Thought all the Yeti fans in here and those thinking of Yeti would be interested to know..

Technics world (Tekniikan Maailma originally) is a very traditional Finnish car and technology magazine that's been running for 40 something years. Each year they do a very thorough test of cars to see which new car suites rough Finnish winters best. We're talking tests in heavy snow and -20 to -30C temps in north lapland. They test how the cars heat up from extreme frost, how they do in different snow conditions, how good are the head lights etc etc. They ask all the important car manufacturers to supply a model of their choice in the test.

Skoda had this year entered Yeti 1.2 TSI Experience fwd. It came in shared 1st! so a very good result. They congratulated the car for very good xenon lights, excellent car to drive in snowy conditions and very stable on snowy a/b-roads and to top it all it was rated to be quieter than what people have come to expect from Skoda during the past years. The car also heats up fairly good with the electric circuits helping.

And ofcourse, all the cars were tested using the same studded winter radials.. we're talking real winter now with plenty of snow and ice

//Juha

Hi jlindstrom,

That is good to hear. Do you have a link?

1.2 TSI 2WD? why didn't they test the 4WD drive version with a bigger engine?

Hi jlindstrom,

That is good to hear. Do you have a link?

Sorry, just received the printed edition today. And when/if they publish it in the net, it's subscription only.. plus it's only in Finnish

1.2 TSI 2WD? why didn't they test the 4WD drive version with a bigger engine?

Well, it's the car skoda decided to put in the test. My best estimate is that it was tested because it's likely to be the best selling Yeti in here.

The rivals were a varied bunch as well. Yeti beat the likes of new E merc and BMW 535i Grand tourer! Yeti's victory was shared with 2 other suprises: Mazda 3 1.6 touring and to top it all Toyota Prius! The last being something I would have never guessed. Turns out Toyota has honed it's ESP system into a good shape, they've put real effort into heating the car and it naturally scored high in the emissions tests once it had warmed up. There was one 4-wheel drive car in the test, the new Subaru Legacy with 2.0 ltr petrol engine. It managed quite well, but boxer engine is apparently thirsty and has high emissions when running cold.

//Juha

I read "Yeti 1.2 TSI Experience fwd" as four wheel drive.

At what temperature does modern diesel start waxing? At least with petrol you definitely won't get caught out whatever the temperature.

tom

Most diesel nowadays will have additives suitable for the working environment it is sold in. In days before that was commonplace adding a small amount of petrol prevents waxing anyway. I had a Mercedes UNIMOG, the manual gave very precise instructions on what % or how much petrol should be added to diesel at what temperature deg C.

Petrol can ice up and does. Even at just sub zero temperatures if it has absorbed water fuel lines and filters will freeze.

Edited 18 February, 201016 yr by Anthony 1

Sorry, just received the printed edition today. And when/if they publish it in the net, it's subscription only.. plus it's only in Finnish

It is OK I have good Finnish care of the translation machinery I used to occasionally look at Finnish websites as I have an interest in the Volvo C304 6x6 and C303 4x4 though mainly I would use German and Swedish websites. Your magazine sound very comprehensive in its testing. Perhaps they might do some diesel 4x4Yeti in the future. perhaps you could highlight the most relevant parts for us. Comment about the lights and other bits. Do cars tend to come with stand alone heaters in Finland?

1.2 TSI 2WD? why didn't they test the 4WD drive version with a bigger engine?

Because it would have got the booby prize

Snow chains - Disgraceful they cannot be fitted to Elegance

I am writing right now to 'In Gear' at 'The Sunday Times' to try and clarify these issues as I do not seem to be getting any helpful response from either Skoda Customer Services or from my dealer.

PS

<snip>

They congratulated the car for very good xenon lights, <snip>

//Juha

Obviously not the basic 1.2 front wheel drive Yeti E as available in the UK. Are British motorists for models below the Elegance trim being conned in having to pay £615 for Xenon lights if purchased as an extra? (it is not shown as an available extra in UK for the E Model)

Edited 18 February, 201016 yr by Y4YETI

I read "Yeti 1.2 TSI Experience fwd" as four wheel drive.

At what temperature does modern diesel start waxing? At least with petrol you definitely won't get caught out whatever the temperature.

tom

Well, as others said they're adding stuff to diesel to stop this from happening. We have at least 4 kinds of diesel on sale here. For summer we naturally summer quality which is good for upto -15C, then we have the intermediate which is upto -25C, winter quality upto -35C and then there's arctic only sold in northern Finland which is upto god knows how cold..

And yeah, maybe the fwd was a little misleading as I tried to say "front wheel drive" with it.

