Modernshite Road Test #2 - Yeti

[406V6]

I drove a Skoda Yeti hire car for a week while on holiday recently. Most driving was on open roads rather than towns with a mix of A and B roads, motorways and country lanes.

 

 

Having just arrived off a plane, initial impression was good thanks to doors that closed with a solid clunk like a Rover P6 but unfortunately the good aura was shattered by the inadequate luggage space for a car of this type. Boot depth and width were just about OK but the height wasn’t. I was just able to squash 2 people’s luggage so that it fitted but it was very close (about 5mm to spare), otherwise I would have been forced to reject the car at the hire depot for a different model. For 3 or 4 people forget it.

 

Front seats were reasonably shaped but with quite hard cushions. Not as good as the Qashqai. Visibility all round was very good – unusual for a modern car – while manoeuvrability was excellent with a really tight turning circle.

 

Gearbox, steering and other major driving controls were very good, being smooth with enough feel, although the steering wasn’t in the same league for feeling what the wheels are doing as say, a Ford Focus. For a car that had only done 12,000 miles the front tyres were surprisingly worn which is not a good financial omen for future owners.

 

Engine was standard VAG parts bin shite – a 2.0 TDI. There was a reasonable amount of oommph at the low end and it would rev quite well without the asthmatic high wheezing you often get with diesels above 3000 rpm. Acceleration overall was fine for the type of car and fifth gear was properly set to deliver low engine revs at motorway cruising speed. Although a bit noisy when cold it was tolerably quiet when out on the road although you were always aware that there was an engine there. Overall economy for the week was OK at 48 mpg without being outstanding.

 

Ride quality was adequate on smooth roads but deteriorated on broken surfaces. It was never as uncomfortable as an S-line Audi but it wasn’t anywhere near as good as a Qashqai. Handling was fine throughout but then I’m not a Nurburgring-type driver and the ABS never needed to cut in.

 

By modern hire car standards the car was fairly equipped with a/c, cruise, parking sensors, auto headlights. However the legend on the facia for most of the controls was almost impossible to read, particularly the heater. Whichever way I adjusted the heater controls I couldn’t get a decent flow of air to both the facia vents and floor simultaneously except by putting the fan to full jumbo jet setting. The cruise control worked but was very fiddly to operate and needs a complete ergonomic re-think. The parking sensors were severely hyper-active and constantly bleeping for the tiniest blade of grass several feet away. Some re-calibration needed here.

 

Would I consider a Yeti ? No. Although it has a very good engine, visibility and driving controls, the luggage space is inadequate and the ride quality on bad road surfaces is below par. If you put an Audi badge and grille on it I’m sure the punters would lap it up.

 

There seems to be a lot of anti-SUV feeling around among car enthusiasts on various forums but I wonder how many of the whingers have actually driven one. I really like small SUVs such as the Qashqai, and the Yeti in this test was very good apart from the handful of areas I mentioned above. They are easy to drive with very good visibility and the driver doesn’t feel like the pilot of a huge ocean liner like I did in a Mondeo or Insignia. Fuel economy is generally good too while manoeuvrability and parking are as easy as it gets. Passengers (unless sized like American fatties) have enough space and are usually comfortable. Why criticise a car that meets all these needs ? On the other hand the abuse given to over-sized over-weight SUV tanks like the BMW X6 is justified. Far too big, wasteful of resources and suitable only for people whose credit balance is bigger than their brain.

 

[tooSavvy]

.... of no particular interest to anyone, nevertheless.....

 

My 1.6TDI Caddy is as silent as the grave... at any speed... TON+... and is an embarrasment to my SAVVY [noise wise], though I love my savvy 

 

tooSavvy

[Skizzer]

If you put an Audi badge and grille on it I’m sure the punters would be paying an extra £10k.

 

EFA.

 

I've done 62,000 miles in mine and agree with most of what you say, except obviously the bit about not buying one.  Never had any trouble with the parking sensors, but then it looks like yours had them in the front as well as the back which is just plain RONG.  (And for what it's worth, I wouldn't have had them on the back either, but they're compulsory.)

 

I'd add the self-destructing dual mass flywheel to the jiggly ride as the only significant demerits.  At least my local dealer, to their great credit, picked it up as being on the way out and replaced it under warranty before it went.

 

 

Are we on the right forum for this, by the way?

[406V6]

....Are we on the right forum for this, by the way?

Does the site have a list of what is acceptable material to discuss and what isn't ?    To my way of thinking a shite car is just that, irrespective of its age.

[Albert Ross]

Skoda have shite Pedigree. It's OK people. You can talk here. You are amongst friends.

[stuboy]

boss has one and noticed fault with aircon, and eats front tyres

[hauserplenty]

ROFL! Preparing to quote...It looks a bit like the Kia Soul to me.

I've driven the (first-generation) Scion xB and found it coulda used the 300cc they saved for the Corolla. And a smaller turning radius. Not much else to choose from over 'ere tho deffo.

You lot think 48mpg is not outstanding? We think it's miraculous...some of us anyway...Who are sized for euroshite

not Yankshite.

cor

[Skizzer]

Does the site have a list of what is acceptable material to discuss and what isn't ?    To my way of thinking a shite car is just that, irrespective of its age.

 

No list, and it's fine with me as you can hopefully tell by my joining in the discussion, I hope constructively   .  But some people get upset when the talk turns to moderns... they may be along shortly...

[twosmoke300]

Exactly what I was thinking. Get a room!