[RS_DEL]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Nitin - Taking the Laura as an example, it seems to hold its value very well going by the prices I've seen on 1,2 and even 3 year old Lauras.

@ Akshay: I hope you will not take offence to this, but you do need to run some numbers on this and re-examine your statement.

* The CarWale vehicle valuation model works on the basis of an annual depreciation of approx 15-16% approx of the current Ex showroom price plus Registration(One Time Road Tax). If someone has a better explanation you are welcome to correct me on this.

* Going by the above rationale - if it is NOT incorrect
[]Skoda Laura 2009 Tdi CR AT is 15.20 Lacs ex showroom. Add Road Tax of 10% and the number is 16.70. These numbers are per the CW website. 2009 models are listed in the used car section at approx 12 Lacs. This number corresponds to the valuation model as detailed above.

[] Same logic applied to T-Fort. Ex showroom Rs 20.29. Road Tax - Rs 2.03 Lacs. Same model year 2009. Lowest price listed in the used car section 18.00 Lacs. Apply the same valuation model and theoretical value equals approx 16 lacs. Which is lower than the lowest market quote by a good 10 odd %.

QED.

ps: All the values referred to above (Ex showroom prices and used car market quotes) are for the Delhi/NCR area as reported by Carwale.

[imp!]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

@Glorymanunited: I hope I have not offended you in any way, my advance apologies.

The Skoda Yeti is definitely a very good SUV, especially considering its features and the price, however, its just the thought of Skoda and the horror stories that are sending a shock down the spine of many people.

May be you could share your experiences to change the perception. Another part which most buyers consider is the resale value; what if they had to sell the vehicle due to some unavoidable circumstances during the EMI period? They have to get a value to cover the balance amount at least.

Those are the main worries.

Infact, I'm still researching for positives on the Yeti. If I were to purchase the Yeti, I would remain richer by about 5lacs! due to the cost differences.


Nitin

Originally Posted by j76

The T-fort, although it comes out trumps in the size and resale value category (size isn't always everything and we should be talking about the buy and not the sell for now); it cannot compare with the yeti in the handling and comfort departments, let alone how technically advanced it is. I would think of the yeti as a more practical and cheaper alternative as a city vehicle.

And please I do not say this as one man utd fan supporting another .

Cheers to #19 and the Czech delight !!

Originally Posted by nitinbose

@j76: Nobody has any second thoughts on the advantages and abilities of the Yeti, its just the thought of Skoda, its horrible (or the incidents mentioned in the forums) that scare us, when it comes to the support.

Nitin,

I own a Skoda. A petrol Laura. Actually in my extended family there are 3 Skodas, an Octavia, a Laura and a Superb. All I can say is that all of us are very satisfied owners and I will honestly buy a Skoda again. Infact, I need to replace my swift and given the lack of rear space in the Polo, the Fabia is high on my list of cars to consider.

Frankly, the air conditioning is a problem, mostly in the rear seats, not the front and by your own admission it is primarily a personal car. You will also be able to drive at much higher speeds on the highway in the Yeti than the Fortuner, not only that, but you will also enjoy driving the Yeti more. As you say, you are getting it for Rs 500,000 less than the Fortuner. It is better equipped and is better VFM. I have driven Octavia's with 400,000 km on them in pristine condition (One can argue between PD and CRDI, but it is still an indication of VAG engine quality. The current Yeti has a derivative of the Octavia VRS diesel engine, its the same engine in the Octavia II vrs D aka Laura L&K); yes the car will cost more than a Fortuner to maintain, but I must say, even if you are correct about the higher RPM idling causing more stress in the car (and I am not convinced that is the case); with proper maintenance I don't see why you shouldn't have a very enjoyable experience with the Yeti, and Vinayak does do a good job maintaining cars.

I agree with Akshay, you should test drive the Yeti again. You just may decide that it is a better car than the Fortuner as a personal, primarily single or young family passenger car.

warm regards
Adit

[vb-saan]

For the requirements mentioned, I personally felt Yeti should have been a better choice, but the thread starter already mentioned that he has decided on the Fortuner.

In this case, I would request the moderators to close off this thread.

[nitinbose]

@VB-san: I still love the yeti, but after hearing the horror stories is what made me change focus to fortuner and how I wish to hear more positive stories. The Yeti would definitely save me some 6L....

[dkaile]

^
If your requirement is not bulk and no 7 seven seats, 80% city driving, why consider a Fortuner at all?

Check this thread here for all the good things about the Fortuner - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ife-sails.html This thread also explains about why Guderian chose the Fortuner over the Yeti, but his requirements were entirely different from yours.

I think you have a very capable MUV with you right now (Innova), do reconsider your reasons to upgrade. Drive it for 2-3 years and then upgrade to a full blown SUV....

