Hi all, was going to do this as a poll but I realised it would have far too many options.

I was looking to replace my VW Beetle. Having recently got a dog I wanted something with 4 doors (it's a little bit of a pain getting the dog in and out of the back of the Beetle), and also with a higher driving position which I find much more relaxing.

So, I test drove:

Nissan Qashqi - may well have gone for one of these but there was nowhere near enough head room for me (I'm 6 foot 4) and my head was touching the roof liner even with the seat fully reclined, so I didn't even bother turning the key.

Honda CRV - felt kinda sluggish, and sloppy round corners. Interior felt a bit "overblown".

VW Tiguan - interior felt small, especially the boot; I swear it's smaller than a VW Polo's.

Citroen C4 Grand Picasso - quite liked it. Just a bit too big though - I think it's something like 14 inches longer than the Yeti, and although that doesn't sound like much it can make a big difference when you're trying to find a parking space in London I can tell you!

I also considered a Toyota Rav4, and the BMW X3 or X5. All of which seemed to rise steeply in price as soon as you added any options.

I test drove a Yeti almost as an afterthought, just for the sake of completeness as it were. I fell in love with it instantly!

Hi,

in my case I was looking for something with 4x4 and a better ground clearance to replace my excellent but 'sitting on the floor' Golf TDI 4motion.

Test drove the Qashqi soon after it's appearance on the market; not overly keen, particularly with the rear seat space, interior or exterior design and an average drive.

My dad used to have until recently a Kia Sorento which I did like but it was thirsty, high on road tax and a bit big for the drive space I have.

Had a couple of goes in the Tiguan, liked this a lot to drive (less keen on the dated interior) and came close to purchasing. Fortunately I held off until I was able to see a CZ Yeti demo at the beginning of August.

Found the Yeti's overall styling much more to my taste, the interior was a vast improvement on the Tiguan and the more Golf like dimensions were also a bonus (can just get the Yeti in the Garage with a Tiguan no chance).

Regards,

TP

I dont quite count yet as I have not ordered my snowbeast but in order to make my decision of a yeti I test drove the following :

Ford Kuga - big bulky, OK to drive but far too expensive and bit bland on the inside and not enough for your money, lacking toys

Peugeot 2008 - nice to drive, let down by cheap cabin plastics and looks plug ugly from front and bland from the rear, good space in boot

Hyundai IX35 - better than reviews said but cheapo plastics in cabin, bit noisy, bit wallowy, good spec tho,

Overall after trying the above, the most immediate difference was the simple feel of "quality" that the Yeti had and the others didnt !! It also drove so well and was quiet, comfortable, quick, and just ticked all the boxes. All considered and despite what the competition tried to say of the Yeti, it was a no brainer really, its simply a much better car than those above (in my humble opinion).

Have ordered my Yeti after trying:

Tiguan, bit like a tank and noisy, Freelander, both my wife and I felt sick in this - had a very strange ride, 3008 nice to drive, a bit bland and some very odd design features

Hi

The poll is already set up!!!

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As we were well into the later years of our Passat Estate and it was costing us real money (compared to its value) the Scrappage Scheme tipped the balance on getting another car. With kids having left home we decided that something shorter was in order, just so much easier in the supermarket car park.

We had no thought of any SUV and having put a fair few miles on VAG cars I was expecting to go down that road. I did want another diesel.

I had a good relationship with VW Ipswich over the years so despite them being 25 miles away they were our first port of call. I value quiet and comfort in a car and having read good reviews of the MkVI Golf I suppose I was expecting to buy one. A test drive scotched that idea. It was not as refined as I was expecting and it seemed expensive for what you got. My wife thought the back was noisy. That’s when we saw the Tiguan but first impressions were that it was a bit big and expensive and as we didn’t want an SUV, we didn’t bother with a test drive.

Staying with refinement we then tried a Mercedes A Class. Being a Mercedes I was expecting something special, it wasn’t.

