Our Fleet Test Drive: Skoda Yeti - 9th Report
Date:
05 November 2010
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Author: Hugh Hunston
Boot with white goods
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Category: | lower medium crossover | P11D price: | £15,820 | Key rival: | Nissan Qashqai | |
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The Yeti's been getting rid of rubbish again, but thankfully, another trip to the local tip did not require wrestling the rear seats out of the car this time.
Instead, the use of handy bungee cables to secure the second row of folded chairs meant bulky items, including a defunct tumble dryer, could be easily accommodated thanks to the low floor and high loading bay ceiling.
Our conspicuous fire-engine red Yeti continues to provide a combination of driving refinement and practicality while generating solidarity with fellow drivers of the quirky Skoda, who toot horns or flash lights in quaint, old-fashioned recognition. And as the miles tot up the Yeti feels smoother and quieter, the gearshift becoming more slick, and the low-decibel output of the 1.2-litre, turbo-petrol engine makes careful checks for unaware pedestrians and small animals, vital during low-speed urban manoeuvres.
But the Yeti inevitably has imperfections. The windscreen wiper stalk is annoyingly sticky to use and the heating/aircon system is either too cold on the low setting or too warm with the next up calibration (18 degrees).
In mitigation, the excellent Bolero sound system exploits the effective acoustics of the Yeti's frankly box-shaped cabin. Eight window panels also provide better-than-average 360-degree vision.
Skoda Yeti 1.2 FSI petrol SE five-door, 6-speed manual | Mileage | 3468 | Claimed combined consumption | 44.1mpg | Our average consumption | 39.8mpg | P11D price | £15,820 | Model price range | £13,990-£22,640 | CO2 (tax) | 149g/km/18% | BIK 20/40% per month | £47/£95 | Service interval | variable 10,000-20,000mls or 1-2 years | Insurance | group 10E | Warranty | 3yrs/60,000mls | Boot space (min/max) | 416/1580 litres (1760 litres rear seats removed) | Engine size/power | 1197cc/106PS (105hp) | Top speed/0-62mph | 109mph/11.8secs | Why we’re running it | Can Yeti extend Skoda’s footprint and challenge Nissan’s Qashqai? | Positive: | More miles, greater refinement | Negative: | Ventilation system blows too hot or too |
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