Skoda's Abominable Snowman : The Yeti

                                    Skoda's a brand which in India is synonymous for luxury sedans. Skoda's product range boasts of stuff which stretches from the Rapid to the Laura to the Superb, each catering to its own market niche. These cars are well built Czech tanks which offer sturdy build quality and peace of mind. But now, Skoda's trying to nudge its way into a new segment - the compact SUV segment for customers with a budget of 15 lakh rupees. Their new entrant on Indian shores is the Skoda Yeti. This Czech beauty offers the experience of a luxury car like a Skoda Superb in the form factor of a compact SUV. It's based on the same platform as the Audi Q3. It's available in 3 variants - Active, Ambition & Elegant. It's also available with 2 diesel engines - One with 110 Bhp and the other with 140 Bhp.

The Interiors:

The interiors look very Skoda Superb esque.

This is the Boreal wood trim available on the top of the line Elegance model. It looks really good ! The plastics on the dashboard seem high quality and feel good to touch.

The side view of the dashboard. The chrome encircled meters behind the steering look very elegant. The storage bin above the dashboard is a good touch.

The 2nd row of seats look well padded, comfortable and have good thigh support. They feel good, have that "grand luxury sedan" feel, and are surprisingly good for long journeys. They come with air con vents behind the armrest console for the driver.

The console behind the driver's armrest has two A/C vents as well as a small storage cubby hole.

The Skoda Yeti's boot space with all its seats up... Good enough for quite a few shopping bags.... It's also quite good for those airport runs where you need to carry a few bags. With all the seats up, Skoda claims a boot space of 416 liters. That is nice.

With the rear seats folded down, the Yeti's boot becomes HUGE ! Its big enough to carry a full size bicycle.

According to Skoda, with the rear seats folded forward, the boot transforms into an expansive 1485 liters.

This is a good inclusion in the Yeti's design ! The seats can be completely taken out to expand boot space to an expansive 1665 liters of space. This is what Skoda proudly calls "Varioflex Seating".

Moving on to the Exteriors:

At first glances, the Skoda Yeti looks like a Fabia with these two big lamps stuck on at the front. It's easy to fool someone who doesn't know about the Yeti that this is a Fabia with a custom bumper. But, the Yeti's design lies in the nitty - gritties - There's the very Fabia like headlamps. But, look closer and you'll see the word "Yeti" embossed on the Headlamps. Then, there's the silvery skid plate and the flared wheel arches. There's the turning indicators on the OVRM's.

But, this car like all other Skoda's lives up to the basic Skoda design lines - The chrome grill insert, the traditional Skoda grille, the way the bonnet swoops. All of this is what distinguishes it from other cars on the road.

The rear looks too boxy. The lower skid plate area is evidently shared with the Audi Q3. The hatch design looks good. The dual tail pipes seem to give it the design that "extra grunt".

The Yeti's rear lamp design looks quite good on its "Bread box design".

The side profile of the Yeti looks quite good. There are bits which evidently scream Fabia. But, on an overall, Skoda's done a good job with the Yeti's designing.

The Powerplant(s):

    The Skoda Yeti comes with two different diesel engines. But, both are 2 liter diesel 4 cylinder turbocharged units. Then whats the difference ? Answer: Their power production. One produces 110 Bhp and just 25 kgm of torque, whereas the other produces a better figure of 140 Bhp and 32 kgm of torque.  

The Yeti's heart.

The 110 Bhp and 25 kgm powered cars come with 5 speed manual transmissions. Whereas, the 140 Bhp and 32 kgm producing ones come with 6 speed manual transmissions. The 140 Bhp model further comes with a Haldex permanent Four Wheel Drive System.

I still think that Skoda could have provided better engines in India. The fact that you get a 110 Bhp engine on a 16 lakh car is not acceptable, especially when the competition such as the XUV 500, and the Safari Storme come with 140 Bhp engines on their base models which are cheaper than the Skoda . The lower end model should've got the 140 Bhp engine. Skoda should've also offered the 2 liter diesel engine they offer abroad with 170 Bhp on the tap and 35 kgm of torque. 

Final Verdict:

          Accept it, the Skoda Yeti doesn't belong to either segments - people carriers or off roaders. It can carry 5 people comfortably. But thats it. The competition can carry 7 people with ease. When it comes to off roading, face it. Skoda's Yeti will surely not be able to compete with the likes of the similarly priced Pajero or Endeavour. So, here you have it. The Skoda Yeti is a luxury city car, for someone who wants a Skoda Superb, but who also needs to take his car into conditions which the Superb can't handle, like trail driving. It's for someone who needs a car like handling compact SUV which'll comfortably take him from place A to place B, along with oodles of luggage space.

- Naayl Humza,

   14 year old car enthusiast.