Expatman

I can understand that, but the Yeti would have spent many thousands of hours in development of its suspension, road holding, safety etc. I get concerned when major changes are made to a vehicles suspension, centre of gravity etc, all without comprehensive testing in real world safety conditions. There are many higher riding vehicles available in their original form designed for situations you describe, those are designed for higher ride height - unlike a modified Yeti. I am sure it will be okay in most situations but it is the critical situations where the roadholding could be compromised with who knows what results that should worry other road users.

But why - just why? It makes a great car look ridiculous - something out of Dukes of Hazard. Dear oh dear.

The 2023 Toyota Corolla Touring Sports 1.8 Hybrid 5dr estate with a sill height to ground of 375mm would seem to be a good fit for you. Excellent reviews and plenty of room inside. In terms of swapping an older Yeti I wouldn’t give up on trying a trade-in when you find a replacement. Even older Yeti’s are in demand and as you have all papers etc. it is surely worth getting a trade in valuation - saves a load of hassle what with time wasters, test drives, finance etc. I ended up trading in my Yeti when I eventually swapped it (still one of best cars I have owned) and probably lost about £300-£400 over what I could have got privately BUT all I had too do was drive it to the dealers, sign a few papers and drive away in the new car. No hassle, no worries.

A trip to a breakers yard would seem the best option. Can’t see why you just can’t change the pad but you would need to properly dismantle to see how the pad is secured to the door card. Breakers yard should solve it.

Fine but I found that after market shocks did not drive or ride as smoothly as the original Skoda shocks. Ended up swapping the replaced Bilstein shocks with genuine Skoda shocks and everything returned to a more comfortable ride.

From bitter experience I would advise you to buy the official replacement Skoda shock absorbers.

I am with you in that the Yeti is a very difficult car to replace and had one of the last 2017 1.2 DSG SEL Drive’s with memory drivers seat, heated windscreen etc. It was my second Yeti and loved it ......... but driving a more modern engineered car one couldn’t help noticing that technology had advanced since the Yeti was launched in 2009. Thought long and hard and tested many, many alternatives including the Skoda Kamiq which was supposed to be a Yeti sized contender - it isn’t, its just a modified VW homologation that is a big disappointment. Why Skoda didn’t model the Kamiq on an updated Yeti seems nuts to me, instead of retaining all the best attributes of the Yeti in a more modern design all VAG models are simply variations on a narrow theme now. After many road tests and great thought eventually changed Yeti for a MINI Countryman, a bit 'left field’ like the Yeti but has all the modern technology available - but easily turned off if I want. Generally I leave it all ‘on’ as it is unobtrusive while driving yet does offer some real advantages - the semi autonomous driving mode is great on long motorway journeys - combines variable speed control with autonomous steering (keeps car mid lane automatically) and in stop go traffic it stops and goes totally automatically - sounds silly but it is great in actual traffic situations. Comfortable and quieter ride than Yeti as well. The Yeti was probably my favourite car of the many I have had over 60 years of motoring, but technology and safety levels move on and realistically we must move on with those advances while appreciating the beauty of the previous generations - like the Yeti.

Never a problem with the 2 1.2 DSG Yetis I owned. Brakes were excellent.

I doubt there are motors to fold the mirror in non folding mirrors. You will probably need to get hold of a pair of mirrors with motors then sort out the wiring - and that could be a real problem!

The financial road tax penalty of buying a car with invoice price >40k is something I wouldn’t live with. You end up paying an extra £410 a year for the first five years, so that’s £600 per year minimum - EVEN IF YOU BUY IT SECOND HAND within those 5 years. I simply refuse to be ripped off by the government that much!

Are you going to try one - incidentally I am in my late 70’s and soon got used to the Countryman and tech aids after selling my Yeti.

Semi automatic driving is basically what it says! On any road with defined edges, which a camera can identify, once activated the system will steer the car to keep it mid lane and also activate advanced cruise control which controls acceleration and braking to maintain a safe distance from the car in front up to your set speed. If the lane of traffic comes to a halt the system brings the car to a stop then as traffic starts moving it accelerates up to your set speed keeping a safe distance from the car in front. This is great in stop and go traffic as the car smoothly starts and stops automatically. The system requires you to keep your hands on the steering wheel, otherwise it beeps at you and flashes a warning to get you to put your hands back on the wheel. I honestly thought this was gimmicky until I tried it, also worried about its ability to see road edges and other cars in front. However it is impressively accurate and great on journeys to enable driver to relax and keep your attention on the road while not having to make continual speed/steering inputs. The other part of this is that on the Heads Up display as well as seeing speed etc the system warns you of any sharp bends coming up with a visual display and actually counts down distance to the bend, on windy roads I am not familiar with this is a very welcome assistance. Other systems too numerous to mention but it just highlights how things have moved on over the last ten years. I know it looks “big” but it shrinks around you and drives like a smaller car. Very mini’ish! Go try it.

I had exactly the same problem as you - what to replace my Yeti with. Test drove too many possibilities, the Lexus LBX was very nice but my wife found the passenger seat uncomfortable or we would have bought it. However, was passing a MINI dealer so thought might as well have a look at the new Countryman. Looked good (as long as you can accept that it certainly isn’t mini), took it for a test drive and eventually bought one - Base C model with level 2 option. Had it for 4 months now and really like it, returning 47.5 MPG (brim full to brim full basis). Comfortable, quiet, quick with useful driving enhancement systems including semi automated driving. Only by driving a modern car do you realise how far design and development have moved forward since the Yeti was launched in 2009. Try one!

