Prospective Yeti owner

[shrub]

Hello Yeti Folk,

I have just joined the forum having read the Yeti posts for the past few weeks. Within the next month I plan to be ordering either a new Yeti 1.2 TSI E or S 2WD or, he says quietly, a new VW Golf. Having real difficulty choosing between them although I have to say that the Yeti has a unique appeal. I have read the wise words within these pages and read a number of glowing reports for the Yeti and still I have a number of questions that I am hoping someone might be able to help me with. From being a member of other forums, I believe that the done thing is to start a new topic for different questions and so I'll add them gradually over the next couple of weeks so as not to annoy you all!

First off, I have never owned a Skoda before and so do not have a previous relationship with any dealers. Can anyone here recommend a friendly Skoda dealer who is willing to offer a cracking deal? I live in the Midlands / Worcestershire area but am quite willing to travel within reason for good service and a good price. Some people on here have mentioned Drive the Deal and their prices do seem to be the lowest I can find. Maybe I will just buy via a broker and avoid the hassle. The last time I was about to order a new car, I joined a forum and within hours a friendly salesman had replied directly to me. I ended up buying from him because his price was excellent and I assumed (correctly) that because he was a member of a forum that he would also be an enthusiast. Can anyone recommend a salesman / dealer? I have so far visited two Skoda dealers, one of which I would return to, the other I will not be going back to.

Thanks,

Jason

[The Plumber]

Hello Yeti Folk,

I have just joined the forum having read the Yeti posts for the past few weeks. Within the next month I plan to be ordering either a new Yeti 1.2 TSI E or S 2WD or, he says quietly, a new VW Golf. Having real difficulty choosing between them although I have to say that the Yeti has a unique appeal. I have read the wise words within these pages and read a number of glowing reports for the Yeti and still I have a number of questions that I am hoping someone might be able to help me with. From being a member of other forums, I believe that the done thing is to start a new topic for different questions and so I'll add them gradually over the next couple of weeks so as not to annoy you all!

First off, I have never owned a Skoda before and so do not have a previous relationship with any dealers. Can anyone here recommend a friendly Skoda dealer who is willing to offer a cracking deal? I live in the Midlands / Worcestershire area but am quite willing to travel within reason for good service and a good price. Some people on here have mentioned Drive the Deal and their prices do seem to be the lowest I can find. Maybe I will just buy via a broker and avoid the hassle. The last time I was about to order a new car, I joined a forum and within hours a friendly salesman had replied directly to me. I ended up buying from him because his price was excellent and I assumed (correctly) that because he was a member of a forum that he would also be an enthusiast. Can anyone recommend a salesman / dealer? I have so far visited two Skoda dealers, one of which I would return to, the other I will not be going back to.

Thanks,

Jason

Hi Jason,

warm welcome to the SMOC & Briskoda.

If you don't mind dealing through an internet broker that may be your best bet in terms of discount but also look up James at Allams who advertises on the Forum, I know aerofurb has ordered his from them and appears pleased.

From a personal view point having previously owned a Golf V I would go with the Yeti in S or SE spec. I find the higher driving position much better than the sitting on the floor feel you get with the Golf, the interior material quality of the Yeti feels better particularly the seat fabric and you get a reasonable spec. Only thing missing that the Golf has is ESP which I would always recommend having.

Regards,

TP

[helix]

Hi Jason,

warm welcome to the SMOC & Briskoda.

If you don't mind dealing through an internet broker that may be your best bet in terms of discount but also look up James at Allams who advertises on the Forum, I know aerofurb has ordered his from them and appears pleased.

From a personal view point having previously owned a Golf V I would go with the Yeti in S or SE spec. I find the higher driving position much better than the sitting on the floor feel you get with the Golf, the interior material quality of the Yeti feels better particularly the seat fabric and you get a reasonable spec. Only thing missing that the Golf has is ESP which I would always recommend having.

Regards,

TP

[helix]

Hi Jason,

warm welcome to the SMOC & Briskoda.

If you don't mind dealing through an internet broker that may be your best bet in terms of discount but also look up James at Allams who advertises on the Forum, I know aerofurb has ordered his from them and appears pleased.

From a personal view point having previously owned a Golf V I would go with the Yeti in S or SE spec. I find the higher driving position much better than the sitting on the floor feel you get with the Golf, the interior material quality of the Yeti feels better particularly the seat fabric and you get a reasonable spec. Only thing missing that the Golf has is ESP which I would always recommend having.

