Yeti on the motorway

[grayson]

No, I have not recorded a decibel reading - just going my hearing during two road tests of the Yeti at speeds of 70, 80 and 90mph. Whilst I love most aspects of the Yeti, I am under no illusions that for long drives around 80mph+, I would still have to wear ear plugs - which is a pain. I am quite sensitive when it comes to cabin noise and I suppose doubled glazed Mercedes/Phaeton/Range Rover would be the no-ear-plugs-at-95mph solution (autobahn by the way). Consider me a bit exceptional in this respect.

The original poster mentioned a comparison with the Golf which has apparently great sound insulation, so I suggest he/she needs to drive at their realistic speeds on some poor surfaces. Funnily enough, according to AutoCar, the Yeti has a noise level of 68dB compared to the Golf's 69dB. I've not even considered the Golf as the boot is too small, so can't comment further.

Quite seriously if you need earplugs in most modern cars you have a problem which requires medical help. My hearing is not great (shooting , rock music, race meetings and a punctured eardrum from a Ligier GP car ) but I only experience any discomfort in my Seven - where I wear plugs obviously.

[Fred_Bristol]

I presume that in addition to the fuel cost at 85 - 90 mph there is also the expense of speeding fines and points on the licence in the UK, so cost clearly isn't important.

If the high speed road test was done on UK roads then the dealer was being iresponsible and ought to be liable for aiding and abeting.

Tin hat on!

Edited 22 February, 2011 by Fred_Bristol

[soccerc]

It certainly would be interesting to know if buyers are actually paying these above-new-list-price sums for second-hand Yetis. If so, they are clearly a better investment than building societies, banks or ISAs at the moment!

On the subject of depreciation I had some nice words with my insurance company today.

Premium renewal notice arrived, premium went up 30% and insured value dropped form €25k to €18k,

Rang then to question their figures and asked where could I get a 9 month old similar specified Yeti for €18k - Answer, You can't, but we apply average depreciation for vehicles on renewal once the car is over 3 months old.

[Chatterbox]

Once you get above 70mph economy goes out the window for all cars and if you are talking 85mph then you practically need a tanker alongside you as you drive. What car is economical at 85pmh?

If you want a quiet car at 85mph then realistically you need to spend £35-£40k on a Jaguar, Mercededs, BMW, Lexus.

The Yeti is an excellent motorway cruiser with better than many noise suppression. I am about to do a 500 mile round trip and I have no worries of doing it in a Yeti. Would it be marginally quieter in a decent level Insignia or Passat? Quite possibly but then when the snow falls you can still drive your Yeti safely whilst you can't with those cars. You need to establish what you want the car for and then work from there. If you want a high price spec you need to pay high prices.

Hi - Had a Citreon C3 before my Yeti - that had fantastic mpg - but then it wasn't a 4x4!

[Terfyn]

Hi - Had a Citreon C3 before my Yeti - that had fantastic mpg - but then it wasn't a 4x4!

As has been said before, the four wheel drive is only connected when the system senses slippage at the front. So, apart from minor friction turning the drive shaft, the Yeti is a 2WD as far as fuel consumption is concerned. Like most front wheel drive cars, the rear wheels are there to stop the back end grinding along the ground.

This was demonstrated to me when the tread was measured at1mm less on the front compared to the rear. (after 15000 miles)

[EdmundBlackadder]

Hi - Had a Citreon C3 before my Yeti - that had fantastic mpg - but then it wasn't a 4x4!

I think you have summed up the daftness of all of this. The Yeti comes as a package and that package is top notch. If you are big on economy get a small car, C3, with a diesel engine. If you want ultimate refinement spend £40k+ get a Jaguar or Merc E class. If you want to be able to take your car anywhere buy a Range Rover and get 15mpg. If you want a bargain get a Citroen C1. This could go on. If you want a car that offers the best combination of all of these, get a Yeti. It is easy to pick a single aspect of a car and find a weakness but I could then equally find a bigger weakness in that car. Clarkson had it right in his review, the Yeti is the best overall package on the market at the moment.

[Bobdog]

I think you have summed up the daftness of all of this. The Yeti comes as a package and that package is top notch. If you are big on economy get a small car, C3, with a diesel engine. If you want ultimate refinement spend £40k+ get a Jaguar or Merc E class. If you want to be able to take your car anywhere buy a Range Rover and get 15mpg. If you want a bargain get a Citroen C1. This could go on. If you want a car that offers the best combination of all of these, get a Yeti. It is easy to pick a single aspect of a car and find a weakness but I could then equally find a bigger weakness in that car. Clarkson had it right in his review, the Yeti is the best overall package on the market at the moment.