//Juha

Because it would have got the booby prize

Snow chains - Disgraceful they cannot be fitted to Elegance

I am writing right now to 'In Gear' at 'The Sunday Times' to try and clarify these issues as I do not seem to be getting any helpful response from either Skoda Customer Services or from my dealer.

PS

Obviously not the basic 1.2 front wheel drive Yeti E as available in the UK. Are British motorists for models below the Elegance trim being conned in having to pay £615 for Xenon lights if purchased as an extra? (it is not shown as an available extra in UK for the E Model)

Well, for most use snow chains aren't really necessary. That's why we are legally bound to using winter radials from beginning of december until end of february. Though most sensible ppl here use them for a much longer perioid..

And I don't think you're getting ripped off with the xenons. We just have different names for trim levels in Finland. We have Active, Adventure and Experience.. which (in order) I guess would correspond to your E, LE and Elegance. For us xenons are only default in Experience (=your Elegance), rest have to buy them as extra.

//Juha

I think your trims may be the equivalent of S, SE and Elegance?

I'll try to translate what they said about Yeti.

"Out of the winning trio Yeti is the only one to get a full grade of 10 for on-road handling (extra urban). As a whole, the car is well polished product, almost "round" (meaning it's so good in every aspect there's hardly anything to fault). Excessive sharpness has been polished away from everywhere from steering to crawling in deep snow. ESP and ASR are slightly more carefull than the rest of Skoda fleet, which in away is logical for a family car. Exception from rest of Skoda fleet are the cabin noise levels, which compared to other skodas is quieter. To make the comparison fair, halogen lights were used for the actual test. BUT if you're buying a Yet, you'd be a foll to miss out on the excellent bi-xenons which are some of the best in the market! The cars economy and cold emissions are amongst the best, but still pass through enough heat to keep the driver warm."

Skoda was rated at 8,5 points and 4 stars.

Here are the individual ratings and their weight percentage when calculating the average:

on road winter handling (10%): 10 points

Control (driving) (15%): 9 points

Breaks (10%): 8 points

Progression (how the car crawls through snow etc) (10%): 8 points

Cold engine fuel consumption (10%): 8 points

Cold engine emissions (10%): 10 points

Cabin heating (20%): 8 points

Lights & visibility (10%): 7 points <--- remember, this grade is with Halogens!!! Bi-Xenons would have been 10 points

Electric heaters (seats, rear window etc) (5%): 9 points

total (100%): skoda average 8,5 points

Skoda Yet 1.2 TSI Experience, front wheel drive

price as tested (disregarding bi-xenons): 26 180 euros

competition:

Mazda 3 1.6 Touring

8,5 points average

price as tested 23 291 euros

Toyota Prius Premium HSD

8,5 points average

price 42 701 euros

Opel Astra Sport 1.4 Turbo (the new astra)

points 8,4

price 24 475 euros

Subaru Legacy 2.0 R 4wd

points 8,4

price 31 761 euros

VW Polo 1.2 TSI Comfortline 5-dr (new polo)

points 8,4

price 19 223 euros

Seat Exeo 2.0 TSI Style

points 8,3

price 32 748 euros

BMW 535i A Gran Turismo

points 8,1

price hefty 84 515 euros

Kia Soul 1.6 Shine

points 8,1

price 18 290 euros

MB E 200 CGI BE A

points 8,1

price 56 086 euros

Citroen C3 Picasson VTI 120 Exclusive

points 8

price 21 686 euros

Honda Insight 1.3 Elegance

points 8

price 26 694 euros

Peugeot 3008 Sport THP 156

points 7,9

price 29 339 euros

Alfa Romeo Mito 1.4 MultiAir 99kw

points7,7

price 23 992 euros

Hyundai i20 1.4 Comfort

points 7,5

price 15 091 euros

Dacia Logan MCV 1.6 16V Hi-Flex 5p Laureata (what a monster name!!!)

points 7,3

price 14 945 euros

Suzuki Alto 1.0 GL

points 7,2

price 10 449 euros

Ford Ka 1.2 Titanium

points 7

price 11 858 euros

So, that's pretty much the whole test summarized. Read and enjoy

//Juha

I think your trims may be the equivalent of S, SE and Elegance?

Possibly, unfortunately I'm totally out when it comes to brittish trim levels Anyway, 3 trim levels ranging from entry level Active, medium Adventure and top Experience. Think the same levels are used in rest of mainland Europe as well.. at least in many countries there

Well, for most use snow chains aren't really necessary. That's why we are legally bound to using winter radials from beginning of december until end of february. Though most sensible ppl here use them for a much longer perioid..

And I don't think you're getting ripped off with the xenons. We just have different names for trim levels in Finland. We have Active, Adventure and Experience.. which (in order) I guess would correspond to your E, LE and Elegance. For us xenons are only default in Experience (=your Elegance), rest have to buy them as extra.

