Expatman

Thanks, I hadn’t seen that review before. I have described my situation in my reply to logiclee (above). It is basically seating height that is the problem and the Kamiq is just too low to suit our needs.

You have highlighted the problem for me with the Kamiq - the driver and passenger seats are just set too low in the car. My wife has a dodgy back and finds “dipping” down into a car or “raising” out of the seat difficult. The Yeti seat heights are such that she can just slide in and out on the same level. Apart from that the Kamiq is fine but ‘that’ rules the Kamiq out for us. Karoq is higher but just overall bigger than we want. Hence our looking for alternatives of Yeti sized cars and seeing the VW T-Cross, right seating height but down market interior compared with the Kamiq and the options list is woeful! Where is the memory electric seats, leather seats, heated windscreen etc? None are even available as paid for upgrades. In the final analysis seat height is more important to us so it will have to be the T-Cross (or possibly the T-Roc) or, of course, one from an alternative manufacturer. The new Honda H-RV due in the summer looks interesting for a start - true hybrid.

Problem is the natural replacement for the Yeti is probably a VW T-Cross, but because it is a VW it is of poor interior quality compared with how Skoda would have finished it. Skoda would have used soft touch plastics for the dash and included many more extras both as standard and as extra cost additions. If the T-Cross was finished like my Yeti SEL Drive - leather seats, heated windscreen, reversing mirror etc. as standard plus an options list including powered seats then I would have bought one in a heartbeat. Not so the VW T-Cross model.

Best of luck, we are all going to face your dilemma some time and are likely to have the same problem - what do you replace a Yeti with? I’ve been looking during lockdown and have come to the conclusion that there is no easy replacement so you either compromise to a Kamiq or T-Cross (or similar) or go a totally different way like you are doing.. Best of luck. PS I like the XC40 as well but it’s just too big for my needs.

Closest to Yeti in terms of size, seating height etc. is the VW T-Cross, you will have to do without many of the extras you can get with the Yeti but it gets good reviews. Go a little bigger then you could look at the T-Roc, it’s said to be one of the most refined Crossovers/SUV's drives in terms of comfort and lack of cabin noise; but again somewhat utilitarian cabins lacking soft touch materials, goodies etc. Otherwise Peugeot 2008, Captur, Vauxhall Mokka etc. etc. etc.!!! A possible left field choice is the Honda Crosstar, a bit smaller than the Yeti but with cavernous cabin and comes with a load of extras as standard. It's a true Hybrid using the ICE to drive a generator which powers an electric drive motor. It does use a direct ICE connection to the wheels at higher speeds and hard acceleration but mainly electric powered. Height is a bit taller than Kamiq but in line with the vast majority of small crossovers. Might be worth a look.

NO, NO, NO can’t have done all that work with the car jack, surely used axle stands or something - tell us you did!

Now if Skoda could have taken over the T-Cross and designed the interior and finish then we would be “cooking with diesel”. I like the Kamiq but it’s seating position is just too low to suit my wife who needs a car she can slide into rather than get down into. Seating height of our Yeti is perfect, but trying to find a replacement is very difficult without going bigger - which we don’t want. T-Cross seat height is fine but finish and equipment levels are really low rent. Kamiq looks like a car from a premium manufacturer, T-Cross not so much!

Don’t worry, we’re all in the same boat! Looked but can’t find anything to match the Yeti for space, economy and just likeability! When it does come time for a change I guess it will be to a hybrid as I’m not prepared for the range anxiety of a pure EV. No one can answer the question of what do you do on a long holiday journey when everyone else wants to charge their battery? I remember the queues to fill with petrol or diesel and can’t imagine what the queues will be like for chargers when it takes 50 min for a charge. Maybe by 2030 the battery technology will have advanced to the point where a recharge takes no longer than filling with petrol, but the charge density will have to be so high I can’t see it happening some how.

Driving as an art and for pleasure is a no-no in these eco aware times. The most strident eco warriors won’t be happy until private cars are outlawed and we use bicycles and foot for journeys and public transport for longer journeys. That maybe fine if you live in an urban environment but those of us who live in country areas need a private car to survive, of course, that won’t matter because we should car share or car pool. Freedoms gradually but surely being eroded on the altar of eco, zero carbon beliefs and big brother telling you what you can and can’t do. Now in my 70’s I realise I lived in the free times and driving was fun. Sadly no more and the country will be the worse for it.

I'm not sure what you mean about autohold, in my Yeti if I pull up on any incline the hill hold system applies the brake until I pull away. Isn't that the same thing?

