As the title suggests, I'd like opinions on whether the rough road package is worth paying £200 for.

Having spoken to another Yeti owner at a club meet tonight, I liked the sound of a bash plate under the car which would provide further protection.

I've read what I can on older threads but these are quite old now and wondered if anything had changed in regard to the spec? Some people say that parts of what was the rough road package are now fitted as standard meaning the option is now rather expensive for what you get?

For reference it would be for an L&K 4 x 4 TDI.

Opinions are welcome as ever!

I can only speak from 1 years experience. I use the Yeti on gravel tracks quiet a bit, also lumpy grass hummocks.

As the name suggests, it is for rough road protection, not a bash plate in the LR sense. It's there only to protect the underside from gravel rash damage etc. Sometimes I've had to slide gently over a soft obstacle, and that's been fine.

For real off road stuff I use another car The only downside is the accumulation of gravel behind the plastic shield - the easiest way to remove it hosing on a steep incline, when an avalanche of debris washes out :think:

On the gtiV forum, there is discussion re using some of the underbody protection panels as a crude aero undertray. So after many years, you may recoup your investment.

For a fairly small additional outlay (ie about 1% of the total car price) I think it's worth having. We have a lot of flooding around here, and I'm happier going into large puddles knowing that I have additional protection under the engine compartment and on brake lines if encountering invisible submerged rocks that have fallen from dry stone walls, for example. That's why I've requested this option on the L&K I ordered yesterday.

Rough road package is worth every penny if you drive a car on varying quality roads. Oil pan damage stops being an issue.

And yes, the smoother underbody is a bonus also when driving fast.

Having said that, Yeti has slightly higher ground clearance than most cars, so on the road damage is less of a problem.

One thing worth remembering if you get the rough road package: if you keep your cars for a long time, and notice that the front skid plate accumulated noticeable amount of bumps/scratches after a couple years, do not wait with replacement, get a 2nd one and keep it in the garage until you really need to fit it. Because as soon as the car model you bought is face lifted / replaced, the dealership price for replacement skid plate / other panels goes up 3-4 times. And there are not that many covers to be found at scrapyard. I resorted to fixing the front underbody covers on my Mk1 Superb with epoxy, then painiting with black rubberised underbody paint. Works, but I could have saved myself some effort.

The original RRP included an aluminium sump shield; this has now been replaced with a hard plastic one which is just as effective. The other parts seem to be the same thoughout their fitment.

I have neither on my car, just the standard thinnish plastic undershield, and to be honest I have never had a problem, and there are several score marks in it where I have caught it. I would suggest that unless you intend to regularly drive off-road in very severe situations you can do without.#

The most useful item is the rear door foils, but these are now fitted to all 4x4's anyway.

The responses so far are similar to what I found on the older threads in that there are those who say don't bother and there's others that say it's worth every penny.

As it stands, our specified car has everything on it with the exception of electric seats, tow bar prep and rough road package. Whilst I'm not against spending another £200 on yet another option, I will if it makes an appreciable difference.

Most of the time the car will be on road, however, we have relatives in Hereford whom we visit fairly regularly and they're always suffering from bad weather, particularly floods and the roads down there can be less than ideal at times. Most of the roads around there are single track country lanes that do tend to break up relatively easily when the weather turns. Up where we live, we have difficulties when the snow comes and again we have less than ideal roads that we use often. These reasons alone were the biggest reason we wanted a car with a 4 x 4 drivetrain.

The car doesn't often get taken off road but when it does it tends to be in muddy fields rather than gravelly tracks or more severe terrain. Hope this helps paint the picture in a little more detail about how the car will be used?

If you plan to ford flood plains , I'd still take the rough road package as the front underbody plate is mounted much stronger than standard plastic cover. Put simply, the risk of tearing off the plastic covers is much lower. Same for deep snow / mud.

Note also that even if you decided just to fit front skid plate later and nothing else, parts costs alone would already be half of the entire offroad package cost. Been there, done that with the Roomster (otherwise quite well protected underneath).

So on my next purchase list, rough road package is first option, other things come later, but the decision is yours.

Edited 31 January, 201313 yr by dieselV6

We have the package on both Yetis, but the fact that the most important part (the door foils) are now standard on every Yeti I'm not sure it's worth it.

All you are getting is a stronger undertray and rear brake like covers.

If you plan to do some higher speed driving on gravel etc... maybe worth it.

Otherwise I'm not sure it is.

