Skoda Yeti price cut by $2400 ahead of Australian launch in October

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By Tim Beissmann | September 22nd, 2011

Skoda Australia has wiped $2400 off the price of the entry-level Skoda Yeti just weeks out from the quirky compact SUV’s local launch.

When it was revealed at July’s 2011 Australian International Auto Show in Melbourne, Skoda Australia said its first ever SUV would be priced from $28,690 before on-road costs. But now, less than three months later, Skoda has repositioned the high-riding compact, with a starting price of $26,290 for the petrol-powered front-wheel drive manual model.

Skoda Australia spokesman Karl Gehling said the decision was made to ensure the Yeti was well placed against its competitors.

The price of the top-spec diesel-powered all-wheel drive manual is unchanged, still starting from $35,690. The optional dual-clutch DSG transmission – seven-speed for the 77TSI, six-speed for the 103TDI – adds $2300 to the price of each model.

The entry-level Yeti was previously priced above the base model variants of the Holden Captiva 5 ($27,990), Honda CR-V ($28,090), Hyundai ix35 ($26,990) and the Ssangyong Korando ($26,300) but now undercuts them. It is now priced closer to the base models of the Kia Sportage ($26,220), Mitsubishi ASX ($25,990) and Nissan Dualis ($24,990).

The range-topping diesel model is priced $1000 below the outgoing Volkswagen Tiguan 103TDI ($36,690), $300 below the Subaru Forester 2.0D ($35,990) and $100 below the Peugeot 3008 1.6 XSE HDi ($35,790), but is more expensive than the Mitsubishi ASX 4WD diesel ($31,990), Holden Captiva 5 diesel ($33,990) and the Hyundai ix35 Elite diesel ($35,490).

The Yeti 77TSI will come standard with 16-inch alloy wheels, seven airbags, individually removable rear seats, cruise control, Bluetooth phone connectivity, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, handbrake and gear knob.

The Yeti 103TDI adds 17-inch alloys, fog lights, underbody protection, silver roof rails, auto lights and wipers, dual-zone climate control, chrome interior highlights, height-adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support, additional stowage compartments and adjustable boot hooks.

The Yeti 77TSI is powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 77kW of power and 175Nm of torque. The manual model uses 6.6 litres/100km on the combined cycle, while the DSG is marginally thirstier at 7.0 litres/100km. Accelerating from 0-100km/h takes 11.8 and 12.0 seconds respectively.

The Yeti 103TDI gets a 2.0-litre diesel engine with 103kW of power and 320Nm of torque. Combined cycle fuel consumption is 6.2 litres/100km (6.7 litres/100km for the DSG), while the sprint takes 9.9 seconds (manual) and 10.2 seconds (DSG).

The Skoda Yeti officially goes on sale in Australia in October.

Skoda Yeti manufacturer’s list prices (excluding government and dealer charges):

77TSI FWD six-speed manual – $26,290
77TSI FWD seven-speed DSG – $28,590
103TDI AWD six-speed manual – $35,690
103TDI AWD six-speed DSG – $38,990

Note: Overseas model shown.

http://Zuboora.com Mohamad is right when he says

A face only the designer could love

Tomas79

Also award winning face, which won the uk TOP GEAR’s Family Car of the Year.

Jeremy

There goes ANY credability you may have had. We here at Top Gear only give awards and good comments to companies who pay us the most money.
Reality is this thing is underpowered, overpriced and DAMN UNGLY

http://Zuboora.com Mohamad is right when he says

It’s fugly. I would expect better styling from skoda especially when Kia and Hyundai are building good looking cars

Whale Burgers

Hyundai and Kia cars look good in the first 2 months. After that they look like they are from the last decade.

Tomas79

Underpowered??
The 2l diesel engine has more power, torgue and economy then your 3.3l vk crummodore engine!

And on a vehicle of this size, a 1.2l engine with 77kw, is hardly underpowered….

Tomas79

I guess some random Jeremy has more credibility when commenting on cars, then uk’s top gear… How many magazine you sell again?

kennyboye

Just because you work in media doesn’t mean you are always right…its just an opinion. Looks are subjective. And I think it looks crap.

maple leaf

This crap is being marketed as “premium” and driven by people who can not afford proper euros like Merc or BMW. I drove the diesel version in the UK, sounds like a tractor. Topgear is a comedy show.

