Hong Konger Reviews - Skoda Yeti

As you might see in my last post ‘Falling in love with a rental, is that even possible?’, you’ll know that I’m quite a fan of the Yeti. The story all started when me and my family went on a holiday in 2016, and drove 700km to a mountain with a rental, more specifically a Yeti.

However, last time was more of a sharing, this time, having rented another Yeti to go on another road trip, I wanted to up things a notch, by bringing you 10 good and 5 bad things about Yeti, from a user’s point of view.

But before I start, I want to give you guys some stats for reference. The car tested is a Yeti 1.4TSI, with a 7-speed DSG gearbox. Car weighs 1435kg, but here’s the awkward bit, it’s a front-wheel drive car. So wait till and see what my comments are on this VAG hatchback/ fake SUV-thing.

Good No. 1: Fuel Efficient

I know, this being a car from the VAG, it’s not surprising that the official figures from the manufacturer is not exactly what you call…believable.

But I’ll happily report, that the Yeti, despite it’s background, is a very fuel efficient car. From the two trips I’ve done in 2 Yetis with different mileages but borne on the exact day(no joke, but they come with different chassis no. though so don’t worry)(First one with 18k km and the second one with 60k km on the clock), the car has consistently pulled off more than 600km per tank(55L), which is really very good for a 1.4L turbo with 1435kg of car plus 5 fully grown human beings constantly on the car. Admittedly most of those kilometres were on smooth highways, but, depite that, I’d go and say it’s probably one of the most fuel efficient cars I’ve ever driven, that’s how good this is.

Good No. 2: Rather fun to chuck about

People might not know, but it’s often the small cars with tiny engines and diddly thin tires that are the most fun to chuck about on mountain roads, because the grip levels on those cars are low and and the engine doesn’t pull very hard, so all you have to is pin the throttle and leave it there on mountain roads. Which makes cars of that sort extremely fun and rewarding to drive.

And after driving the two Yetis, I can confirm that the Yeti does stand by that statement. Since the tires that the Yeti is wearing are offroad tires, and they just don’t work on tarmac, the drama of driving the thing is hilariously fun. You pull the gear lever to ‘S’ and pin the right foot to the floor, and the tires just squeal like a pigeon crying for help. The engine responds well under hard acceleration (will talk more about that at a later stage) and the chassis is very rigid. The steering is weighty but full of feel, adds the icing on the really rather good cake. And if you do need to brake, which you will, the brakes are very progressive and they give confidence.

It might surprise you, but the only let-down, or the only drawback keeping me from praising the Yeti even more, is the suspension, which I’ll also cover at the latter part of the passage.

Good No. 3: Really practical

The Yeti is a very boxy car. From the outside it looks very much like a van, which is a good thing on the practicality front. Because it means that the room is used to their full extent, and because there is next to no curves in its bodylines, you can pretty much put anything and everything in the boot. And if you feel like the already big boot isn’t big enough, not only you can tilt the seats forward and fold them up, you can actually take them out without a socket set, making it an ACTUAL van, and a class-leading machine in terms of practicality.

Good No. 4: Chubby looking

Looking at it from this angle, you can tell it’s a chubby car. It’s almost like a bookworm trying to pretend that he doesn’t care about anything, yet he is perfectly capable of doing everything you want without hassle, and he is determined, determined to show that he isn’t bothered, yet his mind is full of ideas to make you happy. That’s what the Yeti is, the first time I ever clapped eyes on it, I think it looks like a Defender, or a G-Wagon, because of it’s boxy lines. But what differs from them are the curviness and the corners. Sounds very weird but it’s very true. In essence they look the same, yet subtly different. And I like that. Probably because I’m a nerd myself, and this car looks very much like myself, fat, chubby, and absolutely fantastic.