Regards,

TP

I'd agree it's worth talking to James at Allams. I'd also recommend Geoff Garner at Withams at Walton on Thames. Both will do good deals and offer excellent customer service. It's worth going in with an internet quote to any dealer; they probably can't match it but it's a bargaining position. I'd say the Yeti S offers worthwhile extra goodies for £500 more, and is still a bargain.The new Golf is a great car, but a quite different one to the Yeti so it's horses for courses. Besides which you'll never feel unique (or discerning) in a Golf!

[prodata]

or, he says quietly, a new VW Golf.

I'm faced with the same dilemma - interesting how we've arrived at the same choice of apparently rather different vehicle types (other than them both being VW group but that's just coincidence, at least for me).

For my part, I'm looking at a mix of characteristics (performance vs emissions, size, space, driver ambience, refinement etc - and of course budget) in a car and it's just a question of how any given car scores on each characteristic. So it's entirely possible for rather different types of vehicle to end up having a similar overall score and hence appeal.

Although I've been looking at it for a couple of months, I've mentally marked the Yeti down on various points (no DSG - for the next 6 months at least on more powerful models, 1.8TSi doesn't score too well on the power vs emissions balance, speedo/rev counter very poorly executed, but it's ultimately driver comfort and ergonomics that are holding me back from ordering the Yeti). On the other hand, every time I sit down in a Golf, my overriding feeling is: uninspiring. I've got another Yeti test drive booked this Sunday (snow, ice, fog etc permitting, all of which look possible for SE England) and will look to make a final decision then.

[shrub]

Hi Jason,

warm welcome to the SMOC & Briskoda.

If you don't mind dealing through an internet broker that may be your best bet in terms of discount but also look up James at Allams who advertises on the Forum, I know aerofurb has ordered his from them and appears pleased.

From a personal view point having previously owned a Golf V I would go with the Yeti in S or SE spec. I find the higher driving position much better than the sitting on the floor feel you get with the Golf, the interior material quality of the Yeti feels better particularly the seat fabric and you get a reasonable spec. Only thing missing that the Golf has is ESP which I would always recommend having.

Regards,

TP

Many thanks for the welcome and reply. I totally agree with you about the driving position; as soon as I sat in the Yeti it felt good. I have a lot of experience with Volkswagens (I used to sell them in a former life) and know the Golf well. In basic trim it will not be exciting but it is safe, rides well, handles well and ticks most of the boxes. As for the Skoda, I am quite impressed with the fact that the basic Yeti is fitted with a TSI engine, whereas the basic Golf is an 80ps 1.4. To buy a Golf with the 1.2 TSI engine is a lot more money.

One of the issues (and there aren't many) I have with the Yeti is the absence of ESP on the models that I would be looking at. Ok, so I can pay £380 but for some reason that I am yet to understand, only on the 'S' version. Why can't I have ESP on the 'E' model? After all, the fitment of ESP is what helped the Yeti get it's five star Euro NCAP rating. Come to think of it, why can't I order a spare wheel for the 'E' model? It's the silly but important little things such as this that have so far prevented me from forgetting about the Golf altogether......

[shrub]

I'd agree it's worth talking to James at Allams. I'd also recommend Geoff Garner at Withams at Walton on Thames. Both will do good deals and offer excellent customer service. It's worth going in with an internet quote to any dealer; they probably can't match it but it's a bargaining position. I'd say the Yeti S offers worthwhile extra goodies for £500 more, and is still a bargain.The new Golf is a great car, but a quite different one to the Yeti so it's horses for courses. Besides which you'll never feel unique (or discerning) in a Golf!

Thanks, I'll look them up in a couple of weeks. I agree that the Yeti 'S' is a good value upgrade but I would struggle to buy the 'S' without also ordering ESP and a spare wheel by which time it may be beyond my modest budget for this round of car buying. I will investigate the Skoda Solutions deal though before ruling this out. I agree that the Yeti will have a certain appeal that a Golf, by virtue of it being so conventional, will not. The Golf does drive really well though and has all of what I consider to be essential items as standard. Mmmmm......

[aerofurb]

I thought about waiting for 'on-line deals' to appear but somehow I felt dealing with a 'proper' dealer may be better in the long run. I decided to go visit James at Allams after reading his posts here at Briskoda - I agree that if people put the extra effort into promoting their cause here then they are probably the people I want to deal with.

