World-class practicality, epic value
Not quite a hatchback, not quite an MPV, not quite an off-raoder, the Yeti is the perfect embodiment of the term crossover. Its designed to be funky, fun and flexible a trick it pulls off with such panache that its been winning major awards ever since it was launched.
The lowest two spec levels, called E and S, get the Yetis price down into supermini territory, but they do it by being quite stingy. You do get air-con, but ESP isnt standard on all models and things like cruise control, parking sensors, MP3 and Bluetooth arent even optional. These do join the party as you move up the range, however, and by the time youve reached the Elegance model youll be sat in leather seats and surrounded by all the toys you could ever want.
Two-wheel drive Yetis come with a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines, the latter being well worth the extra money. Oddly, the auto option here is on the entry level 1.2 TSI petrol, whereas in the 4x4 range its on the medium-powered version of the celebrated 2.0 TDI. You can also have a 1.8 TSI driving all four wheels, and its quite brisk in this form. Coincidentally, the range-topping diesel version posts identical performance figures to the 1.8, but of course it uses a lot less fuel in the process.
This is where the Yeti really shines. If you value practicality and appreciate clever interior packaging, itll blow you away. To start with, theres not too much to excite you; the dash is very well made and clearly laid out, but hardly the last word in imagination, though theres plenty of places to put your odds and ends and the driving position is excellent. In the back, though, its a revelation. The rear seats offer excellent legroom and headroom alike, and you can remove the centre one and slide the others inwards to turn a snug five-seater into a roomy four-seater. For cargo carrying, all three rear seats can be folded down, tumbled forward or taken out altogether to create a van-like luggage area accessed through a big, wide-opening tailgate. It is, quite simply, brilliant.
Even at the lower end of the engine scale, the Yeti is no slouch. The model tested here, meanwhile, with the mid-range version of the 2.0 TDI engine, pulls very strongly. Weve also driven the tip-top model with the same diesel unit in high-power form, and its better still. All Yetis steer predictably and handle well, with nicely controlled body roll and lots of grip; 4x4 models are especially good on the latter score. Ride quality is the only weak point, with a fair bit of bumping making it feel quite firm underfoot around town. This goes away on the open road, though, and once up to speed the engine note quietens down to allow fairly refined cruising.
It just keeps on getting better. The Yeti looks like fantastic value at list price and with the discounts on offer it almost beggars belief. Depreciation will take a bite, but you have to sell it on again for that to be a problem and having experienced its qualities, you might never want to. Our test car combined good performance with strong economy, and the greenest of the 4x2 models returns the sort of running costs you associate with something way smaller. Yetis with four-wheel drive are even pretty capable off-road, and Skodas build quality is among the best in the business. Really, its hard to see how you could go wrong with this car.
