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Hi Everyone
I am looking for a small to medium SUV/Crossover for a small family of 3 and I think I have norrowed down my choices to these two. I am looking for a practical car overall for life inside suburbia, not a quality of ride. Mainly shorts hops to the supermarket, and IKEA with the occasional longer distance drive to Normandie or the South of France. (I live in France)
The one Rule not to be broken: must be an automatic.
The Skoda being from the VW group probably is probably the better made, it terms of quality of build, refinement, and quality of ride its also slighly larger offering a slight larger boot (405 liters vs 385).
The C3 is about 2500 EUROS (depending on version) cheaper, is more modular because of its cleverly designed back and will probably be cheaper to run.
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If you don't specifically need 4x4 and with a small family of 3, then you'll be looking at the 1.2 DSG (Which I happen to have...just coming up for a year old). Very pleased with it. If you like the look of it and the size suits you then you'll be fine. Very nippy for a 1.2. Plenty powerful enough for most. The gearbox needs to be got used to for a short time (poor grammar), but it's generally fine. Mine does 35/36 to the gallon - others do get more then this depending on journey type. There is a Skoda Yeti forum with absolutely loads of very detailed information that you might want to look for and search through. Wouldn't take long to find it. Tax, insurance and servicing are all reasonable and it has a very high safety rating too. With winter tyres in the winter you don't need the 4x4 for your journeys. In the UK you can get a good discount on the new price. Recommended by myself. But there will be others here who know so much more than me it's not true who will put you right.
Edited by KB. on 27/03/2012 at 00:20
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Mine does 35/36 to the gallon - others do get more then this depending on journey type.
Ouch!
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The C3 Picasso is a small MPV rather than an SUV/Crossover. It's direct Skoda competitor is the Roomster. Other small MPV's to consider are the Nissan Note, Meriva, the Kia Venga/Hyundai ix20, Kia Soul, etc.
The car that started the whole Crossover sector off, is the Nissan Qashqai.
The Yeti is about the cheapest SUV you can buy - until the Dacia Duster enters the UK market.
Edited by Auristocrat on 27/03/2012 at 00:58
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Yes, the Duster is, I was told, to start nearer £9k than £10k but won't be too long till we all know for sure. No haggling at all, apparently. It's been available elsewhere for some time so might have had bugs ironed - but, it's still a Renault based car and not everyone will be happy with that. Cheap enough though.
And, yes, I would have liked to get more than 35/36 but the journey type isn't especially conducive to the best mpg - but it's a cracking thing to drive though and nicely put together and currently holding it's value quite well too.
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Duster's not an option I'm afraid, no automatic transmission at the moment although I think there are plans to add one very soon.
I cannot afford to wait as I need something ASAP, but even if I could I suspect the AUTO will only be available on top tier versions of the car (as if commonly the case with Renault Cars). At that price 17-18K I am at the price level of the C3 or an entry level YETI. And qualitywise the Duster isnt even in the same league as those two.
The only other contender I see is the Toyota Verso-S. Which I gather is merely so-so. I could get a used Qashqai but the engines on it are beasts and I worry that as I am a new Driver my insurence is going to be scandelous..hence why the 1.2 TSI of the Skoda or 120 VTI of the C3 is interesting.
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Trouble with these Crossover things is all that extra weight and drag, 35 mpg really is pretty poor from that 1.2 tsi. Why not try a regular estate for size, lighter, and much better mpg?
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The Yeti is a Crossover, I suppose, but my 1.2 DSG is only front wheel drive so has no more drag then anything else except the fact that it is tall (but I like that for practical reasons) and it's brick shaped (but I like that too). The DSG isn't supposed to use more fuel, but in reality I can see that if you were trying to be economical, a manual would make that easier to achieve. Some / most of my journeys are localish and include moorland up and down and narrow lanes and there are no flat roads where I live. Long runs would be better of course as is witnessed by other users who meticulously check and do get better. It is a very solid thing compared to my Hyundai i10 - which, as I've noted before, is the same engine size and is automatic (Torque Convertor) but is much smaller, much more flimsy, much less comfortable, less safe....and doesn't do much more to the gallon than the Yeti. For them both to be 1.2 and for the Yeti to go as well as it does is remarkable compared to the i10. And at motorway speeds the Yeti is ticking over whilst the i10 is doing 3250 rpm at a true 70mph and vibrates dreadfully - but that's another story and is being investigated by Hyundai in India to try to fix it.
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I don't like Stationwagons (estates), they are really not urban/suburban friendly. My main issue is that they are a pain in the a*** to park, which is espically bad for me because my assigned parking place is a very narrow squeeze and my wife doesnt like tight parking menuevers.
I also prefer the raised driving positions and better visibility that MPV and crossovers offer.
I see alot of hands up for the Yeti, what about the C3 Picasso? My only qualm about the Yeti is the price, 20 Grand is alot for a first car. However I am willing to fork out the dough if the extra cost is justified.
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I love watching others attepmpt to park 4x4s in multi storey car parks. Very entertaining...
Strangley enough, despite living in an area with lost of frosts and snow etc, I have never been stuck in snow for 30 years.. and I have never once driven a 4x4..in that time.
Designed for those whose intellectual ability is dwarfed by their wallet..in my view.
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"I don't like estates, they are really not urban/suburban friendly. My main issue is that they are a pain in the a*** to park"
Objection, your honour: Depends on the estate: If the bottom of the side windowline stays flat, like it did on the old Passat and Mondeo, rearward visibility for parking is superb; better than the hatch or saloon: you can see exactly where the rear corner of the car is, and what street-furniture or toddler is adjacent to it.
Of course more recent models foul things up with kicked-up little portholes.
MPVs and crossovers sure offer a raised driving position and better forward visbility (windscreen-pillar blindspots excepted), but the bottom of the rear window can be high-enough from the ground that you can't see shorter things behind you, making you over-reliant on ultrasonic sensors for tight parking spaces.
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Well, as with everything, you can argue the toss all night. The Yeti auto starts at £1771, by the way, on DtD. Delivered anywhere in the UK. Visibility is good and it's one of the few cars where even my Mrs. can see the bonnet, not just a void. It's not a 4x4 and if the OP likes it and wants it then that's the end of it as far as I can see. That is assuming that he does like it and want it.
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Odd. I find I am more reliant on ultrasonics and such in an estate than in an MPV / 4x4 / Crossover.
Something to do with the rear view for reversing being like driving while looking down a McDonald's drinking straw.
Taller, shorter cars tend to have better side mirror angles for seeing aft too. A doddle, like reversing a van.
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I find reversing even a tiny van to be embarressingly difficult. Looking over your left shoulder to see a sheet of plywood 6" behind your head makes it difficult to gauge the orientation of the vehicle.
Taller, shorter cars tend to have better side mirror angles for seeing aft too.
Eh? My car has small mirrors by modern standards, but they are well designed-the field of view is vast. If the mirror angle is wrong-adjust it!
Funnily enough, I've yet to see a CRV or any that ilk being manoeuvred briskly in or out of a parking space. Yet I see older Mondeos/Passats zapping in and out.
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