സ്കോഡ യെറ്റി Elegance 4x2

Skoda Auto India has launched the facelifted version of its SUV, Yeti in the car market. It is now available in the Elegance trim only with two options namely, 4x2 and 4x4. This facelifted version has several updates to its exterior, which makes it look refined. It has an aggressive frontage with a new radiator grille, Bi-xenon headlamps, which has LED DRLs, revamped bumper along with air dam and a pair of bright fog lamps. In terms of interiors, it gets refreshed leather wrapped steering wheel, multimedia driver interface, 12-way electrically adjustable driver seat with memory function, steel pedal set with rubber anti-slip elements and six airbags. It also has an advanced audio unit with Bluetooth connectivity and a 6.5 inch touchscreen display. The company has not made any changes to its technical specifications and their Skoda Yeti Elegance 4X2 variant is fitted with the same 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine. It comes with a displacement capacity of 1968cc and can generate 108.4bhp along with 250Nm of maximum torque. This power plant is skilfully mated with a five speed fully synchronized manual transmission gear box, which helps in delivering a power packed performance.

Exteriors:

The exteriors of this SUV are neatly designed with a lot of modifications and gives it a sporty appearance. The frontage comes with a chrome surround radiator grille in new frame and is flanked by a radiant headlight cluster. It is incorporated with Bi-xenon headlamps and LED day time running lamps that adds to its elegance. The modified front bumper houses a large air intake section for cooling the engine and it also has silver finished under-guard . This air dam is flanked by a pair of new shaped fog lamps. The large windscreen is made of tinted glass and is integrated with a set of intermittent wipers. Its side profile is neatly designed with silver painted outside rear view mirrors, which are electrically foldable and fitted with side turn indicator. The pronounced wheel arches are equipped with an elegant set of 16 inch Dolomite alloy wheels, which are covered with 215/60 R16 sized tubeless radial tyres. Then body colored B-pillar and aluminum inserted moldings enhances the look of its side profile. Its rear end has a body colored bumper, which is fitted with a couple of fog lamps. The windscreen has a defogger and a centrally located high mounted stop lamp. Then it has a luminous tail light cluster and a curvy boot lid, which is embossed with variant badging.

Interiors:

The dual tone front padded dashboard and center console along with door panels gives the cabin a decent appearance. The internal cabin of this Skoda Yeti Elegance 4X2 trim comes in gabi sand finish and incorporated with a lot of refined features. It is equipped with leather upholstered seats, which provides ample leg space for all occupants. The driver seat has a 12-way electrically adjustable function along with 3-programmable memory function. At the same time, front seats have lumbar support adjustment and it also has adjustable center arm rest as well. This variant has leather wrapped steering wheel along with gear shift selector and hand brake lever. There is a lot of chrome treatment, especially on infotainment system, AC vents, inside door handles and instrument cluster dials. Apart from these, it has a lot of storage spaces for the convenience, while traveling. Some of them includes an illuminated glove box with cooling effect, storage box under front seats, removable rear parcel shelf, four foldable baggage hooks in luggage compartment and so on. It also has a 416 litres boot space, which can be increased up to 1485 litres by folding its rear seat.

Engine and Performance:

This variant is powered by a 2.0-litre, in-line diesel engine with liquid cooling system. This turbocharged mill comes with self aligning blades and high pressure direct injection system. It is integrated with 4-cylinders and 16-valves, while displacing 1968cc. This power plant can churn out a maximum power of 108.4bhp at 4200rpm in combination with a peak torque output of 250Nm between 1500 to 2500rpm. It is mated with a five speed manual transmission gear box, which sends the engine power to its front wheels. It allows the SUV to attain a maximum speed in the range of 165 to 170 Kmph and in can cross the speed barrier of 100 Kmph in close to 10 seconds. This motor has the ability to deliver 14.3 Kmpl within the city, while 17.7 Kmpl on the bigger roads.

Braking and Handling:

Its front axle is assembled with a McPherson strut, which has lower triangular links. While the rear gets multi-element axle along with one longitudinal and three transverse links. This suspension mechanism is further assisted by torsion stabilizer. Meanwhile, it has hydraulic dual-diagonal circuit braking along with vacuum assisted dual rate system. Its front wheels are equipped with a set of disc brakes with inner cooling and a single floating caliper, while rear gets disc brakes . It is blessed with a direct rack and pinion electro-mechanic power steering, which is quite responsive. It is tilt adjustable and supports a minimum turning radius of 10 meters.

Comfort Features:

The manufacturer has blessed this variant with a number of sophisticated features. It has an automatic dual zone air conditioning unit, which can electronically regulate temperature of the cabin. It also has adjustable AC vents on rear center console, dual climatronic display, air quality sensor and pollen filter. The leather wrapped multi-functional steering wheel is mounted with audio and call control buttons. The advanced SKODA audio player comes with 6.5-inch LCD TFT color display. It is integrated with six CD changer, SD/MMC card reader, Bluetooth connectivity and eight speakers. The multimedia device interface (MDI) is compatible with USB (micro and mini), Aux-in and i-Pod connectivity. Apart from these, it has all four power windows with bounce back function, KESSY (keyless entry, start and exit system with engine start/stop button), remote control locking/unlocking doors and boot lid, power steering and many other such aspects.

Safety Features:

This Skoda Yeti Elegance 4X2 variant is incorporated with a number of safety aspects like cruise control function, tyre pressure monitoring, six airbags, parktronic sensors with speakers, fog lights, active front head restraints, rear defogger and many other features. Apart from these, it also has ABS along with EBD, Hydraulic brake assistance, anti slip regulation, electronic stability program and off-road assistant with hill descent control function.

Pros:

1. Roomy internal cabin with lots of innovative features.

2. Good engine performance with decent pickup.

Cons:

1. Price can be competitive.

2. Ground clearance needs to improve.