Any real life yeti owners out there?

[Brycem]

Or are they as rare as the mythical beast itself?

Would love to hear from new owners on how they are getting along with their snow monsters. I love it but have a certain reticence as doubt if it could replace an octavia wagon as the main family vehicle for a family of four with two young kids.

Any thoughts?

[woofy]

I doubt it will, we have a nearly 4yr old and an 11mth old, and the Superb was the only other option for us apart from the Octy...the Yeti is just too small for now. Get rid of some of the toddler crap and it would be better, but the days of a Yeti or Tiguan for us are long over.

[shoutj74]

Agreed, don't think it would make a good family car if you have prams and all that sort of stuff to go in. I can only just about get a large esky in the boot. If you have older kids I think it would be fine. When going shopping for larger goods though we still take the Mazda 3 hatch as it has more boot space. Picking up relatives at the airport - Mazda 3. Very happy with it though for a couple without kids, our situation. Its size makes it great for city driving, only when doing a 3 point turn or parked up next to a larger 4x4 do you actually get reminded just how compact it is. Stick with the Octavia Wagon for now.

[NotYet]

We got our Yeti at the end of November. I have not seen another one on the road. (Will wave and toot when I do!)

Overall I am very happy with it. It is smooth, quiet and perky. It handles really well on rough bitumen and on gravel (haven't taken it on any tracks yet) - sure-footed through bends, excellent suspension. A little more body roll and a little more wind noise than in a conventional hatchback, but you would hardly notice it. There is very good torque from lowish revs. I haven't found the DSG transmission to be jerky in stop-start traffic (as some have said) and it holds gears well. The tiptronic mode is great. It is fun to drive, especially on country C roads.

The only option I ticked was Xenon lights. They are fabulous - the cornering function works brilliantly (if you will pardon the pun). For anyone who does any night driving on country or outer-suburban roads, they are invaluable.

The Bolero unit is good. Handy having SD card slot. Bluetooth works well.

Fuel consumption so far is 7L/100km. That means good range on a tank.

I like the dimensions (only 4.2m long, but roomy inside) and the small turning circle. Great for the city.

Negatives:
- Head restraints push your head forward. (Our neighbours have a Subaru Forester, and they have the same problem.) My solution is a seat insert from Back Care and Seating. My partner hasn't got it sorted yet - she has tried using the rear seat headrest and turning the headrest around.
- Boot space is limited. There are storage spaces under the floor, but I haven't found them very useful. You can make a lot of space by folding back seats down (or removing them), but you would then need a luggage net or something to secure your gear.
- Temporary use spare. (Not a bicycle tyre, but still limited to 80km/h.) To fit a full size spare in the well would involve raising the boot floor a couple of inches. The ideal solution would be a flat floor with a full-size spare standing up - but that won't fit under the parcel shelf.
- Low-profile tyres. The tyres are 225/50 17 Pirelli Zero Rosso. They certainly handle well, but would be a major limitation on sand or rough tracks, especially as the manual says not to lower the pressure below 32psi. (On the launch in Central Australia, the idiots from Skoda actually increased the pressure to 40psi, which would have made them much more vulnerable to puncture, and greatly reduced traction.) What's more the RRP is $500 each (gasp!!). The 16 inch wheels from the 1.2TSI model would be more practical.
- Should have a reversing camera (like the Kia Sportage). You can add an aftermarket one, but using a clip on rear view mirror would interfere with the light sensor (which controls the auto lights). I didn't opt for parking sensors; on other cars I haven't found them as useful as a camera (which I have on my other car). Nevertheless, it is not a big problem, because it is an easy car to park.

For me the Yeti replaces a conventional hatchback. It fills a different niche to your Octavia wagon. While there is sufficient legroom in the rear seats for two kids (unless they are basketballers), the luggage space is very limited. Coming from an Octavia wagon, you might find it rather small.

[YETIMAN]

Almost got mine. Due end of feb. Aqua blue 103 Tdi 4x4 manual with off road button, bi-xenons and parking sensors. Was very impressed with the test drives and as it will replace a camry I am looking forward to the fun factor.

[UK Yeti]

For me the Yeti replaces a conventional hatchback. It fills a different niche to your Octavia wagon. While there is sufficient legroom in the rear seats for two kids (unless they are basketballers), the luggage space is very limited. Coming from an Octavia wagon, you might find it rather small.

