Category: Small 4x4s 
Price Range: No data available
Car-like handling; spacious cabin; decent off-road; appeals to wide range of customer needs.
Bit ugly; 2.0 TDI engine is lackluster.
Yeti's appeal should be wide-ranging, although its quirky styling may put some buyers off.
The Czech carmaker is pitching this new small family car as a crossover, mixing the high-riding nature of an SUV with the footprint and practicality of a hatchback. It's got its sights set on the Nissan Qashqai and the Ford Kuga, plus established soft-roaders such as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.
The Yeti will come with either front-wheel or four-wheel-drive and the latter is no faux 4x4. It performs admirably as an off-roader and like the Qashqai, should appeal to a wide customer base. Skoda is expecting the two-wheel-drive to be the best-seller but is only predicting a modest sale of around 3,000 Yetis in 2010.
The most obvious barrier to sales is its looks: with its Roomster-like design at the front and that clunky Skoda family nose, it's hardly beautiful. The Yeti's not a total monstrosity - it does have a rugged SUV appeal from some angles - but the design jury's still out.
The key will be the Yeti's pricing which is expected to start from around £14,000.
Four-wheel drive versions will be powered by three versions of the 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine with 108bhp, 138bhp and 168bhp outputs plus a 158bhp 1.8 TSI petrol powerplant. The 108bhp 2.0 TDI engine - Skoda's predicted best-seller - is also available in two-wheel-drive versions, along with a new 103bhp 1.2 TSI unit.
The big question is whether buyers can overlook its style (or lack of) and be attracted by the Yeti's substance. Read on to find out.
