Having briefly driven a friends Skoda Yeti the other day I was quite taken by it and having discovered that a heated front screen is a optional extra it’s now in the running for a 4×4 winter friendly bike carrier.

Therefore it would be massively appreciated if any current owners could give me the lowdown on its bike carrying credentials… It looked big enough to get 2/3 in with just front wheels off but guessing not high enough to keep both wheels on?

Also a quick Google search talked about selecting to not have a spare tyre (or a space saver one?) to make the boot bigger – is this the case?

Thanks in advance – any views / pics massively appreciated.

Used my heated front screen about three times. No idea why everyone goes on about it.

Nothing to contribute about Yetis though, but I do wonder what fuel economy people get in real life?

Going to listen in too as this is on my shopping list for a new car for my mum. A quick visit to a showroom suggests 4X4 version involves 6months plus wait for a new one and the nearly new from an approved agent were working out close if not more than the new price (cashing in on the rarity I guess).

Heated windscreen just equals massive annoyance once you clock the heating elements and huge bill when it’s time to replace!

I was really disappointed by the load space.
Otherwise it was nice, although the side windows are high.

I’m not in the UK hence the heated screen / 4×4 requirement but also do a fair amount of motorway type driving so the decent MPG is a good selling point over “proper” 4×4’s.

Not sure about the availability of them here (France) as gather they are like gold dust in the UK at the mo.

I’ve never driven one but they seem very popular in Switzerland, clearly says to me they are good in snowy conditions.

We have the prior shape 5dr Rav4, with both the rear seats removed load carry space was massive.

Heated windscreens are ace even in the UK, spraying de-icer and scraping ice of the windscreen is a pain in the arse.

Used my heated front screen about three times. No idea why everyone goes on about it.

Where I use ours all the time. But then I leave the house at 6.30am…..

Heated windscreen just equals massive annoyance once you clock the heating elements and huge bill when it’s time to replace!

Really? I have to look VERY hard to see the elements in ours, and then only in the right light. Try looking where you’re going, eh?
Plus they are no more expensive than any other to replace on your windscreen cover….

🙂

Plus they are no more expensive than any other to replace on your windscreen cover…

this is true. I’m too cheapskate to pay for that though 🙂

Only experience of the heating elements is in Fords – in both a Mondeo and S-Max they do my nut! Maybe get glasses 😉

We had one for a while, very nice to drive, but VW are snowed under with orders for Diesel engine cars, so long wait as production can’t meet demand.

EDIT: We then got a Kia Sportage – which was as nice if not better (and cheaper). GF works in motor trade, so we change car every few months 🙂

Really? I have to look VERY hard to see the elements in ours

I can’t see them normally, or don’t notice them, but at night it’s annoying as it shows up in the lights.

And there are some stripes in mine that don’t heat up 🙁

Glad we covered off the bike carrying bit!

We considered one but bought an Octavia Scout instead which is equally capable but has about 50% more luggage space with the seats up than the Yeti (boot on the Yeti is actually a bit poky with the seats up, but has a much higher roofline).

Luggage capacity is roughly similar with rear seats down though if I recall correctly and I think with the Yeti you have the option to remove them completely to turn it into a posh van.

Posh van appeals…!

What SprocketJockey said. Go for a s/hand Octavia 4×4 estate and save yourself ££££££..

I’ve had heated screens in 2 fords, they’re ace and though I can see the filaments they don’t bother me at all. But it’d never be a dealbreaker for me whether a car had them or not.

Never driven a Yeti, but loved the heated windscreen on my old Focus.

Get a Ford Kuga; they have heated windscreens too.

Father in law got one recently, he was torn between the Yeti and a Touran as that’s what we have. I think 3 may be a struggle to be honest, it is a bit smaller inside than it looks from the outside if that makes sense.

My range Rover Classic had a heated front screen, 4wd and nice big boot. Bit thirsty but not too bad if LPG’d. Available nice and tidy around 2-3k which leaves plenty for the fuel anyway…

think about another – subaru forrester. i got a deisel one, good for 43mpg in real world although computer says 45!

I hadn’t realised that heated screens were now appearing on makes other than Ford, as I thought they held the patents on the tech, unless there’s a different approach being used. I absolutely loved the heated screen in my Puma, as I drove to work every day back then, and being able to sit in the car, start it up and hit the switch, then a couple of minutes later seeing the ‘crackle’ effect in the ice and hit the wipers to have the whole lot slide off the screen was a delight, compared to standing outside with a scraper and de-icer for ten minutes freezing my nuts off clearing the screen every morning. And then again in the evening to go home.
I did used to notice the element wires at times, usually with a low sun, where you’d get a sort of rainbow effect, like the grooves on a vinyl record, but the advantages far outweighed the slight disadvantage that having it was a no-brainer, and it could easily influence my decision to buy a car.
As the happy owner of an older Octavia, if I was looking at a sensible 4×4 then the Yeti would be on the short list, and now knowing that a heated screen is an option, it would probably top the list. Space-wise, I can get my bike in the back with the rear seat down with just the seat post removed, two bikes with a blanket between them would be quite possible, and that’s the saloon hatchback.