Allams are not the closest dealer to me but the experience to date has definitely been well worth the extra miles - no complaints from me. I took my Fabia there for the MOT and no complaints about the service department either.

No connection apart from a soon to be very happy customer! Fingers crossed that my CR170 will be ready for collection from Allams next week....

[shrub]

I'm faced with the same dilemma - interesting how we've arrived at the same choice of apparently rather different vehicle types (other than them both being VW group but that's just coincidence, at least for me).

For my part, I'm looking at a mix of characteristics (performance vs emissions, size, space, driver ambience, refinement etc - and of course budget) in a car and it's just a question of how any given car scores on each characteristic. So it's entirely possible for rather different types of vehicle to end up having a similar overall score and hence appeal.

Although I've been looking at it for a couple of months, I've mentally marked the Yeti down on various points (no DSG - for the next 6 months at least on more powerful models, 1.8TSi doesn't score too well on the power vs emissions balance, speedo/rev counter very poorly executed, but it's ultimately driver comfort and ergonomics that are holding me back from ordering the Yeti). On the other hand, every time I sit down in a Golf, my overriding feeling is: uninspiring. I've got another Yeti test drive booked this Sunday (snow, ice, fog etc permitting, all of which look possible for SE England) and will look to make a final decision then.

It's a tough choice although the Yeti is certainly a more interesting car. The Golf 1.4 costs c. £14k list price (£12300 best broker price) and the Yeti E and S are c. £12500 - 13000 through brokers. The Yeti brings me five doors (an extra £600 on the Golf), a higher driving position (which I do like unless it is in a car that doesn't feel stable), TSI engine, three year breakdown cover rather that one. The Golf offers £250 for three years fixed price servicing, standard ESP, excellent ride / handling, proven residual values but is the more 'boring' option. I will also be very interested to hear what sort of MPG people are getting from the 1.2TSI Yeti. The combined figure is 44.1 for both Golf 1.4 and Yeti. I know that I can get 40+mpg from the Golf but the Yeti is a taller, heavier car. A big plus for the Yeti is the positive response from virtually everyone on this forum together with a very good write up in the motoring press. Must say though that cars with rattles annoy me and so it is a shame that some have suffered from this in the Yeti. Having said that, the VW forum has plenty of people with rattling Golfs. Oh well, the thinking continues but the Yeti is edging ahead...

[Gilesmengland]

I had a Golf VI on order - a 2.0 GT Diesel. Specced over £2k of extras.

Got fed up with the order being deferred then deferred again (fleet order), so I decided to take the cash instead and went for the Yeti. Gone for a 1.2tsi with sunroof in Elegance trim.

I sat in a Yeti a week ago, after reading about the speedo/tacho issues - they were both readable by me - I must sit in a different position from most !?

Getting mine from David Ian in Morecambe - did me a good deal.

[shrub]

I thought about waiting for 'on-line deals' to appear but somehow I felt dealing with a 'proper' dealer may be better in the long run. I decided to go visit James at Allams after reading his posts here at Briskoda - I agree that if people put the extra effort into promoting their cause here then they are probably the people I want to deal with.

Allams are not the closest dealer to me but the experience to date has definitely been well worth the extra miles - no complaints from me. I took my Fabia there for the MOT and no complaints about the service department either.

No connection apart from a soon to be very happy customer! Fingers crossed that my CR170 will be ready for collection from Allams next week....

That's good to hear and I hope the collection goes smoothly for you. I have just looked at their website and they offer discounts up front which is a good sign. Quite a long way from me but not too far if it is worth my while.

[The Plumber]

Many thanks for the welcome and reply. I totally agree with you about the driving position; as soon as I sat in the Yeti it felt good. I have a lot of experience with Volkswagens (I used to sell them in a former life) and know the Golf well. In basic trim it will not be exciting but it is safe, rides well, handles well and ticks most of the boxes. As for the Skoda, I am quite impressed with the fact that the basic Yeti is fitted with a TSI engine, whereas the basic Golf is an 80ps 1.4. To buy a Golf with the 1.2 TSI engine is a lot more money.

One of the issues (and there aren't many) I have with the Yeti is the absence of ESP on the models that I would be looking at. Ok, so I can pay £380 but for some reason that I am yet to understand, only on the 'S' version. Why can't I have ESP on the 'E' model? After all, the fitment of ESP is what helped the Yeti get it's five star Euro NCAP rating. Come to think of it, why can't I order a spare wheel for the 'E' model? It's the silly but important little things such as this that have so far prevented me from forgetting about the Golf altogether......

