A rare dissenting voice about the much loved Yeti.

My link

Yet Auto express said this ----

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/longtermtests/255856/skoda_yeti_12_tsi.html?CMP=NLC-Newsletters&uid=c86492cd0b10a47b4edb8c02ca14254f

And just LOVE it.

You cant win 'em all - yet the YETI has won an awful lot of them.

Yet Auto express said this ----

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/longtermtests/255856/skoda_yeti_12_tsi.html?CMP=NLC-Newsletters&uid=c86492cd0b10a47b4edb8c02ca14254f

And just LOVE it.

You cant win 'em all - yet the YETI has won an awful lot of them.

Maybe its the engine- as the Car review says, the 110 tdi is an old engine. The 1.2 by comparision is 'state of the art'.

Maybe its the engine- as the Car review says, the 110 tdi is an old engine. The 1.2 by comparision is 'state of the art'.

The 110 is NOT an old engine. Mr Pullman does not know what he is waffling on about since he can only really fathom Clio Cup pocket rockets. In every brochure next to the 110 it states 110 CR DPF. Thus a brand new common rail engine with a diesel particulate filter exactly like the 140 and 170 TDI engines - all which are based on the exact same block as far as I am aware. He is just clutching at straws to be different or because he really knows no better...

I think the intitial post link makes sense. Things can be overhyped.

People need to remember it's a very reasonably priced good little car. All the awards and all the praise can make you expect something from several classes above, like a top spec Jag. Then it's 'only' a great little car for a sensible price.

I've seen this before.

Yet Auto express said this ----

http://www.autoexpre...edb8c02ca14254f

And just LOVE it.

You cant win 'em all - yet the YETI has won an awful lot of them.

I see this being a press car they managed to find a person (PC corrected) with a can-opener

oh edit and combined with a spare wheel

TP

Edited 17 August, 201015 yr by The Plumber

And why was that person with a camera blatantly breaking the law by not having his seatbelt on hmm ??

A rare dissenting voice about the much loved Yeti.

My link

Hopped in associate editor Tim Pollard’s Yeti the other day… and initially came away with rather mixed feelings. The glass roof creaks, the ride isn’t that good, it’s slow, and rather unrefined too (lots of wind noise and an ageing VW Group engine are to blame).

Ageing engine - what tosh.

And why was that person with a camera blatantly breaking the law by not having his seatbelt on hmm ??

Must have been round his ankles

tom

A rare dissenting voice about the much loved Yeti.

My link

They seem to contradict themselves, one chap doesn't like it because it's too good and not 'quirky' enough - with my limited knowledge the closest Skoda have gotten to 'quirky' was the Rapid - but the other chap finishes his comments with;

"The missus loves it too, and when the time comes to prise her out of her much-loved Mk1 Focus, we’re unanimous about its replacement. But let us enjoy the rest of our time with this one, first."

Blimey - a motoring journalist prepared to part with his own money - praise doesn't get much higher than that! :yes:

I'm pretty ambivalent about mine. I just think it doesn't get above OK.

It goes reasonably well but nothing startling, the ride is OK but it pitches too much on smooth roads and rides badly over bumpy roads. Lots of things creak and rattle, detailing is pretty poor - a few minor things are broken after a couple of months. The engine is noisy but not so bad as to say it's awful, fuel consumption is not up with the pace and it burns oil like no tomorrow.

Against that it's spacious in the front and the seats are fine.

Would I buy another? No.

Do I hate the thing? No.

Would I recommend it to anyone else? Probably not.

Would I tell anyone not to buy one? Probably not.

It's just an ordinary car. Plenty better, plenty worse.

I'm pretty ambivalent about mine. I just think it doesn't get above OK.

It goes reasonably well but nothing startling, the ride is OK but it pitches too much on smooth roads and rides badly over bumpy roads. Lots of things creak and rattle, detailing is pretty poor - a few minor things are broken after a couple of months. The engine is noisy but not so bad as to say it's awful, fuel consumption is not up with the pace and it burns oil like no tomorrow.

Against that it's spacious in the front and the seats are fine.

Would I buy another? No.

Do I hate the thing? No.

Would I recommend it to anyone else? Probably not.

Would I tell anyone not to buy one? Probably not.

It's just an ordinary car. Plenty better, plenty worse.

It sounds like you've got a duffer! :(

I've not trusted motoring journos since Autocar claimed that the Golf VR6 was competition for the E36 3-series - which it wasn't. It's taken VW another 15 years to produce a well sorted chassis. And my opinion was confirmed when I drove the much-praised E90 3-series back-to-back against the Jaguar X-Type - to which the BMW couldn't hold a candle on a typical poorly-surfaced B-road.

