Took delivery of a new F/L 140 2Ltr Diesel SE Outdoor about 4 weeks ago and just thought I’d give a rundown of good and bad.

 

Why we chose a Yeti.

Wanted a 4x4 but didn’t want a full blown gas guzzler. Don’t need to worry about space for kids, dog etc. Like the chunky styling. Like the way it drives. Good reviews from owners. Compact enough to park comfortably, made even easier by the parking sensors.  Exclusivity, pretty rare sight on the roads.  

 

Start with the spec we went for. SE, fully aware that value for money wise the Elegance makes most sense but the only reason I didn’t go for it was the fact that you couldn’t specify cloth seats. I definitely did not want the Leather that come as standard (test drove a 3 yr old Elegance and the seats were awful). I know that Alcantara is available but I didn’t want to go to the expense of those. Dealer informed me early on that it would come with Annapurna alloys and tbh I’d have upgraded to them anyway. Would I get the same spec again? No, purely due to the fact that a little more power would make the Yeti experience even better (170bhp is not available on SE spec). Other than that all the toys are great and the spec spot on.

 

Colour we chose was Muscovado. Was keen on Metallic Grey but the wife put the kybosh on that (other cars have been silver/grey), she wanted white. I had seen a few white yetis before and like them but I fancied something a little different. Now we have it I think it’s great, have seen a lot of older models in the same colour and it looks even better on the F/L, seems to change colour in different light from brown to bronze to gold. Tends to show the dirt/dust quickly but so be it. Would I get the same colour again? Yes.

 

Extra’s I have.

Silver roof rails. Makes the car look even smarter so a visual thing only. Would I specify them again? Yes.

Sport seats - Tend to push on in the corners and wanted seats that would hold me in place a bit better. The standard seats didn’t seem supportive enough so I’m glad we got them. I wasn’t even aware that the SE spec seats had a swirly pattern that some people dislike strongly (brochure doesn’t show them clearly enough). Would I specify them again? Yes. They feel awesome and the bolsters do a very good job, no more bracing elbows on the inside of the doors for me.

Rough Road Package - Intend to use the car off road (soft roading) as much as possible so seemed logical. Would I specify it again? Yes, just need to research where the jacking points are as I think they are covered by the guard.

Off Road Button - Tend to want to use the car when roads aren’t at their best and have often not been able to get out when I really wanted to so this and the 4x4 should put a stop to that. Used it in anger once so far and all good. Would I specify it again? Yes.

Light assist, auto dimming mirror and rain sensor- Bit of luxury (for me anyway). Would I specify them again? Yes.

Amundsen/Sat Nav- Could have saved some money and used the wife’s Tom Tom but didn’t want to see wires hanging around. Its ok, display a bit low but overall pleased.

 

Extras I wish I had.

Heated windscreen- Winter can be a bit harsh so the extra convenience would be great, read on one of the forums that the screen blower is a bit poor at defrosting, find out soon I suppose.

Heated windscreen washer nozzles-As above.

Rear Mud Flaps- Going to fit some myself but would have been easier, and cheaper, to just spec them (read on a forum that someone spec’d them and got the fronts done too for free).

 

Not so good.

Rain water leaking onto the parcel shelf when the boot is opened. Only happened once but I read that it can be a problem.

Could do with a little more power but it may liven up a bit more once run in properly.

Tend to kick the seat base when I’m getting in/out.

Should I have spec’d a spare wheel? Drove 7 continuous months (15,000 miles) around Europe in a motorhome with no issues and only a tin of gunk to rescue me so…….?

Internal door handle feel a bit weak, doesn’t feel that it will last.

Plastics are good but not top rate, has marked already. Had a Mondeo and C5 before and plastics ‘felt’ better in them both.

At very low speed the steering can be very heavy.

Glue residue on the C pillars- Wasn’t noticeable on the 1^st few washes but I’m finding more of it. Will try removing with ‘Stain Slayer’.

Cruise control is a little confusing, haven’t worked out how to increase the speed in greater increments. Keeping the finger on the ‘+’ increases speed by a small amount and then resets the system. It’s probably my fault, will need to revisit the manual.

Ah, the manual. Hmm. Leave it there I think.

Not a lot else.

 

Things I’m impressed with.

Handling- Wasn’t expecting it to handle so well, feels tight and well planted in the corners and it encourage me to push on a little more than I have before on local twisty stuff, I see the wife doing the ‘corner of seat and door handle grab’ more often in this car than in others, doesn’t lean as much as I thought it would. I thought the ‘Yeti grin/smile’ hype that I had read about on the forums was a bit OTT and I don’t find myself grinning when I drive it but having said that I am getting more satisfaction the more I drive it, maybe the grin will come later on.

Comfort- Low speed ride is a bit harsh but it’s the 17’s I suppose, other than that it’s great. The combination of the sports seats and great driving position (centre console to rest the arm) mean that I don’t get the lower back ache that I sometimes experienced with other cars. I haven’t even noticed the slightly elevated driving position. Gear box is great and clutch not too heavy.

