Having thought 'I wish someone had posted a really detailed review or long term test of their Yeti on here' but not found one, I thought I'd take it upon myself to do so. Ironically (and somewhat sadly) I'm writing this on the very day that Skoda UK have announced that they're killing off several Yeti trim levels. Anyway - make yourself a coffee and have a laugh at my ramblings:

 

The context.

Both of my (older) cars were/are off the road. I was struggling to find the time to do the work needed to sort them out and we needed another roadworthy car. We (or more accurately, my wife) already owned a Citigo. An absolute gem of a car in my opinion and something that amounts to far more than the (meagre) sum of its parts. However, having bought the damn thing for her birthday, said wife inferred without words that it wasn't quite the right car for her and she'd like something a little larger, but not too large. Just enough rope for me swing from, I thought, but I happily set to with building my gallows. The search was on.

 

The Citigo was on a PCP. I'd settled on that means of finance after much looking around. Skoda's finance terms were at least as good or better than most of the rivals and they were throwing in 3 years free servicing too. We're not fortunate enough to have buckets of spare cash falling out of every cupboard and even if we were I wouldn't be daft enough to pour it into the Black Hole that is automotive depreciation, especially when Skoda are kind enough to offer near-0% finance over 3.5 years.

 

So back to our local Skoda dealer we went, after a good look around the interweb for a shortlist of potential small estate cars. That turned out to be a very short list and the new Fabia Mk3 that was just breaking cover, complete with quite a nice looking estate variant, soon rose to the top. I had a test drive in a diesel DSG estate (not too impressed by that combination) and a manual TSi 90 hatch (so much better). I was particularly taken with the TSi engine; very smooth and sweet with almost diesel-like low rev torque and very quiet too. When we were waiting to take the hatch out, I had a few minutes to kill in the showroom so perched in a Yeti Monte Carlo. That was the first time I had so much as looked at a Yeti. Build quality and materials were a step up from the Fabia, especially for the interior. I asked for a PCP quote on one and was put off pretty quickly; high monthlies and a massive balloon payment at the end.

 

So I set to with getting quotes for a Fabia Monte Carlo Tsi 110 estate (with several options) from various dealers and brokers. We got very close to placing an order through Carwow - in fact I probably would have placed the order if the salesman had been at his phone when last I called - but then happened upon a comment from someone in a thread on here about "very attractive PCH deals for Yetis at the moment" or words to that effect. Curiosity roused, I asked a few questions and ended up talking to someone at Simpsons in Preston. 'Twas true: If I could gather together a £2k deposit, I could have a top-of-the-range L&K model for half the monthlies I was just about to commit to for the Fabia estate. Better still, the commitment was for only 24 months, not 42, so my total exposure to risk was reduced should I fall on hard times. All I had to do was convince myself that I wanted to rent a car rather than own one. As pointed out to me by the same person on the above mentioned thread (a man to whom I surely owe a pint or three), a good look at the depreciation losses suffered by both the Yeti and the Fabia over the term of either contract should do that. It did. It would also buy me the time to get my two (beloved) cars sorted and back on the road.

 

The Buying Experience.

I selected a few low-cost options - full size spare, fold flat front seat, heated washer jets, rear mudflaps and driver fatigue sensor - then called Simpsons to place my order. I didn't want to go mad as I knew I was in effect gifting Skoda the options, but couldn't resist the opportunity to personalise. More fool me. At least Skoda options are sanely priced. A couple of emails back and forth and a £500 deposit paid over the phone and I was on the waiting list as of 26th September 2015. I was told to expect delivery in around 10-12 weeks. A Cappuccino Beige 4x4 mini-beast with the infamous brown leather interior would soon be mine. No mention would be made to the wife or kids. Should make a nice surprise, I thought….

 

Except that Simpsons then posted better figures on their website for the same car about 3 days later. Not happy, I emailed Simpsons and, well, whinged. No problem said they, we'll send a new order advice and you can go on the new terms. The only forfeit was that the 10-12 week wait would reset. Then they did it again. Any cheaper, and they'll be giving them away in Christmas crackers, thought I. But I'm not going to look past the gold fillings in the horse's mouth. Certainly not for £1,990 down followed by 23 x £124, with a mileage allowance of 8,000p.a.. Additional miles to be charged at 7.2p inc. VAT (just about the same as on a PCP). Servicing would be at my expense but I was told I should get away with one Minor Service which would cost around £180. General opinion on this hallowed forum was that the tyres would easily last my 16k mile term, so they shouldn't be a worry. Other than that, just insure it, put petrol in it and drive it. For a total of £5,207 over 2 years, I was happy. A guilty pleasure, but quite an affordable one. There was no way I'd be driving a brand new £25,500 car home by other means. The Yeti would depreciate by more than I would be paying out in 2 years/16k miles anyway, so why bother buying it?

 

Build times dragged out a little. As soon as I had paid my deposit and finally settled on a finance deal, Simpsons didn't really want to talk to me. Christmas came and went. I asked if I could see a shortlist of reg numbers when delivery approached, but that didn't transpire. I asked if I could be given as much notice of collection date as possible as I'm self-employed and my schedule is invariably hectic. I got an email 3 days before collection day.

 

I took the long train ride to Preston from Wiltshire and collected the car on January 26th 2016. Simpsons sent a car to pick me up from the station, which was good of them. As soon as I arrived at the showroom, I got the feeling I was on a conveyor belt. The salesman doing the handover wasn't the person that I'd been in touch with when placing the order. He told me I had a 45 minute slot to complete the handover. In that month (January 2016) they would be registering 50 Yeti L&K's alone. Paperwork and signatures were sorted efficiently and I was also persuaded to cough up £199 for 24 months GAP cover. I could have done better on line, but my thinking was that if the policy is with VWFS, there would be no point in them arguing about values should I need to make a claim. Their bat. Their ball. Their wickets. Even if I bought the car on a PCP (which I couldn't afford to do anyway, so it's purely hypothetical) I would probably have done the same. I was also told that they had been kind enough to put £40-worth of petrol in it and added it to my bill. How very kind. I'm not entirely sure how many litres they actually put in the car for my £40, but as it transpired, let's just say that I wouldn't advise buying your fuel from that garage, wherever it may be…..

 

After a very quick tour (around 5-10 minutes) around the car on a rather wet and windy forecourt and a handshake, that was it. All in all a rather sterile occasion.

 

First Impressions.