Off to the Seat dealer for the Leon, Altea and Altea XL. Before I had started looking I would not have been surprised ending up with one of these. The Altea ticked all the right boxes but there was something lacking in the general feel on the test drive. We never got to take out the Leon deciding that the hatch access just wasn’t big enough, so we kept looking.

I then decided that perhaps I should be more open minded about which manufacturer. We went to the Honda dealer (our son has a Jazz, but no diesel version) and the Civic had restricted rear access and view, The 4x4s seemed too big. We went in Citroen and Renault but saw nothing that interested us. I have never been a fan of Peugeot, Vauxhall were being heavily discounted and although having once owned (and liked) a Carlton Estate there was nothing there that interested us. Ford had nothing and the Kuga didn’t even hit the radar.

In my open minded state I thought what about Korea so we were off to the Kia dealer. We were very impressed with the Ce’ed. It had a seven year warranty, all the bells and whistles, part leather, USB port, reasonably quiet and was good value. The only downside was that the suspension was quite firm. It was of course not made in Korea but Europe. A new facelift model was due so we decided to wait for that. This was the best car we had seen so far. We liked it so much we ended up having a second test drive with another dealer.

Despite my liking of VW Group cars up to that point we hadn’t got to the Skoda dealer. Our local dealer was of the type, here are the keys, go for a drive. Tried the Roomster, I was impressed, quirky styling, but I could live with that. My 30 year old daughter’s reaction, however, was “Dad, you are not going to buy a bread van!”

The Fabia was a bit noisier, so the Roomster was now fairly high on the list. Behind the dealer’s chair was a big poster of a Yeti. He gave me brochure, he didn’t have a car to look at or drive, so we then set off to find a test drive.

About this time the new Ce’ed had appeared and we got a drive. It now had a much better ride, Kia having got Porsche involved with the ride dynamics. The one we drove had the stop/start system (£35 a year road tax), that was impressive as well.

We found a test Yeti (CR140 Elegance) and was very, very, impressed. Good road dynamics, quieter than any of the above and shorter than the Passat by 18 inches. The Elegance was out of our price range, but the dealer had an SE we could look at, albeit another CR140. We had got by for 12 years with a 110bhp front wheel drive car and saw no need for a 4x4. East Anglia is the driest part of the country and the last bad winter we had was in 1979. The only non tarmac driving I do is down the occasional track to go fly fishing. The Passat had coped OK, although I did once dislodge the undertray, so the extra ground clearance on the Yeti is a bonus.

A second test drive at another dealer sealed it. All this and we weren’t even looking for an SUV! We probably haven’t really got one either, just a Roomster on steroids!

My wife loves it, it passes the garden centre test in that I can still get something reasonably large inside with those versatile rear seats. We are surprised at how small a parking space you can get it into. My 85 year old mother-in-law can get in and out OK and, by folding down the centre rear seat, taking a couple of mates fishing with their two piece fly rods poses no problem.

If the Yeti hadn't been around we would probably have bought the Ce'ed, with the Roomster next.

Altogether, forgive the pun, the Yeti is a superb car.

tom

edit this is my first Skoda as well.

Edited 18 April, 201016 yr by Sanqhar

Hi

The poll is already set up!!!

Click here

Doh

Sorry, I should have looked harder. That's old age creeping up that is :(

Edited to add: Although having now looked at that poll it's asking what people considered, whereas I'm asking what people actually test drove before choosing, so I don't feel too bad now

Edited 18 April, 201016 yr by 1st-time Skoda Owner

...I had a good relationship with VW Ipswich over the years ...

That's where I'm getting mine from too!

If you see a Muscavado Yeti driving around containing two blondes and a small black dog that'll be us... give us a wave

ETA: Although I live in South London I've got a place in Suffolk too, decided to test drive a Yeti up there where the traffic's quieter!

Edited 18 April, 201016 yr by 1st-time Skoda Owner