Unlike the Snowman, this Yeti is real, cute

the Skoda Yeti, which appropriately, given that the name is borrowed from the ape-like creature said to inhabit the Himalayas, is an all-wheel drive SUV.

Memorable name - memorable vehicle. Rob Maetzig drives the four-paw Skoda Yeti.

SKODA YETI TDI 4X4 POWER PLANT: 1868cc four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, 103 kW at 4200 rpm, 320 Nm from 1750-2500 rpm. RUNNING GEAR: On demand all-wheel drive. Six- speed DSG automatic transmission. MacPherson strut front suspension, multi- link setup at the rear. Full suite of electronic handling aids. HOW BIG: Length 4223mm, width 1793mm, height 1691mm, wheelbase 2578mm. HOW MUCH: $48,000. WHAT'S GOOD: Polarising but attractive design, sound drive, excellent turbo-diesel performance. WHAT'S NOT: Not a lot of cargo room with all seats in use. Many won't like the bodyshell design. OUR VERDICT: Yeti simply adds to what is an increasingly impressive fleet of Skodas available in NZ.

One of the most appealing vehicles on the market today has one of the most distinctive names.
It is the Skoda Yeti, which appropriately, given that the name is borrowed from the ape-like creature said to inhabit the Himalayas, is an all-wheel drive SUV.
I like the name, because it seems to really suit this cute medium- sized offering from the Czech Republic - not that the so-called Abominable Snowman could probably ever be called cute.
But like its namesake, this Yeti is obviously a vehicle with the ability to go places.
Its low-nose, high-glasshouse design looks like a modernised version of the first-generation Honda CR-V, and underneath the skin there is all sorts of new-age motoring technology from Skoda's owner the Volkswagen Group.
Just how good this technology is manifested itself when I had to make a quick trip to Martinborough in the Wairarapa and - running late - had to at times ring the proverbial seven bells out of the Skoda.
It responded well. Its 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine happily purred away as it offered all the torque required to allow the Yeti to charge along those lovely roads through the Wairarapa hills, and it mated well with one of my favourite transmissions - the Volkswagen six-speed DSG twin- clutch automatic gearbox that always seems capable of extracting the best out of any engine.
Helping keep things on the straight and narrow was an all- wheel-drive system that is based on the same technology as that aboard other Skodas, including the Octavia Combi 4x4 and Scout. It incorporates a fourth-generation Haldex clutch that lets up to 96 per cent of torque to be delivered to the front wheels during normal cruising, but which can instantly divert up to 90 per cent to the rear axle when required.

All this combines to mean that this Skoda offers a level of performance that is perhaps superior to its chunky high-riding looks. And that makes sense, considering that the Yeti's underpinnings come from a combination of the likes of the Octavia and the VW Golf 4Motion.
So do I like the look of the Skoda Yeti? Actually I do. The bodyshell lines are quite polarising in the same way as the distinctive- looking Skoda Roomster hatch of a couple of years ago, and while I guarantee there will be lots of people who won't like the looks, I think they are attractive.
Efficient, too. The SUV styling means there is good headroom, and while there is a fairly restricted 322 litres of rear cargo space when all seats are in use, this increases to 1665 litres when the rear seats are folded down. That's about average hatchback space, with of course the additional headroom.
The interior has a solid and well-built feel to it that is not dissimilar to the Volkswagen Golf, and the level of specification is nicely high and includes dual-zone climate-control air conditioning, and six-disc touch-screen stereo with eight speakers.
Powering this Skoda is the familiar 1968cc turbo-diesel engine that many motorists have already experienced in such product as the VW Tiguan and the Skoda Octavia Scout and Superb. It goes well, with its healthy 320 Newton metres of torque on tap from 1750 rpm through to 2500 rpm, which is exactly the revs range where vehicles operate when travelling along the open road.
So, during that quick trip to Wairarapa, it was an easy matter to be able to keep the revolutions within that band that extracted the most efficient and economical performance out of the Yeti. As a result, my average fuel consumption was a very good 5.8 litres per 100 kilometres, which is economical motoring in anyone's language. And that despite the fact that, at times, I was really pushing this vehicle.
The ride and handling are very good, if a little firm as a result of this vehicle being fitted with 17-inch wheels shod with 50-series tyres.
I never did reach the stage where the all-wheel drive needed to kick in - at least I don't think I did - but it was good to know the Haldex system could instantaneously move from near front-wheel-drive to all-wheel drive whenever conditions required.
I didn't take the Skoda seriously off the road either, but the vehicle does have a ground clearance of 180mm, which is sufficient to allow it to head in the rougher stuff without being silly about it.
The vehicle can also be fitted with an optional off-road mode which costs $200. This system features a dashboard-mounted button that, when pressed, switches various electronic systems into an off-road setting to do such things as make the accelerator more sensitive, and widen the operating parameters of the likes of hill-start assist.
Despite all of this, I don't really consider the Yeti to be the sort of vehicle would take well to being off the beaten track. Not really. It's more designed to get people to surfing or fishing spots, or up to a skifield in the middle of winter. That sort of thing.
And on the road, the Yeti appeals as being one very good Skoda. That's what I like about the Czech marque - it's not afraid to chance its arm with memorable bodyshell designs.
It's also interesting to note that while the 4x4 TDI version has been on the New Zealand market since the middle of last year, it's now been joined by a front-drive version that is powered by the same 1.2-litre 77 kW turbocharged petrol engine that is aboard the Skoda Fabia hatch - and it enters the market with a retail price of $37,500 which is $9500 less than the model I drove.
That represents good buying for those who may want to buy a Yeti for its distinctive looks and easy use, rather than all-wheel drive ability. It'll be interesting to see how it goes.
- Taranaki Daily News