Not to worry. The heated seat was working nicely, I found it easy to get comfortable and the engine, though tight, felt reasonably smooth and refined. The brown leather wasn't as offensively turd-toned as I'd feared and seemed well enough trimmed, even if it quite obviously wasn't Connolly hide. Leather for The Masses. Menus for the Amundsen head unit were easy enough to negotiate and I soon had a few DAB radio presets filled without having to delve into the handbook. Having tapped in my home address on the sat nav., off I went. My first drive in a Yeti was the 260 mile drive home, so it's just as well I quite liked it. The steering was accurate and reasonably well weighted, but typically modern-hatch numb and not particularly engaging. The gearchange and brakes were in a similar vein. As darkness descended, I got to see the night time persona of the interior. Well balanced dash illumination, but the heating controls and the Amundsen screen are placed too low and you have to take your eyes entirely off the road to see them. To some extent, the excellent steering wheel controls and the Maxidot display between the speedometer and tacho go some way to mitigate this failing. I was feeling some minor rumble/vibration through the clutch pedal when changing gear; the feeling that something isn't perfectly balanced. Not as turbine-smooth as the TSi unit in the Fabia I test drove.

 

Once off the motorways, I could see. Literally. The bi-xenon headlights were excellent. Bright and very white, with an evenly spread beam, excellent cut-off on low beam and great focus into the centre-distance in full beam. Road noise was not as bad as I had feared, perhaps because the Michelin Pilots are pure road tyres without off-road aspirations. The fuel Simpsons had kindly charged me for barely lasted the journey home. Bought a bit of a gas guzzler, thought I.

 

One Year On - The Detailed Impressions.

My Yeti passed the 8,000 mile mark two days before twelve months of my tenure were up, so the mileage allowance I chose has so far proved adequate. If that trend continues, I'll owe VWFS something like £30 in over-mileage charges at the end of the two year contract. As for everything else, this is a summary of my thoughts:

 

Build quality, materials, fit, finish and feel. All good. The stitch work on the leather seats is a little tight in places and has pulled small cuts into the leather as a result, but the leather itself is wearing well. The leather on the driver's seat is now very slightly more shiny than that on the passenger one, but it's barely noticeable. The steering wheel leather is also starting to 'shine up'. The dashboard is well put together and generally speaking the interior has been free of rattles and squeaks. From time to time I get a faint tapping sound from the roof on the nearside, just beside the panoramic roof. All the switchgear is typical VAG fare and feels solid, working with a satisfying 'click' or 'clunk'. I've had no failures of any interior trim, bulbs or switchgear.

 

The panoramic roof is glorious. Along with the little dance that the bi-xenon headlights do on start-up to check their alignment, the opening/closing of the sunroof blind are the two bits of relatively pointless theatre that stick in my mind as 'special'. It would be nice if the roof glass extended a little further forward as truth be told it's not immediately apparent to me when driving, but for passengers (especially rear seat passengers) the general interior ambience is cinematic. Even if you never open it, the airiness it gives to the interior is reason enough to have one. When it's fully open, the cabin remains unruffled and fairly quiet until you get to 65-70mph, when buffeting starts to become a bit intrusive, but it's easy enough to motor it shut a few clicks to calm things down. The tilt function works well for drawing air through the car quickly to cool it down on hot days, but it whistles a bit at motorway speeds so I tend to keep it shut then and rely on the climate control. Bear in mind though that I'm a sunroof addict. We spec'd the Citigo with one and my other two cars have them (one is even larger than the Yeti's). I don't like oppressive interiors. If Gobi Sand trim had been an option on L&K spec, I would have taken it without hesitation.

 

The illumination colour of dials, switches and infotainment systems seems a bit hit-and-miss. A mixture of green and white, seemingly without logic. It's not jarring - just a little incoherent. The MFA1/2 trip computer setup is great. I had forgotten how good it as it's a while since we've had a VAG car with one. The markings of the speedometer and tacho are so similar in style that it took me a while to 'know' which is which.

 

Externally, the paint work is respectable and wearing well. The diamond-cut finish on the wheels wouldn't be my first choice (I prefer the SE L Origami wheels) but is OK. Cappuccino Beige rivals Audi Zermatt Silver in its ability to hide dirt. It's also almost identical to a standard colour RAL 7048 Pearl Mouse Grey. Another sign of Skoda financial thriftiness?

 

Ergonomics, interior space and packaging.

I'm 6' 4" and skinny (around 12.5 stone/80kg). I have had no problems getting comfortable in the Yeti. It's a peculiar car in that in spite of my height, I have the seat set to almost maximum height. Even then, it's nowhere near the height above road offered by something like a LR Discovery. I like to have an elevated view of the road ahead and that's part of the Yeti's attraction. The limit is the cut-off of my field of view out of the side windows, not my head hitting the roof lining (even with the pano roof). Seat comfort on long journeys is adequate. I start shifting around (a sure sign of fatigue) after around three hours driving. Getting in and out of the Yeti is a doddle, front or back. My ageing In-Laws love it.

 

I have the seat set fairly well forward as I don't like driving with arms straight. As a result, rear seat passengers have no problems at all with legroom. If I sit behind myself, as it were, my knees are nowhere near touching the back of the driver's seat. Almost everyone that's been a rear seat passenger has commented how roomy it is. My only complaint in that respect would be that the seat backs aren't particularly high or supportive for adults, but the headrests extend up a long way to compensate for this. Defined by their need to fold, tumble and remove, I suspect. In their more-reclined mode, they are perfectly adequate for adults on a long journey. The optional fold-flat front passenger seat is excellent for trips to Wickes & Ikea - there's room enough to get 2.4m long things in the car without them touching the dashboard or being angled across the car. When folded down, the seat back is at the same height as the rear seats set in the same manner, which makes loading long objects easier. The rear seats are easy to remove and free up valuable load volume.

 

A legacy of specifying the full-size spare wheel and related elevated boot floor is a rather small boot, but the floor is at least then level with the tailgate sill. The sliding hooks for shopping bags on either side of the boot are also of very limited use because of the raised floor. The floor cover is disappointingly made of nothing more than hardboard-covered carpet. Though it's mostly well supported by the expanded styrene liner that houses the spare wheel below, I don't think I'd want to trust sliding something like a washing machine or cast iron stove over it. It just doesn't feel very robust. Equally, if the spare wheel kit wasn't there, the height of the sill would make getting that washing machine in and out a bit of a challenge. The load space offered by the Fabia estate easily bettered it, especially with the rear seats in place.

