Skoda Yeti 4x4 170 - The do everything car

[Grahamr123]

Prior to my abominable purchase, I owned a 2010 Civic Type S 2.2. It was a really solid car that I owned for over 5 year. However ever since our move from the Suburbs of Surrey to the edge of the Cotswolds, the Civic just felt a little out its depth on the bumpy local lanes with it's very crashy ride and 3 doors. The itch grew quickly to replace it.

Cue the Skoda Yeti. This isn't really the car I'd previously imagined myself buying, I did have my eyes on a 'warm hatch' estate. Something like the Seat Leon 1.8TSI FR estate.

Some months ago I had a lift in a Yeti and was surprised how lively it felt. The Yeti wasn't even on radar, but suddenly it was. It was a slippery slope from there researching the different specs. Turns out that owners love them. Even Evo magazine gave it 4 stars for 'Having Evo credentials in an unlikely package'. Of course the Yeti is most well known for Topgears antics landing a helicopter on the roof.

So here I was seriously considering buying a compact SUV with weird bug eyes. I decided early on that I wanted the 4x4 spec, no point having one in 2wd if I could have 4wd for nearly the same cost. If I was going to buy one, it was going to be fun on-road as well as off-road. So it had to be the 170bhp diesel version.

The 170bhp engine was a rarer option than the 110 and 140bhp offerings. I actually phoned my local Skoda garage asking if they have them in often for sale and was told that "we haven't seen one of those for years!".

Eventually one came up for sale with 77K miles not too far away at around £6.5K, so I raced down to have a look at it. A black 2010 model in the Elegance spec. These cars do seem to hold their value well.
The test drive cemented it, the Yeti being surprisingly nibble and quick feels like a much smaller car than it is. Combined with brilliant practicality, great comfortable ride and the knowledge that it will cope just fine in the rough stuff made it a compelling deal.

A couple weeks later I picked it up.


This one had the cream interior. I was a little dubious at first, but it seems to hold up really well and doesn't stain easily. Rubberised mats mean that muddy shoes are no concern.


There's load of room in the back.


The big windows mean visibility is good. My Yeti hasn't got the sun roof, but apparently these leak often, so I'm fine not having it.


The boot space is pretty okay, but not anything spectacular. The rear seats can slide forward, fold down or being totally removed if need be. Essentially making it like van.


I didn't take long before I started tweaking and adding stuff. Apparently these Yeti stickers are a compulsory requirement


Once I sold my Civic and I had a bit of spare cash, I splashed a few hundred quid on a new headunit. The stock unit was pretty basic at best, and I fancied DAB and Android Auto. It's proved to be worth every penny. The stock speakers are okay, but the door cards are a little thin and rattle with heavy bass. I'll probably get some sound deadening at some point to try and tame this.




What I like about the Yeti:

• Brilliant handling on-road and off-road. The way it holds on round corners for a car of it's class is impressive.
• 170bhp engine is very smooth and has plenty of power.
• I'm getting about 40mpg round town & nearly 50mpg on runs if I'm careful.
• General build quality is good
• Plenty of kit with the Elegance spec, heated seats, parking sensors etc.
• Off-road button - Engages hill descent mode in 1st and 2nd gear. Works well for going down very steep country lanes. Holds the car at a steady speed with no need to touch the brakes.
• The Bi-Xenon headlights are astonishingly good. They also move left and right with the steering wheel. I had no idea it had this feature till I had the car a couple days.
• Steering feel on centre is very good, you can feel exactly what the car is doing
• The ride treads the line between comfort and stiffness very well. It copes with speed bumps, potholes and rough roads well, but doesn't suffer from much body roll once you get to twistys. It means it's very easy to drive fast, even without meaning to.
• I actually like how it looks. It's not pretty in a conventional sense, it's quirky. It has the same charm that cars like the Kia Soul have. It's 'Anti-style' as I saw someone refer to it as.
• The fixed roof bars mean that mounting stuff to the roof is easy.

What isn't so great:

• The Glove box is a little small. The under armrest storage is tiny.
• The door cards are pretty thin and rattle with bassy music
• You can tell that they have skimped a little on noise isolation once you reach higher motorway speeds.
• The steering wheel control wheel for the 'MFD' screen doesn't work all the time. The garage are fixing this under warranty fortunately, a common fault is seems.
• Car is affected by the VW Diesel scandal, so has been 'fixed'. Potential issues with EGR and injectors down the line.
• The boot size is just average.

What do I plan to do with it?

The EA189 engine has had the emissions fix. I might get it rolled back to try and prevent any injector or EGR issues as this seems to be a common issue. I'm also toying with a Remap as this can take the engine to 220BHP, which sounds like a right hoot. I'll probably have to get some insurance quotes first though!

I might upgrade the door and boot lights to LED, as the stock bulbs are bit crap. It's very hard to see the contents of the boot with the boot light at night.


To summarise:
This is the car that does it all. While It's not the fastest, the most economical, or the most practical etc. It manages to be a good 8/10 at everything. It's a car that doesn't leave me wanting more. I'm struggling to think of a real life situation where the Yeti won't excel. To do all this for under £7K used is impressive. I think Clarkson was onto something when he said it was the best car in the world

Edited by Grahamr123 on Friday 13th November 17:23

Edited by Grahamr123 on Tuesday 17th November 17:47

Edited by Grahamr123 on Tuesday 17th November 19:16

[Muzzer79]

Good write up

I like them - if I need a van/SUV/4x4 combo, I'd definitely look one up.

