I imagine many Yeti owners were originally attracted to the car by the styling. How did Skoda do it?

The Lancia Stratos rally car poineered 'cockpit' styling where the A-pillars were blacked out and the trailing edges of the front side windows sweep up into the roof. Skoda used the same look on the Roomster with a cockpit for the pilot and co-pilot at the front and a large space behind for pasengers and goods. It always seemed to me that the people who designed the front half of the Roomster only met the people who designed the back half at the last minute and found out they had been using slightly different sizes of paper. The Yeti has blacked out pillars right round the back creating an almost fully floating roof look. This is also found in the Range Rover and BMW Mini. It offers the chance for alternative roof colours. There is a photo on the forum of a Storm Blue Yeti with the white PVC protection on the roof. It looks good in this colour combination. Perhaps different colour roof options will eventually come along like the Fabia. (Citroen have taken the floating roof with body coloured B-pillar in new direction by stopping the pillar before it reached the roof to create a shark fin look.)

The Yeti looks quite different depending on what colour it is. Dark colours look boxier, chunkier, more like traditional 4WD vehicles. Light coloured Yetis look slimmer, more streamlined. The black sills, rubbing strips and window areas all slim down the remaining light coloured bodywork. At the rear, light coloured Yetis have five different coloured areas, the light roof, the black window, the light tailgate, the black bumper and the silver bumper trim. Dark coloured cars have only two different areas, the back and the silver bumper trim.

At the front the chrome grille surround and headlights stand out more strongly on dark cars and the black grille itself is more visible on light cars. Some people don't like the design of the lights, specifically the fog lights, which seem to dominate the front. The original design started on the Range Rover with large rectangular headlights containing circular fog lights in the lower inside corners. This is also found in Discoveries and Freelanders now. Skoda took this idea further by visually seperating the two lights although they are actually in a single unit internally. (Nissan have taken this idea to the extreme in the new Juke.)

Skoda also included squared-off wheel arches with a large clearance between the wheels and the bodywork. Videos of Yetis in extreme cross-over situations where one wheel leaves the ground show that this gap is larger than is needed for maximum wheel travel but it is a strong visual cue to buyers looking for a 4WD car.

The wheel size of Yetis also seems to be dictated partly by looks. The 'Measurement and Weights' diagram on page 22 of the Yeti brochure shows the front and rear views with narrower wheels and tyres than on my car (and also a body-coloured rear bumper). My guess is that the 'full size' spare is the original design size for the car, a 6J rim with a 195 section tyre. Lower powered Yetis, like the 105 hp TSI and the 110 TDI, don't actually need 7J rims with 215 section tyres but they look better so have been added to the specification. There is a downside of course, dirtier sills and more stone chips on the rear doors because the wheels now protrude beyond the bodywork. Probably more kerbed wheels as well because they stick out further than you think. I have already done mine!

Traditional chunky 4WD styling also requires a boxier front end and more upright windscreen than most cars. We have got this on the Yeti but will have to put up with more stone chips and cracked or broken windscreens because of it. The Japanese/Korean rivals have tried to produce a sleeker look but they end up with slab sides and small tapering side windows.

So the Yeti is designed to look strong, chunky, robust, capable off road and yet small enough to drive around town. I think it succeeds on every level.

Agreed but don't 'dis' the Roomster.

There isn't anything much else on the road that looks like a Roomster and I think that makes them quite special.. The looks also add to the versatility and user friendliness of the car. My kids love travelling in the Roomster almost as much as the Yeti

Edited 13 July, 201015 yr by Trevorminor

it was love at first sight for me ....roll on next weds..thats when i meet my new lady

it was love at first sight for me ....roll on next weds..thats when i meet my new lady

It was for me too! As soon as I clapped eyes on a picture of the Yeti, it just clicked - this was the one. I love the Yeti for all the styling cues you've mentioned. My favourite looking 4x4 is the new Discovery because it has that four square, chunky, boxy, off-road functional look. It's also got serious capability on and off road and a lovely premium interior with all the luxury bells and whistles. Problem is... it's just too bl##dy big and expensive. The Yeti has a bit of a Discovery-esque look to it, especially the back end. I like the front too though, it looks funky and different.

I enjoyed reading that hazy