 

Which brings me to what I think is the origin of the Yeti name. Rear seats out, the extended boot floor does a fairly passable imitation of the Himalayas. To someone that has owned (and still owns) some very good MPV's, the load bay of the Yeti is a bit of a joke. Overall, I'd say the interior packaging is more people-friendly than load-friendly.

 

The driver's seat feels slightly offset from the steering wheel, but not enough to cause a problem. Because the central armrest isn't mounted on the seat, it ends up being a little too low for me (because I have the seat set so high) even if I pull the ratchet height adjustment to its highest setting. It also gets in the way of the handbrake, but can be slid back to get it out of the way when stop-start driving. The clutch-foot footrest is at the wrong angle - if I push my foot to rest flat on it, it is rotated towards the central tunnel (twisting my ankle) until the outside of my sole comes to rest on it. Not a major annoyance, but not great for comfort.

 

The clearance between the heating controls and the gear knob when in 1st/3rd/5th is marginal. So much so that I've rapped my knuckles on the buttons on several occasions. The heating controls themselves give good and fine control, but they are set too low, are a little small/fiddly and can be difficult to comprehend when driving. The main turn dials for setting temperature are at least easy to set. The heated screen works very well. Even on very cold mornings, the washer jets have worked without issue so I assume the optional heated jets have been doing their job as well. It consumes screen wash at an alarming rate. Judging by the plumes that fly up from the front of the car on first operation of the washers, I suspect this is mainly down to the headlight washers. On my car at least, the wiper pattern has a very annoying failing: It leaves an arc smear right in my forward line of sight. I've cleaned the wiper blades repeatedly with meth spirit, vinegar and neat screen wash, but still the smearing returns. The nearside wiper sweeps its dirt over to the driver's side, then the upper tip of the offside wiper smudges it right across my view. I've never had this problem in any other car.

 

Infotainment.

What a lovely word. Yuk. However, that's what Skoda use for these things, so I'll indulge them. The Amundsen head unit is in most ways a decent bit of kit, just mounted too low in the dashboard. The screen and graphics are clear, rendering of maps crisp and clear and once one has uncovered how to input postcodes as destinations, it's pretty straightforward to use. Like the PID in our Citigo, the route-finding algorithms leave something to be desired. Many times, I've set the sat nav to take me home, purely to give me route traffic and distance/time to home information, then ignore its chosen route and take what I know to be the best way back, only to notice that (once the sat nav has sorted itself out and re-routed) the updated distance and time to destination are both less than for the route it had originally chosen. One or other is excusable, but both? On two occasions I have had something go amiss with its GPS tracking. Result? It shows me as driving through fields alongside the road rather than on it. Stopping and restarting seems to cure this.

 

The phone kit/phone book/Bluetooth integration is neat enough. One annoying failing is that it will not read texts to you - something that the Citigo does out of the box, by voice control, and will even give you the option to reply by dictating a message.

 

Sound quality from DAB, FM radio and SD card media is a mixed bag. As I have posted on other threads, I still haven't figured out the best/most reliable way to rip music to card to ensure high audio fidelity. I suspect this is not the fault of either the Amundsen head unit or the standard speaker set up, as I have one or two recordings on the card that sound superb. The Coverflow method of displaying albums is visually appealing but ultimately frustrating as it appears one can't order them by artist. If you happen to have two albums on the SD card of the same name but by different artists, you'll be in for an impromptu shuffle-play treat. I have had very few problems with maintaining DAB reception and definitely recommend it. If DAB reception does drop out, the head unit will automatically drop back to the FM equivalent if available (posting a notice on screen to let you know) then switches back when the signal returns.

 

Driving and Performance.

As previously mentioned, I find the handling of the car to be safe rather than inspiring - typical of many other VAG offerings. Most of the time, I wouldn't even know I'm driving a 4x4. Other than very brief forays across fields to park at country events, I haven't ventured off road. I've not tried the 'Off Road' button. On small roundabouts in the wet however, I think I do sense the intervention of 4WD, or some kind of diff locking. Normally in a FWD car, giving the accelerator an enthusiastic prod in a low gear when part-way around a roundabout will result in a none-too-graceful widening of line and a general feeling of the car 'washing out' - i.e. heading for the outside of the roundabout. In the Yeti, I get what seems like the start of that, but it is quickly overcome by a strong tightening of line. The car feels like it is grabbing hold of the road and it fires you around the roundabout. Good fun, once you're used to it.

 

Ride quality is agreeable. Firm, but mostly well controlled. 'Solid' is a word often used by passengers when I ask what they think of the car. There are one or two instances when it's possible to get it unsettled. Case in point: Approaching one of the many roundabouts on the A303 with the ridge lines painted across the road at ever decreasing spacing, if I get a certain combination of speed and braking the dampers lock up like rods of iron and I get a very strong pogoing thump, thump, thump through the cabin. Other than that, I'm happy with the balance of ride quality and handling. It doesn't feel nose heavy, which may in part be down to having a fairly light petrol engine under the bonnet. The Michelin tyres don't feel very confidence-inspiring when the weather is really cold (below 0C)

 

For an engine billed as one of the top-of-the-range units for the Yeti, I must admit I'm a bit underwhelmed by the 1.4TSi. After my test drive in the Fabia 1.2, I had high hopes for the 1.4, even though I'd never driven one before I took delivery of the Yeti. It never feels enthusiastic and in the upper reaches of the rev range it can feel quite asthmatic. It doesn't beg to be thrashed like the little 3-pot in the Citigo (which is a beauty, in spite of only having 75PS). 'Oh, yeah :)' moments when I'm pressed back in my seat and the car picks up its tail and reels in the horizon just don't happen. It's not rev happy, there's no point where the power really kicks in (though it does stir something at around 2,000rpm, when the torque becomes a little more diesel-like in character). What it is, is extremely docile; if I'm in 5th or 6th gear I can pootle along and let the revs dwindle ever lower. 1300…..1200…..1100…..1000…..rpm. It doesn't complain. No crankshaft whip or DMF judder. It literally feels as though I could let it get slower and slower and eventually it would just die without so much as a whimper. I haven't been cruel enough to see if that's what would actually happen. The soundtrack to go with all this isn't memorable, no matter what the revs. In a word, I'd sum the 1.4 up as 'sanitised' and performance as 'adequate'.

