Skoda Yeti Elegance

There’s no finer family car than the Skoda Yeti at the moment, but our admiration for it runs far deeper than its ability to transport a family of five comfortably and safely without costing too much. The Yeti does all this with a sense of fun and adventure that’s hard to resist. It’s based on the Octavia Scout, Skoda’s high-riding four-wheel-drive estate car, but the Yeti is taller and has shorter overhangs ahead of the front wheels and behind the rear axle so that it looks like a compact SUV. Inside, it has the sliding, folding and removable seats of the Roomster, the company’s small MPV. The result is a car of compact dimensions but with tremendous versatility. Buyers have the choice between a turbocharged 1.2-litre petrol engine and a turbocharged 2.0-litre diesel engine. Elegance features include a Bluetooth mobile phone connection, a multi-function steering wheel, bigger alloy wheels, automatic wipers and an uprated stereo.

Good points

The Skoda Yeti proves that mid-sized cars can do everything a family is likely to ask of them without becoming bland and boring. With its boxy shape and versatile rear seating layout, it has plenty of passenger space for five people and much of the versatility of a compact MPV, but with the appearance of an SUV. The four-wheel-drive system available with some engines means it can do more than passable job of emulating one, too. The Yeti is great to drive, and much more taut and controlled than its height and ground clearance might lead you to believe. All six engines deliver their power from low revs, so unless you carry huge loads or do long distances, there’s no need to look beyond the more powerful 1.2 or 1.4 petrols. Running costs are modest and the build quality and trim are excellent. With Elegance trim there’s no need to add any options.

Bad points

Elegance versions of the Yeti are quite expensive. You might be better to buy a cheaper SE model and add the one or two important options that are missing. You can't get this trim level with four-wheel drive. Wind noise is greater than in a conventional small hatchback because of the Yeti’s greater height and ground clearance, and in Elegance trim with 17-inch alloy wheels it’s not quite as comfortable as the SE. The rear seats are heavy to fold and remove, and awkward to put back again, so the Yeti doesn’t have the ultimate versatility of MPVs, where the seats always stay in the car.

What you get

• Alloy wheels
• Folding rear seats
• Alarm
• Rear parking sensors
• Passenger & Driver airbag
• Front side airbags
• Curtain airbags
• Front fog lights
• Auto climate control
• Full leather seats
• Leather steering wheel
• Height adjustable driver's seat
• Heated front seats
• Front electric windows
• CD Multichanger
• Cruise control
• Automatic wipers
• Rear electric windows
• Bluetooth

Our choice

Elegance trim offers a powerful 2.0-litre diesel, but we remain sold on the 1.2 turbo petrol for its fine, flexible performance and low running costs.