The Yeti as it stands is coming to the end of its life, and Skoda has plans for a two-tier replacement involving a larger seven-seat version. Despite that, Skoda’s crossover remains competitive against its newer rivals, with a very likeable, no-nonsense character.
While you might automatically assume that the tough-looking Yeti is best suited to a diesel engine and four-wheel drive, actually it’s the front-drive petrol model that makes the most sense. It has perky performance, surprisingly good real-world fuel economy and is much more refined than the diesel.
If you’re doing big miles or you live at the far end of a rutted track, then fair enough, a diesel 4x4 is best, but for the rest of us the 1.2 TSI will do nicely. It’s a mark of the Yeti’s quality that it remains so competitive in the crossover and compact SUV class after such an extended period on sale.
The Skoda Yeti is a rival to the likes of the Peugeot 2008, Nissan Qashqai and Kia Soul. It arrived back in 2009 and its success was almost immediate, offering great value for money and huge amounts of practicality.
Since then it has received only a minor facelift, with a new nose and rear lights and subtly revised looks.
There’s only one basic 5-door body style – a boxy, upright one with plain looks so typical of Skoda.
A new Outdoor trim was also launched with the facelifted model and comes complete with some rugged underbody protection and plastic wheelarches to make it look more like an off-roader.
There’s no performance version of the Yeti as such, but buyers can have it in Monte Carlo spec, which has a sporting look thanks to a contrast black finish for the roof, mirrors and the 17-inch alloy wheels. There are also some (faintly silly) fake carbon-fibre inserts and a smaller looking three-spoke steering wheel in the cabin. The standard trim levels run from S and SE to the top spec SE L.
The Skoda Yeti comes fitted with hill descent control and all-wheel drive versions have a sophisticated Haldex clutch design that provides maximum traction when needed. A lighter 4x4 system on the latest models means all-wheel drive versions are slightly more economical than before.
The engine range has also been rationalised, with the old 1.6 TDI 103bhp diesel engine dropped in favour of a 108bhp 2.0-litre TDI unit that’s actually 1g/km better off in emissions terms, and also has a little more torque. There’s a 148bhp diesel too, which can be had with four-wheel drive or a surprisingly frugal 1.2 TSI 108bhp petrol unit. All engines can be had with the optional DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission.
There’s excellent grip, sharp steering and far less body roll than in the Nissan Qashqai, while the Yeti’s lively nature means it’s far more fun in corners than any crossover has any right to be, even if its steering doesn’t feel quite so well resolved as that of the Qashqai.
The pay-off is a slightly firmer ride quality than in rivals, although you really wouldn’t call it uncomfortable. The Skoda is just as happy cruising at motorway speeds as it is tackling the cut and thrust of urban driving.
Opting for four-wheel drive gives this family crossover excellent grip in mud, snow or other rough terrain, while the system also softens throttle response to minimise wheel spin and helps the car to descend steep hills in a slow and controlled fashion. An off-road button on the dash automatically controls the traction control, hill descent control and braking and it means the Yeti is incredibly simple to drive off-road - sorting out most problems and lack of grip without you even realising there was an issue.
The only problem is that the tall and boxy design is bad for aerodynamics, so there is quite a lot of wind and road noise at motorway speeds, and the diesel engines are quite loud and rumbly - the 1.2 TSI engine is definitely the one to go for if you're looking for a quiet and refined town car.
The 1.2 TSI turbo petrol engine is a decent performer. It doesn’t feel out of its depth in such a large car, and good mid-range torque means there’s plenty of pulling power when you need it. The engine will be a little underpowered when the Yeti is fully loaded, but most of the time it’s more than capable.
With the demise of the 1.6 diesel and 1.8 turbo petrol options, the only choice for more power in the Yeti is to go for the 2.0-litre diesel in either 108- or 148bhp forms. The more powerful engine comes with 340Nm of torque, 90Nm more than the 108bhp version, which will come in very handy if you’re using the Yeti to haul heavy loads, tow anything or you've bought a 4x4 model with some proper off-roading in mind. If you’re just using it to cruise the motorway network, then the 108bhp version is just fine and you’ll only feel the relative lack of torque if the car is fully laden.
On both engines, the standard six-speed manual transmission is just fine – slick and easy to use - but the DSG dual-clutch automatic option is losing its once-unassailable lead in the sector. Newer transmission designs (ZF’s brilliant eight-speed conventional automatic for instance) are now making the DSG feel a little slow to kick-down and occasionally lost looking for the right gear. It’s a good option for town-dwellers, less so for those looking for a little driver engagement.
Here’s where the Yeti trips up a little compared to newer rivals. Although the latest-generation Volkswagen Group engines have been transplanted in, and some of the older units like the 1.6 TDI and 1.8 TSI have been dropped, the fact is that the Yeti’s older design means it can’t compete when it comes to emissions.
The core Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCi diesel has 99g/km emissions and therefore free road tax for the first year, and that’s something that shows the Yeti in quite a poor light. The greenest version is now the 108bhp 2.0-litre TDI diesel and that can manage, at best, 118g/km, which means paying £30 a year to keep it taxed. It’s hardly an outrageous amount, but it gives other crossovers a clear advantage.
The petrol Yeti, in spite of it being our favourite engine overall, is worse off again. A rating of 128g/km means it will cost £110 a year to tax, a figure that increasingly looks a bit hefty.
Official combined cycle economy figures are 51mpg for the 1.2 TSI petrol and 62mpg for the 108bhp diesel, but in reality most will probably get closer to 40mpg in daily driving. That’s still not too bad though, and a diesel Yeti should go at least 450 miles between fills, maybe a little further if you’re careful and keep the air conditioning switched off.
Incidentally, Yetis now come optionally with a new app called Smartgate that links to phones and tablets and can download driving data for review later. That might help owners tweak their driving style to extract a few more mpg. All Yetis come with stop-start, brake energy recuperation and a gearshift indicator to help keep things as economical as possible.
The Yeti was actually the top-rated SUV in the Auto Express Driver Power rankings in 2013 and by 2015 it had only slipped to 2nd place, so it’s not a car that’s likely to give much bother.
Owners gave the car top marks in almost every individual category and it was the top model for reliability, handling and ease of driving. Average running costs and impressive in-car technology also counted in the Yeti's favour, while drivers love the peace of mind that comes with the car's standard safety features, which include ABS and ESP, plus front, side and curtain airbags.
The Haldex 4x4 system in the facelifted car has been seen before in the Octavia 4x4 - so it shouldn't cause any problems - but the new fog light design has moved them into the path of danger for small shunts and scrapes when you are driving off-road.
The Yeti gets a five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating, and comes with the usual selection of airbags and electronic aids, although rear side airbags are a £295 option and such niceties as a city braking system are thus far unavailable.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar