Trekker

No tirades, but I can give a few possible reasons of why the poor Yeti driver from Edinburgh needs winter tyres and might find snow chains invaluable... 1. they have more hills - I have winter tyres and could not get up a 40% gradient hill on Monday which was my first failure, but an Audi A6 Quattro with winter tyres just made it look effortless 2. they have more compacted snow and ice if the gritting lorries have not been around every wee road 3. they are more concerned with safety and realise that four wheel drive with winter tyres = less sliding = shorter braking distances and greater confidence of making it round corners After seeing the Quattro get up a 40% gradient hill, I am yearning now for the Yeti...! (Come on Skoda, allow us the sunroof again please - so I can order my Yeti...)

Perhaps he needs to accelerate from the dawdling 62mph back up his 100mph crusing speed every time he's blocked by slow drivers on his trips through Germany! I would agree that the accelerate time from something like 45mph to 70mph would be useful to know when deciding which models make it feasible to overtake on A roads. The 1.8 Yeti is a tempting model from its performance point-of-view. It's just a shame Skoda won't build them with DSGs.... I would be interested to know if these tuned models have improved MPG or whether it's a high performance modification... ...I still reckon lightening the vehicle is the safer and more reliable option that will also yield lower fuel bills...

No need to despair, Llanigraham, SUV_fan is clearly investigating the performance improvement possibilities by lightening the Yeti. Yes, you're right about your driving economically strategy, but SUV_fan is definitely wise to take the rear seats out if they weigh over 40kg. Goodness, that is a LOT of weight to lose just by taking the seats out! His braking will be improved as there will be less weight to slow down... I reckon the side and rear glass of the Yeti could be replaced by Plexiglass to save another 40kg... Wheels could be replaced with reconditioned second hand forged one-piece 16" alloys to save another 10-20kg unsprung weight... eg, 1998 CLK320. SUV_fan, please let us know how you get on!

I thought it was common knowledge now thanks to the financial crisis why we as motorists face an ever increasing cost burden; the private banks are lending out and gambling money they don't have in deposits and thus creating inflation and deflation in the value of the currency and GDP. Our government (and nearly everyone elses) are either completely stupid regarding economics or they are completely corruptly being paid off by the private banks. The solution is so simple: the private banks are bankrupt and should be nationlised and the control of issuing money to the economy should only be in the hands of the government thereby allowing the countrys debts to be paid off with fresh money, taxes to be reduced dramatically which will stimulate foreign investment and greater company confidence in expanding projects here. But because of stupidity or corruption, we will face greater costs in the years ahead not least because we are drowning in private bank debt which will further weaken our currency and heighten the cost of fuels. The one good thing about the increasing cost of motoring is the clarity of the effecient cars like the Skoda Yeti. Every MPG will count in the years to come! But I suspect you, like me, will just prioritise our motoring ahead of other non-essential costs because driving is freedom and fun.

Reading headlines like "Relentless snow causes travel chaos in Britain" convinces me that we should do as the mainland Europeans do and make Winter tyres compulsory between November and March or force the Insurance Companies to adopt more stringent cover that invlidates policies of people driving on snow with Summer and all-season tyres. ...then....surely....we would not see the British road traffic crawl / clog up etc. Children would get to school, adults to their jobs and business would be maintained instead the comical incompetence that engulfs our country as soon as some snow falls!

I've always wondered what a white Yeti would look like with white bumpers and now I see they make the car look more up-market ! The big wheels are just going to add unsprung weight and ruin the ride.... It's great that there is a company like this making the Yeti look more personal...

I understood that the removal of the DPF does not effect the normal MOT emissions test. I had a quick look on the internet and found a company called Sinspeed who actually remove DPFs for a living and they say:- Removing the DPF will not cause you to fail an MOT, we can guarantee this. It will not bring up any error messages and the car will not go into LIMP mode. Also, you will never experience any Regeneration messages where the ECU normally attempts to clean the DPF – this is because the DPF is no longer existing. Finally, you will experience an overall increase in performance, smoothing out any flat spots and safeguard the life of both your engine & turbocharger. http://www.sinspeed.co.uk/blog/tag/mazda-6-dpf-removal-mot/

How about just ignoring the whole DPF issues until the day comes when the lights start coming on and at that point, simply replace the whole exhaust with a free flowing one and get a garage to sort the sensor so it always reports the DPF is okay - then we really do never need to worry about stupid expensive hardware going faulty or the engine losing power, nor how we drive our cars! Plus, we will get more MPG as there won't be any wasteful regenerations going on afterwards....

The blurb does not suggest that there will be a 1.4L Petrol engined 4x4 Yeti or a DSG 1.4L version.... simply that the Yeti can be bought with either a nice 1.4L Petrol engine or 4WD and/or DSG etc. I do wish we had more options though with regards to engine and transmission combinations...

Thanks for your thoughts... yes, perhaps even if Skoda UK fail to allow sunroofs by build month, then yes, we might sell later like the Plumber did..... ....wow, I might be ordering next month then.......

I am waiting for the sunroof to be orderable on the system....... though if it is really possible to add it later before the car built, then I might as well take advantage of Skoda's offer to hold the VAT increase through 2011........... ...have I understood it correctly? The sunroof can be added just 4 weeks before the estimated build week and that Skoda will only charge 17.5% VAT if the car is ordered before December 31st 2010? For my family, the sunroof is essential as we intend to keep the car for about 10 years - so we really want the extra light! ...if we hear the sunroof is deleted for the UK market - then forget Skoda!

