Expatman

Yes, Mini is simply a brand name now like BMW or Skoda. They claim to keep some of the fundamentals of the original Mini no matter the size. Circular central display, wheel at each corner and the “look”, I don’t think Mini’s of any size look like any other brand. Looking at the Countryman it still looks like a Mini - just much bigger! To be honest one of the things that attracted me to it is that unique difference to most of the other mid size crossovers. Bit like the Yeti was different in it’s day to other competitors.

Yeti averaged 44.5 MPG over 55,000 miles on a brim full to brim full basis. So far Countryman is 47.4 on same basis but too early days to be definitive.

Well it’s been over a month since I exchanged my Yeti for a Mini Countryman. I promised to provide a bit of feedback on the swap. Undoubtedly the Countryman is quieter, smoother, faster and more comfortable than the Yeti, but as it was designed nearly 15 years later than the Yeti that should be the case. Not that the Yeti was bad, in fact I enjoyed it right to the last, but you can tell you are driving a more modern car. The size of the Countryman took some getting used to but you adapt amazingly quickly and soon forget it’s bigger, the steering is quick which makes driving it more of a Yeti experience than some competitors I tried. The technology is worlds advanced than the Yeti – if you like that sort of thing! Fortunately the ‘warning’ bongs are well muted and easy to switch off, the lane departure and edge of road warnings are very mild and easily ignored. One thing I thought I would never use is the semi automatic driving mode, once engaged it basically drives the car! It keeps the car within the lane, maintains set speed but slows down and speeds up as the traffic changes. It will even bring the car to a complete halt if the traffic stops then pull away again once the car in front moves off. Obviously no use around town etc. but surprisingly helpful on major roads and motorways. What do I miss? I really miss the simple knobs to adjust climate control, turn on/off heated seats and not having an oil dipstick – have to check oil level electronically. Why? A dipstick is much simpler, fail safe and handier than having to delve through levels on the touch screen. The touch screen is a lot better than that on other cars I test drove but it still bugs me that the authorities think it is okay to use a cars touchscreen and not okay to use a smartphones touch screen. How does that make sense? In summary I have to say that I am pleased with my swap, the Countryman is a worthy replacement and has a certain character to it that other cars I test drove didn’t - bit like the Yeti! BUT the Yeti will always have a place in my heart as a great car which was always a pleasure to drive. Like many others I can’t understand why Skoda stopped developing the Yeti as it could be a brilliant 2024 car if Skoda had stuck with the development.

Prices for used Yeti's are high, I part exchanged my 2017 Yeti and non Skoda dealer was happy to offer over £11k - and I still got a decent discount matching Carwow off the price of new car.

I’ve had 2 1.2 TSi DSG’s and averaged 44.5 MPG over 100,000 miles plus. To be fair my 2017 Yeti was more economical than the 2012 version but not by much. 1.2 TSi is great around town and good on long motorway trips with just 2 up and luggage. I think with 4 adults and baggage it would cope fine but economy would suffer and performance dip.

Well, picked up Mini Countryman this afternoon - handover took best part of 2 hours and hardly scratched the surface of all the system toys and how to operate them. Why on earth don’t you get a printed Manual anymore? Okay a pdf file (over 300 pages) is okay but not for quick reference or bed time reading!! Only driven it home but drive was quiet and very comfortable, if a little sad after saying goodbye to Yeti. More details after I’ve driven it a bit and got my head around the software.

No, your Niro is a full Hybrid like this Honda Jazz. How is this difficult to understand??

They can call it what they want, there are 3 variants of “hybrids” - Full hybrid, like Honda Jazz, Mild Hybrid, like Mini Countryman and PHEV (Plug in Hybrid) like some Skoda Octavia’s. These are technical differences not beaurocratic definitions.

Perhaps I should have added that PHEV can be plugged into a charger to charge the battery - much like a pure EV but with an ICE back up!

Mild hybrid does not have an electric motor capable of moving the car, frequently it's just a beefed up starter motor that just adds a bit of power to the petrol engine on start off. A full hybrid car has powerful electric motors that can move the car without the petrol engine. PHEV’s have a much larger battery that can power the car for many miles without the petrol engine being used. Three different systems entirely.

