Skoda Yeti (2009-2017) Review

There are more than enough - probably too many in fact - compact hatchbacks that can carry people and stuff in comfort, but the Skoda Yeti delivers those same attributes with a bit more flair and personality. It’s a car that will suit a broad demographic; it’s arguably stylish enough for a singleton or couple, is practical enough for a family and is sufficiently easy to drive and comfortable that it could be used for slogging through urban traffic on a regular basis.

Where the Yeti is a little less capable is for anyone who is after a fun driving experience. There’s nothing wrong with the way it drives, and the 1.8-litre TSI version is impressively quick, but more conventional hatchbacks benefit from a lower centre of gravity which contributes to better handling. The Yeti is also not the most refined vehicle of this size, so if you regularly travel long distances you may be better off with a saloon or hatch.

There are few cars that look quite like the Yeti, but there are alternatives that are aimed at the same target audience. Nissan’s Qashqai was one of the cars responsible for the boom in SUVs, combining the easy driving dynamics of a regular car with the practicality and high driving position of a 4x4. 

Similarly Toyota’s RAV4 and the Honda CR-V were on a similar path even before the Qashqai, mixing SUV styling with car-derived mechanicals. Skoda’s parent Volkswagen also got in on the act with its Volkswagen Tiguan, with a more premium approach to the segment.

You wouldn’t call the Skoda Yeti's interior particularly luxurious - even if you go for a top-spec Elegance model with leather seats - but that’s not to say it doesn’t have appeal or feel of good quality. The emphasis here is clearly on functionality and robustness (with one eye on value), and it is a cabin that has stood the test of time. There’s a mix of soft and not-so-soft plastics and some of those feel a little thin, but still sufficiently sturdy to cope with regular use.

You’ll need a Skoda Yeti SE to get leather on the steering wheel, and the later Yeti SE Plus adds a better quality of cloth trim. Elegance models have leather seats which are more attractive and likely more resistant to wear too. 

If you choose a Skoda Yeti, there’s a good chance you’ll be doing a bit more loading and shuffling around of seats than in a conventional hatch, so the fact that it feels built to tough out this kind of work is good news. It’s also important to remember the design dates back to 2009, so don’t expect current-era quality levels and you’ll avoid disappointment.

The earliest Yeti models date back to when touchscreen systems were more the preserve of luxury cars, so it’s not a feature you get on every model. The entry-level (and short-lived) Skoda Yeti E and S models get a CD/radio unit and nothing else. The Skoda Yeti SE adds a six-CD changer with a bigger display screen, while SE Plus and Elegance get Bluetooth and a navigation system. Latterly,all models received a touchscreen system and Bluetooth, with in-built navigation reserved for the higher-spec models.

As with pretty much all of Skoda’s products during this era, the infotainment set-up is functional and easy to understand rather than packed with features. The more basic systems have widely-spaced buttons with clear labelling and display which makes it easy to operate, and the sound quality is respectable too. The earlier touchscreen systems feel a little clunky by modern standards, although they do have hard keys and selections can be made using a turn and push knob as a useful backup.

The most recent systems fitted from early 2014 onwards are the best of the bunch, with the Smart Link+ system included so you can connect and Android or Apple smartphone with ease for music streaming and navigation.

The Skoda Yeti is not a particularly large car, measuring 4222mm in length and 1956mm in width. While that's relatively compact compared to newer alternatives, its height of 1671mm helps considerably when it comes to interior space.

If you’re sat up front, the most obvious positive is the amount of headroom - the high roof means there is more than most people could possibly need. It’s a similar story in respect of legroom, with plenty of scope for rolling the seats rearward and plenty of space in the footwell too. Width across the cabin is also good, especially considering the Yeti is quite a compact car.

Similarly, the rear seat space is impressive; it’s not just spacious, but also more flexible than many rivals. With such a squared-off rear end the roof line barely dips down at all, so even if headroom isn’t quite as generous as in the front - the seating position is a little higher - it’s still one of the few cars of this size that can comfortably accommodate taller adults in the rear. 

Legroom is good too, even if the front seat passengers have moved their own seats far back. Shoulder room is more of an issue when you have three adults across the rear; it’s perfectly possible but they’ll need to be friends.

Where the Yeti really pulls out an advantage is in the flexibility of the space. Because the rear three seats are separate, they can be moved forwards or backwards individually to change the amount of boot space and legroom, and they can also be removed. You can take the centre seat out and move the outer two into the middle to give more space either side, or remove all three for a huge boot. They can be a little fiddly to remove and reattach, but it’s a small price to pay for such flexibility. 

There are also some clever ideas in the boot itself, like a pair of plastic dividers that can be fixed in various positions to keep your items separated, and you can even get a bike holder that allows you to store bicycles upright. It’s this kind of thinking that gives the Yeti a significant edge over its competitors.

In terms of litreage, the Skoda Yeti's boot can accommodate 416 litres of luggage, rising to 1580 litres with the rear seats dropped. Take them out completely, and the Skoda Yeti can take 1760 litres of belongings.

The Skoda Yeti has had a broad range of engines during its lifetime, so that means there’s plenty of choice for the buyer and something to suit all budgets and needs.

The 1.2-litre TSI turbocharged petrol is the most basic option, but it’s better than you might think. The turbocharger means it has 105PS and offers useful acceleration, as well as being impressively frugal. If you plan to load up your Yeti on a regular basis you should consider a more powerful option though.  A 1.4-litre TSI engine was also available, with similar economy and a little more performance, and is probably the best choice if you need to have a petrol.

At the top of the petrol  family tree is the 1.8-litre TSI, which offers up a very sprightly 160PS and gives the Yeti a bit more performance than it really needs; it’s hilariously quick and will trouble performance cars with its speed, but it’s not really a car designed for this kind of tomfoolery and will be quite expensive to fuel.

If you need proper versatility, then one of the diesel offerings will probably make the most sense. The basic 1.6-litre diesel has a similar 105PS output to the 1.2-litre petrol, but offers slightly less performance. It is very economical though - the most economical of all the options in fact - but isn’t particularly comfortable out of town.

The best blend of performance and economy comes from one of the 2.0-litre diesel engines. The 110PS version has a little more grunt than the 1.6-litre diesel and is similarly economical, but the 140PS and 150PS versions can tow, are refined, quick and economical too.

One of the main downsides of choosing an SUV instead of a conventional hatchback is the chunky looks and high ride height aren’t the ideal combination for low noise levels and refinement. The Yeti is reasonably quiet in the right conditions and with some of the engine options, but it is something to bear in mind if ultimate refinement is what you are looking for.

In particular, the diesel engines do transfer a fair amount of noise and vibration into the cabin. The 2.0-litre units are less susceptible to this, which is another reason to choose one over the 1.6-litre option. The petrol units are better again, particularly with less vibration - if you want the quietest Yeti there is you need the 1.4-litre petrol.

Road noise is also affects the Yeti, especially at higher speeds and if the road surface is poor. The design doesn’t help here, with big wheel arches that look good but allow the road noise to echo around the body. Models on the 16-inch wheel option are better here. Wind noise is an issue with the Yeti, as at higher speeds it is noticeable around the doors - something else not aided by the chunky exterior.

The Skoda Yeti was tested by Euro NCAP in 2009 when it was first launched, and was not tested again before being discontinued in 2017. Euro NCAP awarded it an impressive five star rating, with 92 per cent for adult protection, alongside a score of 78 per cent for child protection. A little less impressive is the score for pedestrian mitigation at 46 per cent, but this is countered by a strong 71 per cent score for safety assist.

As standard, all Skoda Yetis are fitted with front airbags, with side chest and pelvis airbags for the front seat passengers, curtain airbags for front and rear passengers and a driver’s knee airbag all available as options rather than as standard fitment. Isofix child seat mounting points are fitted in the outer rear seats as well as an airbag deactivation switch for the front passenger seat, with ESC as standard on all models.

Because the Yeti was tested so long ago, the criteria on which it was judged was not the same as today and a lot of the safety systems that modern cars require for a strong safety assist score were not available at the time - features such as lane keeping assist, automatic cruise control and automatic emergency braking are not fitted as standard or available as an option. 