Thanks CT17 for the useful comparison! When you say the RR is better for longer journeys, do you mean quieter as well as comfort from the seats? (I find all cars way too noisy above 70mph and have to wear ear plugs, which is a pain... so being quiet at 85mph would make me happy..) How much money does one need to account for servicing and fueling a Range Rover TDV8 over 10,000 miles would you say? The Range Rover is my dream car, but common sense nearly has me pressing the order button for the Yeti, but the lack of a sunroof gives me pause... ...perhaps in they will allow it in January 2011. ...perhaps Range Rovers will collapse in price making one too irresistible...

Here's a thought that keeps hitting me: what are the benefits in getting a Yeti over a 3 year old Range Rover? The Yeti and Range Rover are similar in so much as they are comfortable and capable off road and with both being diesel automatics. The advantages of the Yeti that I can think of:- - low weight: 1500kg v 2300kg - smaller size: same footprint as a VW Golf makes city parking and garages easy - fuel economy: 37mpg v 20mpg (realistically) - lower running costs: parts and labour should be much less than Land Rover and being newer, should last longer - sportier drive thanks to the low weight and independent rear suspension The advantages of the Range Rover I can think of:- - higher ride giving better off road clearence and better views accross hedges and other cars - even more comfortable ride thanks to air suspension and taller suspension - quieter ride and better seats - greater sense of occasion and feel good factor - more luggage space - better towing ability - better 4x4 capability For me, any 4x4 capbility is enough with snow tyres, I don't tow anything, the luggage space of the Yeti can take 4 full sized suitcases with 5 people and the spare wheel in it (enough!), the ride of the Yeti was acceptable, so it all boils down to the quieter ride (the difference between wearing ear plugs and not over a long journey?) plus the great views plus greater sense of occasion of the Range Rover versus the more practical size and economical Yeti.... Some would also raise the social acceptability of the Yeti versus the bad ecological image of the Range Rover, but if we all thought like that, we would be all pressured into driving city Greenine Fabia estates.... What do you think people? A no-brainer option for the Yeti? If you disarm the 3 year old TDV8 Range Rover on costs grounds, what about a 2004 V8 petrol Range Rover for only 9500 pounds versus 23000 pound Yeti? 13000 pounds will surely go a long way and the V8 N/A petrol engine should be less trouble long term than a turbo diesel with DPF. Hmmm.... I welcome your thoughts....

Thanks for posting the link..... I always find it enjoyable to watch Yetis playing in the snow...! As for the tyres - wow, they looked like All Season tyres.... so an impressive performance!

You can forget about about wheel chains - you will not need them ! I have driven through deep snow and ice with the Snowtrac3 tyres and I was never stuck. As for fuel economy, there is not such a huge difference. Some people leep their winter tyres on their car all year round, so you do not need to worry about their usability. Just swap the wheels over to the spare set of wheels with winter tyres when winter arrives and swap back when spring arrives - it's that simple. Happy winter driving and stay safe.

Winter tyres are definitely the solution to snow and ice no matter whether you are driving up hills or around town. I drive with Snowtrac3 tyres on my Nissan Micra and can confirm they make a HUGE difference, so a 2WD Yeti with great ground cleareance will be even better. It is all down to how willing you are to pay for a second set of wheels with winter tyres and change them over each winter... ...but when I spend a small fortune buying a new Yeti, I will not be putting the car or my family at risk on snow by not putting winter tyres on the car...!

Why not go for the clear film body wrap for the whole car? They protect against stones and nasty people intent on key scratching... The exotic cars have it done and costs about 500 pounds, so surely a good investment if you wish to hold onto the Yeti for many years... eg:- http://www.carwrapsuk.com/ http://www.totally-dynamic.co.uk/

Agreed - they look great! I want to see somebodys Yeti fitted with them...

Not so long ago, there was a post with a French Yeti with LED daytime running lights, did anybody identify what LED unit they bought and has/will anybody fit them to their Yeti ?

> Winter tires is the only one of these options that will actually increase the amount of grip between the tires and the ground > - the others are simply more or less effective ways of maximizing the available grip. Even a skilled driver in a 4WD can't change the laws of physics! Well explained! Having driven all the vehicle options on poll, I totally agree. Winter tyres are going to maintain grip in situations where others won't have much grip which equals greater safety and piece of mind!

I see your point... I hope you're right...!

This is the link:- http://www.lingscars.com/car_images/skoda_yeti/vbig.jpg But how do we paste it into the forum so that it shows the photo?

How do we show the photo ?

Is this the new Yeti? <a href="http://www.lingscars.com/Skoda/Yeti/87921-2.0_TDI_CR_16v_(108bhp)_S_2WD_Station_Wagon_5dr_1968cc-personal.html"><img src="http://www.lingscars.com/car_images/skoda_yeti/vbig.jpg" border=0></a> What does everyone think about this design? I have to say I prefer the current design of Yeti... ...which means if the model year (MY) changes in May 2011, then I had better order in January at the latest if I want the current design...

Thankyou! I suspect that by the time I actually am able to order a sunroofed Yeti I will become very knowledgable of the yummy machine and I also suspect I will quite a bit older before I actually receive one... :(