Last week I was on a business trip to Finland and as the weather was unpredictable I managed to convince my employer that a 4x4 would be a good safety idea.  I left my pre facelift white 110 Yeti SE at Heathrow and picked up a pre facelift white 140 Yeti at Jyväskylä airport.  Having set up the MFD the way I like it and converting the Columbus to English (it was set in French but the MFD was in English – no Finnish option) I was on my way, even though the swap to LHD, in what was essentially the same car, initially felt very strange.

 

Cold weather was expecting and the following morning saw an indicated -22.5°C on the dashboard.  Heated seats were impressive and essential.  The car heater really struggled to keep the cockpit warm below -20°C.  No heated front screen – probably too expensive as an option on a rental car.

The Continental ContiIceContact studded tyres (215/60 R 16) were amazing on the snow/ice roads - really difficult to break grip even when I tried.  Drag and road noise is fairly apparent on tarmac but still the grip was excellent.  I was surprised to see alloy wheels fitted though.

I stopped to take some photos of the car (and the stunning scenery) in -18°C.  The weather improved on the 3½ hour (180 mile) drive south to Helsinki where it was a balmy -1.5°C.

 

I couldn’t help myself from refitting the nets in the boot correctly and putting the warning triangle in the proper place!  Interestingly there was no spare wheel or jack but the usual inflation pump and goo.

 

A few other minor things different on Finnish Yetis that I spotted.  No LED lights by the interior light switches, auto lights & auto dipping mirror.  Fuel economy varied from 39.8 to 41.5mpg.

 

Driving your ‘own’ car (albeit LHD) gives you a lot more confidence in extreme conditions.  The Yeti is an amazing car – a few days in Finland proved again that it’s pretty much all the car you’ll ever need.  I thought I would share the story with the forum.

Wow, looks like a great trip! I guess hard to say in those conditions but did you notice much difference with the 140 vs your 110?

Yes I have to say I did.  Not that I have found my 110 slow but the acceleration on the 140 was noticeably better, even with the studded tyres.  I didn't test the top speed as the Finnish Police are not known for their tolerance and these days they all speak English!  I'd love to try a 170 sometime.

Yetis seem pretty popular with Avis.  There were a lot at Helsinki airport - both facelift and pre-facelift versions.

Looks like you had some nice weather - there are some good roads around Jyväskylä that occasionally get used for a rally...

Yes, in fact the Rally of Finland (July/August 2015) is still based at Jyväskylä.  The stages run around the city.  I drove some of them many years ago in another hire car - great fun!

Thanks Hanki, an enjoyable Yeti report with a difference, which provided you the opportunity to make a number of comparisons, besides the left and righthand driving positions.