I took delivery of my 1.8TSI SM last Wednesday and just got back from a weekend away at our house in the mountains, having driven about 1,000 kilometers (apologies for the metric units). As I have been lurking around here while waiting for the car to arrive, taking in all the useful information available, I thought I’d now provide my first actual contribution with a few first impressions. Pictures also to follow if I’m successful in posting them.

The car is a 1.8TSI 4x4 with the “Ambition” level of trim. Optional extras include the Panoramic Sunroof, Tyre pressure monitors, bi-xenons, steering wheel stereo controls and rough road pack.

Engine: Despite keeping the revs below 3,500rpm until I have done at least 1,500km, I found that the torque available in that rev range makes it very easy to keep a respectable average speed in the twisty bits. I am still waiting to see what happens further up the rev range, though judging by the power diagrams I suspect the engine is relatively linear in its power delivery and do not expect sudden bursts of acceleration at the top end.

Ride & Handling: As expected, the Haldex works wonderfully on all kinds of surfaces and I could not notice the shift of power from the front wheels to the rear like I used to in my 4wd Leon with an earlier generation of Haldex clutch. The car is all I expected it to be, being much nimbler and sharper than one would expect given its SUV styling. Ride is excellent – no doubt assisted by the 16” wheels with 60-profile tyres- ironing out all the nasty surprises that cracked, crumbling Greek mountain roads could throw at it.

Convenience: Not having had time to analyze the different seating configurations available, I found it a bit of a squeeze to fit all of our luggage for the weekend. Bear in mind, however, that this includes a large pram that takes up most of the spare-equipped boot. I am now thinking of possibly going the no-spare, tyre repair kit route and will also explore different seating configurations to optimize our packing.

Nice surprises: Without a doubt, hands-down the nicest surprise for me were the bi-xenons with AFS. The route to our mountain house is a 2.5 hour drive on badly lit national road (allegedly the equivalent of a motorway, but at times much worse than the worst UK A-road) and completely unlit B-roads. In the past, driving SWMBO’s BMW 1-series, I would dread driving this at night solely due to the very poor visibility which made it an extremely tiresome trip. This was the main reason why I specified the bixenons for the Yeti and my, what a difference they make! The improved lights meant that I arrived as fresh as when we departed and very happy that I took the plunge and put them on the options list. Best 1.5k euros (ouch…) I’ve ever spent…

Points that I would improve: The only 2 areas where I would have liked a couple of improvements involve the brakes and steering. I find that the brakes lack in feeling and are a bit “spongy”, at times needing a lot more force than one would expect. The steering is also a little lifeless for my taste, with minimal feedback from the road. This having been said, I may just be a little too demanding in this area, as my daily drive is a 2^nd-generation MX5 whose controls provide direct feedback on what’s going on.

All in all, I am over the moon with my new SM and look forward to years of pleasant road trips with it. I think it fits the needs of our small family of 3 perfectly, and it is already putting a smile on my face every time I drive it.

Thanks to all for your input in the forum, hopefully I will now also be able to become a more regular contributor.

Cheers,

George

A few pics from the Yeti's first trip:

And doesn't the Yeti look at home in those surroundings. Of course, you are spoiled George, being able to stop in the middle of the road to take photos. Do that here & you'd soon become the start of a traffic jam. Jealous, me? You bet!!!

Welcome to Yetiland!

Happy motoring

John H

Interesting you should say that John, it was something I hadn't even thought about as an issue, though thinking back to my years in the UK I definitely see what you mean!

Actually it's not as simple as it looks, and I did have to rush for some of the pictures (particularly the one on the bridge). Most of the weekend's driving, however, was done on some of the most remote roads in what is one of the least densely-populated prefectures in all of Greece on a weekend when the forecast was not particularly good, so not that much traffic around. Plus all the financial woes we have been having over here have meant that people have cut down on luxuries like frequent weekends in the countryside, thus further reducing traffic in such weekend destinations...

Interesting review many thanks

Only had one trip where the passengers and luggage outdid the internal capacity of our also spare wheel equipped Monster. Our solution was a set of second hand Thurle roof bars and a new Ranger 90 softbox. Worked very well and the box just came off at our destination, then rolled up to be stored in the accommodation.

Worth consideration; in my case the trip covered over 3k miles and I wasn't comfortable relying on a tub of glue.

Anyway enjoy the new motor,

TP

TP, having read extensively about the versatility of the Yeti's seating I was also quite surprised that we couldn't fit everything more neatly, but (a) having just taken delivery the day before we left for our trip I hadn't had the time to fiddle around with the sliding seats, ( b ) like I mentioned our Stokke Xplory pram is one big piece of kit that doesn't really fold flat and only leaves small areas around it where only small bags can fit and ( c ) packing for our 2-year old means carrying everything from a travel cot bed and mattress to his tricycle, so it's always a bit of a squeeze.

I'll experiement with the seats and different arrangements a little and I'm sure I'll figure something out. Thanks for the tip on the storage box, could be something to keep in mind for our summer holiday...

Edited 22 January, 201313 yr by gcp

Good write up and some nice pictures too.

Thanks to the OP for posting - I love trip reports/photos! For the last two trips we've done Ive removed one of the outer and centre section rear seats - means its half van and half passenger car! Chassis loops at the base of the B pillar allow you to strap it all securely in place - a great solution for us. The only time we've headed off with four people on board, we had to rely on a roofbox also but it was for five weeks in total so quite a challenge for anything in the Yeti's class.

Thanks very much for your positive comments - I've been looking forward to contributing here. Also, it's been a while since I last wrote a similar piece, way back in my days as a road tester for a motoring magazine and TV show...

The "seats out" option for our weekends away is something I've been considering, it's definitely something I'll try if I'm sure we won't be needing the extra seats for the whole trip. Yeti_Man you mention chassis loops at the base of the B pillar (haven't noticed them, will have a look tonight), but what do you use to strap everything down? Would the netting system that came with the car do the job or do you use something else?