Tried replying to this earlier but we went into air raid conditions again.

Anyway with a number of country's only offering 3 trim levels I think SUK introduced the 'E' spec to bring the starting price under 14K. Maybe they believe most private buyers will start with the 'S' as there is a reasonably small difference in cost, hence the lack of options other than metallic paint on the 'E'.

That said I had to go for the 'SE' as even the 'S' is missing equipment standard or optional that I was looking to spec on my order, such as the rough road pack, hill hold and the TDI 140 engine.

I personally feel that the Yeti does not have a true mid spec trim level in the UK, as there is quite a jump from S to SE and the Elegance is more akin to an L&K.

Still went for the Snow-monster though after looking at Tiguan (dated interior) & Golf VI (no 4motion and still far too close to the ground).

[The Plumber]

No connection apart from a soon to be very happy customer! Fingers crossed that my CR170 will be ready for collection from Allams next week....

That's good news aerofurb,

fingers X for you as well up here.

[finebone]

Also think the golf 6 is a great car but needed a 4x4 so went for the Yeti S. Luckily all 4x4 Yetis have ESP. Cannot understand what the fuss is about the speedo/revcounter and I have not had any rattles or squeaks whatsoever, And getting almost 46mpg from 110PS 4x4. Overall very pleased with the Yeti and bear in mind I have had 3 Golfs, 3 Passats and 2 Polos!

[weaver]

It's a tough choice although the Yeti is certainly a more interesting car. The Golf 1.4 costs c. £14k list price (£12300 best broker price) and the Yeti E and S are c. £12500 - 13000 through brokers. The Yeti brings me five doors (an extra £600 on the Golf), a higher driving position (which I do like unless it is in a car that doesn't feel stable), TSI engine, three year breakdown cover rather that one. The Golf offers £250 for three years fixed price servicing, standard ESP, excellent ride / handling, proven residual values but is the more 'boring' option. I will also be very interested to hear what sort of MPG people are getting from the 1.2TSI Yeti. The combined figure is 44.1 for both Golf 1.4 and Yeti. I know that I can get 40+mpg from the Golf but the Yeti is a taller, heavier car. A big plus for the Yeti is the positive response from virtually everyone on this forum together with a very good write up in the motoring press. Must say though that cars with rattles annoy me and so it is a shame that some have suffered from this in the Yeti. Having said that, the VW forum has plenty of people with rattling Golfs. Oh well, the thinking continues but the Yeti is edging ahead...

re: 1.2 TSI mpg - I'm just coming up to the first 100 miles in mine and average (according to the trip computer) is just under 40 mpg most of the time, it looks like 40+ is going to be quite possible once it has some miles on it.

Likewise, driven 'enthusiastically' sub 30 mpg looks equally possible - it really does shift if you want it to.

I know the speedo/rev counter thing comes up quite often, so just to say again - the Golf VI I sat in had the exact same instruments.

Other things you don't get on the S which may not be immediately obvious:

no centre arm rest in the front - don't miss it as for me it got in the way

no sun glasses cubby above the mirror

no badges on the back (other than Skoda and Yeti) - whether this is a 2wd thing, a TSI thing or an 'S' thing I don't know.

I'm finding the plastic finish on the steering wheel a bit more slippy than I'd like

mine did come with colour coded mirrors and handles though which I wasn't expecting

[Allams Skoda]

Hello!

Thanks for your recommendations guys, it's really appreciated!

As for the original poster Shrub, yes by all means feel free to ask me any questions you like about the Yeti and when the time is right I shall give you some quotes and then you can give it some serious thought.

Just as an FYI I have got 2x 1.2TSi S and 1x 1.2TSi SE which you could have much sooner than a factory order, of course you are welcome to wait for a factory order if none of my stock are what you are looking for.

[Anthony 1]

A far as I am concerned arm rests, I wish the higher spec versions did not have them either. I never use them, they get in the way. I think that arm rest should be only for passengers anyway and are a safety concern. How can any one properly control the steering with arms restricted with such things anyway.

[shrub]

Thanks again for the words of wisdom all of you; really glad that I joined this forum. My decision in favour of the Yeti took a big leap forward today when I discovered that Volkswagen have just announced a 2.4% price rise for January in addition to the VAT 2.5% increase. This makes a basic 1.4 Golf 3dr approx £14700. Mmm don't think so!

James at Allams, you come highly recommended and thanks for the reply. I will be in touch soon.......