Good morning everyone, i,ll try to be brief!

I am moving to New Zealand from Scotland early 2012 and have already ordered a new YETI from a dealer in Auckland. With the lead time required we have ordered early to guarantee it is waiting for us when we arrive. We are very excited about the car. We are going for the muscovado with a black roof, 2lt TDi. The only spec being imported to NZ is the elegance which is fine as thats what I want. However, when we looked through the brochure when it came time to order, amongst all the black/grey interiors there was a revelation.

The "DUNE interior" with its "GOBI SAND" and dark trimmed seating and BLACK/GOBI SAND coloured dash board, illustrated with a lateral "BOREAL WOOD" decor panel along the dash. WOW! "EXPERIENCE" is the name of the interior and it even includes matching sleather teering wheel and grear stick. WOW AGAIN!

FInally something out of the ordinary in a well priced vehicle....That is, until the moment we were told that the "Gobi Sand" interior was not available for cars heading to NZ. Our hearts sunk.

Why oh why put so much into a unique, sophisticated slightly quirky vehicle, do ALL the rights things with add ons as standard and the electronics, wrap it in cool, some might say challenging colours, then...open the door and hear the sound track scratch to a peircing halt as you are confronted by SAME OLD-SAME OLD. Black or Black/Grey with black dash.

I want to get in touch with THE BOSS (of Skoda) and have a grumble but also ask if this Gobi Sand interior can be put in my car! It's being made in the same factory ofter all, for me with my spec and extras, why not the cool interior as well?

Can anyone tell WHO and HOW?

Thanks in anticipation.

Hi and welcome aboard.

Hello and welcome.

Look on the bright side, you can get a black roof.

Why can't we get this option in the UK?

Why can't skoda just keep the options the same regardless of where the car is going.

Quite right and I was hoping for the roof on my new Yeti to be the only Black in the colour scheme.

I had assumed though that the "Gobi sand/ experience " colour scheme was available in the UK.

Leads me to ask, where is it available? why is it in the brochures luring excitement under false pretences.

Never mind the car ... I'm jealous of the fact you're going to live in NZ!!! Fabulous country. I went there for about 6 weeks a few years back and loved every bit of it. If I could find a way of moving there I'd be off like a shot. Wrong spec Yeti would be a cheap price to pay.

Never mind the car ... I'm jealous of the fact you're going to live in NZ!!! Fabulous country. I went there for about 6 weeks a few years back and loved every bit of it. If I could find a way of moving there I'd be off like a shot. Wrong spec Yeti would be a cheap price to pay.

You make a good point, I am sure I will have to (quickly) get over the colour thing and move on! The struggle for perfection will need to be balanced with necessity. But maybe that is what the Yeti is now, a compromise, unless Skoda come to the party.

Quite right and I was hoping for the roof on my new Yeti to be the only Black in the colour scheme.

I had assumed though that the "Gobi sand/ experience " colour scheme was available in the UK.

Leads me to ask, where is it available? why is it in the brochures luring excitement under false pretences.

Brochures are region specific. I assume you thought it was a global spec?

Generally speaking it's not Skoda Auto the manufacturer that decides the spec but the countries importer, from the comprehensive list of options the manufacturer has to offer on that model. What we get here in the UK obviously is under the control of Skoda UK unfortunately :S

I was lucky in that I outflanked SUK after getting the predictable no when I asked for 16" alloys by going to the manufacturer direct. From my own experience Skoda Auto appeared quite happy to meet the needs of its customers, whereas SUK came over less than impressed I'd beaten their system Although I understand SUK have now firmly closed the door on this loop hole

SUK are quite arrogant about the fact they know best when it comes to what customers want from a particular model and specification. What they fail to do is understand that what suits a customer from Greater London driving on a motorway day in day out will not suite another driving the lines and tracks of the Scottish Highlands for example.

Rant over

TP

Generally speaking it's not Skoda Auto the manufacturer that decides the spec but the countries importer, from the comprehensive list of options the manufacturer has to offer on that model. What we get here in the UK obviously is under the control of Skoda UK unfortunately :S

I was lucky in that I outflanked SUK after getting the predictable no when I asked for 16" alloys by going to the manufacturer direct. From my own experience Skoda Auto appeared quite happy to meet the needs of its customers, whereas SUK came over less than impressed I'd beaten their system Although I understand SUK have now firmly closed the door on this loop hole

SUK are quite arrogant about the fact they know best when it comes to what customers want from a particular model and specification. What they fail to do is understand that what suits a customer from Greater London driving on a motorway day in day out will not suite another driving the lines and tracks of the Scottish Highlands for example.

Rant over

TP

Spot on.

Some of the options available outwith the UK would have suited me perfectly, I would have really liked a black roof :'(

One thing I can't knock them for however is the price of the options after being ripped of many times by manufacturers for the extras I feel they are realistically priced.

