Andy916

Old thread now, but the question was asked: what would you replace it with? I just traded my 1.8TSI Elegance in for a Vitara S (1.4 turbo, 4wd, 6-sp auto with multiple modes). I paid £8k to do this, for something 5y younger, lower mileage, more capable and performant in multiple ways, with no known reliability problems. My Yeti had started down the path of oil consumption, had a small patch of the documented paint problem in two door corners, had a small water pump leak and had developed an intermittent rattle under moderate load at 2k revs in the lower gears (undiagnosed, but the timescale correlates with that of the oil consumption rise). It was also of the period that was vulnerable to camchain tensioner failure. I had it nearly 3y, two of which were covered by warranty, it was ok but I would never have bought it had I fully researched the above problems beforehand. I wouldn't have been comfortable selling it privately, but part-exchanging it to a (Skoda) dealer was my solution in the end. The Vitara is better in every way except two: it has a higher waistline so less glass (like every one of the newer designs), and the steering weight isn't quite so good. Very glad I switched, after a lot of reading, a couple of weeks and a few hundred miles. Back in the 80s/90s I had Scirocco, Corrado and a T4 van, they weren't without problems but I loved them. Never felt the same about the Yeti somehow and I'm very glad to see the back of it.

@KenONeill I was aware of Richard @BossFox's Twins thread although I've not read all 115 pages of it! Although I have a background of modified cars and track work, I'm not looking for a bonkers rebuild of this one. Just want it to feel a bit gutsier. Before this I had a V6 3.5 Merc, a track'd MX5, a string of mad Imprezas, A VR6 Corrado and an original Scirocco GTI, so it has rather a lot to live up to I guess! Even my '85 GTI with 112bhp was more sprightly though. My alternative was a Forester, preferably an import STi, but I came over all sensible in buying the Yeti...

I've had my 1.8TSI 4x4 for half a year now and, to be honest, I'm a bit underwhelmed. I wasn't expecting the Yeti to be massively sporty but I hoped the drivetrain would have more soul or character. It drives well, but the exhaust note is terribly polite and the response a bit lacklustre. I don't think there's anything mechanically wrong as such, I just expected the 1.8 to have a bit more GTI character... First of all, is there a backbox from a VRS/GTI that would fit, to give it a deeper sound? (not droning or waking the dead like some aftermarket ones would) Coupled to that I suspect +40bhp or so from a remap would go down well. I'm not looking for especial peak power, but more midrange shove would be welcome. Are there particular chips/companies anyone would recommend re making this engine more entertaining/tolerable?!

@Gizmo do you come closer to London at any time? I'll be in the Bletchingley area on 26/27th.

Could anyone tell me if the audio, 8-speaker setup in particular, was upgraded from series 1 to 2? After a couple of weeks in my 2011 Elegance (Bolero HU) both my partner and I are finding the treble a bit crude and harsh, despite multiple adjustments so far. It's not that bad, but shortcomings are evident at moderate (maybe half-way) listening volumes. In previous cars I've had much better sound from a 100-quid set of Alpine components. I see that Pioneer TSA-172Ci have been tried a few years ago (below) and am wondering if the successor TSA-173Ci (54mm mid/woofer depth) might be worth a try. Anyone have experience of these or similar Pioneers or other 2-way components for the Yeti front doors? (with or without additional amplification) Also, does anyone know the audio spec of the Bolero and other HUs? I can't see anything listed in the manual. Am not bothered about any extra bells or whistles, just sound quality.

Colin, genuine front and rear badges are £17 and £18 from silburyskoda2010 on ebay. As you've probably seen ebay has loads of pattern wheel centre-caps, I got a decent set for a tenner from german-car-brits

Thanks for the welcomes, all. Looking forward to collecting the Yeti tomorrow. At the moment it has no towbar but I have a good local recommendation for that. I'll be looking to tow a small livestock trailer, mostly.

Hello all, I'm just in the process of buying a 4x4 Yeti as a good all-round workhorse for the next few years. I currently live near Cambridge but will be moving to a smallholding in the Shropshire hills soon. My background was bikes originally, and these days I have a rather under-used Ducati ST4S. My other transport is a Nissan Elgrand campervan petrol/lpg 3.5 V6 and a variety of pedalbikes (my favourite these days). Car background is quite varied over nearly 40 years, Merc SLK, Alfa Giulietta, track-biased MX5, three sprint/track-prepared Imprezas, Corrado VR6, Pug 205, Scirocco GTi and Mk1 Escort. Looking forward to VAG ownership again after a break of 10+ years now!

Hello all. I think those tests are for the original Quadraxer, rather than the '2', and I had a set of the originals on a FWD car (Alfa 147) back in 2010. They were excellent in cold, snow and even ice, but not so good once it warmed up beyond 12C thereabouts (squirmy feel due to the tread blocks moving around excessively). They may have improved the all-season aspect with the '2'. As for wet grip the '2' is B-rated so should be pretty good. Worth a try if they're a good price compared to Mich Crossclimates or Goodyear 4season for example, but I'd watch out for performance and wear once it starts to warm up through the spring.