Just been driving in London, trying to get from the South Bank to Rotherhithe, normal road I used is closed, drove round and round near London bridge and discovered the Yeti has excellent turning circle!

Checked up what it is when I got home and it shows the Yeti has 10m turning circle, whilst (all quoted are 2wd models (kerb to kerb turnign circle), apart from CRV):

Qashqai: 10.6m

Juke: 10.7m

Tiguan: 12m (!)

RAV4: 10.2m

3008: 10.9m

ASX: 10.6m

X1: 11.3m (RWD!)

Q3: 11.8m (!)

Sportage/IX35: 10.6m

Countryman: 11.6m (Mini!)

CRV: 11.5m

So the Yeti is not only cheaper, better built, better to drive (according to reviews anyway!), it is also a better city car - it just doesn't stop giving!

In fact, it is not too far away from and better than some true city cars: Smart (8.3m), 107 & counterparts (9.46m), Panda (9.1m) and Fox (10.6m).

What surprise me more is the poor turning circle of the Tiguan, Q3, Mini and X1, those figures are akin to S-CLass LWB (11.8m) and Panamera (11.9m).

Edited 6 October, 201114 yr by My_Yeti

Great that this is - it still has somewhere to go to beat the London Taxi 25ft (7.6m) turning circle!

Hard to achieve with front wheel drive.

I used to drive big Volvos. The 240 for all its bulk had a turning circle between kerbs of 9.8m (rather more between walls with all the overhang).

I too have noticed the tight turning circle, but watched in amazement at the London Taxi's even tighter turning circle. I think the best must be my old Triumph Spitfire at 7.3m! That would take the tyres off the rim if you weren't careful

i find the turning circle very good - I was about the only person to be able to turn round at the end of the close where I used to live in one go. I enjoyed that!

I agree about the Spitfire, had one before and I think because the engine is so narrow and the clerance is so large as the bonnet includes the wheelarhces as well.

I thought normally RWD cars have better turning circle, but the BMW is truly awful - not as bad as the Tiguan though.

In fact the Yeti has better turning circle than the Golf which has 10.6m.

I started driving in a Triumph Herald that had an incredibly tight turning circle. Trouble was the tyres would squeal at any speed at all and the wear was amazing - about 6k miles on a set. The suspension set up didn't help either - had to use opposite lock to help it round the corners all the time.

Andy

Didn't they once upon a time have a Triumph advert where the Police chaced the vehicle onto a pier and the Triumph managed to turn round at the end but the Police Car couldn't? Or maybe that was a Hillman?

I think the tightness of the turn and general nimble nature in tight spaces is one of the bonuses of the Yeti that again make it better than past, and many current, 4 x 4 style cars. The Yeti, not on its own to be fair, has raised the bar for manoeuvrability of this type of car.

I pride myself in my parking manoeuvring, but my current Merc B-Class has me shuffling into spaces I should have got into in one. Inspired by this post I just looked up the turning circle and discovered why... 11.95m! Perhaps it shares its platform with the Mercedes Actros...?

Triumph TV ad

Andy

I really wouldn't mind having a Vitesse straight 6 now - 4 seater convertible with 6 cylinders!

I have found this on many occasions too: that turning circle is amazing for sure!

I really wouldn't mind having a Vitesse straight 6 now - 4 seater convertible with 6 cylinders!

What have I started with the Triumph thing .

Mind you BMW took ages to get to that point - 20+ years (4 seater, proper convertible & 6cylinders)