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

Well -I tried Auto and still no swivelling . Maybe they've given up on it ?

Ah ha ! Will try this out - many thanks.

The other thing I noticed on a long night drive was that good the Xenon lights may be, but they don't seem to do that Citroen DS swivelly routine on bends any more . When did that stop ?

After a flirtation with an Ecoboost Focus - fantastic engine ,sublime steering , but car not at all happy on bumpy tracks and felt flimsy (even if wasn't ) - I have just bought a 2015 170 Elegance. Surprised that no DAB ; feels even better put together than my 2011 140TDI , very punchy engine but - convinced it's a bit more vocal and slightly less economical - never got other one below 42 , I can dip into high 30s here and averaging about 44. . Emissions fix I assume ? Or fact that previous owner was doing less than 3k miles pa ?

Fit for purpose. Which in my case is bumpy forest tracks, country roads, snowy lane to home in winter, river banks and motorways, Deals with all with aplomb. But if I didn't do off road stuff I'd have a Golf/Focus.God knows why anybody buys soft roaders if they only use them on city roads; beyond me. Buy 2wd and decent winter tyres and you get anywhere within reason.

Fewer. Sorry.

As the originator of this thread an update-Kumhos bought- grip terrific. Had to smile at some of the comments above - crikey if you have never reached the levels of grip on public roads you must drive very slowly indeed. Recent examples of some sideways stuff include huge puddle around blind bend(and no . I didn't slow to 5mph before it ) , diesel on the road , cow muck etc.My other car's(Caterham ) raison d'etre is sliding...A sit was in my MG Midget in awhat now feels like about 1905 . All safe fun if you know what you're doing - honest. But not recommended on the HIgh St or when other people are around...

My TDI 140 has 17" wheels and the original fit Dunlops. I recently did a long A road run in very wet conditions and although the tyres are half worn, if that , the lack of grip and aquaplaning was so bad it was laughable. I have rarely driven anything so bad in very wet conditions.Obviously new tyres would be better- and they were, a bit, when the car was new but I have always been disappointed at the crappy level of grip the Dunlops offer. It ain' the car - on my winter tyres she grips like a limpet in all bad conditions. So..when I come to replace the Dunlops what should it be with ? Dry road grip is a given really. I don't hammer it very hard around the bends anyway but wet road grip is crucial where I live .

Ah ha - all is clear . Thanks.

To dealer today; it's a secondary pump (not much wiser ) but will be replaced under warranty. Exhaust - not DPF - warning light appeared en route to garage and apparently pump installed for use in v high temps- so rarely used here.Will try to understand this when I talk to garage- pump being what ? Not fuel nor water but something in exhaust ?? Or attached to turbo? If it had twin SUs I might have a vague chance of understanding this...