Skoda Yeti 103TDI 2011 Review

What we liked
>> Upmarket interior presentation and packaging
>> Economical but comfortable touring
>> Refined drivetrain for the price

Not so much
>> Spacesaver spare
>> Luggage capacity
>> Ground clearance limited — if that's relevant

While the concept car was front-drive-only, as a production model the Yeti offers both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive models.

In Australia the entry-level model — the front-drive 77TSI model — is priced significantly lower than the four-wheel drive Yeti 103TDI, but Skoda anticipates that the latter variant will attract up to 60 per cent of buyers to the brand. There's also a petrol-engined four-wheel drive '118TSI' model in the works; the current 77TSI is petrol, but not 4WD; the 103TDI has 4WD, but is diesel, not petrol.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
?-- Carefully poised to shock marketplace rivals?
Skoda has structured the Yeti range simply for the Aussie market. At the entry level, the Yeti is priced from $26,290 (for the 77TSI FWD) and $35,690 (for the diesel 103TDI 4WD). The option of and automated twin clutch gearbox (DSG) raises the price by $2300 on both variants. As mentioned above, the Yeti range is set to be joined next year by a 118TSI model, but Skoda has not revealed pricing for the new variant. Don't expect it to come in below $30,000 however.

As you'll read in the COMPETITORS section below, the Yeti is right on the money — literally — for what buyers will pay for a light-duty SUV of this kind. Everything taken into account, the Yeti achieves its aim with a respectable level of equipment as well.

Standard kit for the base model Yeti includes: 16-inch alloy wheels, 215/60 R16 tyres, leather-trimmed steering wheel/handbrake gaiter/gear knob, air conditioning, MP3-compatible single-disc CD audio system with eight speakers, Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control, electric windows/heated mirrors, trip computer, black roof rails and height adjustment/lumbar support for driver's seat.

Added to that, the diesel Yeti scores: 17-inch alloys, 225/50 R17 tyres, front-door exit lights, chrome trim for gear lever/plinth/handbrake button, dual-zone climate control, six-disc CD audio, auto-on/off headlights, rain-sensing wipers and height-adjustable passenger seat with lumbar support.

There are a host of options available including leather upholstery, satnav and the like. It's entirely feasible that some Yeti's will arrive at their new owners homes with pricetags well into the mid-$40K zone.

MECHANICAL
?-- An amalgam of VW parts under a unique body?
Skoda has developed the Yeti from the A5-type platform, which is the same (Golf V) platform that underpins the Octavia and Volkswagen's Tiguan softroader. Ground clearance is 180mm, a measurement in common with the Scout, which is also based on the Octavia.

Mechanically, the Yeti provides few surprises. The 1.2-litre turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder petrol engine does duty in Volkswagen's Caddy van, although it's tuned for increased power (77kW) and torque (175Nm) in the Yeti.

Euro 5-compliant, the 77kW engine uses fuel at the rate of 6.6L/100km in combined-cycle testing and emits 154g/km of CO2 for the same test. The acceleration time to 100km/h is 11.8 seconds.

This engine drives through a standard six-speed manual box to the front wheels of the base-grade Yeti and there's a seven-speed dry-clutch DSG transmission also available, as an option. Acceleration time with the self-shifting box is 12.0 seconds.

The 103 TDI engine that powers the sole 4WD Yeti available from launch is common to other models in both Skoda and Volkswagen's respective ranges. Developing 320Nm, the diesel is also Euro 5-compliant and tips the scales at 6.2L/100km and 162g/km for the combined-cycle test.

With more performance on tap, the diesel Yeti will reach 100km/h from a standing start in 9.9 seconds with the standard six-speed manual transmission, or 10.2 seconds with the optional (wet-clutch) DSG transmission.

MacPherson strut suspension at the front is complemented by a multi-link system at the rear. Four-wheel disc brakes are ventilated at the front and the steering is by means of an electro-hydraulically-assisted rack-and-pinion setup. In length the Yeti measures 4223mm for a wheelbase of 2578mm and the width is 1793mm, which height comes in under 1.7 metres (1691mm).

PACKAGING
?-- Chunky looking, yet well finished
?Skoda has trimmed the Yeti with soft, quality materials and there's a mix of chrome and piano black gloss applied to the infotainment system fascia. The bezels of the major instruments are also finished in chrome and are large and easy to read. This is all part of the 'chrome pack' fitted as standard to the four-wheel drive Yeti.