You will get regen braking with a full hybrid car but nothing appreciable with a mild hybrid. A mild hybrid can provide a small boost to initial set off but it is very small, similarly regen effect is virtually nonexistent. I tried a mini EV out of interest and my comments relate to that.

I will certainly haunt the Yeti forum to see how you are all getting on and, if anyones interested, could post a comparison of likes and dislikes between Yeti and Countryman after a few weeks?

Well this proves that everyone has their own view on motors! The Mini Countryman is a petrol car, it drives like a petrol car, sounds like a petrol car and goes as far as most petrol cars on a tank of fuel, replenished in minutes. It maybe a mild hybrid but to all intents and purposes it is a petrol car. In terms of test drives I tested all the cars I tried on the same route, a route I drive on everyday and has a great mixture of very bad surface parts, speed bumps, normal urban driving and faster dual carriageway parts. The Countryman performed well on on all sections, certainly not hard or “crashy” suspension, in fact surprisingly smooth and refined. Brakes were just - well - brakes! performed as well as current Yeti without any hint of grabbing or anything untoward. Of course it’s not an electric car or full hybrid so why would you expect there to be any possibility of “one pedal” driving? My wife has a spinal problem so is very attuned to the comfort of car seats, she found the passenger seat to be very comfortable and supportive, as did I, guess it’s a case of some seats suit some people better than others. I am not tall and with the seat in a normal position could easily reach the central control screen. There are so many variants on the centre screen but major elements always are in the same place so although I would prefer physical buttons and knobs I didn’t find the touch controls difficult to master. To be honest once the climate control is set and other variables set the only changes I would make on the move would be heated seats! I set the controls on my Yeti and don’t think I have changed anything for months or, maybe, years! Similar with gear changing paddles, my Yeti doesn’t have them but I can shift to “Sport” or change gears using the stick if I want. I think I might have used those functions once or twice when I first got the car, since then I simply put it in "drive" and go, certainly won’t miss them. I looked at the new Mini but it was too low for us and the firm ride was not to our liking. But as I said - everyone to their own likes.

Well after 13 years of Yeti ownership I am reluctantly moving on. I’ve had 2 Yeti’s, the first was an Elegance model 1.2 TSi DSG bought new in 2012 and the second bought new in 2017 when I learnt that Skoda were discontinuing the Yeti. Another 1.2 TSi DSG in SEL Drive trim with all the extras. That Yeti is coming up for 8 years old so reluctantly time for a change. Without a doubt in over 60 years of driving the Yeti was one of the best cars I have ever owned and both have been utterly reliable. So many months ago the search for a replacement started in earnest, my requirements (I thought) were fairly basic - could be a bit bigger but had to have a light bright interior with light leather seats, an automatic but not a pure EV and good to drive with a high seating position for my older bones! Simple I thought, how wrong I was, it seems almost all cars nowadays have funereal dark interiors with black headlining and black seating and dashboard. Volvo (XC40) used to make it with a beautiful pale interior, no longer, now it’s black unless you get the very expensive top of the range model. Same with Skoda, VW, Mazda and most other makes -WHY? The cars with light interiors were few and far between, tried and liked the Lexus LBX but my wife found the passenger seat uncomfortable after 20 minutes or so, looked at Honda’s and eventually visited a Mini showroom where they had one of the new Mini Countrymen, in one trim level it had a pale interior, pale headlining and could be spec’d with pale leather (imitation) leather. Test drive was illuminating, very comfortable ride and excellent performance and most of the niceties I wanted with a higher option level. So on Monday I am swapping my Yeti for a new Countryman. I will be sad to see the Yeti go but I have reconciled myself to the fact that there will never be a proper replacement for the Yeti, why Skoda lost their uniqueness and just cloned VW models I will never know. However, now looking forward to getting to know the Countryman and all its modern tech! So after 13 years it’s goodbye to everyone on this forum, it’s been a source f information and fun for the past 13 years -good luck for all you Yeti owners. You’ve got one of the best cars ever made - as a past Editor of AutoExpress told me.

