SKODA AUSTRALIA has confirmed that the versatile Yeti crossover is on its way, and it’s gunning for a significant slice of the small softroader market.
The Yeti will be in Australian showrooms in mid to late 2010. Skoda expects to be able to offer it in both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive variants.
“Yeti is obviously a priority for us… we’ll be looking at (its arrival) sometime next year,” Head of Skoda Australia Matthew Wiesner said yesterday.
Engine choices for the local market have yet to be confirmed. But with the Yeti offering a 77kW 1.2 litre and a 118kW 1.8 litre petrol engine alongside three 2.0 litre turbo-diesels in Europe, the focus will undoubtedly be on frugality, not rock-hopping grunt.
The 1.2 TSI petrol is available only as a front-driver, as is the lower-spec 81kW 2.0 TDI. The rest of the Yeti range will be all-wheel-drive and, coupled with the crossover wagon’s tall ride height, should allow some limited off-road thrills.
The Yeti’s launch date is still too distant to speculate on pricing or trim levels, but Skoda Australia aims to offer a comprehensive level of standard equipment across the Yeti range.
A precise retail sticker price has not yet been decided, but Mr Weisner confirmed that the FWD Yeti line-up will start below $30,000.
The rest of the range will be priced similarly to the Volkswagen Tiguan, with which it shares much of its 4Motion all-wheel-drive underpinnings.
With its urban utility and genuine off-road ability, Skoda is optimistic that the Yeti will quickly become one of its best-selling models in Australia.
“We’ll probably do around 1000 Octavias this year,” Mr Weisner said in a recent interview with Carsguide.com.au.
“I think it will give a similar or greater contribution. It will give us a big lift in a relatively short period of time.”
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Apparently the only auto gearbox option available in the UK where Yeti is being introduced next moth (Sept ‘09) is front-drive only. This is crazy, surely Skoda can manage an auto box with 4WD (they’ve done it with Superb, and dozens of models use Haldex 4WD system with auto in Europe, including the Tiguan on which the Yeti’s based!) The Superb V6 even has 4wd mated to the DSG box, what on earth is Skoda holding back for?
I can’t see Skoda selling too many Yetis in this country unless there’s a 4WD/auto available (preferably diesel) and this is also a problem for Skoda with the Scout and the diesel Roomster. Very few people want manual gearboxes in this class, and let’s face it, there are no shortage of competitors- Skoda’s advantage could, and should be the availability of diesel/auto/4wd which is rare in this (and most other) classes. Yeti would certainly be high on my list of contenders if it’s released with auto box.
Another point in Yeti’s favour (at least compared to Tiguan) is the better choices of body colour and interior materials, assuming Skodas main site has choices available to us Aussies (not always a given!) Presumably too, Yeti options will be less expensive than VW’s outrageous asking prices.
It won’t get past the “border patrol” in their Toyotas though lol. Man that ad cracks me… “put the hair dryer down”