If you plan to ford flood plains , I'd still take the rough road package as the front underbody plate is mounted much stronger than standard plastic cover. Put simply, the risk of tearing off the plastic covers is much lower. Same for deep snow / mud.

Is it? I've driven 50+k in my Yeti on roads varying from smooth to very rough, from dry to 9" deep in water, from slowly to quickly, and there is NO sign of any weakening or tearing in any of the mountings of the undershiled on my Yeti. The standard plastic undershield is surprisingly strong and very mounted, as suitable for an off road vehicle.

6 of one and half a dozen of the other I'm gathering from this thread.

Does anyone know what you actually get on a MY13 with the rough road package now compared to what you used to get? Which components are now standard as opposed to being exclusively included in the RRP?

As far as I'm aware, the package is the same as it has always been although some of the materials have changed (eg the toughened plastic, as opposed to metal, undershield for the engine compartment). In other words, the aforementioned undershield for the engine plus additional underbody protection for brake and fuel lines/components. The rear door foils are indeed now standard on all 4x4s. It may not seem that you get much for the money, and as Llanigraham has pointed out, most people may manage without it most of the time - if not always. However, isn't that the case with most insurance? And that's what the RRP is to me, a fairly cheap (I repeat, a mere 1% of the vehicle price) belt and braces approach to protecting the underside of the car.

What I find interesting is that the people who have responded so far who I know have some skill and experience in off road driving are actually saying it's not worth it.

I'm going to shut up after this, but - yes, I agree, skill and experience rule most of the time but cannot always compensate for the unexpected or the accidental, so - a bit of cheap (and hopefully unnecessary) insurance!

What I find interesting is that the people who have responded so far who I know have some skill and experience in off road driving are actually saying it's not worth it.

That's a good point and one worth considering (with no disrespect whatsoever to those who haven't had such experiences.)

I just wonder how effective the extra protection is in real terms and more importantly, how resilient is the underside of the car without such protection? Considering the Yeti is marketed as the go anywhere family hatchback then common sense would say that the manufacturer would build the car to a standard that substantiates those claims. If extra protection is needed at the mere thought of driving down a road that's a little less than perfect then that would worry me from the outset.

...skill and experience rule most of the time but cannot always compensate for the unexpected or the accidental, so - a bit of cheap (and hopefully unnecessary) insurance!

+1, and worth noting that while factory engine cover is mounted much more securely than in earlier VAG cars, it is still mounted mostly to other plastics on the front and sides.

Skid plate comes with 2 extra mounts to frame and a reinforcement between them, protects oil pan and gearbox much better in case of mishap. If standard underbody cover starts going, it'll take neighbouring plastics with it. Skid plate is unlikely to do so.

Years ago, main hit on my Octavia Mk1 skid plate (that was the heavy 25kg steel one, aka Octavia Panzer) was a ?bakery? box left in the middle of a dual carriageway lane, I was behind a lorry that just went over the box, my car's skid plate squashed the box (at 55mph-60mph), mighty bang but no damage to the car other than a scrape on the skid plate. That was on a nice smooth road (A505). Without skid plate it'd be a new oil pan at least, costing more than the plate. And most definitely it would be new underbody+side covers.

Edited 31 January, 201313 yr by dieselV6

What I find interesting is that the people who have responded so far who I know have some skill and experience in off road driving are actually saying it's not worth it.

I don't think so.

It's a multi-purpose family car, not an off roader.

The protection underneath is just that - protection aginst rough roads.

I can't see the merit in discussing how tough it is, it's clearly not tough enough to be a full on off roader. If you travel on un - made roads, it protects the underside. If you don't it's not really worth it.

I only specified it because it was my first ever new car, and I use in motorsport on gravel roads occasionally and wanted to protect my new expensive asset. Pinging of stones, branches getting stuck in strange places - alll the sort of things that normal folk would very rarely experience.

If an obstacle suddenly appears in front of you - that's life and you have to deal with it. Risk/cost etc, your choice.

So the general consensus is that it's better to have it, even if it's a 'just in case' insurance? Or have I got that wrong and it's a waste of money?

The added protection doesn't sound all that substantial but looking across this thread, there are owners who would beg to differ. The problem I have is that no one appears to have had an experience that proves the RRP's worth and based on that it's tough to call.

I don't have it and my Yeti has been here there and everywhere! Are you going to be giving it plenty off road or on very loose surfaces etc?