 

At a cruise and if not placing heavy demands on it, the 1.4 is very quiet and refined. Since having the first service (which cost only £126 inc. VAT) it feels a bit more lusty and smoother with it. The engine warms up very quickly from cold, even when there's a heavy frost. The water temperature gauge will swing around to its usual 90C position within 2-3 miles of setting off. As a result, the cabin warms up quickly and is generally a cosy place to be.

 

I've kept a log of fuel used: Over the first 8,000 miles I've averaged a true 36.4mpg, calculated from brim-to-brim fill ups and trip mileage on MFA2. The MFA mpg reading is always optimistic, usually by 4-8%. Looking at the figures in my spreadsheet, I seem to get better mpg in the summer months (38's and 39's) than the winter (34's and 35's). I'm happy with that. This is a turbocharged petrol-engined 4x4 with barn-door frontal area after all.

 

Filling the fuel tank is painless. It's not fussy about the position of the nozzle or how quickly you pump the petrol in. Unlike most other cars I've owned, once the pump nozzle has clicked off for the first time, it's pretty much full. I'll maybe get another 3 or 4 litres in if I'm patient but that's about it. Filling up when the fuel light comes on, that means about 48-52 litres. Once brimmed, the fuel gauge needle will stay pinned to 'Full' for around 40 miles, then recede around the around the dial in an impressively linear fashion, each mark equating to almost dead-on 10 miles, which makes working out how many miles you've got left in the tank a simple affair. The fuel light comes on with around 60 miles to empty. I usually get just over 400 miles up before the light comes on. Don't bother with the expensive petrol like BP Ultimate or Shell V Power. I've tried them and they make no discernible difference to power, smoothness or fuel consumption, compared to the vanilla stuff.

 

Parking the car is very easy. A high seating position, thin pillars and a tight turning circle all add up to something that's easy to slot into tight spaces. The Park Assist self-parking system is a novelty but other than trying it out to see how to use it and how well it works, I haven't bothered with it much. It's usage parameters are so contrived that most of the time it's quicker and easier to park in the old-fashioned way. It's worth trying though, just to see how quickly it can wind the steering wheel from lock to lock! Along with the headlight AFS (which simply isn't necessary when the Yeti has headlights that have such a good, even spread of light and broad cut-off), these are the things that I wouldn't bother with if I were to take a trip down the options list. However, both are standard equipment on the L&K, so I'll indulge.

 

Costs and reliability

Other than the initial contract charges, monthlies, fuel, insurance and an annual service, the only additional cost I've incurred was for a new tyre at around 3,000 miles. Whilst driving though a nearby town one night, I went over an M12x75 bolt that was poking up out of a crack in the tarmac. I realised what it was at the last second, but too late; the jolt almost lifted the front wheel off the road and embedded it into one of the tread grooves so that the head was just about flush with the tyre. The replacement tyre cost £130. Fortunately the end of the bolt wasn't quite long enough to hit the tyre rim. If it had been another c.20mm longer, I could have had an even bigger bill.

 

Nothing has gone wrong. The cabin is still rattle-free. Not one bulb has failed (though I think most of them are LEDs now anyway so will undoubtedly cost a lot more to fix when they do stop working). I still have about 1/3 of the complimentary 1 litre bottle of engine oil left for top-ups. The tyres are wearing well. The service paperwork from early February gives tyre tread depths as 5.0-6.0mm all round (6-7mm on the front right because it was replaced) after 8,500 miles.

 

So, What's The Verdict?

You may be thinking from reading all this (and a Blue Peter badge to you if you've made it this far) that I'm not overly enamored with the Yeti. I must admit, there are some aspects of the car where I think Skoda could have done better. But that would be missing the point. For the money I've paid, I simply don't think I could have 'bought' (and I use that term loosely as strictly speaking I've rented it) a more comfortable, higher spec, low running cost new car as this Yeti. I listen to endless radio ads for Corsas, various Citroens, BMWs, Jaguars etc while I'm working and without exception they are all asking more - often a lot more - both for deposit and monthly outlay on PCH.

 

It's not a car to set the pulse racing or induce an ear to ear smile every time you drive it. It feels like the sum of its (considerable number of) parts, and no more. It's just a thoroughly competent, day-to-day workhorse of a car that doesn't feel as though it's from the bargain basement.

 

My wife likes the Yeti. She actually said as much, so she must really like it. But - she won't drive it. Says it's too big. So it's probably just as well that over the past year she's come to like her Citigo too. An 11th hour reprieve from the gallows for me.

 

Would I still commit to the same PCH deal now, with a years experience of it under my belt? Yes. Without a moments hesitation.

Edited 5 March, 20179 yr by john999boy
Increased font size for g6zru

What a comprehensive write up.

Good write up! 

 

Im picking up a l&k from Simpsons in 2 weeks, same deal as you. Wife wanted something for family duties, it doesn't need to do anything other than be practical and reliable. I'm not expecting it to set the world on fire or be especially fun but as you said, for the money, nothing beats it. 

Nice write up and worth a read.

Great review and very comprehensive - I opted for a PCH deal over 2 years on the 1.2 DSG and love that combination, not as powerful as the 1.4 but now getting a steady 42mpg, have been as high as 50.8mpg for a short period on a recent 350 mile round trip to London.

 

There are 2 differences from your experiences that stand out for me - I went local to my main dealer (20 miles away), they were overall £24 more than Simpsons over the 2 years, but it saved me traveling a 400 mile round trip, the salesman was very good and kept me informed at every step, did not push GAP and basically said that unlike PCP, on PCH it was a grey area and probably not needed provided I had full comp, did not force any fuel on me and gave me a good handover even setting up the bluetooth and showing me the various controls for lights etc. Have since contacted the dealer for 1 or 2 queries and quickly sorted out.

 

I also opted for 8k miles PA but excess charges for me are only 3.5p per mile, so my estimated 10k miles PA will only add an additional £160 over the 2 year term.

 

Very happy with my deal and would not hesitate using my local dealership again for future purchases

 

As for the vehicle have only had it for 2 months so a little early for a long term test, but so far so good.....

Edited 5 March, 20179 yr by jonnyboy78

6 hours ago, Citigopher said:

Having thought 'I wish someone had posted a really detailed review or long term test of their Yeti on here' but not found one, I thought I'd take it upon myself to do so. Ironically (and somewhat sadly) I'm writing this on the very day that Skoda UK have announced that they're killing off several Yeti trim levels. Anyway - make yourself a coffee and have a laugh at my ramblings:

 

The context.

