grayson

Old school stuff had narrow tyres , not better drivers. For years I lived up a steep single track and bendy road on NY Moors. MY Tiguan and Yeti coped with anything - on winter tyres. But the cars like Golfs , 306s , Ax GT , 205 etc we also owned all were pretty good as well - we never got stuck, even in 6 inches plus . Simple reason - right tyres , and confidence - it makes an absolutely enormous difference . Give me 2wd on right tyres than 4wd on wrong ones any day.........

I had a loaned 2WD TDI for a month a few years ago- cloth seats, crap headlights and 5 speed - and it was by quite a margin the nicest Yeti I have driven . But I can't see the point of buying one when you get a quicker, more economical and better handling Golf etc. I wanted and needed 4wd and had firstly a 140 Elegance and now a 170 4wd . Neither is exactly fun to drive - but that's what happens when you add the weight of 4wd I guess . But as a fit for purpose vehicle ? Outstanding - go anywhere (on winter tyres especially) , quick (for what it is ) very comfy, outstanding lights , toys and 45mpg . And best of all - it's roomy inside but outside it's much smaller than stuff like Focuses , let alone the ghastly lardarse SUVs so many people seem to love .

The HDC is terrific and I have used it many times on slippy tracks. Not sure what the rest of the ORB actually is meant to do- it softens throttle response but I have got a reasonably well educated right foot anyway.

Dunlops - shudder. My last Yeti had these and never , in 46 years of driving, have I experienced poorer wet road grip on normal road car, let alone one weighing 1500kg + . They were utterly abysmal and even with lots of tread left would aquaplane as much as my 550 kg Caterham on semi slicks ,Kumhoes transformed the Yeti .

I have used winter tyres since 1990 , when I got marooned in a snow drift near my home on North York Moors. What I have learned is this- - you don't get stuck on winters and the grip level on snow especially is astounding - but the laws of physics apply when you are on black ice - when I drove Mk 4 Golfs I'd get bloody awful tramlining and torque steer on winters - but not on anything I've driven since - there's a bit more understeer on winters and it gets worse as the weather warms up - steering tends to be a tiny bit lighter -I assume wider tread gaps and smaller contact patch - driving down rutted forest tracks , muddy fields , heavy snow and slimy river banks winters have always got me home safely - you can read all sorts of comparative tests about brands of winters . I have had pricey Michelins and Vredesteins , Nokians and bargain basement Lassas, and they all work . All are night and day compared to summer tyres - I would be far happier on 2wd on winters than 4wd on summers - you may not rely on them often but when you need them , they deliver and that assurance alone is priceless

One point to clarify. Use of vehicles is not permitted on FPs and BWs - but worth pointing out that the owner of the land , or someone given consent by the owner, can of course do more or less what he wants , including using the FP by vehicle to access the land he owns . On a personal note, having had the misfortune to live somewhere popular for recreational 4wd use , both lawful and otherwise , please don't behave like a tw**t.

Fitness for purpose . In my case this means off road ability -not One Life Live It beardy stuff dicking about in ancient 4wds but ability to drive down slippy forest tracks and over flood banks etc. Size- I hate big cars - Yeti is svelte and has none of the f*** you aggression of most 4wds . Economy - needs to be 40 plus for my mileage . Cruising ability - I do some long fast journeys so 80 plus cruising needs to be effortless. And I like the toys in Elegance spec too. My last Yeti had 16s for winters - can't say 17s are an issue. If you do , I prescribe a drive in a sporty Focus on 18 in wheels with 235/35s - ghastly. BUT ...if I didn't need off road ability , and hence 4wd and ground clearance I have no idea why anybody would buy one- just get a GTD /GTI Golf or similar - same space, more pace and economy and far better to drive briskly .

Something for nothing .. ... I can see you have nothing to gain, but you can't get compensation for that so Ia m intrigued about how much , if anything , have you lost financially and why ? I sense the irritation but can't grasp why that translates so easily into pound notes - as you say, something for nothing.

Why ? I can understand anybody's contempt for corporate cheating but that doesn't automatically mean you have suffered personally. How much do you want - what financial loss have you actually incurred ? Are people now queuing up in the hope of getting something for nothing ?

Thread resurrection alert.. I too have been fretting about 100C plus oil temps but seems I needn't have done. My170 runs in mid 90s but can creep to 102 or 105 sometimes . I am sure my 140 never ran so high . Weird , really , as brisk driving in my Caterham yesterday (petrol of course) saw oil temp down in the 80s , even when ..ahem..pressing on.

I currently have a 170 which certainly isn't lacking in the trouser department and gives mid -low 40s. My 140TDI was delightful- and far more refined and less growly than the 170 (I expect emissions fix is to blame) ; but the nicest to drive by far I have tried was a 2wd 110TDI. Handled far better than the heavier 4x4s and ride was spot on as well . Weirdly , considering it's a low powered baby SUV , the 110 reminded me most of a Mk 2 Golf Gti when punted down a country road - and that I didn't expect

My 2011 4x4 140TDI was faultless , apart from a brief get you home mode glitch fixed under warranty. Well, it was until the warranty had run out and at 65k miles the sodding DMF expired . Skoda didn't even reply to my appeal for some goodwill and I got the car fixed by an independent for £1100 I think. I bought a Focus as I was so p***ed off but although the 3 pot Ecoboost is a truly divine engine - and it really is - the Ford wasn't fit for most of my purposes and I now have a pre owned 2015 170 Elegance. Likes-build quality , air of go-anywhere invincibility , comfort , ICE (but no bloody DAB FFS ) and the shove from so much torque Dislikes- I had forgotten how irritating the diesel soundtrack can be and how binary a diesel's power delivery is .

Not sure I'd call the gearbox exactly racing spec in my 170- normally change up to second at very pedestrian speed . Whereabouts in N Yorks are you ? If nearby you can have a look at mine- I am in Thirsk area

How can I find out if mine has been done? It's a 2015 170 and as it does feel more dieselly and a bit thirstier than the 140 I had in 2011 I assume it has ?

My detailing tends to be whatever organic nastiness is collected down farm tracks. But my Yeti has one of these supaguard finishes which seems to work quite well