I know the opinion's on What Car? magazine vary on here

However I'm a regular subscriber (after been a Top Gear Magazine fan since it's first edition) and was surprised at some of the criticism the Yeti got in a recent test in the latest edition.

They had one on long term test for a while and it received very favourable reviews so it came as a bit of a shock to read some of the comments which ranged from:

"The Skoda has the weakest engine"

"Anyone wanting a quiet life should steer clear of the Yeti"

"The Yeti's dashboard looks plain"

It should be noted there was lots of praise for the Yeti too (low price, running costs and depreciation and best equipped with good handling).

Anyway, it finished second, just behind the Qashqai and ahead of the 3008. An interesting read if anyone can stomach the £4.99 price

Afraid that I think WC is heading downhill rapidly and that many of their comments and assessments are not far from random these days. I too have been a subscriber for for many years, but increasingly I question whether it's worth it. The main problem is the inconsistency of what's written. There are many examples of contradictory remarks about the same model range, even - on occasion - in the same issue! Presumably what's happening is that there is little central coordination or policy or common standards and each writer is allowed to voice their own opinions and prejudices, so long as they deliver the required number of words and meet their deadline.

It seems to me that the proportion of original content (eg new model reviews and comparisons) has dropped to maybe 30-40% in each issue, with the rest of the editorial content - ie other than ads, the tables in the back etc - being all-too-familiar rehashes of the same topics month after month.

I don't seem to have been able to find any way of providing public feedback to WC any more, eg any letters pages in the magazine or forums on the website. What are they afraid of?

Trouble is that most of the other car mags aren't much better for objectivity. The only place I might give serious consideration to would be if a full review of a particualr model that I'm interested in was done by Autocar.

I have read What Car for years and in my opinion they only seem interested in telling the reader how good the BMW 3 and 5 series are.

'Which Magazine' is pretty subjective and unbiased, can usually be sourced at the local Library (if you have one)...

...Anyway, it finished second, just behind the Qashqai and ahead of the 3008. An interesting read if anyone can stomach the £4.99 price

Per http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/search?dimensionIds=368&dimensionIds=483 it's still one of their best-rated (4 star) crossovers. So I guess they prefer the smallish French diesels over the VAG 1.6 (which I found pretty quiet in a Golf, I must admit).

Per http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/search?dimensionIds=368&dimensionIds=483 it's still one of their best-rated (4 star) crossovers. So I guess they prefer the smallish French diesels over the VAG 1.6 (which I found pretty quiet in a Golf, I must admit).

Looking at this I'd say that the Yeti is punching well above it's weight. (price wise) when compared that way and to come in just behind the XC60 is no mean feet.

1 Quashqai £19495 - 27095

2 3008 £17195 - £26995

3 XC60 £27650 - £41610

4 Yeti £14830 - £23675

5 Juke £13395 - £20295

Would I have any of the others errr let me think No.

Quashqai Small inside

3008 well its a pug

XC60 way to expensive

Juke

Edited 17 January, 201214 yr by Big Rich

I find the Quashquai has the snug cockpit feel of some modern cars. I don't like it, feels too small. Someone at work has one.

Have a relative with a 3008, not a fan. interior trim is rather plastic and cheap for my taste. Plus it's hideous IMO.

The Yeti is cheaper, but I'd rather have the Yeti if it was the same price.

And I don't believe everything I read in car magazines because they are written by people who usually have a person opinion, it's rarely unbiased. Or sometimes who spends the most on advertising and so pays the wages. Look at how well VW group does in Autoexpress.

One last thing... £5 for a car mag ?!?

WhatCar are renowned Škoda haters for some reason. I don't think a single Octavia, Superb or Yeti has EVER finished first on a WC test, yet they regularly win most other magazine tests... A magazine to avoid like the plague I say. It is aimed squarley at people that are in the process of buying a car and will only buy the magazine once. Hence the stupid price.

I tend to only look at car magazines for the pictures and news nowadays. I subscribe to Autocar and regularly get CAR and EVO – both excellent for very different reasons. As to the objectivity of the reports it’s getting to the stage where you can’t even take an average as opinions differ so widely.

I wouldn’t even keep What Car or Auto Express in the small room for emergencies. Auto Express seems to be merely an extension of a Volkswagen handbook and What Car is so gloriously inconsistent (as already mentioned on this thread) that it’s almost worth buying for comedic value alone.

I read the Qashqai v Greenline report whilst on the shelf in the newsagents beneath our towering edifice (if they will persist in ripping us off because they have a captive clientele then I will exact my revenge somehow..) I knew the Nissan was going to win before I turned a page and I wasn’t disappointed. I have not driven a Greenline but I have driven a couple of Qashqai’s and found them to be totally anodyne/inert/soulless – like most Nissans – GTR excepted.

Nice pictures though….

Have to say the Greenline 1.6TDI engine is Very Good. It felt lively and nible and willing to pull even at low rev's. This could be because it is matted to a superbly matched gearbox.

But I was more than happy on my 300 miles in the demo.

I've driven both quite extensively before i decided which to get.

