Display (Sat Nave) should be higher in the dash so that you can glance at it without taking your eyes off the road.

Hope the back isn't sloped as it will loose it's practicallity, plus I think they all look "heavy" because of it, and currently although boxy it does have a "lightness".

I'd agree with this (apart from the mis-spelling of "lose" - off to back of the class with you for that!) I find most of the mini/mid-size SUVs to be virtually indistinguishable, and not particularly attractive - it's like the identical "jelly mould" hatchbacks from the late 80s/early 90s, only a foot taller...

Better folding rear seats, plus lighter to remove.

Given that the Yeti has one of the most rear flexible seating systems available in a car of its class, that might seem to be asking for a lot. But niggly details like the centre arm rest interfering with middle seat, and the rather cheap-looking bungies for holding the seats in the full forward folded position should be fixable. I'm not sure you could do much about the weight without affecting the comfort, though. Someone else on this thread wanted them heated, which would presumably make them heavier...

ESP standard on all models

I believe this is going to be mandatory from next year anyway (it's called ESC these days, though). Presumably the facelift won't count as a "new model", otherwise it would be mandatory from day one.

2 boot lights

That would be a helpful modification, particularly for those of us with the spare wheel option since the raised boot floor means you're more likely to block the single light with luggage.

roller blind boot cover

Please God no!! I had one of those in my Subaru and it was awful! From a practicality point of view, you have to roll it back every time you want to ferret in the boot. I much prefer a shelf that lifts when you open the tailgate. (The one in the Scooby also had an exasperating, faint rattle which I never properly got to the bottom of.)

spare wheel rework not taking up extra boot space.

Again, would be nice but not sure how it could be done without compromising some other aspect of the layout - or making the car bigger (although that seems to happen anyway as cars evolve, eg some of the examples in this thread - the current Polo is allegedly bigger than the Mk 1 Golf, and the current Golf is bigger - including being taller - than the Mk 1 Renault Scenic!)

Even when they have had 3 years of feedback from this forum!!

I've seen no evidence that SUK actively monitor these forums. They certainly don't mention Briskoda as a method for providing feedback. They have a "contact us" page on their web site, and a Facebook page on which I believe you can post. (I note from their Facebook page that they recently took part in the Mumsnet "blogfest", whatever that might have been, so presumably George's fluffy pink steering wheel cover will be appearing as an option in the configurator very soon )

IMHO the fog lights are currently too high to get under proper fog.

Could you explain that further? Your eyes are a lot higher than the lights so presumably any light reaching them will have had to fight its way through the fog anyway. Not sure I get this.

Taller jumbo box to make it actually useable as an armrest.

No thanks! It's already tall enough to be almost (but not quite) in the way of my elbow when I'm reaching for the handbrake. (Did you know that you can set the lid in a raised position, if you really need it higher?)

LED DRLs

Personally I think this is just a fashion fad, driven primarily by Audi and their funky "eye liner" design cues. Which is probably why you won't see them on other VAG brands just yet (and you won't hear me complaining about that).

a body thats 6 inches wider to accommodate separate arm rests for both driver & passenger on the front seats like on the Honda CR-V

No, NO and thrice NO!!!! That would utterly destroy one of the key appeals of the Yeti for me: that it's not a bloated lump that barely fits in a standard parking space. Begone! Away with such grossness!!

the B-pillar painted black

I think you mean the C-pillar (reference). Although as it happens, my B-pillar is black!

Agreed that the only thing we will get in December though will be a cosmetic change. Has anyone actually tried to paint out the "hazard" camo in the photo? Johann?

Not necessarily... when the Fabia/Roomster were facelifted they replaced pretty much the entire engine range.

Things I wish for on the Yeti:

- it needs more colour in the cabin (this is probably Australia specific where we get black cloth or black leather and that's it) but not just with seat trim colour but different trims on the dash and what not.

I believe your wish may be granted there,

- the engines are all wrong. In Australia the Yeti 77TSI (1.2 TSI 105hp to you guys) is priced around $2,000 cheaper than the VW Tiguan 118TSI (1.4TSI 160hp, both 2WD). The Tiguan has almost double the power

Where did you go to school :p

Seriously though I agree that the new more efficient TSIs would be good; especially the 1.4 with cylinder shutdown.

