Here's a few photos of my new steed which has just replaced a 2006 Ford S-max 2.5T Titanium X Sport.

 

 

It's a CR170 4x4 Yeti Outdoors Elegance with the following options over standard spec:

- Alcantara interior

- Amundsen SatNav

- 12 speaker system

- MDI

- Panoramic Roof

- Black Roof

- Rear Mudflaps

- LED Lights

- Reversible Mat

- Partition Net

- Textile Mats

- Heated front screen & washer nozzles

- Matterhorn Alloys

 

Picked it up yesterday and immediately added vRS badges (first part of a makeover), rear bumper protector & black door pillar covers.

 

First impressions -good stuff:

- Love the little touches - coming home/going away lights, clips, nets & hooks in the boot, rechargeable torch, fold-in mirrors etc.

- The MDI system works flawlessly and is a real gem.

- The Amundsen (in latest spec anyway) is fantastic - I was really concerned about this on past reviews but coupled with the MDI I could not see any value in the Colorado - I have no need for the hard disk & the screen size is perfectly adequate for me especially as it puts instructions on the maxidot anyway.

- The engine & gearbox is silky smooth & refined

- The alcantara upholstery is a bit of a "wow" - the dealer staff were all cooing over it as they'd not seen it in a Yeti before.

- The sunroof is jaw-dropping every time we open it (despite the rain!).

 

However it's not all good news...

- The seats are nowhere near as comfy or supportive as the ones in our old s-max

- The "champagne" (floodwater-brown) trim in the dashboard is god-awful - fortunately the dealer is going to change this when the unprecedented demand for SE silver-trim abates to the point where they can order a set in.

- Why no power socket for the rear passengers? I have trailing wires in from the boot!

- Some of the plastics are a bit low-rent compared with what we had in the S-max

- A bit disappointed with the sea of buttons on the climate panel - I would have expected something a bit more ergonomic & minimalist from a VAG product.

- Also a bit disappointed that the dash lights up green, but the dials & maxidot are white - could they really not have got these the same colour??

- The 17" wheels don't really fill the arches enough for my liking. 

- A bit more exhaust note would not go amiss... - but that's being picky.

 

Still I am 100% smitten with it - have today ordered some rubber mats, sill protectors, interior bling and a vRS paddleshift wheel.

Performance air filter and a remap are on the radar for the future.

 

And the colour combo is "growing" on me....

I'm sure it is to your taste, but I really don't like the black roof and B post!

What's the part number of the rear bumper protector - I presume it isn't the same as the pre-FL?

Looks a really nice car. Those B pillar covers really let it down though in my opinion. I'm also not keen on adding badges.

However it's not all good news...

- The seats are nowhere near as comfy or supportive as the ones in our old s-max

- A bit disappointed with the sea of buttons on the climate panel - I would have expected something a bit more ergonomic & minimalist from a VAG product.

- The 17" wheels don't really fill the arches enough for my liking. 

- A bit more exhaust note would not go amiss... - but that's being picky.

Just to comment on these particular points:

On the seats: give them more time (maybe a few weeks) and see if your opinion changes. I certainly found them hard and a bit unwelcoming to start with. And I'm sure they're not as generous as they could be if more of the car's budget had been spent on them. But like many people here I now find them perfectly OK and more comfortable than many on long journeys.

Climate control: Valid points, but IME all you need day-to-day is to know how to set the left/right temperatures (and turn on seat heaters), plus very occasionally turn the demist on to full. The great majority of the time the system works fine on Auto.

Wheel arches: It is a 4x4 not a people carrier and so needs a lot more potential suspension travel. Agreed, the space allowed is a bit more exaggerated than in some 4x4's, but not excessively so.

And personally I'd like a bit less of an exhaust note.

@aerofurb - sorry I binned the packaging after fitting but yes you're right - it is not the same as the pre-FL part.

@nick p - I know those pillars & badges are marmite. I photoshopped it before ordering the pillars and I can to the conclusion that with the black roof the pillars look better in white, but if the roof was body coloured they would be better without the covers.

@prodata - All valid points - i do recall having to "wear-in" the seats on a previous car. And the s-max was not without its faults - I just like to present a balanced opinion. I am every sure I will get used to (& probably in due course) enjoy the car's foibles & rough edges in time - after all its miles ahead of the two Smarts I also have in the fleet!

I really like the two tone white and black contrast (especially the door pillar covers), SWMBO likes the trim inside but like most I think it is awful what were Škoda thinking of?

 

vRS badges on a Yeti though.... really? it cheapens the car IMO 

(not to mention the vRS is actually a lower spec car than an Elegance - Yeti)

If any Yeti is going to be able to get anywhere near vRS status I'd say a 170bhp plus a remap and other mods would come closer than most.

That' a nice looking motor for sure.

I agree that the dashboard trim spoils the interior look. However, instead of replacing it with SE silver trim, why not try and source the L+K one? You're obviously not too bothered at mixing it up a bit and I think that the dark L+K strip would complement those Alcantara seats well.

I like your thinking but I much prefer the brushed silver finish (common as muck though it may be) to the l&k piano black. And the l&k logo would be at odds with the vRS look I'm aiming for and would just annoy me.