I have had 2 1.2 DSG Yeti's and never had any problems with either. Great cars, averaged 44 MPG over 100,000 miles plus. Why Skoda haven't made anything half as good is a mystery to me. The Yeti is one of the better cars ever made.

I remember only too well spending hours on maintenance of my first cars in the 60's. Decarbonising, changing oil every 3,000 miles, greasing regularly, etc. etc. Thank heavens we have advanced from all that, cars are infinitely better now and continue to improve year by year.

Although I spec’d my Yeti with 16” wheels, and that certainly improved the ride, it is still ‘hard’ and bobs passengers around on all but the smoothest roads. I really didn’t appreciate just how unrefined the ride was until I started testing more modern designs. The Yeti was, and still is, a great car for its design age (2008/09) but technology and design have moved on in the last 10+ years. Driving the Countryman you can still feel the potholes etc. but it is all so much smoother, quieter and more comfortable. I am sure the Karoq and other more modern cars are the same.

Reading all these posts I am feeling a bit guilty! I have owned Yeti’s since 2012, the last one a 2017 1.2 DSG SEL Drive with electric drivers seat etc. A great car but now approaching 8 years old and while it still drives well I have to admit that the ride and comfort are not as good as more modern designs. Test driven many, many alternatives to replace my Yeti and after much heart searching have ordered a new Mini Countryman, comfortable and drives beautifully. Technology is advanced but not intrusive, performance good with roomy cabin and excellent fit and finish.

The way things are going with our roads we'll all end up driving cars with tractor tyres! UK roads are an absolute disgrace but I can't see any political party is committed to extensive resurfacing. Pothole filling is a joke, botched work filling potholes within potholes.

In my experience with our Yeti Goodyear Vector All Season tyres provide a quiet more comfortable ride. Michelin Cross Climates reputedly are also comfortable. Basically good all season tyres have a softer compound that does translate to a comfortable ride.

Just a thought on battery issues - is there a battery age when you should change the battery even if everything is working okay? Or is it okay to wait until something misbehaves? 7 year old battery from new and everything works perfectly and I charge/condition it every month or so using a Ctek charger - never needs much charge when its connected to Ctek. So do I swap it or wait??

I can understand that, the LBX is a small car so anyone 6'6" would find it a tight fit. As for the electronic "aids" the LBX makes it easy to turn them off to your configuration. Sadly all new cars have to be fitted with these aids by edict. In my opinion they are at the least annoying and can be positively dangerous, for instance by steering the car into danger rather than away from it. Another tick for the Yeti which doesn't have any such frippery.

What did he not like about the LBX? We certainly would have bought one if the seat had been comfortable for my wife. Smooth, quiet, refined and beautiful cabin and finish, amazing customer service by Lexus as well. They brought the car 40 miles for me to test drive and would have collected and delivered for annual servicing.

You have the same problem as me! Do I keep my Yeti 1.2 DSG SEL Drive bought new in 2017 with all the options - electric memory seats, heated windscreen, leather interior, Android Auto etc. - or do I recognise it’s coming up for 8 years old and swap it for something else? It has been dealer serviced since new and apart from needing a replacement head unit (radio) at 2 years old has been faultless. Head Unit was replaced under warranty so no cost to me. But what to replace it with? Most modern cars have such dark funereal interiors I just couldn’t live with so options are restricted to a few cars. New Lexus LBX is brilliant but after an extended test drive my wife found the passenger seat uncomfortable so it was reluctantly ruled out. My wife has a dodgy back and some car seats suit and others don’t for no obvious reason. VW T-Roc and T-Cross were initially promising but after an extended drive we found them disappointing - and both had black everything interiors!! Got a test drive in the new Mini Countryman at end of June but if that doesn’t work I suspect we will decide to keep the Yeti and hope for trouble free motoring as the years mount up.

Sadly we are all slowly reaching the stage of changing from the Yeti to a more modern car. I've had 2 continuously over the last 12 years and will miss the Yeti once it's gone. Heavens knows why Skoda didn't do a MK2 or 3 version One of the best cars I've ever owned over 60 years of motoring.