Mani

agree!

Grady

77kw? Are you serious? Underpowered and still overpriced.
Andre

There would have to be some very compelling points in the Yeti’s favour to consider it against a Subaru knowing how they hang together and resell.
Nothing against the Skoda or the VW group in general but I just can’t seem to align their price / quality level against the better of the Japanese makers.
Captain Nemo

What no paint on the back bumper? Cmon Skoda its 2011 not 1990.

Jake Williams

Tell it to Volvo (XC70) and Audi (A4 Allroad, A6 Allroad) too.

http://www.myspace.com/steve_poyza Steven Poyser

All three cars you mention are sexy. There’s nothing wrong with plastic bumpers in certain applications. You lot are simply looking for something to dislike about a car that stands out from the crowd…
http://www.facebook.com/sammo.8191 Sam Moss

And now Peugeot RXH!

Tomas79

Why colour something that’s gets easily scratched from flying debris…

Captain Nemo

“Why colour something that’s gets easily scratched from flying debris” That’s why we have a nifty little invention called mudflaps Tommy.

BTW these things are never gonna go off road far enough to get scratched a couple of potholes at the local Soccer club’s car park is the most work they will see.

Bangel

Obviously never been in the bush , still his pretty VK bumpers are a all shiny bright sitting in the K mart car park , the bush has bushes which scratch dozer .

Tomas79

Spot on, bangel!!

iRick

A good move by Skoda, now just wait for a on-road-costs-included sale and it’ll be excellent value for the base model. The 77kw may not seem much but the broad spread of turbo torque goes a long way in making it a very drivable car – in the city.

Phil

I don’t know about that, this seems like a stupid car to me. Why not buy the 90TSI Skoda Octavia Wagon for $26,990?

Roger Ramjet

Have to agree with you there Phil! I am buggered why they did not fit the 1.4 90kw instead of the 1.2 either!

Thema

Skoda knew they ere going to get a thrashing by the compitition. With 77KW AWD it will struggle to keep up in traffic.
The Japanese class equavalents are a safer and better purchase for growing families.

Able

The 77kW 1.2TSI is 2WD not 4WD so it keeps up, at least with the 2WD base equivalents (Sportage, ix35, Dualis, ASX) whilst using a lot less fuel.

And a safer purchase huh? Which Japs come with 7 airbags (apart from the ASX)? If CA readers went to other websites (or if it was included in the first place) they’d learn that the entire first shipment of Yetis is sold out and all of them will be basically delivered instantly when they arrive.

Birdseye

Must be a very very small “ship”, definately fugly. Just like it’s name sake, I can only hope there’s going to be rare sightings of this on Australian roads;)
Thema

Must have been a small boat…haha!!
Park a Kia Sportage Turbo/Diesel next to this and have a look at what a cutting edge design and feature packed compact SUV should be.

5 Star safety 5year Unlimited Km Warranty…you just know the VW parts sourced Skoda wont last the distance.

I should know I owned 2 new Golf…never again damn electrical gremlins.

Phil

Actually Thema, if you pop across to the other news article about Volvo winning the German J.D. Power and Associates owners survey, you will find that VW/Audi/Skoda was ranked above Kia and Hyundai.

MW

I’ve driven a yeti in germany and I have to say, the fit and finish is as good as any german cars. 77kw won’t matter when it has decent torque.
Bruiser

expect to put a plus (+) for options and options and options
Taking the price above and beyond competitors.

Phil

Except it comes with more standard equiptment anyway.

Do you know what the word “optional” means? You don’t HAVE to get it!

Karl

Both this and the X6 are weird.
However, one is practical, economical and reasonably priced. The other is an insult to society, human intelligence and everyone else that has to use the road.
delux

Sexy car. 1.4 Turbo woulda been nice.
binladen

Better wait for Mazda CX5. This thing has to drop the price a lot more to compare with CX5.
Mikelar

Just a question people.. Is this car the same class as someone who would get a rx350 Lexus??