Have a look on Briskoda they should give you an idea of economy, etc. I’ve got the Octavia 4×4 and love it. Although the Octavia and Yeti share the same floor plan, i think the Yeti is shorter, but it has more flexible seating options. With my Octavia 3 people, 3 bikes with front wheels and seatposts out is easy. Or you can have 2 people, two bikes, a whole heap of camping/biking/walking gear and it all fits inside the car! (see below)
Economy wise, mine does 45-47mpg on average, the Yeti has the newer CR engine, but worse aerodynamics, so may be the same. Or theres the 1.6tdi if you can live with less power.

It all fits in the car! by ritcheyp20, on Flickr

Oh and my mate whos a nurse (early starts) loves her fiestas heated screen. Start the car, hit the button and by the time you’ve defrosted the side windows, its ready to go!

standing outside with a scraper and de-icer for ten minutes

Maybe it’s the VW one or my after market version, but it takes me less time (about 2 mins) to scrape the windows than it takes the heater to clear it.

Forge from this parish had/has one. He had a 2 bike rack fitted inside the car, rear wheel towards front of car and forks clamped into rack 😆

I have a VW Touran, 63k and never had the occasion to use a spare wheel(only got the puncture repair kit)
To qualify that, in 40 yrs of driving I have had 1 puncture 😆
Any reason not to buy petrol versions ❓ petrol is so much cheaper atm

Thanks all – interesting views.
Heated screen all the way for me as don’t have a garage and get a lot of snow / frost here over the winter.
Am tempted by the Octavia but like the idea of the extra height of a Yeti type car to avoid the need to take out seatposts etc…
Currently have a Peugeot partner (car type) and love it for lugging bikes duties but want something a bit nicer for the commute and 4×4 etc for the forthcoming winter.

As Trekster said We’ve a Yeti covered about 40k miles in it over about 2 years it hits 3 years old next year we bought ex-demo and waited 3 days for a 4×4 140bhp.

It’s very flexible accommodation wise, handles well, drive well, saved me in the snow when I made a school boy error, it’s comfortable, it transports our bike or bikes, it’s fun to drive on twisty roads (which it looks like it shouldn’t be) it’s powerful enough to over take stuff on country roads.

The rear tyres have lasted 48k miles so far and still have 3mm, couple of warranty items along the way, to do with badges, and I had some seat bases replaced as the leather was stretching but this seems normal to all Yeti’s so no real need for that.

It is smaller than you think it ought to be but plenty of storage places and the seats being so flexible you just take one out and then you get more space and can still seat 4.

If you want to have the bike rack in the back then do not order the spare wheel or the raised boot floor.

If/when we replace the Yeti it would be with a Yeti as for us at least I can’t see another vehicle coming close to it in terms of drive and flexibility. It replaced our T5 CamperVan which we used to transport bikes and stay in occasionally, the Yeti has been far better in every regards, except of course it’s not a camper 🙂

Picture below the bike holder is a bit more to the left now so there is a bit more storage space, it was also very clean when I took the picture and have neither of those bikes.

P20, how did you get the lamp post in the Octavia? That’s impressive!!

I carry an axe!!
Just to clarify. The octavia takes two bikes with just the front wheels off, this is how I carry them most of the time. I lie them on their side, sheets inbetween.

If you’re in France get the Dacia Duster and save a fortune!

molgrips – Member
Used my heated front screen about three times. No idea why everyone goes on about it.

Nothing to contribute about Yetis though, but I do wonder what fuel economy people get in real life?

I guess you don’t live north of Watford.

Heated screen is a god send, I used to have one and miss it lots. I would use it 4 times a week between oct and march

I do live north of watford. I never used it even in the hard winters. I just scrape.

I live south of Watford and use a torch rather than headlights 😛

+1 for forge197.

I ‘ve a 20 month old CR170 Yeti Elegance, bought new after a long wait and replacing a 170PD Golf .

It’s not the most spacious vehicle, but it is very versatile and I can whip the rear seats out in 2 minutes and turn it into a very quick van!
For solo bike trips I carry it inside with front wheel and seatpost out, more than one bike, I use my Atera Strada tow ball rack.
Amongst the extras I specced (this is a ‘keeper’, BTW) was the heated front screen. Yes in sunny conditions you can see the elements from certain angles, but I don’t see that as an issue.
My car lives outside. I love the heated screen. From heavily iced to clear in less than 3 minutes!
40mpg since new, driven briskly with Revo map > 208 ps and other mods!

Yeti

Had mine for 2 years, love it. There are better bike carriers out there like the Berlingo (my last car) we used to just throw the bikes into the back of it and go with the Yeti you have to pull more stuff off them but it all goes in the same.

Did any of the people buying new negotiate a discount? I am am after a Yeti, but the residuals on the nearly new used ones seems ridiculous. So much so that I’m toying with buying new, if you can get 5-10% of OTR price then I may as well order a new one…

£3.5 k off mine, but no Px and a wait from August 2010 until late Jan 2011!

Prices have hardened now because of demand and lack of available stocks of diesels in particular

Had a Skoda Octavia 1.9TDI for about 3 years, great big boot, 50+mpg & I’ve had 3 blokes, bikes & gear in it with nothing on the roof by taking off all the wheels & putting dome the larger rear seat. I think 40mpg would put me off alone, but it depends how much you need a big car, do a lot of off-roading do you?
Oh, & it’s never let me down in winter on ice – totally solid.