Have a look around for a Car Electrics centre - or whatever they call themselves - I am sure they would do the work for you if you discussed it with them first.

I was in exactly the same predicament before I eventually bought a Mini Countryman. Took me over a year to decide and bite the bullet and sell my Yeti for the Countryman. The Yeti was an excellent car and one of the most reliable and versatile cars I have owned in over 60 years of motoring. However, the fact is it was designed almost 20 years ago now and driving the Countryman after the Yeti you soon appreciate how much car design and technology has moved on in the last 20 years so that the Countryman is much more refined, quieter, comfortable, nicer and easier to drive. Modern tech aids can be annoying but also very helpful, and those you don’t want can be dialled down so that they are imperceptible (at least in my car). I am more than happy having changed from the Yeti - things move on and I guess we must move on with them! Incidentally if you are thinking about a Lexus why not try the LBX, great car with very upmarket cabin. Smooth and so much quieter and more refined than the Toyota Yaris Cross which it shares the fundamentals with. The only reason we didn’t buy one was because my wife has a spinal condition and just couldn’t get comfortable in the passenger seat, most people find it a very comfortable and quality car.

Yes, and on any slight incline on the motorway trucks would queue up to overtake as I changed down gear by gear to maintain any forward progress!

I had a beige 1.3 Marina Coupe for a couple of years. I remember there were plastic bushings on the front suspension that wore out every few thousand miles leading to an irritating rattle. Not difficult to change but got boring having to do it on holiday in Wales in pouring rain! Never let me down but it really was very, very basic motoring with no redeeming features that I can remember. Eventually had the money to swap it for a VW Polo, slow as a snail but at least it didn’t rattle.

Brijo - I did a similar test between E10 ands E5 petrol on my Yeti and found that the MPG improved with E5 so that it about balanced the extra cost per litre. However, the Yeti ran a lot better on E5, smoother and greater power on gradients, just nicer to drive and be in so I only used E5 after the test. Interested to read your findings.

As one of the early members of the club my final Yeti was a 2017 1.2 DSG SE L Drive, the run-out model with all the bells & whistles. One of the best cars I have owned in my nearly 60 years of motoring and I was reluctant to get rid of it. In fact took me best part of a year to find a suitable replacement. Finally traded it in for the new Mini Countryman, traded rather than sold privately because the MINI dealer was more than happy to give me well above WBAC, and similar, price quotes because he told me that Yetis always sold very quickly for a good price - and mine was in excellent condition and dealer maintained from new. Why the need to change? Well, getting older so wife needed something a bit more comfortable, bearing in mind the Yeti was designed in the 2000’s it is still competitive but modern cars have moved on and provide more comfort, refinement and, performance as well as as modern tech. I was a bit concerned about getting to grips with modern tech but found I quickly adapted and the horror stories of, for example, lane guidance steering you into hedges etc. was - just stories! The new Countryman meets all modern criteria but, like the Yeti, is a bit ‘left field’ compared with run of the mill alternatives from VW, Kia etc. In fact the Countryman has exceeded expectations in the way it drives, comfort and economy, even though less than 1,500 miles it is returning nearly 46 MPG (on a brim full to brim full basis) and if anything like the Yeti that will only get better with a few more miles. I still drop into this forum regularly to see how everyone is getting on and without doubt the Yeti forum is the most interesting and informative forum out there.

Buying a “repaired” damaged car is always a lottery. If you are determined to proceed then get a full mechanical review by a qualified motor engineer, don’t rely on MOT which is simply looking for pass on certain attributes. But personally I wouldn’t touch it - there are better cars out there if you keep looking. Its just not worth the risk and the sun roof WILL leak!!

Run away - walking not quick enough! There are some very good Yeti’s out there. I just traded my 2017 1.2 TSI DSG with all the toys (except sunroof) for new car in York. Keep looking, you will find a good one..

Just curious, Why do you need to apply a rustproof coating? I had 2 Yeti’s kept outside in North Yorkshire for over 12 years and never had any rust at all. Modern cars - including the Yeti - are pretty much rust proofed from new.

I was like all you guys, had 2 Yeti’s from 2012 and bought the second in 2017 before they finished production. Took me ages to decide to swap for another car then ages more to decide what to buy. Yeti’s are hard acts to follow. Eventually bought a new Mini Countryman and I have to say it is worlds different, quieter, smoother, more economical and more refined - but it was designed 15 years later than the Yeti so no surprise there. Honestly didn’t realise how much cars had advanced since the Yeti was launched. The Mini Countryman is a bit left field but anyone thinking of swapping their Yeti I would suggest you test drive one - like the Yeti they’re a bit different from the mainstream. Yeti was still a great car though.

I looked at the XC40 but to get the light interior with a couple of needed extras it took the purchase to over £40k - and I refuse to pay extra road tax for 5 years to be frittered away by governments of any sort. Mini Countryman with all the extras was less than £35k; in order to have the light headlining the external colour choice was limited to 3 colours (Mini have since added another colour). Internal was light with pale “leather” seats, light headlining and a panoramic sunroof. Just can’t be in a car with funereal black/dark grey interiors.