Tomas79

nope, it’s much smaller.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1715760895 Charles Dean

I rather get this euro quality then any Lexus jap crap
Peter Stone

Great package and I thought it was ugly when it was first released but I’m getting used to it now. The 1.2 turbo will be perfectly fine for a mum putting around the city streets and very cheap to run also.

However skoda really needs an AWD petrol model and this includes the octavia scout too… 1.8 turbo all wheel drive would be nice thanks, then you might get my cash for either of these.

Bangel

YETI has been a huge hit in europe , diesel only in 4WD is spot on , that will be the seller .

Looks are in the eye of the beholder , early subarus were quite quirky looking as is this , need to see it in the flesh .

You will get a 10% disc straight off list on any skoda .

The way the market is changing away from large sedans , and ever rising petrol prices ,people will look to economy cars with big interiors .

3D4

Ford, Holden, Toyota, Skoda….

Articles with most comments. Works every time..

F1MotoGP

add KIA and Lexus

http://CarAdvice The Salesman

How accurate of Skoda to name this car after a mythical creature few people have claimed to see. I have never had a close encounter with a Yeti, I have not even seen one in the wild. I did see a documentary once, Harry and the Hendersons.
Blitzkrieg

I imagine it wieghs around 1400kg,77kw is pathetictly underpowered.That tiny motor is going to have to work hard every day and will probably be clap out by 120000km.
G

Definitely buying one of those now!

Phil

Why not go for 90TSI Skoda Octavia Wagon for $26,990? I don’t understand why anyone would buy the 77TSI Yeti for the same price as a bigger and more powerful Octavia.

Karl

Agreed. Plenty of good wagons available for that money.

Alexander

While i do think the 1.2 will have to work relatively hard (and produce very average real world economy), it should be fine for the school and shopping centre runs the majority of these will be used for. Maybe using a 90kw 1.4 TSI would have been a smarter choice on Skoda’s part, they’ve been selling the commodore sized Superb with the 90kw 1.4TSI for a while now in overseas markets.
vx

This has less power and torque than most suv, if not all. 103 tdi version is not cheap at all.

Phil

Makes sense for it to have less power and torque than most suv as it has less weight and size to shift.

save it for the track

Agree that perhaps the 1.4l may have been a better entry level choice for traditionally capacity obsessed Australians. However, the 175Nm of the 1.2L is available from 1550 – 4100rpm. I like the Yeti, it looks different to other offerings, with VW running gear and features, and is larger inside that a Tiguan. I’m fairly sure that it will come with more standard features than a Tiguan as well.
.
Aside from being Top Gears best family car in 2009, it was also Auto Express car of the year in 2010, and won a car review websites car of the year in 2011, along with other awards from an offroad magazine.
.
Seems that Europeans cope with small capacity turbo petrol and turbo diesel engines on autobahns and the like. I know from experience that even a 66kw small capacity diesel (with similar torque characteristics to this petrol) can get up to 180 with a car load on an autbahn. Given it’s torque spread I don’t see an issue with the 1.2l. No doubt it would ‘get the jump’ on some older larger capacity engines at the traffic light 0-60 sprint.
save it for the track

I also found a decade ago a 1.4L naturaly aspirated 55kw & 123Nm Ford Focus to be quite driveable, and managed 160+ on the autobahn. This 1.2L will no doubt be even more driveable than an old 1.4l naturally aspirated.

nickdl

It’s also been put in a substantially bigger car than the original Focus. 12 sec to 100 isn’t really going to excite many and to be honest, I’d be surprised if owners were able to use less than 7L/100km in every day driving.

Phil

Why would you buy this when the 90TSI Skoda Octavia Wagon is $26,990?

Roger Ramjet

Drive away!!
Sanjay

Haha Phil, you are just begging for someone to answer your question :p

While I 100% agree (buy the Octavia), short, middle-aged women and their ‘balls are in her purse’ husbands will get the Yeti, for the same reason my 4′ 6″ mother bought a tiguan – so she can sit higher in traffic (and presumably have less excuses for her poor driving due to better visibility).