Both of my (older) cars were/are off the road. I was struggling to find the time to do the work needed to sort them out and we needed another roadworthy car. We (or more accurately, my wife) already owned a Citigo. An absolute gem of a car in my opinion and something that amounts to far more than the (meagre) sum of its parts. However, having bought the damn thing for her birthday, said wife inferred without words that it wasn't quite the right car for her and she'd like something a little larger, but not too large. Just enough rope for me swing from, I thought, but I happily set to with building my gallows. The search was on.

 

The Citigo was on a PCP. I'd settled on that means of finance after much looking around. Skoda's finance terms were at least as good or better than most of the rivals and they were throwing in 3 years free servicing too. We're not fortunate enough to have buckets of spare cash falling out of every cupboard and even if we were I wouldn't be daft enough to pour it into the Black Hole that is automotive depreciation, especially when Skoda are kind enough to offer near-0% finance over 3.5 years.

 

So back to our local Skoda dealer we went, after a good look around the interweb for a shortlist of potential small estate cars. That turned out to be a very short list and the new Fabia Mk3 that was just breaking cover, complete with quite a nice looking estate variant, soon rose to the top. I had a test drive in a diesel DSG estate (not too impressed by that combination) and a manual TSi 90 hatch (so much better). I was particularly taken with the TSi engine; very smooth and sweet with almost diesel-like low rev torque and very quiet too. When we were waiting to take the hatch out, I had a few minutes to kill in the showroom so perched in a Yeti Monte Carlo. That was the first time I had so much as looked at a Yeti. Build quality and materials were a step up from the Fabia, especially for the interior. I asked for a PCP quote on one and was put off pretty quickly; high monthlies and a massive balloon payment at the end.

 

So I set to with getting quotes for a Fabia Monte Carlo Tsi 110 estate (with several options) from various dealers and brokers. We got very close to placing an order through Carwow - in fact I probably would have placed the order if the salesman had been at his phone when last I called - but then happened upon a comment from someone in a thread on here about "very attractive PCH deals for Yetis at the moment" or words to that effect. Curiosity roused, I asked a few questions and ended up talking to someone at Simpsons in Preston. 'Twas true: If I could gather together a £2k deposit, I could have a top-of-the-range L&K model for half the monthlies I was just about to commit to for the Fabia estate. Better still, the commitment was for only 24 months, not 42, so my total exposure to risk was reduced should I fall on hard times. All I had to do was convince myself that I wanted to rent a car rather than own one. As pointed out to me by the same person on the above mentioned thread (a man to whom I surely owe a pint or three), a good look at the depreciation losses suffered by both the Yeti and the Fabia over the term of either contract should do that. It did. It would also buy me the time to get my two (beloved) cars sorted and back on the road.

 

The Buying Experience.

I selected a few low-cost options - full size spare, fold flat front seat, heated washer jets, rear mudflaps and driver fatigue sensor - then called Simpsons to place my order. I didn't want to go mad as I knew I was in effect gifting Skoda the options, but couldn't resist the opportunity to personalise. More fool me. At least Skoda options are sanely priced. A couple of emails back and forth and a £500 deposit paid over the phone and I was on the waiting list as of 26th September 2015. I was told to expect delivery in around 10-12 weeks. A Cappuccino Beige 4x4 mini-beast with the infamous brown leather interior would soon be mine. No mention would be made to the wife or kids. Should make a nice surprise, I thought….

 

Except that Simpsons then posted better figures on their website for the same car about 3 days later. Not happy, I emailed Simpsons and, well, whinged. No problem said they, we'll send a new order advice and you can go on the new terms. The only forfeit was that the 10-12 week wait would reset. Then they did it again. Any cheaper, and they'll be giving them away in Christmas crackers, thought I. But I'm not going to look past the gold fillings in the horse's mouth. Certainly not for £1,990 down followed by 23 x £124, with a mileage allowance of 8,000p.a.. Additional miles to be charged at 7.2p inc. VAT (just about the same as on a PCP). Servicing would be at my expense but I was told I should get away with one Minor Service which would cost around £180. General opinion on this hallowed forum was that the tyres would easily last my 16k mile term, so they shouldn't be a worry. Other than that, just insure it, put petrol in it and drive it. For a total of £5,207 over 2 years, I was happy. A guilty pleasure, but quite an affordable one. There was no way I'd be driving a brand new £25,500 car home by other means. The Yeti would depreciate by more than I would be paying out in 2 years/16k miles anyway, so why bother buying it?

 

Build times dragged out a little. As soon as I had paid my deposit and finally settled on a finance deal, Simpsons didn't really want to talk to me. Christmas came and went. I asked if I could see a shortlist of reg numbers when delivery approached, but that didn't transpire. I asked if I could be given as much notice of collection date as possible as I'm self-employed and my schedule is invariably hectic. I got an email 3 days before collection day.

 

I took the long train ride to Preston from Wiltshire and collected the car on January 26th 2016. Simpsons sent a car to pick me up from the station, which was good of them. As soon as I arrived at the showroom, I got the feeling I was on a conveyor belt. The salesman doing the handover wasn't the person that I'd been in touch with when placing the order. He told me I had a 45 minute slot to complete the handover. In that month (January 2016) they would be registering 50 Yeti L&K's alone. Paperwork and signatures were sorted efficiently and I was also persuaded to cough up £199 for 24 months GAP cover. I could have done better on line, but my thinking was that if the policy is with VWFS, there would be no point in them arguing about values should I need to make a claim. Their bat. Their ball. Their wickets. Even if I bought the car on a PCP (which I couldn't afford to do anyway, so it's purely hypothetical) I would probably have done the same. I was also told that they had been kind enough to put £40-worth of petrol in it and added it to my bill. How very kind. I'm not entirely sure how many litres they actually put in the car for my £40, but as it transpired, let's just say that I wouldn't advise buying your fuel from that garage, wherever it may be…..

 

After a very quick tour (around 5-10 minutes) around the car on a rather wet and windy forecourt and a handshake, that was it. All in all a rather sterile occasion.

 

First Impressions.

