Expatman

That's a fight not worth picking! Er Indoors will ALWAYS win. Experience of over 50 years of marriage, happy wife = happy life!

Other peoples experience and ideas are certainly worth considering. In truth my Yeti just drives better with 97+ octane petrol so I would still use it even if the savings were not so clear. The major item which affects fuel consumption is the driver, tyres etc all have an effect but in my experience it is how smoothly and sympathetically you drive that is the biggest influence on MPG.

Not at all, I am not a boy racer (been there, done that) but keep up with traffic flow and cruise at legal limit on motorway. I have been driving for over 50 years and guess with experience comes anticipation of forward road conditions, I think that saves petrol. Switch off stop/start every time but do use premium 97 octane petrol because the Yeti drives more smoothly with it and I proved in my previous Yeti that the extra cost (8p per litre here) is more than recouped in better MPG. So on a cost basis I spend 8p per litre (5% extra) and if you allow for that I guess you can argue I achieve the equivalent of 42.25 MPG - on a price basis compared with someone buying regular 95 octane petrol. But I know that using 95 octane in my previous 1.2 Tsi DSG Yeti dropped the MPG to about 41 MPG and it was not as smooth to drive. I know it is argued that I am wasting my money buying premium petrol BUT I have the data over 1,000’s of miles to prove otherwise!

Over 53,000 miles my 1.2 Tsi DSG Yeti (2017 model) has averaged a true 44.6 MPG. This is based on brim full to brim full fill ups from new.

The Lexus LBX is the new small self charging hybrid. Based on Toyota Yaris Cross but different body and heavily modified drive train - balancer shafts etc. What Cars car of the year.

The Toyota Yaris Cross has scored well in reliability surveys - as have all Toyotas. I don’t see why Lexus should be any worse and maybe better after all the work they have done in modifying the basic drivetrain. Also warranty is ten years providing you have the car serviced at a Lexus dealer. As with any newly released car there is inevitably a learning curve for production so wait 2-3 months before buying to allow for initial start up gremlins to the ironed out!

Lexus 98.3% and Toyota 97.4% reliability index according to Whatcar 2023 survey. Lexus has topped the chart for several years. Seems a good bet to me. In comparison Skoda achieved 91.4% .

Probably! Honestly I am confused as to what to do. Fact is Yeti is now 7 years old and while it has been faultless there comes a point when things are going to need attention, inevitable with any mechanical device. I am too old to be bothered with the hassle of dealing with any problems so am tempted to swap for a new car. Favourite so far is the new Lexus LBX hybrid which is big enough for us - 95% of the time only 2 in the car - and I fancy seeing how a hybrid performs. Not ready for a pure EV but a hybrid might be nice; Lexus has the best reliability record of any make so that tempts me. However...... still not made up my mind!!!

Advice I got from Editor of a motoring magazine was - don’t sell your Yeti, best car Skoda ever made and one of the best everyday affordable cars anyone’s ever made. Similarly we met a couple when we were on holiday in Dorset last year and got talking about cars, when I said I had a Yeti they said they had sold their Yeti a year ago and were still regretting it!

I intend to sell my 2017 SEL Drive 1.2 Tsi DSG with Smart link, electric memory drivers seat and adjustable boot floor, Satnav in Onyx grey and main dealer serviced since new. Unmarked with Gobi sand leather interior, Goodyear Vector All season tyres (215/60 R16), 51,000 trouble free miles averaging 44 MPG on a brim full to brim full basis. Currently valued at between £11,500 and £12,500 by on-line companies. Values vary by mileage, age and condition. This one's an excellent one!! Interested? PS Avoid a sunroof for your peace of mind!

Alfasud - that brings back memories, colleague had one that rusted as he looked at it. He managed to keep it going for 18 months then the rust won!

Talking about Company cars the best by far was a 1991 Vauxhall Cavalier 2.0GSi, smooth, surprisingly fast and a bit of a wolf in sheep’s clothing when it came to performance. Surprised many a boy racer from traffic lights- older and wiser (and retired) now but did enjoy that car.

Make sure your DSG oil changes are up to date, otherwise just service to schedule and drive happy!

The Morris Marina was a terrible car. I still have shivers thinking about it and the gamble everytime we went out as to whether we would get back. Probably the most cynical car hoisted on the public by the dying English motor trade.

Morris Minor convertible - Ah driving with wind in my hair (had some then) King of the road!! Triumph Herald convertible - I was so cool man ...😎

Only used it as an Aux in.

Bearing in mind the state of UK roads and the widely reported expensive damage to low profile tyres and large wheels caused by potholes etc., as well as the far better ride comfort, you would hope that buyers would be educated to the benefit of higher profile tyres. Of course car salespersons push bigger wheels to increase profits and fail to explain the drawbacks, so nothing changes until they make smaller wheels equally financially attractive to salespersons. Don’t hold your breath!

But with a bit of clever marketing they could offer smaller wheels with more attractive alloy designs. Base models with 16” wheels tend to have basic alloy designs - no black highlights or diamond cut finishes - so put those more “up market” designs as an extra cost option and make money both ways!

You're right. But if you can have larger wheels as an option why can't you have smaller wheels as an option? Bearing in mind the state of our roads higher profile tyres much preferable to cope with potholes etc.

It is worth mentioning that on both my Yeti’s the dealer told me I couldn’t have 16” wheels with the SEL trim. I called Skoda (UK) and after some debate they told me to place the order with my dealer and they would intercept the factory order and change the wheels from 17" to 16” with higher profile tyres. The order went through and both times I collected the car with 16” wheels as promised. Hence an original member of the 16” club! Recently I have found VW and others refusing to change the wheels for a smaller size although entry level models all had the size tyres I prefer. How difficult can it be to bolt on different size wheels at the factory?

The option choice that frustrates me is that I can't select a smaller wheel size with higher spec vehicle variants. They let you choose bigger wheels with lower profile tyres on lower spec vehicles so why not smaller wheels with higher profile tyres on higher spec variants?

Yes, with the new Mk2 engine.

I’ve got a 1.2 DSG (2017) and just passed 50,000 miles. My MPG from new is 44.45 calculated on a brim-fill-to-brim-full basis. MPG is dependent on how you drive (obviously) and weather conditions. Worse was 36.2 on an emergency high speed motorway trip to Cornwall from N Yorkshire against a howling head wind gale, best was 48.2 on a leisurely drive to Suffolk on A and B roads with max 60 MPH restrictions. Generally you should expect about 42-44 MPG on day to day motoring depending on how you drive and traffic conditions. Incidentally I use E5 petrol, which is more expensive than E10, but I get better MPG which more than balances the extra cost. I’ve had 3 DSG’s and never had any problems with any of them. They have certainly improved since the first ones and are now much smoother and silky, I assume continuous development has ironed out the early problems. DSG’s are a bit different to drive than traditional torque converter autos but it is something you very quickly get used to.

Interestingly I was in correspondence with the Editor of one of the biggest selling Motor Magazines about the advantages of petrol v EV’s and mention I had a Yeti, he replied saying in his view the Yeti is one of the finest “regular” cars ever made, he has one and intends on keeping it. Mind you he also has more modern cars as well.

I'm in the same position, albeit with a 7 year old Yeti. Difficult to find a replacement with all the attributes and character of a Yeti. I will probably swap my Yeti for a VW T-Roc next year as I don't want the bother of things needing replacing or repairing. I will miss the Yeti though.