My current car, a 2009 Volvo XC60 D5 AWD, is lovely - just a little bit big, and my wife doesn't like the electromechanical handbrake to the point of animosity. I'm old enough to remember the days when rear-engined Skodas were the stuff of humorous derision, along with Ladas, Wartburgs, Polski-Fiats, and perhaps even Seats too. So when pondering the possibility of changing the Volvo for something a little cheaper to run and with a conventional lever-operated handbrake, I thought long and hard about committing to a Yeti. I've always loved Italian cars and was very tempted by an Alfa Romeo Giulietta, but my experience of the December snows persuaded me that 4wd is essential (we live at the top of a hill, on a road which is rarely gritted). I test-drove a Nissan Qashqai and a Yeti on the same day earlier this week and liked them both, but preferred the Skoda. It felt more alert and nimble.

Neither my local Skoda nor my local Nissan dealership could come anywhere near matching the price to change I'd been offered elsewhere, so I've just ordered a Yeti 170PS diesel 4x4 in "Elegance" trim in solid red, with satnav, park assist, heated front screen, electric seats, 12 speaker stereo, 3-spoke steering wheel and a few other small odds and sods. I'd have liked a panoramic sunroof too but, sadly, this isn't available at the moment because of supply problems.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to becoming a Yeti driver and hope that I don't regret my decision. I found lurking on this forum extremely useful when I was thinking about the spec of the car, and now that I've parted with my deposit I decided it was time to say hello.

Welcome to Briskoda

Hi and welcome aboard.