//Juha

Thanks Juha for your explanation of Finnish trim levels as compared to UK ones.

Based on your experience we may consider finding the storage space for and investing in a set of winter tyres on steel rims instead of the Spyder snow chain equivalent.

One thing I think we would appreciate for winter here is electric heating to thaw out frost on the outside or frozen condensation on the inside of the windscreen.

Wonder what extras you may have on your Finnish cars. Whilst our Elegance has electric seat heating would opt for a warm steering wheel - my hands are naked and my bum is clothed!

Margaret and Vic

Having been in Sweden for the first time recently - I was amazed by how grippy the winter tyres were on the taxis I took (no chains / not studded).

I suppose it's the equivalent of venturing out in a pair of summer trainers, to a pair of winter hiking boots !

Also had a first trip in a Prius - interesting, but yukky interior.

Having been in Sweden for the first time recently - I was amazed by how grippy the winter tyres were on the taxis I took (no chains / not studded).

I suppose it's the equivalent of venturing out in a pair of summer trainers, to a pair of winter hiking boots !

Also had a first trip in a Prius - interesting, but yukky interior.

yeah, I've been using the non-studded types in my car for the past 5-6 years. Currently under my octy vrs tdi dsg.. for everything but the most extreme icy conditions they're perfectly ok - as long as you understand/know their limits. For swimbo, studded ones are the only option. The studded ones have extremely good grip on icy surfaces, especially the likes of Nokian hakkapeliitta 7 series and you can also run the studded ones for longer perioid of time (depending on mileage ofcourse). The non-studded ones you wear out in 2 winter in normal use - almost disregarding mileage. After that they just become slippery.. In any case, when the 2nd winter kicks in you will notice they aren't like they used to be. 3rd winter would be lethal…

Also of notice is that the nordic countries get special sets of winter tyres especially developed for our conditions. The non-studded winter radials sold through mainland europe etc are totally worthless in our winters… so if you want to invest in a decent set of winter tyres, go shopping in the nordics (norway, sweden, finland). I think even danish get the central european ones..

//Juha

It is not legal to use studded tyre in GB Juha. In any case they would soon deteriorate unless one lived in parts of Scotland. I do think however that winter tyres or similar become mandatory during the winter months in GB just like some other countries in the EU.

Thank you for posting your summary of he magazine test. The only problem with points systems is that they are often weighted or not weighted as one would like . It happens here in some Off Road magazine tests also. Then the presenter hold up the winner but it may not be the best if t was viewed with someone else's criteria. Still it can not be all things to all men. It is always worth knowing what others think, one just has to read between the lines.

It is not legal to use studded tyre in GB Juha. In any case they would soon deteriorate unless one lived in parts of Scotland. I do think however that winter tyres or similar become mandatory during the winter months in GB just like some other countries in the EU.

Thank you for posting your summary of he magazine test. The only problem with points systems is that they are often weighted or not weighted as one would like . It happens here in some Off Road magazine tests also. Then the presenter hold up the winner but it may not be the best if t was viewed with someone else's criteria. Still it can not be all things to all men. It is always worth knowing what others think, one just has to read between the lines.

Yeah, I understand that studded ones aren't legal in most countries. But the same applies for the non-studded ones.. the ones ment for mainland europe aren't capable of dealing with plenty of snow.. they're pretty much used for slightly colder temps + melting snow / little snow kind of scenarios. That equals funny videos in our news broadcasts from mainland europe each time they get 5 cm of snow :p

The points system is difficult, for sure. But I think they're doing a great job in regards that they're handing out the weight percentage so one can adjust that to needs and then see which car wins. Also, thankfully, it's not the opinion of 1-2 testers but this particular magazine uses a big group of people.. This particular test was done by using studless tyres btw, Nokian R series to be exact, so in that sense it could apply to UK as well. The whole test report was something like 10 pages long, so that was really just a quick/small summary

//Juha

Your magazine does sound very good. Yes just use ones own judgements on the comments.. The video that you see of GB drivers making such a hash of things is that they do not use winter tyres. That and of course that modern vehicles use tyres that are just too wide in the first place mainly as a suck to ego I feel. Mind you the standards of driving over here is frightfully low so it is of little surprise that a small shattering of the white stuff might cause such mayhem. It would be hilarious except that people get injured and the potential for even worse is there.

Edited 18 February, 201016 yr by Anthony 1

Your magazine does sound very good. Yes just use ones own judgements on the comments.. The video that you see of GB drivers making such a hash of things is that they do not use winter tyres. That and of course that modern vehicles use tyres that are just too wide in the first place mainly as a suck to ego I feel. Mind you the standards of driving over here is frightfully low so it is of little surprise that a small shattering of the white stuff might cause such mayhem. It would be hilarious except that people get injured and the potential for even worse is there.