- Why is the best engine in the range, the 170hp 2.0TDI, manual-only? Doesn't bother me as I hate autos but Skoda Australia won't bring it here without an auto.

I believe this is a torque issue.

- New Skoda badges!!!

Tick!

- It needs an attitude, like the Yeti Urban edition you guys got.

I agree, would like the see a permanent Urban-type edition or factory fit options to build one like it.

- New Skoda steering wheel and gearknobs (I know the gearknobs are already there)!

Your wish will certainly be granted there.

- The interior trim needs to be upgraded - the only bits of soft touch stuff are on the dash. Not good enough Skoda.

What else would you expect to be soft touch? I think the Yeti interior is pretty nice quality for the price bracket.

- Adaptive cruise and the drowsiness recognition system should be introduced,

I believe these are coming...

- New Skoda sat-nav and climate control systems

I don't think there will be any change there until the Yeti2.

Jake02, on 08 January 2013 - 09:47, said:

the B-pillar painted black

I think you mean the C-pillar (reference).

Actually, I think he probably does mean the B pillar, or more correctly the part of the front doors that close against the B pillar.

I think I can see why Jake is asking for this, but as Skoda refer to it as the "floating roof " I'd imagine they are most unlikely to change that any time before a major redesign as it is a design feature of the car.

I'd suggest that any exterior facelift will involve changes only to non-metallic parts. Anything that changes sheet metal is prohibitively expensive so early in a production run whereas changes to "plastic" mouldings is far cheaper & easier to effect.

Expect this year's facelift to only change front &/or rear bumpers, Skoda badge and chrome upper lip on bonnet, maybe rear light clusters, and nothing else.

Interior changes are more likely, but again don't expect any changes to trim, other than colour and possibly seat facings.

Adding or deleting "electronic" kit is easy - as has already been seen, as is changing alloy wheel options. Adding or deleting options in one market that are already available in another is also easy to effect.

Beyond that, I think you'll find that UK cars will see very little change. I suspect that it is largely Skoda UK who decide what options to make available here, rather than the factory. It's all down to marketing, and look how they misjudged that when the vehicle was first brought to the UK !

IMHO the fog lights are currently too high to get under proper fog.

Could you explain that further? Your eyes are a lot higher than the lights so presumably any light reaching them will have had to fight its way through the fog anyway. Not sure I get this.

It's to do with the illumination of the road. If the foglights are too high then their light bounces off the fog before it has a chance to light the road. If the light goes under the fog then there is virtually no back reflection.

Taller jumbo box to make it actually useable as an armrest.

No thanks! It's already tall enough to be almost (but not quite) in the way of my elbow when I'm reaching for the handbrake. (Did you know that you can set the lid in a raised position, if you really need it higher?)

I did know the lid raises to make the rest higher. I take your point regarding the handbrake.

The solution would be that the lid could be set in a higher position than it is now.

A said above, all this is just a wish list. It is likely that the facelift will just be a cosmetic exercise with maybe a few small engineering tweaks.

Actually, I think he probably does mean the B pillar, or more correctly the part of the front doors that close against the B pillar.

You're right. Profuse apologies, I got myself thoroughly confused in essaying the "my B-pillar is black" joke :S

My wishlist would be:

• Bigger fuel tank, with a less conservative reserve. (Why do 2WD models get a smaller tank? There should be more space without the differential.)
  
• Auto-hold for the DSG. The implementation of auto-hold on for example the VW Passat DSG makes driving in heavy traffic much more restful, since no need to keep foot on the brake when stationary.
  
• Climate control temperature dials that operate in 0.5 degree increments.
  

You're right. Profuse apologies, I got myself thoroughly confused in essaying the "my B-pillar is black" joke :S

Superskoda sell a black vinyl kit you can fit.

It's to do with the illumination of the road. If the foglights are too high then their light bounces off the fog before it has a chance to light the road. If the light goes under the fog then there is virtually no back reflection.