Agreed, the stop start system seemed to be stopping less and less frequently, I was advised by service manager to get a CTEC charger/ conditioner because most of us are not doing enough miles during lockdown to keep battery in peak condition. I now put it on charge every couple of weeks, it usually 'charges' for a couple of hours then goes to Condition. Stop start back to normal and everything else is good. I guess with infrequent short journeys battery is not fully charged - particularly with seat heaters, rear and front screen heaters and lighting on for most journeys of no more than 20 minutes.

The old chestnut of wheel sizes raises its head again!! I have had 2 Yeti’s and spec’d 16” wheels from new on both, the ride on 16” wheels (215/60 R16 tyres) is smoother than on 17” wheels with lower profile tyres albeit at the limit it is claimed that 17” wheels have better road feel. However, I agree with Paul that tyres make a significant difference to ride and noise - present Yeti came with Goodyear Efficientgrips and they were quieter than the Cinturatos on my previous Yeti, however changed to Goodyear All Season Vector tyres and they are even smoother and quieter than the Efficientgrips. Yeti is now a real pleasure, smooth and quiet with little road noise. Problem is - what the heck do I swap it for when time comes??????

Best of luck and hopefully the specialist garage will have a solution - I am on my second Yeti having bought it when I found out the Yeti was being discontinued. Run-out SEL Drive 1.2 DSG. When I need to change it heavens knows what to buy as I can’t see anything to match it.

Hmm, it seems the moral of this whole sorry saga is to avoid anything but a solid tin roof! A decision I came to years ago after a disastrous leaking sunroof. Thought the fixed glass roof might be an option but clearly not so. I like a bright interior so buy cars with light headlining and light coloured seats, although light coloured seats are getting rarer by the day. The Gobi leather seating in my Yeti are great but an exception in a sea of black leather seating offered by most manufacturers. (Volvo an honourable exception).

As you say everyone to their own and I agree that you do need a good insulated blind to prevent the cabin overheating. Maybe it's my age but wind ruffling the little bit of hair I have left doesn't fill me with glee!

I have always thought that a glass non opening roof would be far preferable to an opening sunroof. Factory sealed, lighter and with no impact on headroom and, of course, no leaking! You would still get the advantage of a light bright cabin. I remember Honda fitted a glass roof section to an earlier version of the Jazz, drove one once and it certainly lightened the cabin. With modern A/C do you really need an opening sunroof? I appreciate this is no help to those with leaking sunroofs now but thought for the future. I had a car with a leaking sunroof 20 years ago, never again as I know how soul destroying it is.

That's strange as you would expect warm air when you were cruising on the motorway - I assume the garage are going to check it? It could possibly be one of the baffle valves that direct the air is not opening to allow warm air to enter the cabin?

The water temp gauge on my Yeti progressively rises and doesn’t act like yours, it reaches 90 in about 10 minutes. Of course mine is a petrol engine and you have a diesel which are notorious for slow warm up so it might just be the nature of the car. In which case you might want to think about blanking off some of the radiator airflow to enhance warm up - particularly if you are only doing relatively short distances.

How long does it take for water temperature to reach 90?

Just connect the positive (red) to the positive battery terminal and the negative (black) to the piece of unpainted steel by the side of the negative terminal - which is for that purpose. Look at your handbook if you need a visual, but it’s very clear once you open the bonnet and pull back the cover over the battery. I use my c-tec once in a while as my journeys in lock-down are shorter than usual and more infrequent. C-Tek keeps the battery in top condition and can be left on as long as you like without any risk of harming the battery.

Thanks everyone, my current tyres are Goodyear Vector All Seasons Gen2 and I find they are quiet, comfortable with good grip summer and winter. I would intend to put them on the Kamiq as well. It sounds like going with 17" wheels is preferable.

Thanks guys. I forgot to add that although OEM wheels and tyres on my Yeti are 17” I asked Skoda when I bought it to supply with 16” wheels and they were very good in intercepting the dealer order and instructing the factory to fit 16” wheels. On the Yeti it makes a significant difference to ride comfort but suspension development has come a long way in the 10+ years since the Yeti was developed so maybe not such a difference with the Kamiq - anyone tried both SEL with 18” wheels and SE with 17” wheels?

I currently drive a Yeti SEL Drive but with 16” wheels as I need a gentler ride for my wife’s back problem. Looking to change the Yeti for a Kamiq and would like advice on ride refinement of the SEL version (18” wheels) compared with other versions with 17”wheels. Road tests seem to say that the ride on the 18” wheels is similar to that on 17” wheels but I would very much welcome the personal experience of owners and those who might have driven Kamiq’s with both 18” and 17” wheels.