Initial impressions, after four days of actual Yeti ownership:

Delivered on 1 September with a 62 plate and 17 miles on the clock. Now at 203 miles and showing 40.3 mpg on Memory 1 (not yet reset), which is a pleasant surprise. Not so pleasant was the seventy quid for 50ltr to fill the tank, but that's life.

Annie has now been introduced to her new home environment, including one or two sample single-lane-no-passing-places 'highways'. Routine hills, taken sedately with a new engine, are no problem though the DSG, as I expected, does select a gear lower than I used in the X-Trail (I think the 'book' torques were similar - must look them up, out of interest). Compared with the X-T's 215/60/17's, the Special Build 215/60/16's do thump a bit more on the poor roads but nowhere near as much as the standard 17's on the Yetis we road-tested. In that, I feel vindicated in my decision to follow in TP's footsteps and press for the Special Build (YMMV). The Conti's are quiet enough on good surfaces; I would have preferred a rather more aggressive tread (the X-T originally had Grandtreks, Scorpions latterly) but - we've got Conti's...

The steering is perhaps a tad too light but the turning circle is eyebrow-raising (go gently, for the tyres' sake!). Madam and I have reached a compromise on the steering wheel position but haven't yet managed one on seat height (and, yes, the rear-view mirror is too low on the screen). Madam has in fact driven almost a much as I have so far and has, despite her worries about it, got into the DSG mode quite smoothly.

So it's a good start. The Yeti is quite a little character and we're going to get along well. Do all the 140's have that quiet little growl at mid revs? Or is it purring?

More later and I'm putting another pic in the gallery, for anyone who's interested.

Glad you have it at last. It's interesting to see the gears that DSG uses, but i suspect it usually makes a better choice than we would! Enjoy.

here's wishing you MANY more happy motoring miles. :clap:

stop it ! - you are just teasing me now

Oh, I'm so sorry for you, Geoff - don't take it too hard! Only a few weeks for you now, and it really is worth it!!

As the engine and gearbox loosen up it may well start using high gears, but failing that, try a remap. That seems to make the car generally chose a higher gear. :lol:

Hi

My Yeti was delivered Friday 31st August and I couldn't use it until the Saturday when I drove it to London for the weekend. My new car was a like for like replacement for a 30 month old Yeti and I have noticed some vast improvements. The new Yeti is a more comfortable ride and much more quiet. The front seat seems to be softer, less road noise, could be that this car has pirellis and Spitzberg alloys as opposed to Annapurnas and Goodyear excellence. The telephone system has improved as I can now put one call on hold and speak to a second, the Bluetooth audio from my iPhone 4 is now enabled and plays faultlessly, the only downside is that I can only programme 5 numbers as one spot is locked in at the factory, supposedly to programme your voicemail number. The steering wheel seems to be thinner, which I don't like as I have big hands and prefer the old wheel.

I ordered the Candy White with Gobi leather interior with the wood effect trim fitted before delivery and am quite pleased with my choice. With the matching Gobi door panels and lower dash the inside of the car seems bigger and lighter than the dark interior of my old car.

On the mpg front a 570 mile total journey mostly motorway driving with some London driving I averaged 43.4 mpg using Shell v power and was well pleased as it was it's first run from new. I hope to improve the mpg as the engine beds in and am hoping it gives me a couple of years of trouble free motoring like the previous Yeti.

I have waited for six months for this and the wait has been worth the while, just wish I only had to wait 4 days like before, but had no choice but to take the car as it was, My dealer is quite happy too, sold a new car and will make a profit from the trade in, and they don't expect to have the 4x4 tdi Elegance on the forecourt for long.

Hi

My Yeti was delivered Friday 31st August and I couldn't use it until the Saturday when I drove it to London for the weekend. My new car was a like for like replacement for a 30 month old Yeti and I have noticed some vast improvements. The new Yeti is a more comfortable ride and much more quiet. The front seat seems to be softer, less road noise, could be that this car has pirellis and Spitzberg alloys as opposed to Annapurnas and Goodyear excellence. The telephone system has improved as I can now put one call on hold and speak to a second, the Bluetooth audio from my iPhone 4 is now enabled and plays faultlessly, the only downside is that I can only programme 5 numbers as one spot is locked in at the factory, supposedly to programme your voicemail number. The steering wheel seems to be thinner, which I don't like as I have big hands and prefer the old wheel.