Looks great, but not a fan of the extra badges or the B-pillar changes.

 

To each their own

Apart from until the new L&K DSG 170s hit the forum, this must be the most expensive Yeti on the entire forum - and it is only an Elegance to boot.  

 

Looks good but the best most distinctive part of the Yeti design - that B-pillar - has been hidden.  With the tell tale white lines creeping up UNDER the black stuff to boot.  But each to their own.  I'm glad you're getting the golden dash trims replaced.  That will smarten up the interior a lot.  Enjoy your new beastie!

I'll be swapping our "champagne" inserts out on Wednesday. I wonder if any have hit ebay yet?

I'll be swapping our "champagne" inserts out on Wednesday. I wonder if any have hit ebay yet?

 

Nick that's really doing champagne a disfavour...      "Sparkly glitter strips" is more apt.

spangly poop strips?

I went for the same colour combination and wheels

 

I can't make my mind up on the B pillar covers you have added. How are they attached?

I went for the same colour combination and wheels

 

I can't make my mind up on the B pillar covers you have added. How are they attached?

 

They're just stuck on with pre-applied tape - very easy to remove if you change your mind - quick blast with a heat gun (or hairdryer will suffice) and they'll peel away.

 

Here's a photo of the same car before I collected it (i.e. before the panels were added) if it helps you decide...

Edited 3 March, 201412 yr by 137699

@aerofurb - sorry I binned the packaging after fitting but yes you're right - it is not the same as the pre-FL part.

 

No worries, ordered though Allams today. Thanks anyway.

vRS badges on a Yeti though.... really? it cheapens the car IMO 

(not to mention the vRS is actually a lower spec car than an Elegance - Yeti)

Have to agree - why buy a brand new Yeti when you really want and can afford a vRS?

First impression will be 'he bought a Yeti because he can't afford a vRS'

It's a marmite thing... but as there is no vRS Yeti making my own is the next best thing.

 

It might help explain by mentioning that my previous 2 cars were Ford S-max 2.5 Titanium X-Sport (the one with the Focus ST engine in it, bodykit, sports suspension and 220bhp) and a Vauxhall Zafira GSi Turbo (the one with the Astra VXR engine in it, bodykit, sports suspension and 200bhp).

 

I need a practical car. The Yeti is the perfect size for us and I *REALLY* like the look & design of it.

I like a fast car. Hence choosing the 170 engine - and why I'm going to be fitting paddleshift & getting it remapped.

I also like to make the car look individual - hence why I chose the black roof & wheels, the striking colour scheme, LED lights etc.

 

I am very aware that other Skoda owners are likely to scoff - they're knowledgeable about the marque and know that a vRS Yeti model doesn't exist.

 

But today I parked it in the car park at work - 3 of my colleagues separately came in and said "wow - you got the vRS version - I bet that's quick" (or words to that effect) ... the answer is - yes it is quick actually - and that's before I've really given it the beans (still running in) and before I do anything performance-wise to improve it.

I didn't set them straight that the model designation is fake. I just afforded myself a wry smile - because that's exactly the reaction I hoped to get by popping those badges on there.

 

My own little moment of vanity I guess... but one which might make that #&?$'s in the BMWs and Audi's in lane 3 on the motorways thinks a little differently when I'm behind or in-front of them.

Edited 3 March, 201412 yr by 137699

Apart from until the new L&K DSG 170s hit the forum, this must be the most expensive Yeti on the entire forum - and it is only an Elegance to boot.  

 

Yes you're absolutely right. We spent £1500 (discounted back to £500) more than an L&K with what we bought - but as the L&K is not offered with 170 & DSG together (at present you can have one or other but not both - though rumour has it that;s about to change), the coloured roof was not available, the only interior option was Brown Leather, and the Matterhorn alloys were not an option, we decided to go for a highly-spec'd Elegance instead.

 

In all honesty the brown leather was the dealbreaker. I would have settled for the 140DSG and the body coloured roof. I'd have bought a set of matterhorns and sold the annapurna's on ebay. But brown-leather.... sorry - not for me!

Edited 4 March, 201412 yr by 137699

but one which might make that #&?$'s in the BMWs and Audi's in lane 3 on the motorways thinks a little differently when I'm behind or in-front of them.

I like your logic but the 316 has probably got 'M' badges on it already lol

Used to be that some lowly model 3 series BMW drivers, used to de-badge their cars for fear of feeling inferior to their 325i brothers.

 

I think that is still a factory option as well.

 

Sad!

I didn't set them straight that the model designation is fake.

 

I'll bet you didn't! I can't imagine they'd be impressed by buying and fitting badges to a brand new car to make random people think it's faster than it is. Sorry, it's just not a mindset I can grasp.

 

I think peoples reactions, in increasing order of familiarity with the brand and interest in cars, would range from oblivious, to indifferent, to confused, to dismayed, to full physical face-palm.

Here's a photo of the same car before I collected it (i.e. before the panels were added) if it helps you decide...

 

Looks nine billion times better this way...  Sorry.  With them things on it just becomes a dead boring two box car.