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The very latest VW diesels are cam belt with a new belt designed to last the life of the engine. A change is recommended at about 100k for safety though. I believe that the new long life belts are made by Continental and can be found on their international website (or at least the German one). The only current chain driven VW diesels are the 3 cylinder 1.4 tdi units (as in the Fabia / Roomster) and the only gear driven TDI engines are the 2.5 5 cyl and 5.0 10 cyl engines as found in the Touareg. (I knew that my days at VW would come in useful eventually ).

Thanks for those pictures. Not been able to find a photo of a Yeti E and this gives me an idea (if I ignore the tinted windows, colour coded handles......)

Does anyone know if there have been any other running changes made to the Yeti since production began? Would like it if ESP found its way onto the base models!

Yes, Ford have the patent on the heated screen which is why you will only have found it on Ford group cars until recently. The exception to this is Volvo who rejected it on safety grounds (due to compromised visibility in certain conditions). Recently, Volkswagen have started to offer a heated screen on the Passat and so either the Ford patent has expired or VW have dug deep into their pockets......

Oh me too without a doubt. I think that instead of a MK6 I would but a Yeti for everyday driving and then a lovely original MK1 GTI for playtime

This thread and these great pictures are not making my 'do I want a white one or a red one?' decision any easier

The Mk3 and Mk4 Golf were admittedly a little soft compared to the 1 and 2 but the MK5 was widely regarded as the best hot hatch on the market and likewise the new MK6. Yes, there are faster, sharper hot hatches around but the Golf is the best all round car, a judgement that Autocar, What Car, Top Gear all seem to share.

Check for spiders in your car, often trigger interior sensors. If no spiders, leave your air control on recirculate, turn heater dial to warm and close the air vents. That usually stops unwanted alarms.

Be careful if/when you use park assist. I know of at least one person who used it on his brand new Golf and it kerbed his alloys!

You are right Krooked and that is why I am favouring the Yeti; it offers something a bit different and I do like the higher driving position. I have never owned a Skoda before but have a soft spot for the brand. If the 'E' model had standard ESP I would probably have ordered one already but I just have a few issues that I need to resolve. I have been planning to buy a Golf for months and the Yeti has really put a cat amongst the pigeons. It is the only other car that I am considering and, given that VW are increasing their prices by 2.4% on top of the VAT rise on 1st Jan I'd say it is only a matter of time before I join the SMOC

Thanks, that's good to hear. From what you say I would hope to achieve about 40- 42mpg because I don't really have too many hills in my neck of the woods...

This is a very interesting thread for me because I will shortly decide between ordering a new Yeti 1.2TSI or new Golf. I am strongly favouring the Yeti it has to be said and the experiences that people are sharing all seem so positive. Weaver, How is the average fuel economy going in the 1.2? Do you have any cabin rattles or squeaks?

Has anyone seen an 'E' model in the UK? Are they coming through colour coded as well? Has anyone with an 's' model noticed any other non-standard features in their car?

Ah, good to hear from a fellow Radio 3 listener

I had to drive a Honda HRV for a number of weeks as a company car and it was the biggest pile of cheap nasty tat that I ever had the misfortune to drive. Sorry, no, a Daewoo Matiz was worse but it came close....

I would happily trade the roof rails for ESP on the lower spec Yeti that I am considering. They do add a touch of ruggedness to the looks but that is all the more ironic on the two wheel drive version that I want. But... then I suppose that there are a lot of two wheel drive regular estate cars out there with roof rails.

I took three Freelanders (first generation) in as part exchanges in my car selling days. Each of them had significant faults and the owners couldn't put up with them any more. It is a shame because when they first came out I really liked them but after driving one of the part exchanges for a weekend felt like I was driving a car that was only three quarters developed. I also knew a guy who worked in Africa who told me that whenever they bought a new Defender it had to go through a workshop first to get rid of all of the build problems that would have rendered it useless in the wilderness. No wonder that you mostly see Toyota Landcruisers driven in the most remote places. Still, the latest version of the Freelander is supposed to be a cracking car by all accounts and the latest Discovery has been doing very well in the more recent reliability and customer satisfaction surveys. Good news for a great British manufacturer.

Yes, I've seen the Superb in Pacific Blue and it didn't look too bad. I won't rule it out for the Yeti until I see it in the flesh but with so few around I will probably choose red or white if I order one because I know that they both look good (and they don't cost any extra!). The one consideration I have is that I would be buying a basic Yeti and with smaller wheels, wheel trims, black roof rails and so on there is a danger that perhaps it will either look like a police car or postmans Pat's van in white or red.

Failed ESP systems have been quite common on MK5 Golfs and Audi models. I don't know about Skoda but in the VW's they typically fail at about 4 - 5 yrs when the car is out of warranty. The repair bill is usually £1000 - £1500. Similar problems are also very common on certain BMW's.

What a shame that Drive the Deal do not entertain part exchanges. Other brokers do.

Thanks. I think that Storm Blue is the metallic extra cost colour though. I will concentrate on red v white from now on I think.

Thanks. I have now found a couple of photographs of Superbs in Pacific Blue. Can't make up my mind just how dark it is but solid navy blue was never good news when I was selling cars. Think I'll stick to Red or White unless I see a blue one and really like it.

I bought that magazine because it featured the Yeti and found that TG had also awarded the new Superb as Luxury Car of The Year as well. They really have eaten their words although what is printed in TG magazine often differs from what JC says on TG programme. He is nothing if not inconsistent bless him.

Looked like a demo of ESP to me. You can see the individual wheels being braked by the system to tug the car back on line.

Beautiful car. I think that I want a white one now.