Having surmounted the name, MICHAEL MCALEER, Motoring Editor, reckons this Skoda might become a more common sight on Irish roads
As this is awards season, we might as well get things rolling. Our prize for the most appropriately named car for 2009: the Skoda Yeti. Sightings of either the creature in question or new cars on Irish roads are both the stuff of legend.
Naming a new car should be one of the easier tasks. It might tax the minds of a few perma-tanned creatives but it pales into insignificance in comparison to the engineering challenges of stamping metal, wiring complex electronics and crash-testing with dummies. Coming up with a name should be a doddle. Previously Skoda has opted to raid the annals of the Roman empire. Hail the Octavia and Fabius. But the Yeti? In which report of life in Imperial Rome does it mention the arrival of a large ape-like cryptid at the city gates? There were undoubtedly some very hairy plebs around, but a Yeti?
In truth, the name actually makes some sense for this car. It might be the Czech firm’s first foray into the wilderness but even then it’s never going to excite the masses, who already have a car park full of soft-roaders to choose from. How can it hope to stand out from the crowd? Best to try and anthromophise the metal into something cute and cuddly. We could go on with Yeti tales but for the sake of your sanity and ours we’ll stop here. Suffice to say that owners can expect a few jibes about the name. At least it will get people talking about your new car. How many times has that happened to Skoda owners?
The metal is pretty regular fare. Its styling takes several cues from the smaller Roomster model but raises it up several inches off the ground. The end result is not quite a small SUV, but a muscular hatchback. From the front the prominent front lights add personality but it’s never going to attract the sort of attention – or ridicule – that befell cars like the Fiat Multipla.
The more gaping wheel arches clearly suggest this car is meant for a bit of rough and tumble and while you might not conquer many mountains, at least you can tackle some rain-sodden untarred routes. Our test car was fitted with the optional four-wheel-drive system with the Haldex multi-plate clutch. While the vast majority of buyers will forgo this for standard front-wheel-drive and better fuel economy, the Yeti doesn’t look that out of place at a horse yard and with the four-wheel-drive system it might prove a useful towing car. On a pure mudtrack that was the worse for ware courtesy of a downpour last week, we hit the “off-road” button but expected little more than a flashing amber light on the dash to signal that we were officially stranded.
Surprisingly, the Yeti composed itself and within seconds we were moving again. It’s the sort of situation these crossover SUVs are designed to cope with – these and the more challenging snow-covered backroads of the continent during winter. You are left wondering whether a Yeti without four-wheel-drive really has a purpose.
Another surprising quality of the Yeti is the on-road comfort. The car is incredibly adept at overcoming rutted roads and potholes, soaking up all the jarring bangs and bumps before they ever reach the cabin.
The price paid is a noticeable bodyroll in tighter corners and its higher set mass tends towards understeer when you ask too much of it in tight bends at speed. Yet treat it with decorum and the Yeti matches most of its direct rivals and several in the hatchback sector, while beating many in terms of ride comfort.
The Yeti comes with a 1.2-litre petrol variant, which may be the engine of choice for entry-level Irish buyers, but it does seem like it could be a little weak willed. The more meaty 2-litre diesel seems the better option. The difference in price for Active level specification between petrol and diesel is €860, but the diesel offers better fuel consumption and a €146 saving on annual road tax at current prices. For us it would seem like the obvious version to opt for.
The diesel does rattle a little when cold and rather low idling revs left us stalling at lights on our first spin. However, slip into second and the torque on tap is immediately evident.
Climb inside the Yeti and the Skoda really does well. For a start the driving position is higher than the average car, while the high roof gives it a spacious feel. In the back there is ample legroom for adults. Skoda has garnered much praise for its roomy interiors in the Octavia and cavernous Superb. It retains that reputation with the Yeti.
The back seats fold flat at the tug of a lever and they can then be folded flat or even removed altogether to increase luggage space up to a van-like 1,760 litres. With all three back seats able to adjust independently you can also slide each one forward or backward, while the middle smaller seat can be removed and the two remaining can then be moved left or right. Quite why you’d want to bother is still unclear, but it’s a feature nonetheless.
In terms of specification levels, the Active version – entry-level for the diesel engine – is competitively equipped for this market segment. For a start you get a Bluetooth phone connection as standard, which is more than you get on many premium models at twice the price. Stability control (ESP) is also added at this level – another reason that we would regard the Active specification as the best starting point for most buyers. If you are opting for a car like this then you reckon you are going to be in the odd tricky situation where its added muscularity might come in useful.
While we might let you away without choosing all-wheel-drive or even the diesel engine, the idea of cutting back on safety equipment suggests you don’t reckon you are going to be in a situation where you need the extra traction and controls stability offers, in which case it’s hard to see why you would need a Yeti at all.
Prices are tumbling across the market, but the Yeti still remains competitive given its size and relative versatility. We’ve been a fan of the Kia Soul for a while, and while the Yeti might not have the Soul’s more quirky image, it is a more mature offering and in that regard a better buy.
There has been a trend of late to give these sort of cars some character, hoping to replicate the relationship Mini owners seem to have with their cars.
In reality few will fall for the Yeti on its looks alone, or find it quirky enough to compete with the Mini Clubman or the future Mini SUV when it arrives. Yet you know what you get with the Yeti and it delivers in value, comfort and functionality. It’s an honest proposition that deserves to be a more common sighting on Irish roads.
FACTFILE Skoda Yeti
Engine:1,968cc four-cylinder with six-speed manual transmission putting out 110bhp @ 4,200rpm and 250Nm of torque @ 1,500rpm
Specification:Standard features on all models – driver, passenger and side airbags; curtain airbags; electric-heated door mirrors; climatic air-con; 16in steel wheels; front electric windows. Active spec (entry-level on two-litre diesel) adds: ESP; driver's knee airbag; front foglights; 16in alloys; Bluetooth hands-free phone system; multi-function steering wheel; floor mats. Ambition(extra €1,130) adds: front-seat lumbar support; rear parking sensors; cruise control; rear electric windows; 17in alloys; rain-sensing wipers; touchscreen CD/radio control. Experience(extra €1,530 over Ambition) adds: Climatronic air-con; panoramic sliding sunroof; leather interior; front parking sensors; cornering foglights.
L/100km (mpg):urban – 6.6 (42.8); extra-urban – 4.7 (60.1); combined – 5.4 (52.3)
Tax:VRT – 16 per cent; annual motor tax – €156
Price:€25,325 (starts at €19,990 for 1.2-litre 105bhp petrol)