Skoda warms up Yeti

Skoda revealed a midlife makeover for its Yeti compact SUV at last year’s Frankfurt motor show and now it has been released in Australia.

Dressed in the Czech brand’s new design theme and bringing more technology and a new 90 TSI engine from the Golf, the MY15 Yeti is also pricier – depending on your point of view.

Reflecting the boom in popularity of front-wheel drive compact crossovers priced from under $25,000, the refreshed Yeti line-up continues to comprise four variants but now includes three 2WDs and just one (diesel) 4x4, rather than two.

It opens with the entry-level Active 77TSI, powered by a carryover 77kW/175Nm 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine and priced from $23,490 plus on-road costs (six-speed manual) and $25,790 plus ORCs for the seven-speed DSG dual-clutch auto.

Skoda says that’s $2800 less than the same model’s previous manufacturer’s retail list price ($26,290), however, the Yeti 77TSI manual has been available for the run-out price of $21,990 drive-away since mid-2013.

The mid-range Yeti Ambition 90TSI auto ($28,290) replaces the 1.8-litre petrol 112TSI AWD auto ($28,990), powered by the same 90kW/200Nm 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four from the base Golf, driving the front wheels via a seven-speed DSG auto.

Topping the range is the newly named 4x4 Outdoor 103TDI – the only AWD model and the only diesel in the range, powered by a carryover 103kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel matched to a six-speed DSG auto.

At $33,590, Skoda says it’s $4400 less than its previous MRLP, although it’s at least $2600 dearer than its predecessor’s run-out price ($31,990 drive-away).

Nevertheless, Skoda says additional equipment makes the entire Yeti range much better value than before.

All models wear fresh front and rear styling, including bonnets, front quarter guards, headlights, bumpers, tailgates and grilles – the latter with Skoda’s new-look emblem.

The 4x4 Outdoor model is differentiated from lesser urban-oriented 2WD models via a different front bumper, grille and foglight treatment, silver lower bumper inserts at both ends, silver roof rails, silver mirrors caps and black body-side mouldings.

Inside, all models score a reversing camera for the first time, joining seven airbags, electronic stability/traction control, anti-lock brakes and an electronic differential lock to maintain their maximum five-star ANCAP crash safety rating.

All models also score a colour touch-screen infotainment system, keyless entry and starting, new three-spoke multi-function steering wheels and rear parking sensors.

The base 77TSI Active, which is likely to again account for most sales, rides on new ‘Scudo’ 17-inch alloy wheels and gains a five-inch ‘Amundsen’ colour touch-screen. Also standard are power windows, cruise control, four-speaker sound, front seat height adjustment and phone and music connectivity via Bluetooth and cable.

The 90TSI Ambition rides on carryover 17-inch ‘Annapurna’ wheels and adds sliver roof rails, dual-zone climate-control, eight-speaker sound, front centre armrest, automatic headlights and wipers, foglights and front parking sensors.

It also comes with the option of a $2900 Tech Pack comprising 6.5-inch ‘Columbus’ navigation, directional bi-xenon headlights with LED running lights, LED tail-lights, 360-degree cameras, premium sound system and a second-generation automatic parking system from the new Octavia.

Apart from the aforementioned design differences, the top-shelf 4x4 Outdoor 103TDI auto comes with 17-inch ‘Erebus’ wheels and a the fifth-generation Haldex part-time all-wheel drive system as seen in the latest VW Golf R.

The flagship Yeti can also be had with the Tech Pack or an ‘Off Road Assist’ option package, which for a further $500 includes black 17-inch ‘Matterhorn’ wheels, rear privacy glass, a double-side cargo mat, ‘rough road package’ including front underbody engine and suspension protection, and off-road functions like hill ascent/descent control and off-road ABS.

All Yetis continue to come standard with the VarioFlex rear seat system, enabling the three rear seats to be individually folded, slid or removed (offering a claimed 22 seating configurations in total), plus a flat-folding front passenger seat, a class-leading 1027mm of headroom, total cargo capacity of 1760 litres and 180mm of ground clearance.

In Europe, no fewer than seven turbocharged direct-injection engines are offered, including a 125kW 2.0-litre TDI and a 77kW 1.6-litre TDI 2WD manual that consumes just 4.6L/100km with the aid of idle-stop and brake energy recovery systems.

Australia’s Yeti 77TSI consumes as little as 6.0L/100km, while the new 90TSI is not only more powerful than the 112TSI it replaces but only slightly thirstier than the 77STI at 6.1L/100km (DSG).

While the Yeti is now built at Nizhny Novgorod in Russia and Shanghai in China, all Australian versions continue to come from Kvasiny in the Czech Republic.

MY15 Skoda Yeti pricing (plus ORCs):
Active 77TSI -- $23,490
Active 77 TSI (a) -- $25,790
Ambition 90TSI (a) -- $28,290
4x4 Outdoor 103TDI (a) -- $33,590