Prices as tested: €30,045 (Yeti) €32,350 (Octavia)
+ Both are pleasant to drive, well made, useful and rugged
– Octavia’s ageing cabin, Yeti’s small boot
= Either represent all the 4x4 you’ll ever need
It’s become a terrible cliche to remark on just how far the Korean brands, Hyundai and Kia, have come in terms of public perception since their launches in the eighties. But neither have come half as far as Skoda in that same period. Where the Koreans had to overcome a lack of people knowing who the hell they were, Skoda had to overcome genuine derision and ridicule. To go from being the butt of every comedian’s jokes (“How do you get a Lada to do 100mph? Push it off a cliff. How do you get a Skoda to do 100mph? Tie it to the Lada...) to not merely respected to actively desired (there are now waiting lists for Yetis and Superbs) is an even more astonishing journey.
And, along the way, the model range has grown to the point where Skoda now effectively competes with itself in some areas, most notably the confluence between the Yeti 4x4 and the Octavia Scout. Both use the same basic engine, transmission and Haldex-style four-wheel-drive system, and both are very similar in price terms, bar an option or two. But which one of these rough-road Skoda’s should you go for?
The first thing to consider is why are you buying a 4x4? If you need to tackle serious off-road muck, rocks and gradients, then you don’t really want either. Get a Land Rover Defender. If you live in town, then you also require neither. Go for the eminently sensible front-drive versions of either instead. If, however, you live a bit out in the sticks, need to traverse the occasional ploughed field or rough farm track, deal with the kind of appalling road surfaces and inauspicious grip levels that rural Irish roads still throw up, then either is ideal. In fact, driven with a touch of aplomb, both will tackle vastly tougher terrain than you might think possible, but really these are not serious 4x4s, more conventional family cars with a touch of MacGyver-style ruggedness.
Of the two, it’s the Yeti that makes the bigger initial impression. Its newer, funkier shape makes the Octavia, puffed up as it is with matte, bash-proof plastic bumpers and wheelarch extensions, look a touch old. That’s fair enough really, and hardly surprising as the Octavia is quite old now and due for replacement soon. Still, the lower, longer Octavia still looks classy and the Scout styling addenda help it stand out from the crowd.
Underneath, both use pretty much the same engine (the venerable VW Group 2.0 TDI) and the same Haldex 4x4 equipment, but the Scout gives away a full 30bhp to the Yeti, using the 140bhp engine compared to the Yeti’s 170bhp. The surprise is that on the road, there’s actually very little difference between the two, because with 320Nm (Octavia) and 350NM (Yeti) of torque, the overall performance is surprisingly similar. The Yeti sprints from 0-100kmh in a brisk 8.4secs, the Octavia in a slightly more tardy 10.1secs, and those figures are reflected on the road. The Octavia takes a little, but noticeable, longer to wind itself up, but it’s not so far behind the Yeti in day-to-day performance. Both have identical Co2 emissions (155g/km) which means both will cost you the same €330 a year in road tax, while fuel consumption works out at a claimed 5.9-litres per 100km for both cars; an entirely achievable and believable figure, if you drive with reasonable care.
Both are very similar to drive too. You can feel the effect of the Octavia’s higher ride height in relation to the standard Combi estate in the form of extra roll in cornering, but other than that its deportment is just fine. The Yeti corners a touch flatter, in spite of being taller still, but both share the same crisp, friction free steering and, sadly, a ride quality that is just a touch too firm, the Octavia shading the Yeti slightly for bump absorbtion.
With two such evenly matched cars, you might be wondering where a genuine difference can be found, but there is one and it’s found on the inside. The Octavia’s cabin, although handsome and well made, has to give way to the Yeti which is quite simply the equal of any Audi you might care to mention when it comes to cabin quality and layout. The Yeti is simply a lovely place to sit, with its tall, SUV-ish seating position and terrific all-round visibility. The Octavia feels a touch dowdy inside in comparison and doesn’t have the clever flip, fold and remove rear seats of the Yeti. What it does have is a good deal more space. Legroom in the back is clearly superior while the boot (at a whopping 605-litres) makes a mockery of the Yeti’s (405-litres) which is hamstrung by the need to raise its floor up to accommodate the rear diff (front-drive Yetis have a much more practical boot).
However, it’s the Yeti that strikes the killer blow with its price, undercutting the Octavia Scout in Ambition trim by around €2,000. Yes, the Octavia is much more practical in real terms, especially for families (that fabulous boot is just fire-and-forget when it comes to big buggies and bags) the Yet’s combination of funky styling, fab cabin and trimmer price tag gives it the win.
Facts & Figures
Skoda Yeti 4x4 Ambition Skoda Octavia Scout
Price as tested: €30,045 Price as tested: €32,350
Range price: €22,705 to €33,945 Range price: €18,995 to €35,135
Capacity: 1,968cc Capacity: 1,968cc
Power: 170bhp Power: 140bhp
Torque: 350Nm Torque: 320Nm
Top speed: 201kmh Top speed: 199kmh
0-100kmh: 8.4sec 0-100kmh: 10.1sec
Economy: 5.9-100km (47.8mpg) Economy: 5.9-100km (47.8mpg)
CO2 emissions: 155g/km CO2 emissions: 155g/km
Tax Band: C. €330 road tax Tax Band: C. €330 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: 5-stars Euro NCAP rating: 4-star adult,
92% adult, 78% child, 4-star child, 2-star pedestrian
46% pedestrian,
78% safety assist
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