2014 Skoda Yeti to be more expensive than before

The Czech car manufacturer is planning to introduce the facelift 2014 Skoda Yeti in India. Despite being a well rounded product, the Skoda Yeti could not grab the imagination of Indian SUV buyer in its first attempt, as some accuse its steep pricing, odd-ball design and lack of third row seating.

However, Skoda India wants to keep its presence in the flourishing SUV segment of the country, and will be introducing the 2014 Skoda Yeti by the second week of September this year. 

Earlier this year during the 2014 Auto Expo, Skoda had displayed an updated version of the 2014 Skoda Yeti in the ‘Outdoor’ variant, which is sold internationally by the car maker. The change on the facelift version carries a new front design, which includes Skoda’s new butterfly-styled front grille which is part of the company’s latest design language. 

The 2014 Skoda Yeti addresses the odd-ball design complain by replacing the round headlights and fog-lamps by introducing more angular ones, along with a new bumper with a crisper design. These give the new Skoda Yeti a sharper front design.

The side profile remains similar to the older version with plenty of glass used on the rear half of the car. The rear end gets some design tweaks with a slightly different bootlid and re-profiled tail lights.

To justify the premium price tag, Skoda India will be adding more features and equipments on the 2014 Skoda Yeti. We expect the new Yeti to come with features such as key-less entry, auto fold rear-view-mirror, cruise control, new music system with display, rear camera, and electrically adjustable front seat among others.

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There will also be a new three-spoke steering wheel with mounted infotainment controls, more premium upholstery options and upmarket materials on the dashboard and centre console with new colour combination. 

The engine and mechanics will remain unchanged, as the 2014 Skoda Yeti will continue to be powered by a 2.0-litre offered in front-wheel-drive and 4x4 options. The out-going Skoda Yeti 4x2 produced 110PS and 250Nm, while the 4x4 version churned 140PS and 320Nm; both mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

In the 2014 version, Skoda has tweaked the engine to produce slightly more power and torque figures, and at the same time claims to improve the fuel economy of the new Yeti.

The addition of the extra equipments, rising input costs and the fact that the 2014 Skoda Yeti will be imported as semi-CKD and assembled in India, will ensure that the price of the new version will be about 7-10 per cent more than the outgoing model which used to retail from Rs 15.66 lakh to Rs 19.40 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai).