Skoda Yeti Elegance - Design Review

At first glance, the Yeti looks a bit outlandish. Everything till the Skoda family grille and familiar headlamps is absolutely fine but then the big round fog lamps/daytime running lamps appear out of nowhere, halfway into the front bumper and this is a visual shock of sorts. I mean, the Skoda’s have always had conservative faces, which also made them look elegant but this one splits opinions. The Yeti appears at the lower end of the crossover/soft-roader spectrum and hence gets rugged additions to its design. The silver-finished skid plate, for instance, looks very SUV-ish and also appears at the rear. This provides a nice contrast to the black lower bumpers. The bonnet’s central ridge is a nice touch; it is clearly visible from the driver’s seat and gives an impression of power under the hood. Walk around to the side and the body-coloured B-pillar stands out in a strange way as rest of the pillars are black.

The rear is very plain with an almost flat hatch. The C-shaped tail lamps are the only redeeming feature. Even then, there’s a fly in the ointment: hit the brakes and a tiny red horizontal strip that doesn’t match with the rest of the lamp design flashes on. Overall, the Yeti stands apart from the other luxury sedans you can buy for the same price. I wouldn’t even compare it to SUVs like the Fortuner, Pajero, Captiva and Endeavour as the Yeti fails to garner the macho appeal. In fact, it is the softest soft roader I’ve ever seen. Skoda has actually used elements like high ground clearance, chunky wheels, matt black lower bumpers and roof rails to mimic an SUV, and the Yeti does that quite well