Seats were comfortable and supportive, helped no end on longer trips by the standard adjustable lumbar support. There's plenty of headroom front and rear, and with the driver's seat adjusted to suit an adult of average height there's also decent kneeroom for an adult in the seat behind. The occupant can also stretch out a little, thanks to excellent wriggle room for toes under the driver's seat, but there's not the same level of legroom - obviously - that Skoda provides in the rear of the much longer Superb.

Even against other compact SUVs the Yeti's rear legroom is not class-leading, although it should be noted that not all compact SUVs are created equal. Toyota's current RAV4 is almost as long as earlier generation Prados and the Mitsubishi Outlander is longer than Hyundai's medium segment Santa Fe.

Yeti is definitely a compact SUV in more than just arbitrary market segmentation. But, that said, it's well packaged. Stepping in and out is easy, since the Yeti isn't one of your high-riding SUVs.

At the rear the luggage space is small, just like the Yeti's Volkswagen cousin the Tiguan, but the Yeti's rear seating can be removed entirely to free up a lot more luggage space if that's required and passenger seating isn't.

Skoda names its seating system (basically the same as in the Roomster) 'Varioflex'. All three seats can be removed independently or altogether. They can also fold up against the front seats and with the centre seat position folded up or removed there's still room for four - with plenty of elbow room - but also some additional length in the loadspace for long objects to be loaded between the rear seats. It's an extremely practical and handy system.

As an offroader the Yeti has its pros and cons. After a couple of days driving through sand, the Yeti showed little to no dust seeping into the cabin. In the high heat/low humidity environment of Central Australia the car's climate control was able to keep up the occupants comfortable.

The car's principal vice as an offroader — other than ground clearance perhaps — is its spacesaver spare, a feature that informed Skoda's reluctance to maintain tyre pressures at normal operating levels for the drive program (see below), lest the sharp rocks encountered during the drive puncture the tyres.

Taking a leaf out of the Kia Soul/MINI hymnbook, Skoda is offering the Yeti with a range of body colours and three different roof schemes. It's something else to distinguish the Yeti from the Tiguan, since the price difference between the two is not that great.

SAFETY?
-- Five-star but pedestrian safety just average
?Euro NCAP has rated the Yeti a five-star car for crash safety. Naturally, since the Yeti is a recent design, it has passed the stricter, post-2009 NCAP test to earn its five-star gong. The rating is based on a breakdown of 92 per cent for adult protection, 78 per cent for child safety, 46 per cent for pedestrian safety and 71 per cent for safety assist — safety aids such as stability control and seatbelt reminders.

Against some competitors (and even the Volkswagen Tiguan), the Yeti doesn't score as well for pedestrian safety. The Tiguan scored 48 per cent, Sportage 49 per cent and ix35 54 per cent. That said, some larger SUVs (Mazda CX-7 and the Audi Q5) fared worse in this type of testing.

Standard safety features onboard the Yeti include seven airbags (among them side curtains and a kneebag for the driver), stability control, antilock brakes with Hill Hold and hill descent functions, three-point seatbelts all round, and front pretensioners.

COMPETITORS
?-- A host of tried and true rivals for Yeti?
With the Yeti thinly covering such a broad spectrum of buyer types (the front-drive petrol at the low end and the 4WD diesel the other) there's just no shortage of potential competitors.

Consider the example of the Yeti 77TSI with DSG. It's pitched at a price point between $28,000 and $29,000 — as are front-drive versions of the Hyundai ix35 (Active) and Kia Sportage Si. Priced lower is the Nissan Dualis ST at $27,490. And if the buyer is willing to pay ($7000) above the odds for European cachet of a different flavour, there's always the Peugeot 3008...

These cars are all petrol-engined with automatic transmission. All of them offer more power and torque than the turbocharged Yeti 77TSI, although the flip side of that is none of them are as economical or environmentally friendly. The two Korean cars come with a longer warranty, but the Yeti stacks up well for standard equipment.

Rivalling the 4WD Yeti 103TDI are the ix35 and Sportage, Jeep Patriot (though not available with diesel power), the quite expensive MINI Countryman, Nissan Dualis (also petrol-only), Subaru's Forester and the Volkswagen Tiguan.

