Skoda Yeti 1.6 TDI Greenline II SE review
by David Finlay (16 April 2012)
Since we've already published two reviews about the Skoda Yeti (one on the 2.0 TDI Elegance and a more recent one on the 1.8 TSI in the same trim level) I think it's safe enough to start with a quick reminder that the Yeti is an odd-looking but very practical compact SUV and get straight on to what makes the car tested here different. For other information, click on those links.
Okay, so, what we have here is the first Yeti we've tested that doesn't have four-wheel drive. Its ability to go off-road is therefore limited compared with that of the 4x4s in the range, but I dare to suggest that this isn't a big priority for many Yeti buyers.
The fact that this Yeti drives through the front wheels only means a rediction in weight and power losses, and that's entirely appropriate because the whole point of the Greenline II is that it's the high-economy, low-CO2 special. Like many such vehicles in the Volkswagen Group family, it also uses a 104bhp 1.6-litre turbo diesel engine, and it would be fair to say that straightline performance isn't startling.
But that's not really the point. The point is that CO2 emissions are officially 119g/km, and its resulting annual Vehicle Excise Duty bill of just £30 is easily the lowest of any Yeti.
Combined fuel economy, according to the EU test, is 61.4mpg, and if you are as cynical about these things as you ought to be it will come as no surprise to learn that I couldn't match that in everyday motoring. But I did average around 57mpg, and for a car which an aerodynamicist would probably think of as being a close relation to a Rubik's Cube that isn't bad at all.
If I needed the room for four adults and their luggage that the Yeti provided, and also required this sort of fuel economy, I'd be very happy with the Greenline II. And not only for those reasons. I've already mentioned that the car isn't quick, but it doesn't hang about and I never felt it needed more power than it has.
On top of that, the ride is very smooth and the roadholding well up to dealing with most situations that the engine can make possible. Hats should be raised, I feel, in honour of the chassis engineers who contrived to render the Yeti thus despite its unhelpfully high centre of gravity.
With the various engine and transmission options there are enough Yetis to satisfy quite a wide range of customers. For me, the relatively humble Greenline II might just be my pick of the whole bunch.
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