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one year review


Wimbo

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Here is my one year review of 2011 140 4x4 Elegance, with Sunroof & Amundsen satnav. It's been a little of a rollacoaster - initially

I thought maybe I'd made a mistake buying it but gradually it has grown on me and I now recognise it's many merits.

 

The Good

------------

 

Looks - I think they look great (especially the pre-facelift models like mine). A bit like a Golf, the Yeti is classless which is unusual for a 4x4!

Overall package is excellent.

High position and view out is great.

Feels incredibly strong and sturdy. 

Ride and handling are pretty good.

Seats are comfortable.

Sunroof - fantastic, makes all the difference to the interior and the kids love the extra views.

Amundsen satnav - obviously not the state of the art in satnavs but surprisingly useful combined with the maxi dot display and

actually so much better than having a separate more snazzy system (which I have in a second VW Up car)

Elegance gadgets - these are all really useful especially the automatic lights, windscreen wipers, heated leather seats, cruise control

and parking sensors. Would hate to be without these now.

Not so important to me are the auto-parking (clever but don't use much), and snazzy headlights.

140 Diesel Engine : gives plenty of power, never felt the need for the 170 at all. Good on long journeys/motorways. Like the economy

of about 50 mpg. 

Boot - its big enough for my family of 4. Also have a roof box but actually never needed it yet. Hooks for shopping bags are

genius.

Reliable - so far no problems at all.

 

The Not So Good

---------------------

 

140 Diesel Engine: A bit too rough, too much vibration and noisy at low speeds (i.e. not really a great town car as a diesel). Economy

is now bettered by most rivals.

Manual gear box: It's OK, but a bit a notchy and can't be described as a pleasure to use. Should be much smoother. I'm sure the Auto

is actually a better option with this car (but I don't want to mix auto and manuals as I have a manual VW Up).

Steering - a bit too heavy (could be just my car as nobody else seems to have this issue).

Handbreak - also too stiff.

Climate control buttons are too fiddly to use. It's taken me nearly a year to be almost able to operate them without having

to take my eye of the road for far too long. Heater takes a long time to heat up.

 

Overall I think it's a great car -but could definitely be improved with a bit more refined engine and gear box.

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RE your cons

Heavy steering. Are your tyre pressures correct?

Handbrake stiff. As muddyboots says, silicon spray on the ribbon that slides up and down with the handbrake lever works wonders.

Climate controls fiddly. Set temp at 21-22 degrees and Auto and you don't need to fiddle.

Oh and to say the xenon headlights are not important to you, to me they are one of the best features of my Yeti.

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Re 140 vs 170 - that may be fine until you actually try the 170!

 

Diesel NVH: yes I think this is one of the definite weaknesses of the Yeti. While you couldn't call the (diesel) NHV bad by the standards of a few years ago, there's no doubt in my mind that improving NVH by a good notch or two wouldn't lift the perceived quality in the Yeti substantially.

 

Gearbox: Not found a problem at all with mine (in a manual CR170) - for me it's slick and easy to use.

 

I guess the obvious question with the heavy steering is whether the front tyres are correctly inflated, but I'm sure you must have checked this.

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Steering - a bit too heavy (could be just my car as nobody else seems to have this issue).

 

 

Same here – steering is too heavy! (And yes – tyre pressures are correct) 

Edited by Hirundo
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Hi recently had Wheel Alignment & adjustment done.

 

Tyre tech recommended on my SP7's  be increased to 40 KP. Steering and response are more intiuitave.

As previously advised my "Snowman" in like my old 70"s  Mini Cooper S, ie like a brick on  Rail Lines.

But get 650/700 KM out of a 50 Litre Tank.

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Agree wholeheartedly about the climate control functions. Far far too fiddly to use without taking your eye off the road for extended periods when you want to change the ventilation direction.

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Thanks for your replies. To some of your questions:

 

Yes, I have checked the tyre pressures, and had the steering checked at its last service. The dealership claimed to find no steering fault, but I am going

to get another opinion and test drive another similar 140 to double check, as the steering is definitely a bit heavier than any other car I have owned with

power steering.

 

Re the cons & what I am comparing it to. This is actually my first diesel car & so I am sort of comparing engine refinement against

other petrol cars I have owned (which probably isn't entirely fair!). However, it is just my observation of its fairly poor

low speed vibration, noise and refinement, and I am not really comparing against anything else. Even if the Yeti compares well to other similar diesels

these things could certainly do with future improvement to make driving more enjoyable, and potential buyers moving from petrol cars should certainly be aware

of a not insignificant downside to this model.

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Re the cons & what I am comparing it to. This is actually my first diesel car & so I am sort of comparing engine refinement against

other petrol cars I have owned (which probably isn't entirely fair!). However, it is just my observation of its fairly poor

low speed vibration, noise and refinement, and I am not really comparing against anything else. Even if the Yeti compares well to other similar diesels

these things could certainly do with future improvement to make driving more enjoyable, and potential buyers moving from petrol cars should certainly be aware

of a not insignificant downside to this model.

 

That explains it. If you had ever owned a PD VAG diesel you'd be saying how amazingly quiet, smooth and linear this CR diesel is. Trust me it's a very good and quiet modern diesel. But comparing it to any petrol it will of course be a little bit more gruff.

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