Skoda Yeti is quite a capable and comfortable compact SUV we have had but it has been a dismal seller majorly because of its pricing which has always been considered ‘atrocious’ by the masses!
But with the oncoming of Duster and others in this segment, Yeti doesn’t seem as ridiculous (in terms of its pricing) as it did before them (Dusters).
Skoda feels there is still some market for Yeti and hence they are launching the new facelifted model in India very soon, possibly by July-August. The newly updated Yeti was showcased at the Auto Expo in February along with the new Superb. And in a first, the car has been spied by an Autocar India reader on the roads.
The new Yeti has ditched its rounded profile and is now sharper with properly placed rectangular fog lamps.
The logo embedded on the front bonnet and not the grille is a nice touch. It also gets the Skoda’s trademark butterfly grille which will finally make way on all the cars. This new grille compliments the vertical air slits near the skid plates. Silver coloured ORVMs are still, well..silver, and not body colored as per the general convention, to add sportiness. The rear end also has the same philosophy of having minimal things to break the monotonous-ness, which actually adds up to the beauty of the car.
On the interiors, 2014 Yeti gets a new steering wheel and newer plastics. The display car at the Auto Expo was a European spec model so many of the features present on it may not make their way to India.
Engine options might just end up being limited to the lone 2.0L diesel with two power outputs, 109.5PS (front-wheel drive) and 139.9PS (all-wheel drive). There are rumours though of a 1.4L TSI petrol in the near future if the Yeti clocks some decent numbers.
Skoda is expected to price the new Yeti marginally higher than the present generation but will generic Indian customer give it a second chance? Will You..?
Related: List of 4 Upcoming Skoda Cars in India; Signals Aggression!
