Yeti

[K1W1]

I am a little confused as to why they would go for a design that doesn't cater for its intended audience.

The problem is that the rear diff eats up space under the floor where the spare would go. In the old days they would have mounted the spare on the rear but that is now out of fashion because of safety and cost (if you get a minor tap in the back it can be huge dollars to fix) reasons.
I believe that there are some accessory cradles available that allow a spare to be mounted to the back similar to the ones available for the Toureg.
As far as the CX7 is concerned that always had a 4 cyl 2.3 litre motor it's just that it's tuned for performance so it's a gas guzzler (the CX9 has the 6cyl engine). There is now a diesel option but they are manual only and guess what? They have a space saver temporary spare.

[brad]

I am a little confused as to why they would go for a design that doesn't cater for its intended audience. Surely most people looking at this sort of small 4 x 4 do so with a small family in mind.

Just back on this. The luggage capacity of the Tiguan doesn't surprise me at all. We've owned various Commodore/Falcon/Camry wagons plus 7 seat SUVs & proper people movers.

For a small (1 child) families the 3.0 V6 2000 Camry wagon was the best size/performamce/economy compromise.

The current Falcon is just a big hearse. The old Statesman wheelbase Commodores slightly better for the private user. The current VE Commodore Sportswagon seems very cramped for such a big car - may as well get an Octavia wagon.

We've had a Holden Captiva diesel 7 seat & it was a brilliant package with lots of room but needed more power or an extra gear. Mitsubishi Outlander 7 seat was just a joke.

Best of the lot for luggage capacity, comfort & handling was the Toyota Avensis Verso but that was a few years back so I think they might have been overtaken in safety features by now.

[woofy]

As far as the CX7 is concerned that always had a 4 cyl 2.3 litre motor it's just that it's tuned for performance so it's a gas guzzler (the CX9 has the 6cyl engine). There is now a diesel option but they are manual only and guess what? They have a space saver temporary spare.

Nah there is a newer engine out now that is the normal 6 one retuned not the MPS 6 engine which used to be the only choice. And yep also the diesel now.

[onyertod]

Had a seat in a Yeti last year while in the UK. Nice car, typical Skoda quality interior. Like almost all 4 x 4 s this type of vehicle often looks like it should be roomier inside when viewed from outside. At the time I had an x-trail and the yeti seemed smaller inside.

Back in OZ I traded the X-Trail on an Octavia TSI wagon because having owned a soft roader I wanted something that was a much more satisfying drive.

But I do feel that here in Oz we often buy bigger cars in the mistaken belief that we have to have heaps of space.

What the Yeti has, a la Roomster, is is Varioflex. "an extremely functional array of seat positions."

I find it hard to believe that a Yeti would not be big enough for a family with one or two kids.

Top Gear Magazine gave the Yeti "Family car of the year"

"The Yeti has been an instant hit with the Top Gear magazine office," he said. "We love the styling, the handling, the quality, the space, the clever touches and yes, the name. If you're looking for a family car it should be top of your list to check out, simple as that""

If I were in the market for this style of vehicle, I suspect that the Yeti will be worth waiting for.