I ordered the Candy White with Gobi leather interior with the wood effect trim fitted before delivery and am quite pleased with my choice. With the matching Gobi door panels and lower dash the inside of the car seems bigger and lighter than the dark interior of my old car.

On the mpg front a 570 mile total journey mostly motorway driving with some London driving I averaged 43.4 mpg using Shell v power and was well pleased as it was it's first run from new. I hope to improve the mpg as the engine beds in and am hoping it gives me a couple of years of trouble free motoring like the previous Yeti.

I have waited for six months for this and the wait has been worth the while, just wish I only had to wait 4 days like before, but had no choice but to take the car as it was, My dealer is quite happy too, sold a new car and will make a profit from the trade in, and they don't expect to have the 4x4 tdi Elegance on the forecourt for long.

You have the same colour & interior as me, Candy White/Gobi Sand/wood trim.

The Spitzbergs and the Anapamas are the same size.

The suspension has changed at the front around May 2010, but they may have changed it again.

TP?

Edited 7 September, 201213 yr by rockhopper

You have the same colour & interior as me, Candy White/Gobi Sand/wood trim.

The Spitzbergs and the Anapamas are the same size.

The suspension has changed at the front around May 2010, but they may have changed it again.

TP?

Both the 170 motor and front suspension assembly carrier, plus wishbones have changed for the early production Yeti's.

New second generation CR diesel 170 came in with the MY11 in June 2010 and the Octavia style cast aluminium assembly carrier was replaced with a pressed steel box arrangement, and more substantial wishbones and improved (in my opinion) bushing arrangement in August of the same year.

As a side note I understand the Octavia III will introduce a new design of 2.0 TDI CR in two guises, a 150 PS producing 320Nm torque (similar to the current 140) and a 180 PS producing 380Nm torque (current 170). An updated 1.6 CR 105 will be also present in the diesel line up for the Octy III, so I suspect these engines or equivalents of, might find their way into the face-lifted Yeti probably around June next year (big guess).

For petrol fans there's new 1.8TSI's and 1.4 TSI (inc cylinder deactivation) but the baby 1.2 will be dropped from the Octy line up as it's considered not powerful enough to haul the bulk of the new design.

http://www.auto.cz/d...tavia-iii-68386

TP

Continued progress report, at three weeks (already!) and 826 miles.

Tank filled (to cut-off) twice, so only one valid calculation so far - 35.16 mpg, on Tesco juice. The second fill was by chance V Power, at the start of a 450-plus mile run down the M4-M5 and back, with some distance on A/B roads and lanes at both ends. Back at home, the Mem.1 consumption was showing at 44.2 mpg (some 30% better that the X-Trail used to give on this particular trip) and it's not quite refill time yet. Happy bunny :sun: !

Motorway cruising at what seemed an effortless seventy, plus or minus two/three, was surprisingly quiet. Most of the noise was from the tyres (Conti's), with very little growl noticeable from the engine. For the record, there is under-bonnet insulation - did someone say there wasn't?

The DSG is the cat's pyjamas! 99.5% of the time it's doing the 'right' thing (when I'm conscious of it), which makes for an incredibly lazy drive. Only on the back roads did I choose to nudge it down to third or even second for safety on some narrow, twisty descents. Others here have described the Yeti as feeling 'planted', and I would agree with that - an 'eager' drive on rolling bends, where visibility permits, without feeling as if you're pushing it. No hint of squish, bounce or whatever from the 'fat' 16" tyres.

The seating is very good, with no hint of discomfort over time; madam happily snoozed on the way home :zzz: . We were passengers in a friend's X-Trail for several miles at the other end of the trip and madam remarked afterwards that those seats now seemed a bit hard!

If I have to find fault at all, it would be with the mirrors :| . The interior one really is set too low on the screen, even with the seat dropped. And after the huge square exterior mirrors of our X-Trail (and, before that, of a Terrano), the Yeti's do seem terribly tiny and pointy. For me, the flat/convex mix is the wrong way round, too - the flat should be on the nearside, for best distance judgement when overtaking (especially with a caravan on the back), while convex on the offside gives a wider view of overtaking traffic.

I'll post again when I next refuel.

[My opinions, YMMV]