Good No. 5: Extra ground clearance is a refreshing change

The Yeti is wearing 215/60 R16s all round, which is diddly in modern standards. In comparison, my daily driver has got 17s on them, and it’s from 2005, the Yeti’s come from 2016, so it’s not exactly modern-looking. But, put it this way, pairing it with off-road orientated suspension, what you end up with, is a lot of ground clearance. And having ground clearance is a good thing, it means that you are not going to hurt the underside of the car as often when you go over speedbumps, potholes or even roadside kerbs. Not only that, you can actually get away with a bit of light off-roading, since it’s designed as a 4x4 but it’s been de-tuned to a FWD hatchback. In short, extra ground clearance is a good thing, and it’s certainly refreshing given the fact that my daily driver runs on coilovers.

Good No. 6: Gearbox is sharp, really sharp

DSGs were one of the first double-clutch auto ‘boxes ever to be fitted to production cars, when they were first released in 2005(?) and in the form of a mk5 Golf GTi, it shocked the world by telling them what the future is like, no human input and still it goes faster than the manual version.

Although I still believe that doing the heel-and-toe and changing cogs with the combination of your left leg and one of your hand is more engaging than the computer doing all that for you. However, there is just no denying the fact that auto ‘boxes are simply faster.

The case is further proved in the Yeti. With the 7-speed DSG gearbox mated with the 1.4TSI lump, you can sense they are a great match, although with a slight catch (will cover at a later stage), the action of changing gears is INSTANT, it can roll through it’s gears from 7th to 3rd in a matter of seconds and to your desire. It also makes the car incredibly fuel efficient as stated above, which is a by-product of having a 7-speed ‘box I suppose.

Moreover, I can’t possibly imagine that a manual is more fun in a city car like the Yeti, if you’re constantly stuck in traffic and you opted for a manual, then I’m sure you’ll regret the decision since the action of endlessly taking your hand off the wheel and putting it on the gear lever to put it from neutral to first, and having to deal with the clutch with your left leg at the same time, is more exhausting than enthusiastic.

Honestly speaking though, this ‘box is undoubtedly one of the best business and being a manual lover myself, even I don’t see the problem of having a DSG.

Good No. 7: Having headroom is yet again, refreshing

Headroom is something that when people look at a car, they would often overlook or wouldn’t even pay attention to it at all. But having sufficient headroom really is important. Like kneeroom, it determines how your journey ends up, agony pain, endless irritation or miles of smiles as you’re relaxed.

The Yeti is 1.68m tall, plus seats that are mounted rather low down for a SUV of sorts, what you end up with, is a lot of headroom. Let’s put it this way, I am 5 ft 9, and when I’ve adjusted my seat to the position to where I’m used to, up above is more than 2 fists worth of headroom. I’ll admit, it might not be as impressive as the exhausts that Alex Kersten can put his fist into, but hey at least you’ll be assured that even you are a lot taller than me, there’s still a lot of headroom to spare.

And I’m happy to report, having all that headroom, really makes me relaxed, even after driving for 8 hours straight, which is very important in a family car like the Yeti.

Good No. 8: The engine pulls well under hard acceleration i.e. flat out

Rental cars are often nicknamed the ‘fastest cars on the planet’ as they are destined to be abused, to be thrashed, and the fact that they aren’t your cars, and a couple of scratches won’t make a dent in your pocket if the rental company doesn’t notice, what people often do, is drive fast in rentals, really very fast.

I did baby the Yeti the first time round frankly speaking, because unlike most people, I don’t think rentals are meant to be thrashed, and they are cars afterall, why not cherish them as we do in our own cars?

