Spent a few hours today giving the Yeti a wash and vacuum in readiness for the trip to the dealer tomorrow to pick up the Volvo XC40. Really going to miss this car.  In nearly 4 years and 33k. miles it's been virtually fault free with only needing the right-hand steering wheel mounted switch replacing. So glad I went for a last diesel as it's been a joy to drive and just purrs along and has been pretty much perfect for our needs.

 

Someone is going to get a great car as it's nicely specced and driven and looked after by someone a bit OCD. 

 

Been a member of this forum for a bit longer than I've had the car and it's good to see some members still owning Yetis (serial owners in some cases) and posting who were around when I first joined. As others have said, it's a great forum with very knowledgeable and friendly (in the main! ) members who are only too happy to help out and I was able to do this on occasions as well as my experience of the Yeti grew. Thanks to you guys and keep on enjoying your Yetis.

 

I'll drop in from time to time, it's one of those forums that's hard to keep away from, and will be interested to see if the 1.5 TSI in the Karoq etc. ever gets fixed properly. Unfortunately it's the issues around that engine that in the main forced me to look outside of VWG for the Yeti replacement.

 

Cheers, Chris

Let us all know what you think of the XC40 after you’ve driven it a bit and the initial novelty has worn off!

Enjoy your new car. Thanks for your helpful postings.

(Likewise with my Yeti, virtually fault free and nothing wrong with a bit of OCD!)

Thanks guys.

 

First impressions. In Bursting Blue with the gloss black enhancements it looks great and like the Yeti it has some individuality. Felt smaller to drive than when test driving which is good. On the test drive it felt and looked quite a bit bigger than the Yeti which I think is down to the bonnet shape. Surprisingly it is almost the same size as the Karoq. Ok, bigger than the Yeti but it has plenty of space inside and a longer boot which is level with bumper and the rear seats when folded down. I had no problem when meeting other traffic down some narrow lanes.

 

The XC40 has a digital dash as standard which has advantages from a layout point of view and shows speed via the dial and in large figures which is great. I still thick traditional dials are classier and look better though. Got them still in the TT so happy.

 

The Volvo is touted as having a premium interior but in the front it doesn't put the Yeti to shame. When getting back into the Yeti after the test drive it still felt good. I think nowadays you really have to move up a few classes and costwise to get a really noticeable difference in quality. Externally the XC40 looks a lot more modern though.

 

Nearly everything is controlled via a large touchscreen which has its good and bad points. Some things like stop/start and parking sensors/camera would be better using switchs rather than via the screen.

 

Overall really like it though and think it will be a worthy successor. Did feel guilty when driving away from the dealership and leaving the Yeti. Hope it goes to a good home.  

 

 

Good luck with the Volvo Chris your Audi is one of the very few cars posted on here that I would swap my Vrs for which is high praise coming from me. Incidentally the longest I owned a Skoda was 4 years and 33,000 miles in a Fabia Estate SE 1.6tdI with a few options and it too was faultless and very practical for the £12,500 I paid for it back in 2010.

Thanks Shy. I bought the TT in 2015 in readiness for my retirement, which I did in April, and it's only done 9200 miles! I plan on doing a few more now. I'm not getting rid of that until I can't get in or out of it!

 

Drove the Volvo some more today and have to say I undersold the interior a little, it is a nice place to be. Photo of the beast.

 

Chris

 

 

So which one sleeps in the garage?

Neither, it's full of motorbikes! I'd like to keep the TT inside but I'd struggle to open the door!

Looks a nice car and a good colour too, how do you find the large extended C-pillar for visibility?

 

13 hours ago, VAGCF said:

I bought the TT in 2015 in readiness for my retirement, which I did in April, and it's only done 9200 miles! I plan on doing a few more now. I'm not getting rid of that until I can't get in or out of it!

 

10 hours ago, VAGCF said:

Neither, it's full of motorbikes! I'd like to keep the TT inside but I'd struggle to open the door!

 

You see; retirement's already got you worried about the joints seizing up!

At least the XC40 is well suited for just those days!

4 hours ago, Eddie-NL said:

Looks a nice car and a good colour too, how do you find the large extended C-pillar for visibility?

 

Haven't noticed any problems yet, though I haven't had to reverse into any tight spots yet. I tend to use the side mirrors for reversing and have specced front and rear parking sensors and the rear camera so hopefully it won't be a problem.

On 11/07/2019 at 22:31, Expatman said:

Let us all know what you think of the XC40 after you’ve driven it a bit and the initial novelty has worn off!

Well, after a few weeks of ownership and just over a thousand miles this car is all that I hoped it would be. Very comfortable and quiet and on a run it will do an average of 40 mpg, which from a 2.0 petrol, 190 bhp with a torque-converter is pretty good and more than I was expecting. I like being able to just drop the rear seats and get a nice long, flat load area like estates I've had in the past. Very happy with the choice.

 

I still look at Yetis on the road though!

 

Chris

12 hours ago, VAGCF said:

Well, after a few weeks of ownership and just over a thousand miles this car is all that I hoped it would be. Very comfortable and quiet and on a run it will do an average of 40 mpg, which from a 2.0 petrol, 190 bhp with a torque-converter is pretty good and more than I was expecting. I like being able to just drop the rear seats and get a nice long, flat load area like estates I've had in the past. Very happy with the choice.

 

I still look at Yetis on the road though!

 

Chris

Ver nice and those I have seen on the road are impressive and beautifully finished.  I think it is a bit too big for my needs now - very rarely more than 2 up  or need for a large load area - so will wait to see what else comes along in the next couple of years. The previews of the Kamiq are consistently excellent but yet to see a full test drive, strangely the Kamiq appears to have the most premium cabin compared with VW T Cross or Seat Arona, soft touch dash and side panels together with more premium seat coverings. Not sure how VW allowed that as generally they keep the premium cabins for the VW brand. Interesting!!! 

Most of the time a smaller car would suit us fine but on occasions we have our two 6 foot sons in the back and I have made use of the long load area a few times, including carrying a number of RC model boats, so anything smaller would be a big compromise.

 

Length of the car is fine, but it's the width of most cars nowadays. In a parking bay there is hardly any room either side and I have to be even more OCD about parking now!

 

Yes, it's interesting what you say about the interiors. Recently read a report on the VW which said the interior was low-rent (their words) which is a little surprising. As is said, it seems that VW are trading on the past as regards perceived quality and nowadays are not really any better than other brands and in the case of the Kamiq worse!

 

Forgot to mention the ride of the XC40. Despite it being on sports suspension being the R-Design and having 18" wheels it is better than the Yeti on 17" which is helped by the 55 aspect ratio tyres. The ride is very good and just how I like it.