to navigate. The system in the pre FL MKII Octavia was much more intuitive and easier to operate on the move.

I had the spare wheel kit fitted and found it made a big difference to the available boot space. It also rendered the bag hooks largely useless.

The general build quality of the car, both insde and out, was exemplary. Not a single rattle at 10K miles / 1 year old.

I only ever used the Park Assist system to show/amaze other people. Seemed a good deal though as it also came with ESP and front sensors.

The dual zone climate worked well and I think is a worthwhile upgrade from the standard AC system.

The rear view mirror is set too low.

I found the standard halogen headlights were good. I did try to upgrade the bulbs, but found the access quite limited. I was disapointed to read that the bumper needs to come off to remove the headlights / front indicators. Same with the Roomster though.

I was in two minds regarding the engine. On the one hand, you couldn't help be impressed how it allowed the car to cruise at high speed / low revs (70 mph equates to around 2600 rpm). Driving the Yeti for the first time after a 1.6 NA Qashqai was a revelation. The TSi unit immediately felt stronger, quicker and much quieter, despite the performance figures being largely the same. I actually never told my wife the engine was 400cc smaller in the Yeti!

On the other hand I was always left with the feeling the car was operating just within it's capabilities. The was, perhaps not unsurprisingly, most apparent when trying the regain speed on the Mway. The engine also suffered the rattly / unstable idle which seems to be a feature of this engine. It also took a few seconds longer to start than any other new car I've owned.

The final negative for me related to the cars ability in the recent snow. This was no doubt due to its overly large summer tyres - Pirelli P Zero Rosso's on mine. I did look into winter tyres, but in the 17" size the cost was approaching £1K. I looked a sourcing some steelies, but again price / availability was an issue.

This being said I was left with the feeling that the Yeti is a quite rare thing in todays crowded car market, being both distinctive (in a good way) and "characterful".