But, having gotten a bit disappointed with the power low-down in the rev range, I wanted to do something drastic - to plant my right foot where the metal is - which means I was flat out. The car was in 5th when I planted my right foot where the pedal probably hadn’t been, and my God am I in for a surprise. I thought being a turbo engine with a small displacement, it would lag horrendously and not go anywhere, but despite the fact that that’s the nature of the engine, the gearbox worked hard to fulfill my needs. Dropping from 5th to 4th, and then 3rd while the needle on the speedo still points at 50km/h. And then the rev way up to 5k. And then car just shoots off. It wasn’t neck-snapping, no. But the car really does go. What this engine is, is a rev-happy puppy, it maybe lazy at the lower end of the rev range, but when you step into the turbo-active zone and the car just turns petrol into go, a lot of go, and an awful racket (I’ll touch upon that once it’s onto the bad bits). So in turns it encourages you to push just a bit faster, and a tad bit more, and you end up going over the speed limit. But I tell you what, from 50km/h to 130km/h, for a 1.4 Turbo lump, it’s doing a bloody good job, and that push-you-in-the-seat feeling? Encourages you to go on and on, just like what I did. No, I can assure it’s not fast at all, but at least it’ll end up being a happy-ending if you press that right pedal hard enough.

Good No. 9: No complaints from passengers at the back

I see this one as a very important point when choosing my ride. Probably because I’m a family guy. I always choose cars that pleases my family, that won’t shatter their bones every time I go over a speed bump, or won’t make my carpets full of messy stuff every time I go round a corner. I like to strike a balance between out-right handling, good looks and comfort.

And the Yeti? It scored massively well in the ‘comfort’ section, since the three from the back, who knows absolutely nothing about cars, all say that the car feels good at the back. It rides like it’s much more expensive European counterpart, firm because of the chassis stiffness, but soft on the suspension front, making the ride quality outstanding. And thanks to the stretched version of the Yeti available only to China, the car is very spacious at the back, even with luggage to haul. The part that the floor plan has to make room for the driveshaft doesn’t make a huge difference, and it is perfectly acceptable, according to them. And the fact that there are many storage areas in the door card, makes it a very good long-distance cruiser too.

Good No. 10: VW build quality with Skoda pricing

There are many horror stories about VWs, DSG gearboxes going bang for no reason at all, the diesel’s emitting ludicrous amount of rubbish out the back etc. etc., we’ve heard them all.

But of course, VWs are renowned for their build quality too right? Cars that often survive the most punishments are VWs. They are well-built with a capital W.
And being a product from the Volkswagen group, the Yeti does feel well-built. There are no squeaks, no rattles, no sound at all from the interior of the car. You can tell because the car that I drove twice, one slightly older than the others, still held up very well after much abuse being a rental car. Also, I’m told by the rental company, that the Yetis are the least to worry in their line-up. The Peugeot 3008 however, which costs about the same to rent and is a competitor for the Yeti, is one of the most troublesome cars in their line-up. Well it’s French and the Yeti is German. What do you expect right?

Bad No. 1: The engine sound is a tad uninspiring

There are some great sounding 4 bangers over the years, the K20 series out of the Integra Type R, the F20C out of a S2000, even the 4 cylinder engine from VW’s own Golf GTi sounds rather nice too.

However the 4 banger in the Yeti sounds, horrible, there’s no way of putting it. On start up it sounds like a diesel, when rolling down the road it sounds like a lawnmoaner, when driving really hard the engine is kind of…lazy, and you can sense that the car doesn’t want to rev at all. Of course, if you do buy a Yeti, what you want, most probably is practicality, not thrills from getting behind the wheel. But having that VW heritage, I was expecting more, a lot more in the sound department.

Bad No. 2: Car rolls a bit too much

Like I said in the early part of this passage, I did rather like how the Yeti deals with the bumps. It’s not clashy, nor is it clunky, it’s soft yet when the springs are fully compressed, the chassis gives a stiff feeling so the suspension feels very well done when it comes to the comfort side of things.

However, what I didn’t say is, on the first corner I encountered on the highway - which is a 360-degree sort of corner where you merge onto the highway - the car rolls a hell of a lot when going in the corner at 60km/h, which is honestly a bit of a surprise because a car with such great suspension tuned for comfort, can screw up to that extent when it comes to corners. I was expecting a lot less body roll to give me maximum confidence when dealing with corners. You can actually sense that when it’s up to that point - when I was turning in at 60km/h, it’s the tyres that are holding me and my family in one piece, not the suspension. I expected a lot more, Skoda, a lot more.