I'd like to know if anyone has personally had any issue using the fog lights. I think I might only ever get to use them once or twice while owning my Yeti. Don't exactly see much fog where I am.

Surely an upgraded MDI isn't necessary? Mine (delivered December) streams direct from my phone, track info displayed etc.

Personally (and from only 4 weeks experience) the things I don't like (well outweighed by the things I do) are that the 'A' pillar is very restrictive visibility wise, the drivers door rest is a bit low, the boot is smaller than you would think for the size of car, and, erm, that's about it!

My wishlist would be:

• Bigger fuel tank, with a less conservative reserve. (Why do 2WD models get a smaller tank? There should be more space without the differential.)
  
• Auto-hold for the DSG. The implementation of auto-hold on for example the VW Passat DSG makes driving in heavy traffic much more restful, since no need to keep foot on the brake when stationary.
  
• Climate control temperature dials that operate in 0.5 degree increments.
  

I thought I was old and nerdy, now I know I am

The fuel tank in the 4x4 is bigger because the fuel consumption is higher?

Auto hold - use the handbrake and avoid rear light glare.

0.5*C :wonder: , I'm just getting used to a heater that isn't either on or off - climate control is very clever, but can you seriously detect 0.5*C difference in temperature

When we bought the car, we tried it out beforehand, examined all the bits, and decided we wanted a SE model. If you want all these luxuries, get another specced vehicle!!

I'd like to know if anyone has personally had any issue using the fog lights. I think I might only ever get to use them once or twice while owning my Yeti. Don't exactly see much fog where I am.

Oh, that's it. Rub it in, why don't you.

Oh, that's it. Rub it in, why don't you.

Haha seriously though, it's illegal to use fog lights here unless there is fog so I won't even drive with them on for laughs. Although some ******s still do because they think lighting their car up like a UFO is cool.

Haha seriously though, it's illegal to use fog lights here unless there is fog so I won't even drive with them on for laughs. Although some ******s still do because they think lighting their car up like a UFO is cool.

The law in the UK is the same althoughyou would be hard pressed to tell--this must be the most common breach of the law on the road--with mobile phone use grrr

As the thread title is about the December facelift there is no point in discussing the Yeti II (which will be an all new MQB platformed Yeti) in this thread. That is for a different thread surely?

For December we'll get:

• Two different looking models, an off-road baised one and a more softroader one. Read the first as what we have now perhaps with the horrid unpainted back bumper in place and the latter as a fully colour coded version sans the silver "protection" bits we all now have. But hopefully the off-road looking one will have a three-quarter painted back bumper, but with black lower bits and side valances as per the current Yeti.
  
• horisontal fog lamps in the lower front bumper
  
• Rapid like headlights and grille
  
• New Škoda badges (goes without saying)
  
• New rear lights with LED or at the very least something resembling the new Octavia rear lights in terms of the lines within the lights
  
• the weird triangular lines from the bottom of the rear lights to the number plate as per the new Octavia and Rapid (see link above)
  
• New fabric trim options
  
• A different colour to the interior silver strip we now have
  
• DAB radio (which is already available anyway)
  

And that I think will be our lot. Anything else would cost too much. Doing this they will only change the front fenders, the front and rear bumpers and the shape of the bonnet (to be more square) where the badge goes. The rear lights will be in the exact same shape as today's just with a different design within this shape to save on retooling more than just the rear bumper.

MQB specific items like radar cruise control, blind spot monitoring, etc won't make the grade since the car's electrics can't handle it yet. We will have to wait for Yeti II for those.

this must be the most common breach of the law on the road

I's be astonished if the most commonly committed offence wasn't exceeding the speed limit. I suspect that people become inured to it partly because it is so common, and particularly because it's so difficult for an unassisted human being to say definitively that it's being done - unlike things like inappropriate use of fog lights, using a mobile phone whole driving, or rolling forward to the ASL at traffic lights.

Wikipedia has an interesting take on foglight abuse:

A study has shown that in North America more people inappropriately use their fog lamps in dry weather than use them properly in poor weather.