The only thing the Qashqai did better was that the seats were more comfortable and it had a 6th gear.

Both did many things equally well (including sound insulation / engine noise).

The Yeti had better all round visibility, felt better built, didn't feel "hemmed in" and pulled better.

Finally the dealers were much better @skoda.

One comment i would make about both Skoda and Nissan is that the brochures / marketing / options aspect of both cars are utterly !!!!.

That one aspect alone almost caused me to buy an IX35 (as Hyundai could at least tell me what the car would come with and what options i could / couldn't have).

Edited 17 January, 201214 yr by AlleyCat`

That one aspect alone almost caused me to buy an IX35 (as Hyundai could at least tell me what the car would come with and what options i could / couldn't have).

That'll be because there are only about 3 options available for each model.

Having just come back from a Nissan dealer I'd never buy a new car there.

Customer service was shocking.

Something else I found, on the Yeti I can open the boot and stand under it. I'm 6'3".

On the Quashquai the boot edge was at forehead height. :wonder:

Having just come back from a Nissan dealer I'd never buy a new car there.

Customer service was shocking.

Something else I found, on the Yeti I can open the boot and stand under it. I'm 6'3".

On the Quashquai the boot edge was at forehead height. :wonder:

All my Cashcow owning friends say the same as soon as they open the boot!

I reckon that Peugeot must have pulled their advertising from WC, based on the fact that the previously admired Pug now ends up behind the Squashy and the Yeti.

Skoda have been favourites at WC in the past - the Fabia was even their Car of the Year a while back. But these days, the apparent inconsistency of WCs findings make me doubt virtually everything they say. There again Autocar was not too complimentary about the Yeti when first tested on launch but they loved it when they had one long term.

Motoring magazines can make interesting reading and give an indication as to whether a car is good or bad but you can't beat the longer term experience of actual owners. Looking forward to the Yeti's first appearance in the annual JD Power survey - could be interesting as it's published by WC

Autoexpress readers voted the Yeti second in their 2011 Driver Power Survey and the Skoda Superb was the one that beat it.

I still dont understand how the same basic VAG components ( drivetrain, engines etc ) can fare so differently in these reliability surveys. Surely its the same suppliers that send their wares to skoda,vw,seat and audi. So why do the various marques have such drastically different results??

Part of it is the assembly process. How good are the machines in the automated areas, how well set up and maintained and is the quality control well planned and executed?

Czechoslovakian car workers have a long and proud tradition in a country with some notable industrial heritage.

Seat have made big advances since they made old Fiat based machinery on hand me down tools/presses/jigs. German attitudes to manufacturing are historically excellent but they have de-skilled and relied on temporary residents quite a bit.

These things can change-look at modern Jaguars compared with 70s, 80s and 90s cars.

Got to agree - WC is a quite dreadful waste of money if bought regularly as the content is so similar each month. I like the "Our Cars" fleet review, but it's easy enough to get that for free on their website.

I generally buy it once a year to take on holiday and read around the pool, getting drowsy!

Re the Hyundai ix35: The options list is indeed rather ahem lacking. But I do think it's a good car looking car for the money. Honest John has a great video review and in all honesty I think it may well be the closest competitor to the Yeti in the "good common sense" department (as opposed to image and brand-led choices).

Friend has the ix35 nice car but a bit bling in the interior for me. The liked the yeti I had on demo

Re the Hyundai ix35: The options list is indeed rather ahem lacking. But I do think it's a good car looking car for the money. Honest John has a great video review and in all honesty I think it may well be the closest competitor to the Yeti in the "good common sense" department (as opposed to image and brand-led choices).

Go to a Nissan dealer then and ask about the options on a Cashcow! There are NONE, ZERO, nothing. You can only pick colour when I took my friends to have a spin in one a few months ago. Makes the production process very easy as well as finding you the car of your "dreams" from another dealer should your dealer not have what you want.

As to the ix35: I find it portly looking and hideous to look at to be honest. I won't be seen dead in one. The KIA Sportage is a far nicer proposition in the looks department but I won't swap my Yeti for one of them either. The only thing I'd swap my Yeti for (had they cost the same spec for spec) is a Range Rover Evoque.

Sportage and IX35 are pretty much the same beast

Sportage and IX35 are pretty much the same beast

I know, hence mentioning them in the same breath!

I was impressed with the 1.6TDi in the Octavia I drove today.

Now what I would like would be a Greenline with start stop technology, 1.6CR TDi engine and a DSG gearbox. I could cope with 4x2 if I had to, but getting an average of 15mpg more in the Octavia for the same journey..... than Elsie......I WISH.

I think we will see a lot of greenlines appear here this year seems to be a popular choice the engine is a little cracker like the 1.2tsi

My Mum has one and it's an amazing package having the practicality of the Yeti with a quiet diesel engine that can return 55mpg driven sensibly. Still more than powerful enough for general driving. I've had to keep reminding her to slow down!

Fortunately that flash wasn't followed by a ticket after three weeks...

I also like how the Yeti Greenline (like the Superb) gives you a choice of spec level.

In the Fabia and Octavia you only have one choice.