Brian

What are the odds of Skoda outselling Toyota next month??
gmh-bogan

Not a fan of Skoda.I think they look old and dated.But lots of people like Skoda with there VW technology,seem to more reliable than the VWs new technology.
Also they are the major sponsor of new AFL side Greater Western Sydney(gws).Serious effot starting in AU BY sKODA.
F1MotoGP

Top Gear tested Yeti and Jeremy Clarkson loved it. It is on Youtube even a small helicopter landed on top of Yeti. strong body!
Ezzagun

The Yeti is not my kind of vehicle, but I own and drive an Octavia RS wagon (18 months on and loving it) so I can reliably comment on the Skoda experience… basically anyone who is still caught up on the whole “omg it only has 77kW” is living in a by-gone era… it’s torque that gives you yor get-up-and-go, and whilst this 1.2 turbo engine may not set you on fire on a drag-strip, it’s not meant to, so it will be perfectly fine for the 80%+ people who will use it for nothing more than getting around in with decent oomph and excellent fuel efficiency.

By the same token I could have bought the 90TSI Octavia wagon and saved a bundle, but I’m one of those other 20% who enjoys driving, and driving quite hard on occasion, for which I’ll spec-up the appropriate engine that gives me the additional power and torque I enjoy, as you can do in the Yeti range if you desire.

I’ve driven the Dualis and the ASX and they are both pitifully powered for my liking, but I’m sure are more than adequate for most of the target market.

As for the styling, it has grown on me and certainly stands out on the road from anything else… but as mentioned above, the same can be said for a current (or previous) Impreza or current Liberty, which are not to my taste at all, but perhaps familiarity breeds acceptance?
Tom R

I reckon it looks AWESOME.
K-Pop

Im really liking this Yeti…looking at replacing my gas guzzling 09 CRV sometime late next year and get the Yeti 77dsg. With a quick ecu remap for less than $1k i’ll easily get 100kw/220Nm with mid 7 l/100km, pretty good i reckon.

Nbto

Hahaah K-pop.. This guy is a COREAN nationalist who is anti-Japanese.. I know some nice Korean people, but the Internet is full of people like this loser..

Davo

Yet anoter disgusting car from Skoda, they look old from day 1, and yeah that is a face only the designer could love, I am glad that I have never seen one of these ghastly looking cars on the road… Ha, you’ll never read on carsales ” sad to see it go, it’s a real head turner”.
Grim reaper

Yeah I get the comments about it being ugly, it is but I sat in one at the motor show and the interior is beautiful. Very Audi like, seems all their range is the same, modest exterior, beautiful interior.

Someone should tell then it’s not a crime to have both, might even win a few more buyers I reckon
Bird

Well some might think it fuggly but underpowered it’s not. I Drove the 1.2 with DSG the other day. Came away surprised and impressed. Lovely car to drive. Much nicer drive than the Octavia 1.8 in my opinion. Beautiful interior with great visibilty. Plenty of power and torque off the line. Shoulda been here 2 years ago though – Mazda CX 5 will probably own this market in 2012.
Sam Cade

I had not noticed Skoda on the roads untill recently. Skoda sales have really increasing based on last month figures. The guy down the street has a Octavia RS wagon and he is thrilled with it. I’m really liking this Yeti (the box shape is better for storage and transporting stuff)and the visibility is great compared to the swept roof and small windows from KIA and the like. Looking at replacing my 2002 CRV sometime late next year and would seriously look at the Yeti, and compare with the “old” RAV4, Forester, KIA/IX35. But will it last the distance and be reliable?

Bird

It’s a more compact car than the CRV with a much smaller load area. But otherwise it feels a step up in quality. Way more torque off the line than the Honda. Like a tall roomy Golf. Overseas at least Skoda reliability appears to be great.

MA

hit a 40kg rottweiler at 110km/h in a Fabia, not a mark on the ¨plastic¨ bumper. These Skodas are tougher than they look. I also have a Yeti 1.8 petrol and it goes pretty well. I know you won´t get that model in Aus though. Never had a problem with either car, although the Yeti is still quite new. I live in country Colombia so my cars don´t get an easy life like Aussie ones.