Freshacre

Hi Y'all I went for the 190 Edition with various cameras as I do tend to get into places where rocks lurk ready to ding the unsuspecting, and I have found it indispensable. The reverse pointing camera is exceptional in that you can see your bumper, and you can then inch backward to within a millimetre of the panic- struck old man behind. I also am quite fond of gadgetry and the electronic doo-flix that come with this car are great. Overall, including auto lights, auto-dim, auto wipers, this car is almost poised to drive itself, and is for my money, the best car I've ever driven. It isn't like my two Yetis that put a huge mischievous grin on my face every time I drove them, as they were just terrific tall go-carts. No - the Kodiaq quite simply puts a (smug and self-satisfied) smile on the face as it represents automotive perfection, to me, in that it does exactly what is required. Nothing slides off seats on cornering, as it appears to do so in a level manner; it accelerates like dung off a shovel when in Sport mode, or like a boring ol' pharrt when in Eco mode (which scolds me occasionally......); it will return nearly 50 mpg on a level, steady drive along the Wye Valley, or low 30s if pushed hard. It is extremely comfy and the leccy seats minutely adjustable, though the "leather" on them doesn't allow one to slide ones bum about in order to regain that comfy spot. The facilities with 7 seats, load carrying, hidden towball, electric tailgate, all conspire to please, as does the surprisingly quiet progression on even the poorest Welsh B roads. A Brilliant Car. Full Stop.

At the sound of being, er, repetitive - WHAT issues? It ain't no good just telling us they were causing "issues", you need to TELL us!

And what teething probs would they be, pray tell us all?

Brilliant!! Mine might be as well as it was over a week ago I heard it had been built and was on the way! Well done you!!

Well surprised! I had expected a longer wait than this, but had a note to the effect that my "Teddy Bear" (yuck!) has been completed and is heading to the port ready to embark on the next stage of its journey to mid-Wales. And so, in about ten days time, I will be broke but beaming. Hopefully. I will of course let you know, take a pic, appraise, and report initial thoughts.

That Kodiaq really does seem to be impressive, quite apart from the technology it comes with. 190 DSG Moon White Edition version, with sensors front and rear and 4 cameras at the corners, and electric towbar. And a heated steering wheel! It comes with umpteen seats that I'll never use, but hey-ho, the rest of the beast fits my desires. The engine is the same as the A5 Convertible, but without the undoubted benefit of the seamless Multitronic gearbox which makes it super smooth. That said I was impressed by the sweet progress the Teddy Bear made!! I also found the touch-screen display mighty useful. Delivery?? June/July?

Well there you go! After a Yeti, then Superb, then another Yeti, I'm off to the Teddy Bear enclosure! Having been invited to test drive their launch demonstrator down at Sinclair Skoda in Swansea, which had all the bells and whistles fitted, I was completely blown away by the sheer quality of the vehicle. i remember feeling a similar level of wonder at the quality and value for money of the Yeti back in 2010 that I felt with the Kodiaq on Saturday, so I did as I did back then and ordered one, the last in their April allocation! I think it will appear in June, so not long to wait, really, though this car has been so long in coming they should've been stockpiling by now. It has the 190bhp engine linked to the 7 speed DSG box, and it was silky smooth in all respects.

Ha! It swallowed eight when I took em up to Newtown to be sold in the shop!

It really is like a time warp on here - loads of familiar names all chuffed to bits with their chariots! I haven't been visiting Briskoda despite having a 2 yo L&K 170 DSG jobbie, shod with winters at the mo, rear seats out and stored in the shed (long story... ... ...) - but i will admit to having covetous thoughts about the new Skoda Film thing - Kodak? - and will be visiting Sinclair Skoda next weekend to examine it. That Yeti i have in dreadful chocolate brown, leavened with copious quantities of mud and cow-poo, is just terrific - space, economy, poke (it is faster than my old Z4 and almost keeps up with my Audi A5 convertible (acquired, not for posing and pulling but for cruisin')! Oh and welcome back into the Yeti crowd, M, even if it doesn't have such a magnificent set of gnashers as the Jeep (must've been a great ad for you!!). Cheers all, Freshacre

Love it - "the Yeti pioneers"! That'll be me, then!