Car magazine itself went badly downhill since the loss of the likes of Leonard Setright, Ronald Barker and George Bishop - at least we still have Steve Cropley now working for Autocar. The revived Performance Car showed promise - daring to (correctly) criticise the current 3-series chassis - but has again gone to the wall.

As for the Yeti - yes, superficial first impressions are of a lumpy low-speed ride and a rather gruff engine. I've not driven a Golf 6 but the Passat CC with the same engine is more refined, and smoother riding with Adaptive Chassis Control. But after a few miles in the Yeti, you notice the well-sorted suspension and responsive handling, and the engine is only really noticeable under hard acceleration. Quality hasn't been perfect but I've given up expecting any better from any manufacturer. Combine this with a compact, practical and roomy body which happens to have 4wd and I still think you have an impressive package, even before you start comparing prices.

Mark

I'm pretty ambivalent about mine. I just think it doesn't get above OK.

It goes reasonably well but nothing startling, the ride is OK but it pitches too much on smooth roads and rides badly over bumpy roads. Lots of things creak and rattle, detailing is pretty poor - a few minor things are broken after a couple of months. The engine is noisy but not so bad as to say it's awful, fuel consumption is not up with the pace and it burns oil like no tomorrow.

Against that it's spacious in the front and the seats are fine.

Would I buy another? No.

Do I hate the thing? No.

Would I recommend it to anyone else? Probably not.

Would I tell anyone not to buy one? Probably not.

It's just an ordinary car. Plenty better, plenty worse.

Sell it to someone who will appreciate it, and who will avoid the ordering wait.

I'm pretty ambivalent about mine. I just think it doesn't get above OK.

It goes reasonably well but nothing startling, the ride is OK but it pitches too much on smooth roads and rides badly over bumpy roads. Lots of things creak and rattle, detailing is pretty poor - a few minor things are broken after a couple of months. The engine is noisy but not so bad as to say it's awful, fuel consumption is not up with the pace and it burns oil like no tomorrow.

Against that it's spacious in the front and the seats are fine.

Would I buy another? No.

Do I hate the thing? No.

Would I recommend it to anyone else? Probably not.

Would I tell anyone not to buy one? Probably not.

It's just an ordinary car. Plenty better, plenty worse.

Get your engine checked out I have used no oil in three thousand miles, could you elaborate on what is broken, have you not had these items sorted under warranty. I have a S model no rattle or creaks may be with less kit on a S less to break or rattle , my engine is not noisy maybe I'm deaf, I get 50 ish mph on a run 38 ish on town driving,should I be getting more ? of course it is still another mass produced tin box with a wheel on each corner but the one you are describing does sound any thing like my tin box. Out of interest as this car has not came up to your expectations what make will you be looking which would come up to your expectation?

Edited 17 August, 201015 yr by mellyboy

Just to add my two penn'orth.

Things like ride quality and noise and vibration do have a large element of subjectivity.

My own experience suggests that our Yeti is generally more comfortable then the 07 Passat SEL 170 tdi that I've jusr relinquished, I would also say the the CR 140 engine in our Yeti is both quieter and smoother than the 170 pd engine in the Passat.

I haven't noticed any pitching but then we used to have a Smart ForTwo!

I've just come back from a European holiday and over 2,300 miles, I don't think I've come across a better car.

MPG continues to be good. I noticed the average MPG reading at the end of my 8 mile commute home last night was showing 53.8.

John

It goes reasonably well but nothing startling, the ride is OK but it pitches too much on smooth roads and rides badly over bumpy roads. Lots of things creak and rattle, detailing is pretty poor - a few minor things are broken after a couple of months. The engine is noisy but not so bad as to say it's awful, fuel consumption is not up with the pace and it burns oil like no tomorrow.

The pitching on smooth roads (concrete joint slaps?) and ride comfort may be related to both the 17" tyres and maybe their overinflation? Mine certainly does not pitch any more than my Octy with the same distance between the axles. The 16" tyres, properly inflated seem to be a very good compromize between handling and comfort. IMHO, the 50 series 17" tyres are a "style" statement and the 16" 60 series much more in agreement with the overall handling character of the SM.

You really need to have Skoda figure out what is causing the oil consumption.

The rest are peanuts, which the local dealer ought to be able to fix.

The 16" tyres, properly inflated seem to be a very good compromize between handling and comfort. IMHO, the 50 series 17" tyres are a "style" statement and the 16" 60 series much more in agreement with the overall handling character of the SM.

