The 2014 Skoda Yeti has been launched in India. Skoda India will launch the more butch looking ‘Outdoor’ variant of the SUV in India, the facelift launched gloablly also consisted of a ‘City’ variant which would blend in better in the urban environment.
The Czech manufacturer has given it some really neat upgrades to go along, hoping that this time around the Yeti does not disappoint. In what can be termed as the first Urban SUV to hit the Indian roads, its previous struggle to create the desired impact can be put down to Skoda’s inability to find it the right segment positioning; it was not as muscular as the other SUV’s driving around but carried the same price tag, it was neither termed as an all out SUV nor a crossover which put off potential buyers. The fact that its unimpressive first innings can be put down to poor marketing/business decisions and not the engineering aspect of things makes us believe that there is huge amounts of untapped potential in this compact-SUV with some good looking changes this time around. Skoda has had a rejuvenation in India thanks to the new Skoda Octavia and the Skoda Superb, and it would like the momentum to continue with the Yeti.
Price
Skoda has decided to offer the Yeti with only one trim level, the Elegance, but will offer two variants. One will be a front-wheel-drive variant while the other will be a 4×4 variant.
- Yeti Elegance 4×2 : Rs. 18.99 Lakh
- Yeti Elegance 4×4 : Rs. 20.53 Lakh
Skoda has discontinued all other variants of the Yeti (the Active and Ambiente) and decided to go forward with only the top end Elegance variant.
Competition
SsangYong Rexton W
- Rexton W RX5 MT : Rs. 18.91 Lakh
- Rexton W RX6 MT : Rs. 20.36 Lakh
Ford Endeavour
- Endeavour 2.5L 4×2 MT : Rs. 18.95 Lakh
- Endeavour 3.0L 4×2 AT : Rs. 20.35 Lakh
Honda CR-V
- CR-V 2L MT : Rs. 2.02 Lakh
Isuzu MU-7
- MU-7 4×2 MT : Rs. 20.00 Lakh
What is New ?
On the outside, the 2014 Skoda Yeti features new headlamps, a new grille and a new bumper, all of which now exude Skoda’s new design language. The Skoda logo, as is the case with the new Superb, now moves from the grille to the bonnet. There are changes to the Yeti’s rear too; The overall design theme remains the same, but the new Yeti now sports nicer looking LED tail lamps.
Step inside and the cabin gets updated with cosmetic tweaks that include the new 3-spoke steering wheel and updated upholstery.What will remain unchanged is the good build quality of the Yeti’s interior and its plush feel. The high seating position, comfortable seats and good visibility are the other pluses that the 2014 Skoda Yeti will retain.
Other features includes:
- Dual-zone A/C
- Cruise control
- Powered driver’s seat
- Panoramic sunroof
- Individually folding rear seats
- Optical parking assistant
The 2014 Skoda Yeti will continue to be powered by the same 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine that is available in the two variants.
- The 4×2 variant gets the 110 BHP / 250 Nm variant of the 2.0-litre engine and is coupled to a 5-speed manual gearbox that sends power to the front wheels.
- The 4×4 variant gets the 140 BHP / 320 Nm variant of the 2.0-litre engine and is coupled to a 6-speed manual transmission that sends power to all four wheels.
We expected Skoda to offer DSG gearbox on the new Yeti, but that has not happened. Adding a DSG gearbox would have made the Yeti even more expensive.
The top end variant of the SUV is loaded to the gills with safety equipment which include:
- 6 airbags
- ABS+EBD
- Traction control
- Electronic stability program
- Electronic differential lock
- Anti-slip regulation
The compact SUV also gets the Parktronic feature as an optional extra while the tyre pressure monitoring system comes standard.
We are a bit confused with Skoda’s strategy here. The Yeti is a capable product and limiting it to just the top-end-variant does not make much sense. The earlier model was at least a bit affordable as compared to the competition, now potential customers have very limited choice. think Skoda does expect uch from the Yeti We would love to know your opinion on the New 2014 Skoda Yeti, share your views through the comments section below.