This may be a sticking point for some buyers, but the same issue applies to many alternatives that were first introduced around the same time as the Yeti.

Unfortunately, it seems that reliability might be the Skoda Yeti's downfall. Owners have reported an extensive amount of issues to HonestJohn.co.uk, ranging from gremlins with the DSG automatic gearbox to leaking sunroofs and high oil consumption on 1.8 TSI petrol engines.

That said, Skoda is generally a very dependable car brand. And owners like their Yetis enough for it to score an overall score of 9.05 out of 10 in HonestJohn.co.uk's Satisfaction Index.

Choose the right engine and trim, and you can get a very low insurance group on a Yeti. Pick of the bunch is the 1.2-litre petrol in E or S trim, which manages to get into group 9. 

Even the better equipped Skoda Yeti SE is in group 10 with this engine. The 1.6-litre diesel is between groups 12 and 15 depending on the specification, but even the Laurin & Klement model with the 2.0-litre TDI 150PS engine is group 21, so unless your premiums are already high you should find this a relatively inexpensive car to insure.

The Skoda Yeti is another car that is affected by the April 2017 VED changes as it has been on sale since 2009, so how old your car is as well as the engine you choose will affect your annual bill. 

No Yeti is cheap enough to qualify for zero VED, but a 1.2-litre petrol as well as 1.6-litre diesel and 2.0-litre 110PS diesel only incur a charge of £35 per year if you go for a car registered before 31st March 2017. The same car registered a day after gets hit with a £180 annual VED bill instead and given this is right at the end of the Yeti production run, it is worth seeking out a car registered before this cut-off date. If you go for one of the more powerful diesel or petrols however it makes little difference, but the 1.8 TSI will attract a much heavier burden of £365 per year for road tax.

The Skoda Yeti E was the entry-level model and is fitted with steel wheels, an alarm, black door mirrors and door handles, black roof rails, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, front electric windows, height and reach adjustable four-spoke steering wheel, multi-adjustable driver and passenger seat, manual air conditioning, CD stereo, remote central locking, trip computer, tyre repair set and the Varioflex seating.

Yeti S adds 16-inch alloy wheels, driver's knee airbag, front fog lights, rear electric windows and ESP stability control.

The Skoda Yeti SE has 17-inch alloys, a multi-function steering wheel, rear parking sensors, body coloured door mirrors and door handles, cruise control, dual-zone air conditioning, integrated headlight washers, leather steering wheel and a six-CD changer.

Elegance is the top of the range model for earlier Yetis and gets xenon headlights, cornering front fog lights, double lumbar supports, full leather upholstery, heated front seats, hill hold control, off-road button (4x4 models only), rain sensitive wipers and Bluetooth.

The Skoda Yeti SE Plus (from May 2011) sits between SE and Elegance and adds unique Kristal upholstery, Amundsen touch-screen satellite navigation system, a CD autochanger, Bluetooth, a multi-function steering wheel, electric driver and passenger seats plus rear passenger folding tables on back of front seats.

The Greenline was a standalone trim for the 1.6 TDI model that focused on economy and lower emissions to appeal to company car drivers, but it's specification was similar to the SE.

From late 2013, the Yeti Outdoor was available with steeper approach and departure angles to facilitate off-road use, while the use of black trim along the sides and lower elements of the bumper means that the Outdoor can take rough surfaces in its stride.

Also from 2013, the Laurent & Klement was introduced as the most luxurious Yeti option. It was much the same in spec as the Elegance but only offered with the most potent petrol and diesel engines.

Late on in the Yeti's life cycle, Skoda offered the SE Drive and SE L Drive models. The SE Drive came with Amundsen satellite navigation with DAB radio, auto-dimming rear view mirror, heated windscreen, heated front seats and front parking sensors. SE Drive models are further distinguished by new seat upholstery and distinctive 17-inch Matterhorn alloy wheels. For the SE L Drive, there was also leather upholstery, LED rear lights, part silver roof rails, 17-inch Origami alloy wheels and Bi-Xenon headlights.