Yeti test drive

[ausspace87]

Mate of mine works for Northshore Auto and brought over a Yeti 103TDI DSG last night for me to have a drive.

He works for the KIA dealership, so as usual with salesmen from other brands - he said he didn't like the styling. I on the other hand think it looks great. It has a lot of character and on-road presence.

Inside, the dash is definitely a slight improvement over the Octavia design wise and still has that solid Skoda/VW feeling. Great driving position and the vision all around is very good. The rear was surprisingly roomy for a car of this size and headroom is amazing for all seats. The entry in and out is fantastic, with the seats being at the perfect height, just below waist height. Boot size is typical Skoda - lots of space.

On take-off the diesel has a slight lag before the turbo kicks in. Honestly I thought it would feel a little more energetic off the mark, but the car only had 200km on the clock, so everything was still very tight and diesels need a few thousand km's before they wake up. The DSG is perfect for this engine and was better left in Drive mode - Sport didn't really make too much of a difference compared to how it turns my Octavia RS into the devil! Suspension and ride is a little softer than the Standard Octavia but body roll isn't bad bad at all through the corners with the Yeti feeling just like a jacked up Octavia - which is basically is!

The standard bluetooth system is great and I wish I had the option of ordering it with my car. Music streaming and the lot is all supported.

Overall I was really impressed with the Yeti. If I was in the market for a city sized SUV it would be at the top of my list. The build quality was flawless, great to drive and I love the looks. I think the 118TSI would be my choice when it hits Aus early next year. That's only because I prefer a petrol engine's immediate power off the line.

[K1W1]

One thing I've never figured out is where are the daytime running lights?
I've seen reference to them being in the round headlights did you happen to notice them at all?

[ausspace87]

One thing I've never figured out is where are the daytime running lights?
I've seen reference to them being in the round headlights did you happen to notice them at all?

Yeah they were activated in the Yeti I drove. The round foglights are split with 2 sections. The top half is the DRL and the bottom half is the foglight.

[Buller_Scott]

thanks for the detailed review! my mom's looking at one of these...