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.
From the driving seat the only hint of the Yeti's SUV attributes is the slightly raised driving position but other than that it feels like any other small family hatch to drive.
The Yeti is a solid cruiser on the motorway, but it's also fun to drive on twisty B-roads. It's not quite as high as a traditional SUV, so there's very little bodyroll through corners. The steering is well weighted, making the Yeti easy to manoeuvre.
All engines do a good job at pulling the Yeti along with the 1.2 TSI offering reasonably lively performance. The pick of the range is the 108bhp 2.0-litre TDI, which has enough torque for overtaking and getting up hills, but you do need to work the gears a little. The 138bhp-rated TDI and 1.8 TSI are more suitable if you're after something a bit quicker.
But it's not just on-road where the Yeti shines, as it is also very capable off-road.
Four-wheel-drive comes courtesy of a fourth-generation Haldex system. On Tarmac 90% of the power goes through the front wheels, but if the Yeti's control unit detects a difference in speed at the front and rear axles, the system can divert up to 90% of torque to the rear. Coupled to a limited slip differential, drive can also be distributed from wheels on either side to give the Yeti better grip.
On range-topping models, the Yeti comes with a button that switches the car's ABS, traction control and EDL (electronic differential lock) to off-road settings. The accelerator response is reduced so there's less slip when pulling away on loose surfaces and there's also hill start assistance and a hill descent control system that applies automatic braking to maintain a constant downhill speed.