The one that really gets me is driving on sidelights + foglights only ie no headlights: if it's foggy enough for foglights to be legal then you are also legally required to have your headlights on as well. (Whether this is actually a sound idea in practice is beside the point: them's are the rules. And in any case, it never is foggy enough for foglights to be legal when you see these clowns.)

Guys please... MANY topics have been locked after mud slinging matches about the use of fog lights. PLEASE keep it out of this thread before this useful thread also gets locked.

Go read here if you must and reply there if any of the threads are still unlocked:

...

For December we'll get:

• ...
  

MQB specific items like radar cruise control, blind spot monitoring, etc won't make the grade since the car's electrics can't handle it yet. We will have to wait for Yeti II for those.

No engine/drivetrain revisions?

Very unlikely. After all what new engines or drivetrains are there?

And from a personal point of view.....................I'm losing the will to live. Skoda will change whatever they want and really don't give a fig what we think. Whatever happens the Yeti will still be the best SUV for MY use, and yes, it will be a shame if the "eccentric" look is lost, but since I spend most of the time behind the wheel not looking at a reflection of the car I can't say I'm that worried any more.

And agreed, take the arguements about fog light abuse somewhere else.

No engine/drivetrain revisions?

Ah... the oily bits. Did not think about that. Yes hopefully we will get the newer VAG engines. The 150 2,0 TDI and the 180 2,0 TDI. But I'm not holding out much hope for that or the 1,8 petrol DSG in the UK. Though all of those will be great upgrades for sure.

I was impressed with my Yeti whilst I owned it and I would consider buying another in twelve months time, just after the facelift has been launched. I would hope for:

1. Instruments repositioned so that I can still see them once I have the steering wheel correctly adjusted (not going to happen).

2. Better quality control for dashboard to reduce buzzes and rattles (shouldn't be too much to ask).

3. Standard ESP on all models (A real possibility).

4. Revised engines with better fuel economy/co2 (very likely).

5. Spare wheel solution that doesn't take so much boot depth away (not going to happen).

6. Choice of interior colours for lower spec models so that we don't have to drive in a sea of dark grey and black (should be easily possible).

7. Standard knee airbag on E model. (Should be possible but then the E is so close to the S model that it will probably get dropped altogether).

8. Prices to remain competitive. (Should be possible, it's not an all new model after all and so no new development costs to recoup).

9. Gas strut for the bonnet (not likely but would hardly break the bank, after all, the Dacia Sandero has one!).

10. Protection for the back doors so that they don't stone chip so easily.

That is all for now. I'll place my order if they get it right. (I don't know what this emoticon means but it amused me).

Shrub.

Details of the 'new' version of the Yeti are in today's Auto Express magazine. It says it will debut in late 2013 and before going on sale in 2014. Styling is the biggest change. Aspects of the Rapid and new Octavia will be obvious in the Yeti's front end design including more rectangular headlights, a sculpted bonnet and angular grille. There will be updated 1.2 104hp TSI and 1.4 120hp ACT petrol engines. A greenline model with the updated 1.6TDI with CO2 emissions down to under 100g/km. There will also be touch screen infotainment system in line with the new Octavia. The interior will get some new materials to help boost it's high-quality feel. New technology will also be added including adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and fatigue detection systems.

There are more widespread changes planned for 2016 when an all-new Yeti will emerge. It will get a new platform which will be a variation of the MQB chassis that underpins the Octavia and Golf.

It's interesting to read Auto Express's opinion of the new "Skoda Yeti competitor", the Peugeot 2008. As usual of course, they've not actually driven one!

Even more interesting are comments from various people disagreeing that the Pug is a rival for the Yeti - saying instead that the Yeti is "a proper 4x4" and that it is in the "next class above" the Pug & Nissan Joke.

However, there are also comments slating the "frog" look of the Yeti's fog lights - enough to put people off buying one - so despite what we existing Yeti owners think maybe Skoda is correct after all in thinking that they'll increase sales by making the front look "more corporate" and doing away with the round fogs.

5. Spare wheel solution that doesn't take so much boot depth away (not going to happen).

.

Who knows, your wish just might be granted, if this is to be believed: http://indianautosbl...are-wheel-59192