The implication here is that the only Yeti's comfortably shod (at least in UK spec) are the 'E' and the 'S' - the latter with its standard 'Spectrum' alloys.

But the Spectrum is not shown as an option for higher spec - eg Elegance - models.

Is there any consensus that this is enough of an issue to see if a dealer might swap wheels on an Elegance with those on an 'S' if the opportunity arose? Other than the obvious size difference and cosmetic preference, is there any reason to think that the Spectrum is inferior in quality/durability to the Spitzberg?

(If I were to do such a swap, it wouldn't be the first time. My present Accord (Exec spec and hence larger alloys) had its 18" alloys swapped out for 17" ones prior to purchase as part of a nearly-new deal and I've never really been unhappy with the resulting ride quality over 5 years of ownership.)

The implication here is that the only Yeti's comfortably shod (at least in UK spec) are the 'E' and the 'S' - the latter with its standard 'Spectrum' alloys.

Having run with 'E' spec 16" steel rim's but 205/55 winter tyres they are in my opinion anyway better than the 17" with 225/50 tyres when it comes to ride comfort. Think the 215/60 would be better still.

In Europe the SE equivalent Ambition has 16" Moon alloys which are a similar design to the Dolomites I have on the SE but SUK do not import these to the UK so I cannot obtain them without travelling to a continental dealers :S

Have written to SUK two or three times asking if they can bring these alloys over here but each time they come back with "there's no demand for them here" Well there won't be because you don't advertise them do you :S :(

Thinking when I wear the Goodyear's out I might as one option switch to my steel wheels full time, as to be honest I quite like the look of my Monster with the 'Rif' wheel covers.

TP

Sorry plumber I know sod all about tyres, but are you saying that really the 215/60 tyre (which sounds like a winter tyre ??) would be an all round better tyre for general use and not just winter ??

I'm pretty ambivalent about mine. I just think it doesn't get above OK.

It goes reasonably well but nothing startling, the ride is OK but it pitches too much on smooth roads and rides badly over bumpy roads. Lots of things creak and rattle, detailing is pretty poor - a few minor things are broken after a couple of months. The engine is noisy but not so bad as to say it's awful, fuel consumption is not up with the pace and it burns oil like no tomorrow.

Against that it's spacious in the front and the seats are fine.

Would I buy another? No.

Do I hate the thing? No.

Would I recommend it to anyone else? Probably not.

Would I tell anyone not to buy one? Probably not.

It's just an ordinary car. Plenty better, plenty worse.

I have to say, this doesn't sound like the average Yeti. Admitted, I have the CR 170 but it goes like sh#t off a shovel, holds the road like its on rails, engine is extremely smooth and I'm getting 46 mpg on the average daily commute. Thankfully, I'm not getting any squeaks and rattles and I think the attention to detail is brilliant with this car. Examples are the neat storage hooks in the boot, air-conditioned boxes, under-seat stowage, etc. etc.

This is not to say I don't have any minor niggles but the couple I do have aren't really faults with the car. I get a fair bit of wind noise but that's because I've got a roof rack on and the ride is quite firm but I'd rather have that than softer, wallowy suspension.

Sorry plumber I know sod all about tyres, but are you saying that really the 215/60 tyre (which sounds like a winter tyre ??) would be an all round better tyre for general use and not just winter ??

redwhitepauly: it is not about the tyres being winter or not (and no you won't use winter tyres in the summer as the compound works best at cold temperatures). It is about the amount of tyre around the alloy. A 50 profile tyre has 50% of its width as the "band" around the alloy - the "wall". A 60 profile tyre has 60% of its width around the alloy. BUT you need the same circumference otherwise the speedometer will be out thus 50 tyres go on 17" alloys and 60 go on 16". The reason the 60s are more comfortable is that there is more "spring" in them as there is more tyre "wall". The most comfortable setup should thus be 14" wheels with 80 profile tyres! But then there would be no space for the brake callipers! But because higher profile tyres have more "wall" and more "spring" they thus flex more in cornering giving you a slightly more wallowy ride come fast cornering. Hence sports cars have 40 or even 30 profile tyres - with no "give" in the sidewalls.

I hope that explains it in layman's terms!

Wow, so in reality if you want a softer ride quality, the 215/60 would be a better tyre as plumber suggests ??? Which then means changing the alloys etc

:yes:

Wow, so in reality if you want a softer ride quality, the 215/60 would be a better tyre as plumber suggests ??? Which then means changing the alloys etc

Exactly.

So what speed rating do the factory fit tyres come with ???