Also, for those buyers not in an immediate hurry, there are new models on the horizon, including Mazda's CX-5 and the Jeep Compass.

For the price of the manual 4x4 Yeti, buyers can have an ix35 Elite with automatic transmission and a couple of hundred dollars spare. The Sportage SLi — also with auto — costs $300 more than the Yeti. Forester Premium with diesel is close to $5000 higher than the Yeti and is manual-only, but larger, lighter and slightly more powerful, with a comparable equipment level.

But it's the Tiguan that poses the greatest immediate threat to the Yeti variant that Skoda expects will be the volume seller. Some prospective buyers will fall for the Yeti's looks, whereas the Tiguan lacks the same offroad-ready style.

With about $300 separation in price between the two cars, the Yeti probably needs everything going its way. After all, that's not a lot of money for the added comfort of the VW badge come resale time.  

ON THE ROAD
?-- Not a fair test, but Yeti passes anyway
?As we reported earlier, Skoda flew Aussie journalists to the Red Centre for the Yeti's first encounter with the fourth estate on the fifth continent.

It was, frankly, a drive program that proved a real challenge for the Yeti, as it would have been a challenge for most compact SUVs. To illustrate how demanding it was, the offroad route through the Finke Gorge comprised rutted, rocky sections and long, horror stretches of deep sand that even tested the ability of a 70-Series LandCruiser tray operated by the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Service! As the LC70 struggled to tow our Yeti out of one particular sandy trap, it was hard pressed to maintain traction, despite the mud-and-snow tyres and pressures clearly (and correctly!) lowered for driving on sand.

Skoda had inflated the tyres of the Yeti convoy to 40PSI for the program. This was aimed at reducing the chance of tyres punctured by the sharp rocks, but did nothing for traction in the sand. And it's very doubtful the Yeti's on-road handling and steering were helped by such high pressures either.

All credit to the Yeti though, its ride was surprisingly good and would have been better still if the tyres had been set to the right pressures. As far as we can tell, the Yeti's cornering seemed generally well mannered, but there was some inconsistency in its higher-speed handling and straight-ahead stability.

It's hard to say just how much of that was due to inappropriate tyre pressures; and it's a similar situation for the steering, which seemed well weighted and feedback was good, but again, possibly could have been better with the tyre pressures set correctly.

In spite of the tyre pressures, the car's traction was better than expected, thanks to the Haldex all-wheel-drive system, which reacted fairly promptly in the deep sand encountered (over sections of hundreds of metres at a time). But it wasn't infallible -- during the one occasion the writer's Yeti was bogged in sand (not by the writer) with the left/front and right/rear wheels just turned in unison with no hope of digging the car out...

In the gorge the Yeti's ground clearance and breakover angle were lacking. On first blush the car's approach and departure angles place the Yeti on at least a comparable footing with other compact SUVs — although what passes for a compact SUV these days anyway? Skoda stresses the Yeti's underbody protection more than makes up for the car's 180mm ground clearance.

The diesel engine powering the Yeti was frugal - at first - with the trip computer registering an open-road fuel consumption figure of around 8.0L/100km. Long periods of clawing its way through sand and water crossings, as well as clambering across rock-strewn river beds at low speeds, took its toll on the fuel consumption figure. But even with literally hours of idling with the engine powering the air conditioning system, plus more hours of laborious offroad work and hoofing it back to Alice Springs to meet a plane prior to departure, the Yeti's overall average was 11.4L/100km. That is quite remarkably good in the circumstances.

Respectably powerful and refined, the engine would rev close to 5000rpm and not intrude on conversation within the car while cruising. In fact refinement of the Yeti was very good overall.

Tyres were noisy at open-road speeds — in the context of the Territory's very coarse mix of bitumen — but the driveline was inaudible while touring and wind only became apparent at much higher speeds – legally higher in the Northern Territory than elsewhere. The only occasion the Yeti was a bit loud was when left standing in 40-plus degree heat while we awaited other journalists on the drive program to catch up. Then the overworked engine cooling fan could be heard from a significant distance.

While the drive program for the Yeti wasn't subjectively conclusive -- since the cars were hardly driven at all the way 95 per cent of owners will use them – Skoda's softroader did impress with its prowess. If it can survive the rigours of a drive program like this, it should certainly be on the shopping list for those who rarely venture further than the local shops.

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