Not to worry. The heated seat was working nicely, I found it easy to get comfortable and the engine, though tight, felt reasonably smooth and refined. The brown leather wasn't as offensively turd-toned as I'd feared and seemed well enough trimmed, even if it quite obviously wasn't Connolly hide. Leather for The Masses. Menus for the Amundsen head unit were easy enough to negotiate and I soon had a few DAB radio presets filled without having to delve into the handbook. Having tapped in my home address on the sat nav., off I went. My first drive in a Yeti was the 260 mile drive home, so it's just as well I quite liked it. The steering was accurate and reasonably well weighted, but typically modern-hatch numb and not particularly engaging. The gearchange and brakes were in a similar vein. As darkness descended, I got to see the night time persona of the interior. Well balanced dash illumination, but the heating controls and the Amundsen screen are placed too low and you have to take your eyes entirely off the road to see them. To some extent, the excellent steering wheel controls and the Maxidot display between the speedometer and tacho go some way to mitigate this failing. I was feeling some minor rumble/vibration through the clutch pedal when changing gear; the feeling that something isn't perfectly balanced. Not as turbine-smooth as the TSi unit in the Fabia I test drove.

 

Once off the motorways, I could see. Literally. The bi-xenon headlights were excellent. Bright and very white, with an evenly spread beam, excellent cut-off on low beam and great focus into the centre-distance in full beam. Road noise was not as bad as I had feared, perhaps because the Michelin Pilots are pure road tyres without off-road aspirations. The fuel Simpsons had kindly charged me for barely lasted the journey home. Bought a bit of a gas guzzler, thought I.

 

One Year On - The Detailed Impressions.

My Yeti passed the 8,000 mile mark two days before twelve months of my tenure were up, so the mileage allowance I chose has so far proved adequate. If that trend continues, I'll owe VWFS something like £30 in over-mileage charges at the end of the two year contract. As for everything else, this is a summary of my thoughts:

 

Build quality, materials, fit, finish and feel. All good. The stitch work on the leather seats is a little tight in places and has pulled small cuts into the leather as a result, but the leather itself is wearing well. The leather on the driver's seat is now very slightly more shiny than that on the passenger one, but it's barely noticeable. The steering wheel leather is also starting to 'shine up'. The dashboard is well put together and generally speaking the interior has been free of rattles and squeaks. From time to time I get a faint tapping sound from the roof on the nearside, just beside the panoramic roof. All the switchgear is typical VAG fare and feels solid, working with a satisfying 'click' or 'clunk'. I've had no failures of any interior trim, bulbs or switchgear.

 

The panoramic roof is glorious. Along with the little dance that the bi-xenon headlights do on start-up to check their alignment, the opening/closing of the sunroof blind are the two bits of relatively pointless theatre that stick in my mind as 'special'. It would be nice if the roof glass extended a little further forward as truth be told it's not immediately apparent to me when driving, but for passengers (especially rear seat passengers) the general interior ambience is cinematic. Even if you never open it, the airiness it gives to the interior is reason enough to have one. When it's fully open, the cabin remains unruffled and fairly quiet until you get to 65-70mph, when buffeting starts to become a bit intrusive, but it's easy enough to motor it shut a few clicks to calm things down. The tilt function works well for drawing air through the car quickly to cool it down on hot days, but it whistles a bit at motorway speeds so I tend to keep it shut then and rely on the climate control. Bear in mind though that I'm a sunroof addict. We spec'd the Citigo with one and my other two cars have them (one is even larger than the Yeti's). I don't like oppressive interiors. If Gobi Sand trim had been an option on L&K spec, I would have taken it without hesitation.

 

The illumination colour of dials, switches and infotainment systems seems a bit hit-and-miss. A mixture of green and white, seemingly without logic. It's not jarring - just a little incoherent. The MFA1/2 trip computer setup is great. I had forgotten how good it as it's a while since we've had a VAG car with one. The markings of the speedometer and tacho are so similar in style that it took me a while to 'know' which is which.

 

Externally, the paint work is respectable and wearing well. The diamond-cut finish on the wheels wouldn't be my first choice (I prefer the SE L Origami wheels) but is OK. Cappuccino Beige rivals Audi Zermatt Silver in its ability to hide dirt. It's also almost identical to a standard colour RAL 7048 Pearl Mouse Grey. Another sign of Skoda financial thriftiness?

 

Ergonomics, interior space and packaging.

I'm 6' 4" and skinny (around 12.5 stone/80kg). I have had no problems getting comfortable in the Yeti. It's a peculiar car in that in spite of my height, I have the seat set to almost maximum height. Even then, it's nowhere near the height above road offered by something like a LR Discovery. I like to have an elevated view of the road ahead and that's part of the Yeti's attraction. The limit is the cut-off of my field of view out of the side windows, not my head hitting the roof lining (even with the pano roof). Seat comfort on long journeys is adequate. I start shifting around (a sure sign of fatigue) after around three hours driving. Getting in and out of the Yeti is a doddle, front or back. My ageing In-Laws love it.

 

I have the seat set fairly well forward as I don't like driving with arms straight. As a result, rear seat passengers have no problems at all with legroom. If I sit behind myself, as it were, my knees are nowhere near touching the back of the driver's seat. Almost everyone that's been a rear seat passenger has commented how roomy it is. My only complaint in that respect would be that the seat backs aren't particularly high or supportive for adults, but the headrests extend up a long way to compensate for this. Defined by their need to fold, tumble and remove, I suspect. In their more-reclined mode, they are perfectly adequate for adults on a long journey. The optional fold-flat front passenger seat is excellent for trips to Wickes & Ikea - there's room enough to get 2.4m long things in the car without them touching the dashboard or being angled across the car. When folded down, the seat back is at the same height as the rear seats set in the same manner, which makes loading long objects easier. The rear seats are easy to remove and free up valuable load volume.

 

A legacy of specifying the full-size spare wheel and related elevated boot floor is a rather small boot, but the floor is at least then level with the tailgate sill. The sliding hooks for shopping bags on either side of the boot are also of very limited use because of the raised floor. The floor cover is disappointingly made of nothing more than hardboard-covered carpet. Though it's mostly well supported by the expanded styrene liner that houses the spare wheel below, I don't think I'd want to trust sliding something like a washing machine or cast iron stove over it. It just doesn't feel very robust. Equally, if the spare wheel kit wasn't there, the height of the sill would make getting that washing machine in and out a bit of a challenge. The load space offered by the Fabia estate easily bettered it, especially with the rear seats in place.

 

Which brings me to what I think is the origin of the Yeti name. Rear seats out, the extended boot floor does a fairly passable imitation of the Himalayas. To someone that has owned (and still owns) some very good MPV's, the load bay of the Yeti is a bit of a joke. Overall, I'd say the interior packaging is more people-friendly than load-friendly.