Luckily it's rarely UK drivers More in the lines of Turkey, Greek, Spain etc warm countries.. even France. But yeah, it's definately the tyres.. I've once changed "too late" from summer tyres to winter radials and it was pure hell... summer tyres and ice don't mix.

Unfortunately the standard of driving is also getting worse in here :( Inch of snow and ppl start to panic.. atm still quite under control but development is definately to the worse.

//Juha

Their was a recent TV program over here showing the contrasts between Finland and here. From the way it was shown , your government decided a long while ago that the country being held up by snow cost an awful lot more money than it would to spend on clearing it away. It showed how your airports got on top of the job and kept aircraft flying the whole year through without flight cancellations. How the road network it ploughed and blown clear of snow even in remoter parts. How people expect to be able to get to work and take children to school without problem. that your rail network continues to operate while ours fails.That people would thing it strange if anyone missed days work because of snow. GB just comes to a grinding halt with nearly all schools closed people going home early and refusing to go to work the next day. Roads being closed huge traffic jams with people snow bound for 24 hour periods. Yet all the while the amount of snow mounted to little more than a dusting with a few inches at the most other than Scotland. We do not spend the money they calculated the costs to bring it up to Finnish standards and it amounted to a few £Billion that is all. Even the compulsory fitments of winter tyres would save this country £billions in lost earnings and revenue not to mention the massive costs for hospital bills etc. AH well.

How nice it would be to have thorough ten page road tests in a decent British car magazine again.......

Their was a recent TV program over here showing the contrasts between Finland and here. From the way it was shown , your government decided a long while ago that the country being held up by snow cost an awful lot more money than it would to spend on clearing it away. It showed how your airports got on top of the job and kept aircraft flying the whole year through without flight cancellations. How the road network it ploughed and blown clear of snow even in remoter parts. How people expect to be able to get to work and take children to school without problem. that your rail network continues to operate while ours fails.That people would thing it strange if anyone missed days work because of snow. GB just comes to a grinding halt with nearly all schools closed people going home early and refusing to go to work the next day. Roads being closed huge traffic jams with people snow bound for 24 hour periods. Yet all the while the amount of snow mounted to little more than a dusting with a few inches at the most other than Scotland. We do not spend the money they calculated the costs to bring it up to Finnish standards and it amounted to a few £Billion that is all. Even the compulsory fitments of winter tyres would save this country £billions in lost earnings and revenue not to mention the massive costs for hospital bills etc. AH well.

But would the few billion it would cost be more or less than the cost to the country of the occassional bad days we have here. I know this year we've had a lot of snow but most winters there's very little and consequently very few problems. The situation in a country like Finland is very different and not really comparable to the UK. Personally I think that making winter tyres compulsory would possibly be worth doing.

Perosnally I think one of the problems now is that so many cars, even family cars, have wide, low profile tyres that just don't cope with snow and ice well.

Yes absolutely the fashion for wide low profile tyres is the major problem and that is why their needs to be legislative action to force the compulsory fitting of winter tyres in the winter months.

Regarding the costs of investing into something useful, well I am not an economist but the program went on to say that more was lost through lost man hours and compensations than the cost of the investment. Traditionally Britain has been very poor in investing into the future, only looking at the fast buck. It helped the Finnish economy, they have a far smaller population and work force, it could be debated that GB would have far more to gain long term.

This morning it has snowing heavily in this part of Wales. My wife rang long after she left to report that her progress had been halted and had been stationary for quite some time. She was behind a long cue of immobile traffic. The lighter traffic in the other direction appeared to be flowing normally. Later one she rang from the hospital to say that she had arrived safely and that the problem was silly people just stopping for no apparent reason other than for the snow. They were freaked out probably through lack of experience, who knows but instead of pulling over to allow other traffic to continue they just stopped were they where effectively blocking the road. I have seen this my self up towards the coast a few weeks ago. Some drivers, I wont say what sex, just piled on their brakes every time they hit a snow drift and stopped. Just asking to become stuck or skid into something. In all my years I have not seen this sort of repeated behaviour by so many drivers.

I must say that on the occasions that I drive her in, that traffic has increased but noticeably some people appear to be driving far slower than was the case a few years ago. Some just stick to 40 or less whatever the road type or conditions and that mainly people are reluctant to overtake. I have overtaken very long cues of traffic in one go on numerous occasions. I am talking about fast single carriageway A roads. People wont even overtake a bus that may have stopped, they just stop behind it and wait while it is perfectly safe to overtake. The traffic cues are getting slower and slower, no one overtakes. So when it snows if one person stops or gets stuck, that is it game over for everyone else!

Edited 19 February, 201016 yr by Anthony 1