The new Skoda Yeti is an unusual kind of automotive creature.
There are SUVs and then there are crossovers. Manufacturers take pains to point out the differences between the two and tell you why one is better than the other (as long as they aren’t making the other). Engineers in R&D get into defensive positions when comparisons are made, while marketing honchos think offence is the best defence. And it’s a battle that doesn’t look like it’s going to end any time soon.
But sometimes, there are vehicles that tread both paths and find a niche within a niche. Well, I didn’t know such an ultra-niche existed till the Skoda Yeti came along. The Yeti doesn’t look traditional — it even could pass off as a slightly extended hatchback on stilts.
How else could one justify its rather compact 4.2 metre length? It even has a second row of seats that can not only be moved on its rails in all four directions, they can even be removed completely to create space for a pair of baby elephants. The Skoda Yeti then could probably be called the most interesting vehicle on sale this year, but is it the best? Let’s go find out.
LOOKS
It would take a real genius to call the Yeti ‘boring looking’. If at all you do, try to concentrate on the front grille and the way the large fog lamps have been integrated into the bumper fascia, or the short overhangs that marry beefiness with styling accents.
Try to give the greenhouse a once-over, even stare hard at the quirkiness of the B-pillar integration, or the smartly adopted roof rails, or even the manner in which the near-wraparound glass relieves the heaviness of the D-pillar.
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If you have been thinking Skoda Roomster all along while trying not to, then you are on the right path. It may be boxy past the A-pillar, but it’s been done so smartly, that if it were a world of giants, the Yeti would probably be their favourite Fisher Price toy. The name, of course, is abominable, but most who saw the Yeti for the first time found this brown example ‘adorable’.
INTERIORS
They won’t tell you this or advertise the fact that the Yeti is based on the same platform that underpins the current Laura and outgoing-for-India Volkswagen Jetta, but it’s not a bad thing to begin with.
It also means the interiors are familiar territory; the dashboard being a straight lift from the Laura. Everything on the inside is built with the typical Skoda solidity that we’ve come to appreciate, although it isn’t exactly perfect with some poor quality plastics tucked away in places you wouldn’t normally notice.
Overall though, the controls have nice amounts of heft built into them, they fall to the hands well and the overall instrumentation is clear and easy to read. Leather is standard on both the Ambiente and Elegance models and so is the Varioflex seating configuration. The seating system works in numerous permutations and combinations.
In effect, you can transport anything — from surfboards to luggage for airport transfers for five or even move an entire house in a couple of trips! The seats themselves fold flat or can be unhinged in a fairly simple fashion, but we would warn you not to try it out in the dark, lest you wedge your hands in a place you wouldn’t want to. Yes, it still hurts!
For five, the seating is fairly comfortable and even though the seats offer good support, legroom for the rear occupants can be termed ‘decent’ and not class leading. Unfortunately, seating controls for the front occupants, even in the Elegance version, are manual and not electrically controlled.
POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE
Some of you might be acquainted with this engine. It’s the same 2.0 TDI common rail diesel motor found in the Superb and Laura, but it uses the higher 140 bhp state of tune here. Producing 32.4 kgm of peak torque available from as low as 1750 rpm, the engine is mated to a six-speed manual. Like the Laura, the clutch has a tendency to slip and cause the car to stall, requiring one to raise the revs and release the clutch, but after that and some turbo lag, the powertrain works rather beautifully.
Refined and punchy, the motor doesn’t disappoint and rewards the keen driver. The dash to 60 kph takes just a little over five seconds, while the run to 100 kph is an even more eye-opening 10.78 seconds.
This makes it one of the quickest accelerating four-wheel drives in the sector and not many vehicles with even more torque can play catch with this one. Add the low kerb weight of 1,543 kg and you can now gauge why the Yeti tends to fly into the face of the competition. Even more impressive is the spectacular mid-range, allowing you to accelerate well even when you’re doing three-digit speeds on the highway. A top speed of 185 kph is par for the course, and an overall fuel efficiency figure of 11.2 kpl is pretty good too.
RIDE & HANDLING
The Yeti’s credentials as a soft-roader are pretty strong, but given a chance it can keep up with some established off-roaders too when the going gets tough. Sitting on a short wheelbase of just 2,578 mm, the Yeti’s short overhangs and good ground clearance eventually give it decent off-road ability.
On our drive to a quarry, the Yeti felt pretty comfortable handling some tough approach and departure angles without rubbing its nose in the gravel. Using a Haldex torque sensing four-wheel drive system, it transfers up to 90 per cent torque to the rear wheels while the use of a limited slip differential means it can handle some slushy situations with ease.
Select the Off Road mode and the front suspension raises itself and gives you some very interesting wheel articulation when tackling ruts. It is no Toyota Landcruiser mind you, but it’s up to the task when the road ends and the jungle begins.
On road, the Yeti’s compact dimensions and independent suspension set-up bless it with the sort of agility reserved for sedans. The body movements are well controlled and because it feels quite compact from behind the wheel, it’s a hoot to drive through traffic. Our only cause of concern was the ride quality. From being stiff in some situations to crashy in others, it isn’t exactly ideal when road conditions deteriorate. It just doesn’t have the sort of plushness that is on offer on even the Laura. So think really hard before you plan any wheel upsize options.
VERDICT
To begin with, Skoda will offer only two trims and with only the six-speed manual-diesel motor combination. Hopefully, Skoda will in the next year or two offer a dual clutch transmission option and even a petrol motor (1.8 TSI?), though they aren’t confirming that just yet. Prices will hover around the Rs 16.5 to 18 lakh bracket, ex-showroom Mumbai and that makes it a bit more expensive than the other crossover in the same segment — the Tata Aria.
But that hasn’t stopped nearly 1,000 people from booking the Yeti even before its launch, which is early next week. Those 1,000 people would like to know that they haven’t made a mistake, even though the Yeti is just a five-seater.
Because when you take everything into consideration — looks, dynamics, performance and practicality, it scores high. Maybe it doesn’t get full marks for value, but when viewed in entirety, the Skoda Yeti is the closest the average Joe could get to a perfect, all-weather, all-terrain vehicle. Appreciation doesn’t get any better than this!
