Good Motoring
Compact SUV loaded with gadgets
H. Kishie Singh

The Yeti, the Himalayan snowman, is hard to find and rarely seen. The same applies to the Yeti from Skoda. First seen at the Auto Expo in 2008, when it was still in the concept and planning design stage, it hit the roads two years later. It hasn’t set the sales charts on fire but that is largely due to the mindset of the Indian buyer.

It is an all-wheel drive SUV with a 2-litre turbo-charged diesel engine borrowed from the Laura, which is a tried and tested power plant. It is mated to a manual six-speed fully synchronised gearbox.

It is a compact SUV and perhaps that is where it has failed to impress the Indian buyer. The exterior is neat and the front grill is unmistakably Skoda. What sets it apart are the fog lights, which are almost the same size as the headlights. These give it a distinctive look. There is a reason for the large fog lights. Referred to as the corner function, they automatically illuminate the area where the car is about to turn into. It provides better illumination for light curves, pedestrian crossings and while parking.

The Yeti has a 2-litre turbo-charged diesel engine borrowed from the Laura

Like all SUVs, it has a high seating position, but because of its small size, length 4.2 meters, it is handled like a sedan. To further make life easy for the driver, it has front and rear parking sensors.

The interior borrows heavily from the Laura, which means that the fit and finish ae good. What is really amazing is the interior space called the Varioflex Space Management. This allows the rear outer seats and the rear seat to move forward, backwards, or even sideways. The backrests can be tilted back for a comfortable sitting position or folded for providing extra luggage space. Want more space? One, two or all three seats can be removed to provide a huge amount of luggage space.

There are any number of cubby holes to store odds and ends. There is storage under the passenger seat up front and on top of the dashboard. A large storage in the front arm rests, with cooling facility, is also there. The front glove box has cooling facility and is illuminated. There is additional storage in the side panels and under the luggage compartment floor at the rear. Just make a note where things are stored, or it will be a treasure hunt to find them.

For comfort, both the front seats have height and lumber support. The vehicle has an audio player with 6.5-inch colour display and touch screen controls. There is an integrated 6-CD changer with eight speakers. The audio controls are on the steering wheel. Besides, there is the facility of dual control climatronic automatic AC with automatic air circulation, including an air quality sensor. There are adjustable rear AC vents for the rear seats. The ORVMs are electronically adjustable. The steering wheel houses the audio controls. The front wipers have a rain sensor, which are automatically activated.

In the column "Nonchalance," Skoda lists the following: ABS, EBD, HHC, ASR, TCS, EDL, ESP! Got it? It is easy. We all know ABS is anti-lock braking system. And EBD is electronic brakeforce distribution. HHC is hill hold control. ASR is anti-slip regulation. TCS is traction control system. EDL is electronic differential lock. ESP is electronic stability programme. In addition, it has off-road assist with hill descent control. With all these functions being electronic and automatically activated by sensors, I would say the Yeti has yet another ESP — extra sensory perception! The Yeti has dual front airbags and side airbags, plus head airbags. The rear seats also have head airbags. The seat belts in front are height adjustable. There are three seat belts at the rear.

Remote locking for all doors and rear boot, as we know it, is standard. An additional feature is remote opening and closing of windows.

The 2-litre turbo-charged engine, 16-valve DOHC is transversely mounted in front. Even though it is an all- wheel drive 4x4, 90 per cent of the power is directed to the rear wheels. This is thanks to the advanced Haldex clutch which works automatically and actively with the ABS, EDL and ESP. This maintains a synergy between the Haldex clutch, the driving force and the braking system. The ground clearance is 180 mm.

It is an amazing compact SUV-cum-sedan loaded with gadgets and gizmos. It is safe, eco-friendly and fuel efficient. Individual tests have given 16 kmpl in the city and 19.5 kmpl on the highway. What helps in the fuel efficiency is the 6-forward speed gearbox plus one reverse.

The price of the Yeti Ambiente is Rs 15.40 lakh (approx). The fully equipped Yeti Elegance is for Rs 16.77 lakh (approx).

Here is your cake and you can eat it as well!

Happy motoring