Graham - what a tale of woe. Sorry to read about it..... BUT - as you'd expect me to say - I'm NOT surprised that it has been sorted at Sinclair Skoda. They just do the job, and do it well. I had my 170 L&K fitted with (albeit the basic) towbar and it has all worked perfectly. Personally I cannot see past using them and consider it money well spent for the peace of mind and freedom from hassle when they carry out the work. [Oh - and a P.S. I really AM surprised at you - your Yeti and your 'van are not colour-co-ordinated (BIG grin)]

For what it is worth, the performance of the 170 in the Yeti is pretty exhilarating and when combined with the way the Yeti handles on the road there's a stack of real FUN to be had round undulating and bendy roads. I had a Mk1 Yeti 170 TDi from 2010 for nearly 3 years, jumped up into a Superb, again 170 - and in both cases found the engine to be reasonable ec onomical snd pokey, though the tall go-kart like performance of the Yeti was missed. And so i'm now back into a 170 L&K Tdi this time with DSG 'box. In the transition from Mk1 to Mk2 a little of the chuckability and go-kartness has been smoooothed out to give the Yeti a more compliant and less pitter-pattering ride over the bumpy bits (aka pot-holes), but the out and out performance seems to be much better when the pedal is floored for a quick squirt past a tractor, or a sheep. So - in essence what I'm saying is - your Yeti will be the most practical family man set of (shiny) wheels you'd ever need with space aplenty, with parking friendliness for even the most demanding of myopic missuses, and yet, when you get the opportunity to sneak out away from the brood and get onto the long and winding road on your lonesome, you will enjoy the grin-inducing thrill of this upright boxy breeze block of a car as it continually surprises you with its road-stickiness and squirtability combined with the security of that 4wd system that compensates for any bog-ups you might engender. Oh - and that scuff-resistance... .... I frequently carry a ton of stuff with edges and feet and handles - musical instruments, amplifiers, stands speakers atc to the point of filling the whole of the available space. Yeah sure - take the seats out and my problem evaporates but everyone and again lassitude intervenes and said 'stuff' gets lumped in wholesale. Since 2010 in whichever car is being thus assaulted there's never a mark on any of the in-contact bits of trim or seat. This may, or may not be of any use to you, but you asked!! G PS Have you bought one yet?! PPS This L&K 170 has so much fun in it that I'm tempted to shovel off the Z4, though I would miss the posing and the pulling that car offers.... Posing's great, but the pulling is cr*p

Happy to help if I can, so fire away as soon as you like. George

Hi On a very personal note regarding the 12 speaker sound system i'd make the suggestion that you actively seek out someone who has it fitted and audition it before irrevocably ordering it! I suspect you are a keen appreciator of music delivered as well as is possible in a vehicular environment, as am I - and being a keen musician too, I wanted the best I could get - and so, in my first Yeti (delivered in April 2010) I had the 12 speaker system plumbed in. When I then changed over to a Superb that was a cancelled order sat in the showroom needing a home, it didn't have this luxury. I have to say that I did not miss the extra oomph one bit, and so, when getting my second Yeti organised I decided that i would save the £300+ to spend on something else. Result - I am more than happy with the bog standard set up in my L&K 170 DSG. I really cannot detect any loss of anything when comparing with the first Yeti. As an aside, when ordering my Old Man's Posing and Pulling Machine (aka BMW Z4) last year I muttered about the upgraded sound system... ...and was pleasantly surprised to hear the salesman counsel against it, commenting that the existing system was pretty damn good. And so it has proved. Don't take MY word as gospel, though, and do try to audition both systems before finalising things. I suspect there will be other opinions on here too, hopefully, to help you out. The L&K Yeti with Amundsen is a terrific combination. I'm SO pleased to have returned to the Yeti fold.