Dealer experience- Absolutely no issues at all. Got the deal I wanted and the car was delivered in 9 weeks. Emailed the dealer whenever I wanted an update and got a reply within 24hrs.

 

Would I get another Yeti? Yes, definitely. Hoping the wife will want it in a few years it so that I can get another. 

An interesting critique - thanks for taking the time.  Just a couple of comments, if I may? 

 

Some other members apart from me reckon that the Mucky Musky colour camouflages well with a little dirt.  But yes, it can glow nicely in the right light. 

 

The 140CR seems generally reported to free up at around 5K miles.  Mine did, quite noticeably, so perhaps you'll find that it isn't necessary to have a 170 to keep your wife awake on the bends . 

 

Alright - three comments:  The Yeti Grin is sometimes internal and it sounds likely that you've got it 

 

Good review, thanks for that.

 

Couple of points:

Internal door handle feel a bit weak, doesn’t feel that it will last. Mine have lasted for 4 years with no problems and I've not heard of anyone breaking one.

Cruise control is a little confusing, haven’t worked out how to increase the speed in greater increments. Keeping the finger on the ‘+’ increases speed by a small amount and then resets the system. It’s probably my fault, will need to revisit the manual. Don't keep your finger on it, just keep tapping it, each tap seems to be about 1mph.

 

Out of interest, where are you in the country, as you haven't listed a location?

[quote name="Llanigraham" post="3848965"

 

Out of interest, where are you in the country, as you haven't listed a location?

NP22

Thanks Darren, just down the road then.

 

If you click on your name at the top right corner of the page you can edit your profile there.

Great write up & observations.

 

One little point to pick - Alcantara is available on the Elegance - and it's free - a no-cost substitute for leather...You could have gone for it in Ele spec after all!!!

Darren bought an SE, and I thought that Alcantra was a cost extra on that level

Darren bought an SE, and I thought that Alcantra was a cost extra on that level

Yeah don't think he liked the leather on the elegance version

Darren bought an SE, and I thought that Alcantra was a cost extra on that level

 

 

Surely the point Darren was making was that he didn't want leather at any cost so went for the SE not realising that he could have specced Alacantra on the Elegance.  He did actually want the Elegance - it was just that he didn't realise he could have Alacantra on it without paying, what he considered, was more than he wanted to pay.   Keep up at the back laddy.

 

I myself didn't realise you could have Alacantra at no extra cost on the Elegance and thought, mistakenly, you had to have leather....and don't happen to want it.

Surely the point Darren was making was that he didn't want leather at any cost so went for the SE not realising that he could have specced Alacantra on the Elegance.  He did actually want the Elegance - it was just that he didn't realise he could have Alacantra on it without paying, what he considered, was more than he wanted to pay.  

Exactly that, I should have looked at the brochure more closely. Although if I went elegance then i'd have gone for 170 and ended up spending more than I wanted. All in I've got a great car that I comfortable with what I paid.

Can't recall seeing any great opinion here on Alacantra in VAG cars.  Just typed it in to 'search' but didn't return anything other than my own observations....must have got that wrong too.

Apologies, I misunderstood.

Must say I do like the look of the Alcantra.

To increase speed faster than the Cruise controls Res/+, accelerate with foot pedal then press Res/+. If anything I would have preferred the cruise controls to have been on the steering wheel, it's somewhat hidden away behind. One of the nicer aspects of my now gone SZ5.

 

Probably my only gripe with our new Yeti is that both storks are well hidden behind the wheel.

Can't recall seeing any great opinion here on Alacantra in VAG cars.  Just typed it in to 'search' but didn't return anything other than my own observations....must have got that wrong too.

Spelling Timothy!

Probably my only gripe with our new Yeti is that both storks are well hidden behind the wheel.

I haven't seen any storks in my Yeti, they must be well hidden 

Once run in if you still want more power a DTUK tuning box will provide it for you. Depending which one you go for and what setting you have it on 170 should be easily available.... possibly more. If you look on their website the numbers are there for you, they are plug and play too so take only a matter of minutes to fit and can be easily removed and swapped to a newer similar car when you change. All you pay extra for is the connecting lead. DTUK provide the new software for free.

Worth thinking about if you find 140 isn't enough for you.

To increase speed faster than the Cruise controls Res/+, accelerate with foot pedal then press Res/+. If anything I would have preferred the cruise controls to have been on the steering wheel, it's somewhat hidden away behind. One of the nicer aspects of my now gone SZ5.

 

Probably my only gripe with our new Yeti is that both storks are well hidden behind the wheel.

 

 

Blimey!

Don't they make a mess on the carpet? 

Cruise control is a little confusing, haven’t worked out how to increase the speed in greater increments. Keeping the finger on the ‘+’ increases speed by a small amount and then resets the system. It’s probably my fault, will need to revisit the manual.