 

The driver's seat feels slightly offset from the steering wheel, but not enough to cause a problem. Because the central armrest isn't mounted on the seat, it ends up being a little too low for me (because I have the seat set so high) even if I pull the ratchet height adjustment to its highest setting. It also gets in the way of the handbrake, but can be slid back to get it out of the way when stop-start driving. The clutch-foot footrest is at the wrong angle - if I push my foot to rest flat on it, it is rotated towards the central tunnel (twisting my ankle) until the outside of my sole comes to rest on it. Not a major annoyance, but not great for comfort.

 

The clearance between the heating controls and the gear knob when in 1st/3rd/5th is marginal. So much so that I've rapped my knuckles on the buttons on several occasions. The heating controls themselves give good and fine control, but they are set too low, are a little small/fiddly and can be difficult to comprehend when driving. The main turn dials for setting temperature are at least easy to set. The heated screen works very well. Even on very cold mornings, the washer jets have worked without issue so I assume the optional heated jets have been doing their job as well. It consumes screen wash at an alarming rate. Judging by the plumes that fly up from the front of the car on first operation of the washers, I suspect this is mainly down to the headlight washers. On my car at least, the wiper pattern has a very annoying failing: It leaves an arc smear right in my forward line of sight. I've cleaned the wiper blades repeatedly with meth spirit, vinegar and neat screen wash, but still the smearing returns. The nearside wiper sweeps its dirt over to the driver's side, then the upper tip of the offside wiper smudges it right across my view. I've never had this problem in any other car.

 

Infotainment.

What a lovely word. Yuk. However, that's what Skoda use for these things, so I'll indulge them. The Amundsen head unit is in most ways a decent bit of kit, just mounted too low in the dashboard. The screen and graphics are clear, rendering of maps crisp and clear and once one has uncovered how to input postcodes as destinations, it's pretty straightforward to use. Like the PID in our Citigo, the route-finding algorithms leave something to be desired. Many times, I've set the sat nav to take me home, purely to give me route traffic and distance/time to home information, then ignore its chosen route and take what I know to be the best way back, only to notice that (once the sat nav has sorted itself out and re-routed) the updated distance and time to destination are both less than for the route it had originally chosen. One or other is excusable, but both? On two occasions I have had something go amiss with its GPS tracking. Result? It shows me as driving through fields alongside the road rather than on it. Stopping and restarting seems to cure this.

 

The phone kit/phone book/Bluetooth integration is neat enough. One annoying failing is that it will not read texts to you - something that the Citigo does out of the box, by voice control, and will even give you the option to reply by dictating a message.

 

Sound quality from DAB, FM radio and SD card media is a mixed bag. As I have posted on other threads, I still haven't figured out the best/most reliable way to rip music to card to ensure high audio fidelity. I suspect this is not the fault of either the Amundsen head unit or the standard speaker set up, as I have one or two recordings on the card that sound superb. The Coverflow method of displaying albums is visually appealing but ultimately frustrating as it appears one can't order them by artist. If you happen to have two albums on the SD card of the same name but by different artists, you'll be in for an impromptu shuffle-play treat. I have had very few problems with maintaining DAB reception and definitely recommend it. If DAB reception does drop out, the head unit will automatically drop back to the FM equivalent if available (posting a notice on screen to let you know) then switches back when the signal returns.

 

Driving and Performance.

As previously mentioned, I find the handling of the car to be safe rather than inspiring - typical of many other VAG offerings. Most of the time, I wouldn't even know I'm driving a 4x4. Other than very brief forays across fields to park at country events, I haven't ventured off road. I've not tried the 'Off Road' button. On small roundabouts in the wet however, I think I do sense the intervention of 4WD, or some kind of diff locking. Normally in a FWD car, giving the accelerator an enthusiastic prod in a low gear when part-way around a roundabout will result in a none-too-graceful widening of line and a general feeling of the car 'washing out' - i.e. heading for the outside of the roundabout. In the Yeti, I get what seems like the start of that, but it is quickly overcome by a strong tightening of line. The car feels like it is grabbing hold of the road and it fires you around the roundabout. Good fun, once you're used to it.

 

Ride quality is agreeable. Firm, but mostly well controlled. 'Solid' is a word often used by passengers when I ask what they think of the car. There are one or two instances when it's possible to get it unsettled. Case in point: Approaching one of the many roundabouts on the A303 with the ridge lines painted across the road at ever decreasing spacing, if I get a certain combination of speed and braking the dampers lock up like rods of iron and I get a very strong pogoing thump, thump, thump through the cabin. Other than that, I'm happy with the balance of ride quality and handling. It doesn't feel nose heavy, which may in part be down to having a fairly light petrol engine under the bonnet. The Michelin tyres don't feel very confidence-inspiring when the weather is really cold (below 0C)

 

For an engine billed as one of the top-of-the-range units for the Yeti, I must admit I'm a bit underwhelmed by the 1.4TSi. After my test drive in the Fabia 1.2, I had high hopes for the 1.4, even though I'd never driven one before I took delivery of the Yeti. It never feels enthusiastic and in the upper reaches of the rev range it can feel quite asthmatic. It doesn't beg to be thrashed like the little 3-pot in the Citigo (which is a beauty, in spite of only having 75PS). 'Oh, yeah :)' moments when I'm pressed back in my seat and the car picks up its tail and reels in the horizon just don't happen. It's not rev happy, there's no point where the power really kicks in (though it does stir something at around 2,000rpm, when the torque becomes a little more diesel-like in character). What it is, is extremely docile; if I'm in 5th or 6th gear I can pootle along and let the revs dwindle ever lower. 1300…..1200…..1100…..1000…..rpm. It doesn't complain. No crankshaft whip or DMF judder. It literally feels as though I could let it get slower and slower and eventually it would just die without so much as a whimper. I haven't been cruel enough to see if that's what would actually happen. The soundtrack to go with all this isn't memorable, no matter what the revs. In a word, I'd sum the 1.4 up as 'sanitised' and performance as 'adequate'.

 

At a cruise and if not placing heavy demands on it, the 1.4 is very quiet and refined. Since having the first service (which cost only £126 inc. VAT) it feels a bit more lusty and smoother with it. The engine warms up very quickly from cold, even when there's a heavy frost. The water temperature gauge will swing around to its usual 90C position within 2-3 miles of setting off. As a result, the cabin warms up quickly and is generally a cosy place to be.

