140hp Diesel 4WD Elegance

The most complete car I have ever driven

I bought the Skoda Yeti as a successor to my much-loved Toyota RAV4 diesel. That I have driven 10000 miles (privately) in the first six months of ownership is a testament to how much I enjoy driving the car.

It may look quite a sizeable and chunky car but that is an illusion. It is barely bigger than a VW Golf and therefore fits easily into parking spaces. Cabin space and comfort is excellent. It has held five adults for journeys of over 150 miles without problems. The boot space is limited, especially with the space-saver spare wheel, but the configurations of the rear seating are more than adequate compensation. The car is not without design flaws. Its aerodynamics make the Yeti a very dirty beast and the heater controls are way out of the line of sight. The ludicrously optimistic fuel consumption read-out is, I fear, a cynical attempt by Skoda to fool their customers. They don’t need tricks like that in such a good car.

On the positive side:-
Brilliant headlights (bi-xenons with cornering function).
Superb handling, wet or dry.
Good low down torque and enough power (the 170hp version must be amazing).
Excellent interior space and cubby holes.
Refined engine.
Huge carrying space with rear seats configured or removed.
Heated front windscreen.

On the negative side:-
Limited boot space (with spare tyre) unless rear seats are moved.
Fiddly heating controls well out of line-of-sight.
Tyres are unnecessarily wide (225/50 17). 215/60 16 would be far better for economy, comfort and grip in snow.
Ludicrously optimistic fuel consumption gauge (49mpg equates to 43mpg in reality).
Slabby rear end is a dirt magnet.
Tyres spray dirt up the side of the car. Mud flaps would be an improvement.

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