I think that it is interesting that a fair few have chosen to return to a Yeti after "straying" away! I have no hesitation in saying it was one of my BEST decisions, as it just feels so completely right to be back in the tall go-kart, with all the built in 'extras' like hill-hold and dipping mirrors! Best of all though is the way it just IS on the road- no dramas or hysterics, it just follows its nose with confidence. And the face-lift model has become more refined and elegant in the execution of its duties. For me the ability to swallow a whole set of ceilidh band kit without hassle is just terrific, as is the sheer poke-in-the-back acceleration to overtake the tourists, the economy - and the ability to be nosey over hedges!! Welcome back, chaps. Maybe we should create a "Back-to-Yeti" club!! (No - thassa joke!).

The "cost to change" a car way exceeds any running costs, and yet we'll happily fork out for the thrill of a fresh set of wheels and that intoxicating 'new car' smell. That said, like you Inspector, I resent a £60-70 brim-up, and the annuals of tax and insurance, though in reality it is something we would willingly keep paying in order to retain the freedom that a car brings. Funny people, people!

The Xenon lights in my view (!) are so worth it. Before the Yeti I had never appreciated just how good good lights could be! In terms of reliability, my original Yeti didn't have many hassles at all, whereas the 'Berb had some pretty serious issues eating tyres and vibration. Sinclair got to the bottom of it by finding TWO faults - the settings were markedly out in terms of chassis set up - and there was a pulverised wheel bearing too! I hope you enjoy better motoring in the Octavia - and certainly better economy. I found the 170 engine gave decent economy coupled with some electrifying performance. Interestingly this L and K 170 DSG is costing about £300 to insure where the superb was only £210 with Allianz who have the Yeti in "special measures" insurance-wise - and yet they underpin Skoda insurance for them, as they do for BMW .