Generally speaking it's not Skoda Auto the manufacturer that decides the spec but the countries importer, from the comprehensive list of options the manufacturer has to offer on that model. What we get here in the UK obviously is under the control of Skoda UK unfortunately :S

I was lucky in that I outflanked SUK after getting the predictable no when I asked for 16" alloys by going to the manufacturer direct. From my own experience Skoda Auto appeared quite happy to meet the needs of its customers, whereas SUK came over less than impressed I'd beaten their system Although I understand SUK have now firmly closed the door on this loop hole

SUK are quite arrogant about the fact they know best when it comes to what customers want from a particular model and specification. What they fail to do is understand that what suits a customer from Greater London driving on a motorway day in day out will not suite another driving the lines and tracks of the Scottish Highlands for example.

Rant over

TP

I am cheered by your success. You said Skoda Auto was happy to please the customer. Can you troll through your emails and let me know who you dealt with?

Also I am getting the picture that I could lean on the NZ importer a little more.(or a lot).

Brochures are region specific. I assume you thought it was a global spec?

Yes, gadgetman, I have realised that the brochures are region specific. I was reading the spec for my car from a brochure off the NZ website. It seems actually that brochures are GLOBAL!

Yes, gadgetman, I have realised that the brochures are region specific. I was reading the spec for my car from a brochure off the NZ website. It seems actually that brochures are GLOBAL!

Then have they advised why you cant order this if it's listed on the NZ site?

Then have they advised why you cant order this if it's listed on the NZ site?

They have. It was the old circular route. "that spec is not available in NZ" They make it sound like it's out their hands. Hmmmmmmm.

Some pressure is required.

I shall report back!

They have. It was the old circular route. "that spec is not available in NZ" They make it sound like it's out their hands. Hmmmmmmm.

Some pressure is required.

I shall report back!

But you just said it was on the NZ site???

But you just said it was on the NZ site???

Thats right. NZ site NZ dealer but global brochure. Thats why I made the point that (in a less organised world) the the websites are feeding from global sindication and not payong attention.

Bottom line is the factory produces. So I demand the same. The regional differencea seem to by phone not the brochures.

You can argue all you like, but you will find somewhere in the small print a nice little get-out clause, on the lines of "subject to availability or regional specification".

We've been down this route in the past on here and it will get you nowhere.

Having a look at both sites, there are clear differences. The brochures for starters.

For starters the range names are different. NZ doesnt have S SE or Elegance. The have experience, ambition and active instead. The trims also differ internally and some items externally too.

UK brochure - http://www.skoda.co.uk/GBR/Documents/brochures/cars/brochure_yeti.pdf

NZ brochure - http://skoda.co.nz/i/files/yeti_brochure_my12.pdf

Did you find the brochure you've been looking at on the Czech global site?

Having a look at both sites, there are clear differences. The brochures for starters.

For starters the range names are different. NZ doesnt have S SE or Elegance. The have experience, ambition and active instead. The trims also differ internally and some items externally too.

UK brochure - http://www.skoda.co.uk/GBR/Documents/brochures/cars/brochure_yeti.pdf

NZ brochure - http://skoda.co.nz/i/files/yeti_brochure_my12.pdf

Did you find the brochure you've been looking at on the Czech global site?

The range names are country specific, we in Finland have active, adventure and experience.

Those you mentioned: active, ambition and experience are the most common range names. Those are in Europe in use even in France, Germany and Italy, in countries like UK, which always like to have something else than the others have.

like UK, which always like to have something else than the others have.

'cos we is special, innit bro

in countries like UK, which always like to have something else than the others have.

In the case of the £ I reckon we made the right choice

In Ireland the specs are called, ACTIVE, ELEGANCE, EXPERIENCE

The experience is leather as standard. I picked the Gobi interior with black floors

As for the black roof, I got that by ordering the yeti in the black pearl effect colour

Plus it means you won't notice that horrible gap between the front and back windows that people buy those plastic attachments to cover.

That bit was probably the ugliest thing on the yeti.

In the case of the £ I reckon we made the right choice

Yes you made, when the pound is cheap on these days, we can visit London twice a year for shopping.

In Ireland the specs are called, ACTIVE, ELEGANCE, EXPERIENCE

The experience is leather as standard. I picked the Gobi interior with black floors

As for the black roof, I got that by ordering the yeti in the black pearl effect colour

Plus it means you won't notice that horrible gap between the front and back windows that people buy those plastic attachments to cover.

That bit was probably the ugliest thing on the yeti.

I'll agree. The B pillars could always be black.

Because of that I might try the superskoda covers, £35 is not much. If they look awful, I don't use them.

Edited 28 September, 201114 yr by Grumpy Finn

Hi only just come across this post. I had the same problem here in Cyprus where I was told the only interior colour available was black, the dealer changed his mind when I told him I wanted grey interior or no deal. Silver Yeti Ambition with grey interior arrives in Cyprus 03.03.2012

I'll agree. The B pillars could always be black.

Because of that I might try the superskoda covers, £35 is not much. If they look awful, I don't use them.

But the B pillars are the stand-out design feature!