 

Hmm, mine doesn't do this.  I can definitely adjust the cruise control speed up or down by large increments by pressing and holding the appropriate button on the end of the left-hand stalk. They might have changed the functionality since 2010, or it might be faulty.  You could try mentioning it to your dealer but they might not know themselves exactly how it's supposed to work.

 

I think the method suggested by DonjSZ5 does work too, IIRC I stumbled  upon that a few months back, having had the Yeti for over three years!

Edited 9 July, 201412 yr by ejstubbs

Very recently got back from a long continental run in my L&K Petrol Yeti, now had for 7 weeks.

 

My impressions after the Octy vRs is that this is a less tiring car on long journeys, & you dont feel a compulsion to drive with your foot flat to the floor on the autobahns, it is more relaxing, & the extra power if the 1.8 can get you out into the ' nutter ' lane & back in again easily  . I am already looking forward to an approx 1000 mile round trip to Bavaria later this year.

 

Build quality is slightly better than the Octy as i had an annoying rattle from day 1 that no one could find, but the Yeti is feels well screwed together with no rattles even after belgian concrete autobahns, & dutch shared spaces with all the speed bumps they have.

 

The ride was already less harsh than the Octy, but feels to have softened slightly ( maybe all the dutch speed ramps / bumps), but certainly not to making it wallowy in corners. Yes i also find that cornering is very car like & can lead you into more spirited cornering that you would think about with the car being relatively high.

 

Had cruise in my previous Octy & found that if you accelerate to required speed & press top of rocker that it will set speed, when you disengage & want same speed back the press rocker at the top, if you want to set a new speed then get to new speed & press bottom of rocker & new speed set.

To adjust i have found that a quick double press up or down will increase / decrease speed by 1 Kph on digital display, & holding the rocker switch after a slight delay you will feel increase / decrease in speed, depending on which part of switch you are pressing. This same process seems to apply to the Yeti.

 

This car suits our current needs exactly, the question around would i buy another, well it certainly MIGHT be an option, but given the cars are getting bigger & the creep of price increases, buy the time we come to change then i suspect the car would be too big to fit in the garage & it might just be out of our range.

 

My only disappointment of the car, is that for an L&K - which is supposed to be top of the range  2 items have been missed - 1) electric boot close

&

2) Auto folding mirrors on locking car ( specially if you have KESSY).

Extra’s I have.

Silver roof rails. Makes the car look even smarter so a visual thing only. Would I specify them again? Yes.

Sport seats - Tend to push on in the corners and wanted seats that would hold me in place a bit better. The standard seats didn’t seem supportive enough so I’m glad we got them. I wasn’t even aware that the SE spec seats had a swirly pattern that some people dislike strongly (brochure doesn’t show them clearly enough). Would I specify them again? Yes. They feel awesome and the bolsters do a very good job, no more bracing elbows on the inside of the doors for me.

 

 

Nice to see somebody else went for the sports seats. Even though I have only done 500 miles I already find them very good. I went for them as I wanted something firm, supportive, hard wearing and I could not live with the swirly pattern on the City SE. I also have no regrets.

The silver roof rails also look great.

 

Colin

Semi auto folding mirrors if I keep my finger on the lock doors button on key fob,or is that auto?

I watched the electric boot close on an Audi A6 yesterday...very nice indeed. The operator only flicked it a few cm's to get it going.

Couple of points:

Internal door handle feel a bit weak, doesn’t feel that it will last. Mine have lasted for 4 years with no problems and I've not heard of anyone breaking one.

 

They're the same as those in the Octavia and those have been around since 2004 and I've not heard of any problems. They're a solid enough design. I've had a look at them when I've had my doors to bits.

The cruise control does change in 1mph increments by tapping the rocker switch up or down, but it doesnt seem to rememeber a sequence of taps, unlike a previous Superb I had a few years ago. It seems the next tap doesn't do anything until the car speed has increased and the car is going at the new set speed?

 

I have specced Alcantura in my new car, having had the plain leather in the last one. It is a little different to sit on, you can't easily slide around on the seat to get the best position. Conversely, once in position you stay there, whereas in the previous car I was regularly having to push myself back into the seat properly.

 

I also have the electric seat option in the new car, and it is much easier to get a comfortable driving position. In the old car the seat squab angel was wrong and it dug into my legs behind my knees and I had to put the seat in a less than desirable position to ameliorate this. With the electric seat, the angel can be varied, and once correct the seat moves in all directions at the correct angle. It is much more comfortable so far.

 

We took the greenline to the lake district on Holiday this week, 4 adults and full of luggage, and when we set off on Sunday the car had done 140 miles!

 

Took it failrly easy when not struggling up a hill etc to give the engine a chance to run in a little. It would still maintain 70 on the motorways without a problem.

 

Just got home and now at 550 miles and the engine is bedding in nicely and is quite nippy when needed.

 

We saw yetis all over the place in the lakes, seems to be very popular with the types who visit there. An ideal walkers car? Quite a few facelift models as well.

Blimey, Ken must be honoured, he's got angels in his car......................................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coat on, leaving for the corner, now.