Bad No. 3: In-car infotainment is a bit…basic

Yes, the centre console is rather neatly laid out, I give you that. But don’t you feel like it’s a bit…basic? I know, it’s a rental so it must be a poverty spec vehicle, but at the price you’re paying, I’m expecting a bit more than a 6 CD changer, 2 speakers at the front and an AM/FM radio. It’s a car from 2016, so I would expect a touch screen, and at least 2 more speakers at the back. I can assure you that, even though my family didn’t complain at all when they’re in the back, but even if you crank the volume up to 11, you’ll still hear nothing at the back even though the people at the front are suffering from ears being blown.

Also, on the gadget side of things, it’s still a bit lacking if you compare it to the rivals. Yes you do get traction control and stability control that sort of active safety assists, but when the rivals are having start-stop (not something I would prefer to have per se), hill start assist and more than 2 airbags, it still feels a bit cheap. Mind you if you pay a bit more you do get most of what I said, but if it could be offered at a lower price, then it’ll be more competitve.

Bad No. 4: The engine and gearbox does not quite match under 1500rpm

Driving a manual in stop-start traffic is always a pain in the butt, you have to constantly press the clutch pedal and balance the throttle while doing all the shifting. Therefore what you end up with on the most part, is a cramp left leg and a sore right leg.

So when I hopped in the Yeti and realised that the rental company has lended us an Auto rather than a Manual, I was actually delighted knowing that we would go through traffic all the time.

But what I didn’t expect, is the car developing another niggling doubt - a rather uncomfortable jolt everytime I stop and go again.

At first, I thought it was my problem since I was driving it for the very first time. But it turned out that it does that every single time. What the problem is, is because the Yeti is equipped with a DSG gearbox, therefore it has to go through all of the procedures of de-clutching and slipping the clutch every time you roll forward. Yet what the car puts me in, is second gear to start, so I have to apply almost a quarter throttle to get the car rolling, yet after it gets rolling, it goes a bit too fast and I have to back off before the front of the Yeti kisses the butt of the car in front. And the problem is worsened when the turbo lag is in full effect, so the throttle response was kind of dull at first. And hence causing the damn thing to have that niggling problem every time it goes through stop-start traffic.

This however, can be solved. Put the car into sport mode when you’re going through congestion. It might sound very odd, but it really did work for me. Because what sport mode does at that short period of time, instead of popping in second, it pops into first, which consequently makes the car easier to roll forward. Plus, putting it into sport sharpens throttle response, so the problem of the throttle is neutralized.

I hope my words could do the explaining properly but if you still have no clue what the hell I’m talking about please feel free to put the question down in the comment section.

Bad No. 5: The rear leg support is lacking

No your eyes did not deceive you, I just said my family sitting at the back had no complaints and I’m now telling that the rear leg support is lacking. Probably because the fact that my family are all shorter than I am, so this shouldn’t be a problem for shorter people. The problem I have with the back seats is, while it’s awesome to have seats that can be tilted and slid backwards and forwards, and the legroom id superior in it’s class, I’m just not sold on the leg support on the Yeti. It would seem like the designers at Volkswagen said ‘Right the talls are for the front and the rears are for shorties, so just ignore the leg support they’ll be fine’. The fact is, it’s not fine and on a long journey, having not having leg support means that you’re going to suffer from pain from the leg area. And that’s not cool.

But honestly, this is a very good car. For a car that can be a daily and a fun car to chuck about, plus with seats that can be tilted, slid, folded and taken away completely to make it a van, this is everything you want from a car. Points wise, I would give it 7/10, and that’s not bad, and I might consider buying one!

One thing though, they don’t sell Skodas in Hong Kong. Bummer.