Comparing the Yeti to the gargantuan Octavia is a bit unfair as very few cars within the Yeti/Octavia footprint has the boot an Octi does... (Ignoring the Superb now!) The Yeti's is smaller yes, but you need to pack differently and that is the trick. If you pack vertically with things on top of each other rather than everything touching carpet you will be amazed what you can fit in the Yeti's boot. I am time and time again.

One thing I shake my head at often though is that they fit the spare wheel "upside down" with the outer edge of the wheel facing up meaning you can't store more stuff inside the wheel! Doh. On my last car (an Audi) the spare was outer face down in the boot and you could fit all manner of things inside it. Škoda would only have had to lower the wheel well on the Yeti by about 20mm to enable the spare to have gone the other way around... Hopefully on Yeti 2 they see the error of their ways.

[bluey]

[...]
One thing I shake my head at often though is that they fit the spare wheel "upside down" with the outer edge of the wheel facing up meaning you can't store more stuff inside the wheel! Doh. On my last car (an Audi) the spare was outer face down in the boot and you could fit all manner of things inside it. Škoda would only have had to lower the wheel well on the Yeti by about 20mm to enable the spare to have gone the other way around... Hopefully on Yeti 2 they see the error of their ways.

Personally, I think it makes more sense to have the spare right side up, because then the pressure can be checked more easily and then the spare can actually be functional when needed. The times I have actually seen need for a spare: 1. many moons ago when grandfather's crossply retread shredded itself going to the Gold Coast; 2. 2 years ago when the other half hit a gutter corner and shredded a sidewall. VW parts guy kindly put the alloy wheel + wheelcover of the Polo in the boot upside down and mangled the metal centre cap of the alloy on the wheel retaining nut/bracket. I'd much prefer a skinny spacesaver and a flat/larger boot.

I put the jumper leads in a plastic bag under the middle of a "right side up" spare, so the space gets used.

Because the Polo has the tool kit box in the middle of the spare, nothing else goes there anyway, except the removable towball that can't be bought locally.

Will have more to say after the Yeti arrives. Have seen ONE on the road (shopping centre carpark) to date.

[mark t]

We got our Yeti at the end of November. I have not seen another one on the road. (Will wave and toot when I do!)
Negatives:
- Head restraints push your head forward. (Our neighbours have a Subaru Forester, and they have the same problem.) My solution is a seat insert from Back Care and Seating. My partner hasn't got it sorted yet - she has tried using the rear seat headrest and turning the headrest around.

Hi. This seems to be the only thing standing between me and my yeti! Doesn't bother me, I'm 6' and find it comfortable but my partner is 6" shorter and it doesn't feel right for her. NotYet, have you found a satisfactory way around this? Anyone else?

Otherwise the Yeti is ticking all the right boxes for me, or at least more than the others on offer. I'm coming from a 05 Forester, it's been a good car, tough and capable, but I don't like the newer model, bigger, blander and probably no better, plus no auto diesel.

FWIW, so far I've just seen one Yeti on the loose, parked in Swan St Richmond, about a block and a half along from the dealers.

[UK Yeti]

Hi. This seems to be the only thing standing between me and my yeti! Doesn't bother me, I'm 6' and find it comfortable but my partner is 6" shorter and it doesn't feel right for her. NotYet, have you found a satisfactory way around this? Anyone else?

This is only the second time I've ever come across someone complaining about the Yeti's anti-submerging front headrests. The first was from someone on the UK forum in this thread. He is tiny and thus swapped the front headrests for the rear ones!!! He posted this review on another website about this:

Battle of the Unequals : Skoda Yeti vs. Honda Civic (10,000 km driven) - Team-BHP





Looks weird to me! But maybe you could do this for your partner's seat? Unless you both drive the car in which case you'd have to do the same as this person did.

[Davetherave]

This is only the second time I've ever come across someone complaining about the Yeti's anti-submerging front headrests. The first was from someone on the UK forum in this thread. He is tiny and thus swapped the front headrests for the rear ones!!! He posted this review on another website about this:

Battle of the Unequals : Skoda Yeti vs. Honda Civic (10,000 km driven) - Team-BHP





Looks weird to me! But maybe you could do this for your partner's seat? Unless you both drive the car in which case you'd have to do the same as this person did.

Hi all,

I picked up my yeti earlier this week. Very happy so far and I retrofitted a Columbus satnav as well which after a few coding issues now integrates perfectly with the MFD and the MFSW.

My yeti is white with a black roof/panoramic sunroof so if you see me driving around the North Shore of Sydney please give me a toot!