[Nightowl]

Hi All, just felt the need to join in on this one,

having recently parted company with a Rover 45 1.4 injected I can positively report that the 2.0 110 diesel Yeti is far more economical in every way.

Fuel and road tax and insurance.

Sound levels are far more acceptable in the Yeti and it is quite nice to be able to listen to the radio for a change.

Spending most of my time in a mercedes Vito, I really do look forward to the weekends.....

Nuff said

[hmibennett]

Me too!

[helix]

Obviously noise perception is rather individual. I recently had a Yeti 110 as a courtesy car. My son and I disagreed whether it was slightly quieter or noiser than our Octavia! And I don't think we were certain whether it was road or wind noise that made the difference to our views.

Perhaps more objectively, or at least quantitively, Auto Express gave the following Db readings at 70mph in its test comparing the Yeti, Mini Countryman and A3 Sportback: 69, 71 and 72 respectively. Interesting given that the A3 is a'premium' brand, and you'd think more aerodynamic being a conventional hatch.

Incidentally, I read recently that a difference of 1db is not perceptible, and 3db is just perceptible. I suspect you'll rarely see a difference of more than 3db in a test between competitor models

Edited 23 February, 2011 by helix

[stanjackos]

No, I have not recorded a decibel reading - just going my hearing during two road tests of the Yeti at speeds of 70, 80 and 90mph. Whilst I love most aspects of the Yeti, I am under no illusions that for long drives around 80mph+, I would still have to wear ear plugs - which is a pain. I am quite sensitive when it comes to cabin noise and I suppose doubled glazed Mercedes/Phaeton/Range Rover would be the no-ear-plugs-at-95mph solution (autobahn by the way). Consider me a bit exceptional in this respect.

The original poster mentioned a comparison with the Golf which has apparently great sound insulation, so I suggest he/she needs to drive at their realistic speeds on some poor surfaces. Funnily enough, according to AutoCar, the Yeti has a noise level of 68dB compared to the Golf's 69dB. I've not even considered the Golf as the boot is too small, so can't comment further.

You are either deranged, on something, or have a serious medical problem, which ever one it is, go and see a doctor soon, before it gets any worse!

[900000]

Incidentally, I read recently that a difference of 1db is not perceptible, and 3db is just perceptible. I suspect you'll rarely see a difference of more than 3db in a test between competitor models

Just remember that the dB scale works exponentially... so a difference of 3 dB is a LOT more than the relative difference of just 1 dB. A noise of 1dB and a noise of 3 dB will have a barely perceptable difference in volume between them. But a relative difference of 3 dB is in fact very noticeable.

[helix]

Just remember that the dB scale works exponentially... so a difference of 3 dB is a LOT more than the relative difference of just 1 dB. A noise of 1dB and a noise of 3 dB will have a barely perceptable difference in volume between them. But a relative difference of 3 dB is in fact very noticeable.

Indeed.I thought something similar when I read the article originally, but being a layman I accepted it! Something i've never quite got a definitive answer on is whether for example 3 db difference between say 75 and 78 db is less than say 85 and 88. As Db measure is exponential as you say, my crude understanding is that it should be Am i right?

I guess the overall point i was trying to make is that despite objective db readings which give an indication of noise, we perceive noise differently, drive our cars in different conditions and of course don't carry db readers around with us!

Edited 23 February, 2011 by helix

[Trekker]

Quite seriously if you need earplugs in most modern cars you have a problem which requires medical help. My hearing is not great (shooting , rock music, race meetings and a punctured eardrum from a Ligier GP car ) but I only experience any discomfort in my Seven - where I wear plugs obviously.

You say you're a bit deaf meanwhile claiming I have a medical problem because my more sensitive ears don't tolerate the cabin noise that your hearing does.

That's quite funny!

You are either deranged, on something, or have a serious medical problem, which ever one it is, go and see a doctor soon, before it gets any worse!

Wow, what a thing to say somebody.

How can somebody be 'deranged' because of their noise discomfort of most cars cabin noise at speed?

And why on earth would this be considered a 'serious medical problem'?

Newsflash for you: sensitive hearing means less damaged hearing which also means the constant cabin noise of most cars at high speed will cause that person more discomfort than others.