My only minor gripe is that I couldn't live with that ugly steering wheel staring back at me every day. But I'm funny about steering wheels

[Grahamr123]

Muzzer79 said:

Good write up

I like them - if I need a van/SUV/4x4 combo, I'd definitely look one up.

My only minor gripe is that I couldn't live with that ugly steering wheel staring back at me every day. But I'm funny about steering wheels

I thought the exactly same thing, it's not a pretty wheel! The newer Yeti's have much nicer steering wheels fortunately. I will say that it is quite comfortable to use, more so than I thought it would be.

[Pica-Pica]

Muzzer79 said:

Good write up

I like them - if I need a van/SUV/4x4 combo, I'd definitely look one up.

My only minor gripe is that I couldn't live with that ugly steering wheel staring back at me every day. But I'm funny about steering wheels

I agree about the wheel! I have not driven one, but I imagine when making hand to hand (push-pull) steering, those two lower spokes would be a nuisance.
I test drove one a few years ago, I did not gel with it - the step down from the driver’s seat seemed too much, and the mirrors seemed the wrong shape.

[StuntmanMike]

Jesus, yeah the wheel.

I do fancy one of these though, as a Jazz replacement.

[bungz]

Really like these tho have yet to ever have a go in one, shame they stopped making them as they seemed to sell well?

When I have looked previously they hold their value very well, maybe because they are a kind of unique.

Go well when you stick a rs engine in them too.....

[Mezzanine]

I love a Yeti.

There was a bloke on here who tuned one up to some heavy horsepower numbers - ultimate sleeper.

[Mattsv]

Have a search on youtube for Atom vs Yeti to see how quick Bossfox's Yeti is with a TTRS lump and carbon panels...

[paradigital]

The wife has a facelift, only a lowly 1.2 2WD model, but it has hands down been the best “do it all” vehicle we’ve ever had. The 2WD models without a spare wheel have notably more boot space than the 4WD models which suits us as a young family just fine!

Definitely get yourself a facelift steering wheel! It’ll really help the interior, which looks great other than the wheel, really love the contrast of the beige leather!

[Helicon]

I have an unfortunate skoda habit and after 2*mk2 octavia's, a roomster (still got, brilliant little car), I'm now on my second Yeti. The first was sold on after the emissions "fix", it never felt right after that and the dpf seemed to regenerating after every drive. It's replacement was a runout 67 plate yeti 4*4 with every toy they could find in the factory. with a discount that could not be refused.

Best car I've ever owned, it's finance is up in Jan and I can't see anything even close in terms of spec/price so it looks like it will stay with us for sometime to come.

[Tommie38]

Have always liked these. Good effort OP.

[Helicon]

I haven't seen one before with that colour interior, certainly lifts it compared to my cars black on black with a hint of black

[Jimmy No Hands]

Is this the CR170 unit? I had it in an A6 (same year) and it wasn't very peppy, I did toy with the 220 remap for a while I must admit! I bet in a lighter car it isn't too bad mind!

Wasn't there a 4wd sleeper one on here with a modded TSI and like 400bhp? Or did I dream that?

[Matt Cup]

Jimmy No Hands said:

Is this the CR170 unit? I had it in an A6 (same year) and it wasn't very peppy, I did toy with the 220 remap for a while I must admit! I bet in a lighter car it isn't too bad mind!

Wasn't there a 4wd sleeper one on here with a modded TSI and like 400bhp? Or did I dream that?

Bossfox as mentioned above had one which started off with a 2.0tsi before the 5 pot was fitted.

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/226003-the-t...

[BlueMeganeII]

Had a 2015 L&K 4x4 version. It was the perfect small all round vehicle. Totally regret getting rid of it.

[mdk1]

Matt Cup said:

Jimmy No Hands said:

Is this the CR170 unit? I had it in an A6 (same year) and it wasn't very peppy, I did toy with the 220 remap for a while I must admit! I bet in a lighter car it isn't too bad mind!

Wasn't there a 4wd sleeper one on here with a modded TSI and like 400bhp? Or did I dream that?

Bossfox as mentioned above had one which started off with a 2.0tsi before the 5 pot was fitted.

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/226003-the-t...

Richard ( Bossfox ) still has the Yeti and it's currently at John Danbry Racing having another engine rebuild to around 800bhp.
Also Richard did have the Reg No YET1 on another Yeti.

[amstrange1]

There was this one (which I owned for a while) too:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=16...

Think Richard/BossFox did the K04 conversion to a 1.8TSI after seeing this one built by Shark Performance. Though he then took his to another level! Still, circa 300bhp in the Yeti chassis made for a fun car and a great all-rounder. The boot wasn't big enough to throw the kids' bikes in though.

[Grahamr123]

amstrange1 said:

There was this one (which I owned for a while) too:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=16...

Think Richard/BossFox did the K04 conversion to a 1.8TSI after seeing this one built by Shark Performance. Though he then took his to another level! Still, circa 300bhp in the Yeti chassis made for a fun car and a great all-rounder. The boot wasn't big enough to throw the kids' bikes in though.

Now that looks fun! I'm seriously toying with a 220bhp remap, but Esure won't insure it remapped. Fortunately the policy renews in a month or so, so I can move to another insurer.

Edited by Grahamr123 on Tuesday 17th November 17:34

[ChocolateFrog]

It's between a used one of these and a new Duster for the OH's next car.

It's a close call.

[Mr Pointy]

I'm tempted by a Yeti but everyone comments on how small the boot is; is it really that bad? Mind you I'd be coming from a Mondeo so I think many cars could be a bit disappointing in that respect.