The looks will polarise opinion. Some people even went so far as to call it ugly. But I like it because it looks like no other car on the road. Someone said it looked like a Wagon-R. But the person in question had spectacles with lenses so thick that his eyes appeared to be the size of bowling balls.
That said, there can be no smoke without fire and even I will admit that its appearance is not beautiful in an obvious way. But nobody can deny the fact that it is attractive.
To dismiss this car for its looks is like dismissing Ze Fuhrer for his moustache because even if you can’t stomach the looks, persevere, because what lies beneath that body is a masterpiece. What it’s capable of is even better.
In one of my previous columns I raved about how this, the four-wheel-drive version with all the goodies was the best car for India. Considering the number of brilliant cars I’ve driven from then until now, I thought it appropriate to review it again.
Here’s something you might not be aware of. Underneath, it shares its platform with the Audi Q3 and some Seat that doesn’t really matter. It even has the same diesel engine, albeit in a different state of tune. Still, 140bhp isn’t that bad. And neither is 320Nm of Torque.
The interior is nice and simple as well. The steering wheel is a straight lift from Audi and it has buttons and scrolls for the audio and the display between the dials. The seats, though manually adjustable, are covered in leather and are very comfortable. In most cars I like my seat really nice and low with the steering wheel just above my lap. But in the Yeti, I found a more upright position was most comfortable. It was just sort of in tune with the rest of the car. The cabin is easily big enough for five healthy adults and their luggage. There are lots of little cubby holes as well all over the cabin for everything from maps to sunglasses to water bottles and your mobile phones and iPods. The touch screen multimedia unit is really easy to use as well. Just don’t go expecting the screen to work as well as an iPhone’s.The gearbox is a slick 6-speed manual and it shifts really quite nicely. By itself, it’s brilliant. But that’s probably the only thing I don’t like about the Yeti. Well, that and the fake wood on the dash. Skoda could have made it even better than it already is if they had given it a DSG double clutch automatic gearbox.
The ride is just brilliant on anything from tarmac to pot holes and even on rocks on the beach. Thanks to an intelligent four-wheel-drive system you barely ever lose traction. And even if you do for a moment, the ESP restores composure barely after you’ve lost control. On the centre console, there is a button marked OFF ROAD. In this mode it crawls along by itself, delays the throttle response so you don’t spin the wheels and sends power to whichever of the four wheels has the most traction. I tried this system on a muddy, rocky, uphill path in the rain. And it worked just fine. Granted, it’s no Jeep Wrangler, but it just sort of rolled up its sleeves and got on with the job.
On the road, it feels a lot more like a saloon than its appearance would suggest. I’m struggling to think of a similarly priced SUV or crossover which is as good on the road. I think the only one that comes close, probably, is the Dacia… ahem, Renault Duster. And my dear Sasquatch gave me just over 11kpl in the city and 14kpl out on the highway.
I haven’t even got to the best part yet. (Please sit down for this one) You can have all this for around `20 lakh. That’s a whole `10 lakh cheaper than its sister car — the Audi Q3. If Skoda ever made a Yeti L&K with a DSG gearbox, satnav and a sunroof, I’d be forced to give it my first ever perfect score; even if they charged `3-4 lakh more. I would certainly buy one. But this near perfect all-round car still gets my vote for the best car on sale for India and a resounding 9/10.