I believe I have great hearing and simply wish to preserve my hearing throughout my life and above 70 odd mph, the delightful Yeti will trigger me to grab the ear plugs. This is something I will live with if I order the machine. Otherwise, I shall buy a secondhand diesel Mercedes which has double glazing.

In any case, the original poster is considering noise as a possible issue so my advice for him/her to take the Yeti for a drive at motorway speeds of at least 80mph over some less than perfect examples of highway to get a realistic view of the noise levels is sound advice - so please do not post personal attacks as this lowers the standard of this very good forum.

[900000]

... and of course don't carry db readers around with us!

Erm I do! I have a free app on my iPhone that measures dB.

http://www.appstore.ca/2008/09/decibel-iphone-app/

[helix]

Erm I do! I have a free app on my iPhone that measures dB.

http://www.appstore.ca/2008/09/decibel-iphone-app/

Aha! There's nothing like rapidly evolving phone technology to make me feel my age. My wife's been telling me to get an i-phone: your app sounds like an incentive!

Incidentally, I guess you've used your db reader app to check noise levels in your Yeti? What did it tell you?

[900000]

Aha! There's nothing like rapidly evolving phone technology to make me feel my age. My wife's been telling me to get an i-phone: your app sounds like an incentive!

Incidentally, I guess you've used your db reader app to check noise levels in your Yeti? What did it tell you?

I took a reading in my Audi at 70mph just before I sold it for this very reason. That had read 69. I have not yet tested the Yeti since I'm on my noisy winter tyres at the moment. It is a job for when the summer tyres go back on.

[EdmundBlackadder]

Johann it would be interesting if you did do a Winter tyre check to see how they compare against the summer ones when you put them back on. When all is done you can report back.

[900000]

Johann it would be interesting if you did do a Winter tyre check to see how they compare against the summer ones when you put them back on. When all is done you can report back.

Doh!!! Yes of course! hehehe I can show exactly how much noiser they are to summer rubber! Why did I not think of that! Hehehe. I'll do it Saturday on the way to get a VCDS plugged into the Monster.

[freedie]

Well done Trekker for taking the OTT comments so well. I have been lurking on this forum for a while (learning a lot and waiting for my 170); but I think those comments were most untypical of the group who do most of the posting on here (and upon whose words I place so much trust! sad me )

[Agerbundsen]

Me Too

Can't think of anything to add.

[roguebrit]

Only picked up on this thread just now - but, on the subject of the OP's choice between a Golf and the Yeti. I traded in a Mk 5 2.0 TDI DSG Golf - the 140 ps one - for my Yeti. Having the same engine and box were big factors for me. These two cars have given me more pleasure than most I have owned..

In the spec I had, the Golf was much quicker, and much more economical, especially at motorway speeds, in my experience. I enjoyed driving the Golf immensely - a hugely capable car. I don't know if I would have like the Mk6 as much - I have driven them, but I find it takes a while to adjust to the new body styles - for me, at any rate. But the Yeti, albeit slower and thirstier overall, does a lot more than the Golf could. I take it off-road, with confidence, and it coped with my winter trips in the snow superbly. The flexibility of the seats, and the space ultimately available, is brilliant. The Yeti, in the specs I have been concerned with, is a much more 'technologically equipped' car than the Golf was, and I do enjoy that. In short, I love the Yeti as much as I did the Golf, for different reasons. That won't help the OP at all, sorry!

[CFB]

i've got ear ache

[endo60]

I wasn't expecting so many replies to my original post or to stir up so many passionate comments! I'd like to say thanks to all those who have taken the time to contribute.

I've now driven the 1.4 TSI but didn't get an opportuniy to get it up to speed. I'm back at the dealer tomorrow to try a 1.6 TDI, this time with a chance to take it on a motorway.

First impressions driving the 1.4 in very busy Woking traffic were very good. The 1.4 unit felt strong and the handling was better than I expected with not much body roll. I'll keep you posted!

By the way I did learn that with a 25 week waiting list for 2.0 TDI models, used dealer demonstrators were hard to find. They're sold quickly and at prices that are closely matching the new price. I also heard that Skoda UK are offering some of those people on that lengthy 2.0 waiting list an incentive to change their order to a petrol model. If any of you are on that list and tempted, then I would start complaining about the wait to your dealer!

[Bobdog]

i've got ear ache