 

I've kept a log of fuel used: Over the first 8,000 miles I've averaged a true 36.4mpg, calculated from brim-to-brim fill ups and trip mileage on MFA2. The MFA mpg reading is always optimistic, usually by 4-8%. Looking at the figures in my spreadsheet, I seem to get better mpg in the summer months (38's and 39's) than the winter (34's and 35's). I'm happy with that. This is a turbocharged petrol-engined 4x4 with barn-door frontal area after all.

 

Filling the fuel tank is painless. It's not fussy about the position of the nozzle or how quickly you pump the petrol in. Unlike most other cars I've owned, once the pump nozzle has clicked off for the first time, it's pretty much full. I'll maybe get another 3 or 4 litres in if I'm patient but that's about it. Filling up when the fuel light comes on, that means about 48-52 litres. Once brimmed, the fuel gauge needle will stay pinned to 'Full' for around 40 miles, then recede around the around the dial in an impressively linear fashion, each mark equating to almost dead-on 10 miles, which makes working out how many miles you've got left in the tank a simple affair. The fuel light comes on with around 60 miles to empty. I usually get just over 400 miles up before the light comes on. Don't bother with the expensive petrol like BP Ultimate or Shell V Power. I've tried them and they make no discernible difference to power, smoothness or fuel consumption, compared to the vanilla stuff.

 

Parking the car is very easy. A high seating position, thin pillars and a tight turning circle all add up to something that's easy to slot into tight spaces. The Park Assist self-parking system is a novelty but other than trying it out to see how to use it and how well it works, I haven't bothered with it much. It's usage parameters are so contrived that most of the time it's quicker and easier to park in the old-fashioned way. It's worth trying though, just to see how quickly it can wind the steering wheel from lock to lock! Along with the headlight AFS (which simply isn't necessary when the Yeti has headlights that have such a good, even spread of light and broad cut-off), these are the things that I wouldn't bother with if I were to take a trip down the options list. However, both are standard equipment on the L&K, so I'll indulge.

 

Costs and reliability

Other than the initial contract charges, monthlies, fuel, insurance and an annual service, the only additional cost I've incurred was for a new tyre at around 3,000 miles. Whilst driving though a nearby town one night, I went over an M12x75 bolt that was poking up out of a crack in the tarmac. I realised what it was at the last second, but too late; the jolt almost lifted the front wheel off the road and embedded it into one of the tread grooves so that the head was just about flush with the tyre. The replacement tyre cost £130. Fortunately the end of the bolt wasn't quite long enough to hit the tyre rim. If it had been another c.20mm longer, I could have had an even bigger bill.

 

Nothing has gone wrong. The cabin is still rattle-free. Not one bulb has failed (though I think most of them are LEDs now anyway so will undoubtedly cost a lot more to fix when they do stop working). I still have about 1/3 of the complimentary 1 litre bottle of engine oil left for top-ups. The tyres are wearing well. The service paperwork from early February gives tyre tread depths as 5.0-6.0mm all round (6-7mm on the front right because it was replaced) after 8,500 miles.

 

So, What's The Verdict?

You may be thinking from reading all this (and a Blue Peter badge to you if you've made it this far) that I'm not overly enamored with the Yeti. I must admit, there are some aspects of the car where I think Skoda could have done better. But that would be missing the point. For the money I've paid, I simply don't think I could have 'bought' (and I use that term loosely as strictly speaking I've rented it) a more comfortable, higher spec, low running cost new car as this Yeti. I listen to endless radio ads for Corsas, various Citroens, BMWs, Jaguars etc while I'm working and without exception they are all asking more - often a lot more - both for deposit and monthly outlay on PCH.

 

It's not a car to set the pulse racing or induce an ear to ear smile every time you drive it. It feels like the sum of its (considerable number of) parts, and no more. It's just a thoroughly competent, day-to-day workhorse of a car that doesn't feel as though it's from the bargain basement.

 

My wife likes the Yeti. She actually said as much, so she must really like it. But - she won't drive it. Says it's too big. So it's probably just as well that over the past year she's come to like her Citigo too. An 11th hour reprieve from the gallows for me.

 

Would I still commit to the same PCH deal now, with a years experience of it under my belt? Yes. Without a moments hesitation.

I'm sure it's a very interesting write up going by the comments but unfortunately the font size is too small for me. My loss!

 

Fred

Excellent right up.

Thank you.

Its a good honest write up and its reminded me that I'll be 'regressing' somewhat when I change back to a Yeti from my Renegade.

Electronic handbrake, more modern infotainment system, kessy, etc are all things I've grown used to.

But as I've had a Yeti before I already know most of the quirks and I'm happy to get the chance to drive one again before its replaced by Yeti mk2

36 minutes ago, MarieK said:

Its a good honest write up and its reminded me that I'll be 'regressing' somewhat when I change back to a Yeti from my Renegade.

Electronic handbrake, more modern infotainment system, kessy, etc are all things I've grown used to.

But as I've had a Yeti before I already know most of the quirks and I'm happy to get the chance to drive one again before its replaced by Yeti mk2

How did you find the electronic handbrake? I can never get on with them when I hire cars which have electronic handbrakes, it's the releasing that I find unsettling but, perhaps, when you use it all the time you get used to it. Of course you can have KESSY on the Yeti but infotainment system is what it is. I am concerned that as infotainment systems get more complex drivers can be distracted and spend time "looking" at the system rather than the road ahead. Of particular concern is those where the driver needs to scroll through menus to operate simple things like heating/cooling, previously those were operated by simple switches that the driver soon learned where they were and which way to turn/twist - all by feel and not needing to look at all. 6 points and £200 fine for looking at a phone - what price looking at an infotainment system which can be just as distracting?

Edited 5 March, 20179 yr by Expatman

1 minute ago, Expatman said:

How did you find the electronic handbrake? I can never get on with them when I hire cars which have electronic handbrakes, it's the releasing that I find unsettling but, perhaps, when you use it all the time you get used to it. Of course you can have KESSY on the Yeti but infotainment system is what it is. I am concerned that as infotainment systems get more complex drivers can be distracted and spend time "looking" at the system rather than the road ahead. Of particular concern is those where the driver needs to scroll through menus to operate simple things like heating/cooling, previously those were operated by simple switches that the driver soon learned where they were and which way to turn/twist - all by feel and not needing to look at all.

 

The electronic handbrake is pretty easy to use when you get the hang of it. I just used it like a conventional handbrake, although I think you can let it self release etc. I wont have KESSY on my pch Yeti, took me longer to get used to that than the handbrake!