The Skoda Yeti might be called a mission of finding a niche within a niche, which is more or less accomplished when you see it on the road. It is not a traditional SUV, where the price-to-size ratio is paramount; it is not even a crossover vehicle. Let me try define the Yeti to the best of my abilities. This could well be a compact SUV with the appeal of an off-roader and the convenience of a sedan. It?s a car that?s comfortable off-road, and a 4×4 that?s even more comfortable on it. The interiors are exactly what you would expect from a luxury sedan. From the Indian perspective, the Yeti, for all these reasons, stands to be a turn on both for men and women alike.
The Yeti is built on the same platform as the Skoda Laura. The SUV, however, uses a full-time, four-wheel-drive system. Under normal conditions, it all but functions like a front-wheel-drive car. Up to 95% of its power is sent to the front wheels, with more power sent to the rear wheels only if any slip is detected.
The two-litre, common-rail diesel engine and the six-speed manual gearbox are well up to the task in the city. This new-generation, 140 bhp motor is the same as the one that powers the Laura and that gives it a very impressive turn of foot. The all-wheel drive versions have another worthwhile gadget in the form of an off-road mode, which can be actuated by the driver by punching a switch on the dashboard. And if that?s not all, adoption of the ?hill start assistant? helps you to do the impossible?roll down steep hills with your feet off all pedals and with the transmission slotted in neutral!
The leather in the interiors is standard in both the Ambiente and Elegance models. The seating system works in numerous permutations and combinations. You can transport anything?from surfboards to luggage for airport transfers for five or even move an entire house in a couple of trips!
Yeti makes 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. 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.
Skoda Yeti comes at a hefty price tag of Rs 14 lakh and Rs 16 lakh, but that hasn?t stopped nearly a thousand people from booking the Yeti even before its launch, which is early next year. Those thousand people would like to know that they haven?t made a mistake, even though the Yeti is just a five-seater. Maybe it doesn?t get full marks for value, but when viewed in entirety, the Skoda Yeti is the closest the one could get to a perfect, cute and all-terrain vehicle.