After 2 and a bit years spent away in a 4*4 Superb Elegance, it just happened that there was a gizmo-laden 4*4 Yeti on display in the Showroom, and with an auto box, rooflight, and heated screen all built in, and after very little haggle time the deal was done. In the three days I've had the thing I've done a fair few miles, left leg securely strapped to the floor to prevent unexpected emergency stops. In that time I've been reminded of all the 'little' things that I have missed while owning the 'Berb. Hill hold - could not understand why this was omitted on the bigger 4*4, and I missed it almost daily; self dipping central mirror - what a boon to be able to set and forget again; sunset glass rearwards - again i could never fathom this not being a part of the big estate car's spec; tiny turning circle - the limo was OK but the Yeti runs rings around it; decent mobile headlights - the beams, both hi and lo, work as a single focussed pool of light whereas on the Superb the main high beam was distinctly yellow in colour and not as bright as i felt it should be, as well as seeming to operate in a different time and place; the seats, all the seats, seats up, seats down, seats tumbled, seats vanished, hedges disappeared - oh, the joy of peering into previously private parts of Powys, and the simple stresslessness of space for stuff sans seats. Being a 170, even though a DSG, it goes, like the Estate like **** off a shovel, and as it is closer-coupled and less of a wallower than the 'Berb I can turn directly into a corner without starting to turn 100 yards before i got there. I never did get used to that quirk whereby the car required advance warning of every bend. This has to be one of the true joys of being back in the Yeti, that of driving a tall go-kart that obeys instantly. When we all acquired our Yetii back in the dim and distant days of '09 and '10 there seemed to be two subjects that irked. First was the positioning of the central rear-view mirror, which has now been shifted up the screen by a good few yards, and the second was the tendency to pitter-patter over bumps with the accompanying rhythm section clattering out its own beat depending upon the relative severity of the bumps and holes. This has been a revelation! This Yeti is oh-so-smooth and silent - and I've tested it on my favourite pot-holed tarmac C-grade highway that abounds here. Credit where it is due, whatever 'they' have done, they've sorted it - unless my increasingly apparent senility has affected my ability to, er, remember. And talking of old stuff, and talking of seats, i had forgotten how easy it is to get in and out of the thing having spent the two and a bit years employing a rope and some pulleys to rise up out of the bowels of the 'Berb's buttock-holding recesses. Now i simply swivel, and my feet find the ground, and there we are. So - it goes real lovely, it has an airy cabin thanks to the skylight which I must learn to be wary of.... I fiddled with the round knobby thing in the roof and before I was aware of what had happened I had to fetch a towel to blot my hair dry. Above the mesh it had tilted and moved and water did as water does, and cascaded forwards through the widening gap all over me and the Dawg - who was just as surprised as me and twice as offended. She takes great care of her hair. And on the night of delivery I had to load up all the band kit and head off up the Wales map to a village pub where we had been asked to play at the Wake for a recently deceased Irishman. The Yeti was loaded to the Plimsoll line with amps and mics and mixers and guitars and bouzoukis - all easily stuffed, then un-stuffed, and finally stuffed again as we began to head for home. As you do after a triumphant sending off where the mourners sang and danced with abandon, I reflected on what worked and what wasn't so good, and i didn't notice, 100 yards up the road from the pub, one of the revellers weaving his way up the pavement, then the road, then the pavement, then the road. I continued to reflect after I had re-stuffed the bouzouki and two guitars which had tumbled around my ears after I had effected a 'manual' emergency stop with BOTH feet fighting for space on the single pedal that wasn't the accelerator... ... It won't happen again. The bluddy car stood on its nose, such was the united pressure upon the pedal. What don't i like? well - I'm not terribly keen on the interior brown, though fortunately the bits I see are the usual dark grey; and I am not yet certain about the magnetic brown metallic , though it does seem to melt nicely into the mud on the roads, kindly left by the thousands of Massey Ferguson tractors that frequent these parts without stopping to wash their wheels before leaving the fields to join the tarmac. One distinct advantage, and this especially for Wakev, I can now manage to run the gauntlet of all the farm collies in the county simply because they cannot see the thing. It so merges with the mud that, to them, it is just another mound of mud dropped by their man on manoeuvres! My final first impression concerns that so-called infotainment system. What a great bit of kit. Full stop. All in all then this was a "good thing" to have done. While I enjoyed the large effortless motoring experience of the 28k miles I think that this Yeti will do as my first one did - and put a ruddy great grin all over my face whenever I swivel into it. Unless I am assaulted by various instruments again and end up wearing a bouzouki necklace... ... .. George

Try another Yeti - I can endorse them right now, and would imagine that with the improved economy it'b be even more attractive

Yes - it starts tomorrow night! We've a wake to play at in a pub after a hog roast for a departed Irish gent who loved the old ways to celebrate! I guess the seats'll have to come out!

After twenty-seven months and 28k miles away in a 4*4 Superb I've been coaxed back into a new Yeti by a decent deal from Sinclair in Swansea! A brown, shiny, well-specced L'n'K DSG 170 will match the mud of Brecknock's farmer's tractors I reckon, and as it was sitting in their showroom, delivery takes place tomorrow. Just gotta muck out the big white thing first... ... ...

Ah! Cheers! Both to you OldStan, and t'others who have enlightened this ignoramus. And now that I know what it is/was/could've been I have to say, now, with hindsight, that I am really not interested!! One of those vee-hickles that makes me go y-a-w-n! (Probably out of envy!!) George PS - nothing changes on here, does it?! It's good, tho'!

Pity it has that awful Jeep set of teeth!

What's an R36?

My 'Berb is due its second 'annual' service at 25k miles so I will be down there in the next week or so. I visited their emporium to have winter tyres fitted - Kumho jobbies - but sadly, because much of their expansive site is available to Seat and VW commercial et al they were unable to store my part used Dunlop Summers as they'd done previously. They were apologetic in the extreme, but as I'd had a garage built it was ok. And their price for the changeover was excellent.