Did your old car have it or need it?

If the answer is yes then it is a worthy investment, if the answer is no, then it isn't a worthy investment.

None of my previous cars have had it, including our family mobile that we've relied upon for the last 5 years or so - a Skoda Octavia.

I wouldn't generally take a normal car onto anything more severe than a damp field. Knowing the lack of ground clearance on a regular car and the fact that most aren't designed for that sort of terrain, I couldn't say one way or the other if underside protection were required in those circumstances.

With a car such as the Yeti, however, I'd be much more confident that it could handle most situations and I wouldn't be afraid to take it off the beaten track. It's with this in mind that I'm considering the RRP and doesn't really have anything to do with my previous cars and whether I've needed such precautions or not.

I'm going back to something you said earlier:

The added protection doesn't sound all that substantial

The main piece of protection you might need is the sump guard, and I can assure you it is substantial, even if it is made of plastic. Most works rally cars now use exactly the same plastic, as it is both strong and wear resistant, however they use a thicker material, but then they are likely to be doing speeds well in excess of what you are!

As I've said I do not have any protection underneath, but my standard fitting shield is scratched as it has touched the ground several times, however as a trained off-road instructor and assessor I know both my limits and those of my vehicle. The most important, and first thing that any driver is taught, is to check the route ahead and if doubt STOP! Yes the unexpected can get you, but the "art" of driving off-road is going only as fast neccesary, so that you can see directly in front of you, and I do mean directly in front. This can well mean no more than 2 or 3 mph. At that speed you should be able to avoid most things and be able to stop as soon as you feel something touch. Anything faster is too fast.

Only you can decide what you need, but I would say that the average owner does not need the RRP.

EDIT:

Have a look here:

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/248011-mid-wales-meet-saturday-22nd-september-elan-valley/page__st__30

This is quite a mild lane (to me) and a sump guard certainly wasn't needed along there.

What I find interesting is that the people who have responded so far who I know have some skill and experience in off road driving are actually saying it's not worth it.

I, on the other hand, find it much more significant that those who say it's not worth it don't have it, and those who say it is, already have it or have decided to get it. In other words, what we have here is purchaser's confirmation bias, that is, the strong wish to believe one made the right decision when spending one's money. This is the plague of so many opinions posted on motoring and other consumer forums.

What I'd take seriously is someone saying ' I didn't buy it and I made a mistake', or 'I bought it and wish I hadn't' (unlikely though the latter is in this case).

Remember, in reading all this stuff on here you are so often listening to people who are trying to generalise on the basis of just one person's experience, and who have an uncanny tendency to advise others to do -- guess what -- exactly what they themselves have done. Well I never. Science it is not. Caveat lector.

Edited 31 January, 201313 yr by r999

Kitten and I opted for the rough road package because it offers extra ADDITIONAL protection from the elements also. :yes:

What I'd take seriously is someone saying ' I didn't buy it and I made a mistake'

I didn't buy a RRP and had to retrofit oil sump protection myself, which I somewhat regret, although it wasn't my mistake (I bought my Yeti from the showroom).

While I agree that an average owner CAN get along without the RRP or oil sump protection, I prefer to have one just to feel more confident and worry less. I don't expect it to bear full car's weight, but if I hear something scratching it, I know that I have to lower the speed and be careful. And if I still hit something, the protection would do its job. Yes, it is sort of insurance.

What I'd take seriously is someone saying ' I didn't buy it and I made a mistake', or 'I bought it and wish I hadn't' (unlikely though the latter is in this case).

Well, how about "I didn't buy it for Mk1 Octavia (import from Ireland), made a mistake, caught it in time just as my stock engine guard was cracked in a couple places, and had to retrofit skid plate + brake/fuel line covers myself"

On the Mk1 Superb, I ordered rough road package with the car (again imported from Ireland). On the 2012 Roomster, I was not allowed to order offroad package (thanks yet again SUK :(), so resorted to talking the salesman into throwing in skid plate parts (and an alloy full size spare) within 0%VAT offer price, then installed the skid plate myself. For me it is pure insurance and has done its job repeatedly. I do not think you can call my driving offroading at all, I merely drive on some very poor tarmac roads full of potholes for over a hundred miles at times, and have enough mileage on motorway/autobahn to hit debris at speed there every couple years or so. Roomster's skid plate already has a few scrapes, it's not even a year and the car is driven mostly in the UK.

Edited 1 February, 201313 yr by dieselV6