[nitinbose]

@dkaile: I love the Yeti, but what scares me is the A.S.S and thus the resale value.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

@VB-san: I still love the yeti, but after hearing the horror stories is what made me change focus to fortuner and how I wish to hear more positive stories. The Yeti would definitely save me some 6L....

Understand your point. But I guess there is an unwanted fear about the product / after sales experience.
It’s a known fact that Japanese cars score better than Europeans when it comes to reliability. But from what I have read from various ownership threads (recent ones), the general response on Skoda cars are very positive. These horror stories is a bit of cliché off late. There are quite a few threads on Laura, Fabia and Yeti which you can refer on (For Yeti, if I remember handle names correctly, check ownership threads from Promods, GloryManUnited, and SushilBajpai).

Yeti is a much appreciated product internationally. In some UK comparisons it even wins handsomely against the likes of BMW X1 xDrive. And it being a CKD in India, I don’t doubt much on the product. And unlike many Japanese / Korean cars, the Euro cars have super long service interval, and maybe your need to visit the service center will be minimal.

Treat it well, and I guess the Yeti will be a capable companion, and true upgrade from your Innova.

[Santoshbhat]

I can understand the dilemma you are going through having gone through a similar one mysef, albeit for the Laura. I was a Corolla owner for the past 8 years (still am) . I knew the Laura was a good product but was concerned about Skoda's after sales support. I went through a lot of threads from Skoda owners and I must say the 'horror stories' that you are so put off by, are all from some three or four years prior to this day. Infact ever since the Laura/ Fabia facelifts have been launched you would be hard pressed to find owners dissatisfied about their machines and also about support from their dealerships. THings are definitely improving as far as product reliability and quality of A.S.S from Skoda is concerned.

I generally don't tend to worry so much about resale value. When you buy a good car and maintain it well, it sells itself when the time comes for that.

[SushilBajpai]

Good to see Nitin, that you've made up your mind. Yet, I think I'll share my thoughts with other readers of this thread, who face similar choices.

I have had the opportunity to extensively travel/drive Yeti, Fortuner and Innova. I find that Innova has a better ride-quality than both Fortuner and Yeti. But IMHO, Yeti beats Fortuner hand down in both handling and ride.

In fact I was quite disappointed with the second row in Fortuner. It lacks head-room and my head keeps hitting the hand-holds above the door.

While Fortuner handles off-road well (I'd be surprised if didn't), I am not so sure about the city driving. I find it too bulky to drive and park in Pune. Bangalore would be similar if not worse.

I find Yeti's handling the best of the lot. I also find it very capable off-roads and on bad roads. I'd not give it the same treatment as I would to Bolero or Gypsy, but it will definitely take me places where no sedan will, and most cross-overs and then some SUVs would hesitate.

While the suspension appears to be hard compared to Innova, it is not uncomfortable. My son and I recently travelled 5,000 km, from to Narkanda (Himachal) and back. There were stretches over 800 km that we covered in a day. The Narkanda-Kharapathar-Narkanda road barely exists, is full of ditches and would give run for the money to any SUV. The Yeti drove over all this with comfort, ease and grace.

I have got Blaupunkt Arctic film covering every inch of the glass area, and the green house has disappeared. Yeti was most comfortable in 46+ C heat of Rajasthan, with A/C at 21 C.

At places (very narrow roads) the narrow body and small length of Yeti provides it a definitive advantage over bigger SUVs.

I find Yeti frugal on fuel. And it drives like a thorough-bred.

Having driven more than 16,000 km I find it the most capable car yet.

80% city and 20% highway with occasional off-road/rough-road/no-road is what Yeti is most suited for.

As far as maintenance (routine servicing) is concerned, I find Yeti to be less expensive than my Honda Jazz on year to year basis - owing mainly to extended service interval.

Each car has its own characteristics and after some familiarity the Yeti does not stall unless in wrong gear/wrong RPM. Slight modification to driving technique and little attention to the RPM gauge does the trick.

As far as A.S.S. is concerned I think my Honda dealership is as bad. On it's first service the Jazz returned with rather expensive Vcool film scratched on the front windscreen. And the dealer could not fix rattle on the front passenger side (for three services), till I got rather annoyed and raised my voice and stood upon their heads. All dealers are not bad, but good ones are not consistent either. After four years, upon expiry of Skoda Shield, if not satisfied with company dealers one could always go to alternate private garages. There are some who have excellent reputation in Pune and Mumbai. This should also be the case in Bangalore.

Further unlike any car that I have owned, the Yeti grows on you. Honestly, my next car, could easily be a Yeti with DSG.

[nitinbose]

@Sushil:

Hi Sushil! Thanks for the post. I was also very nice talking to you on the phone and thanks for the suggestions, feedback and advice.

I have no doubts on the Skoda Yeti, it is a very good, capable and feature rich car. I'm only worried on the A.S.S part because of the behavior from the Bangalore dealers. They keep saying, "its alright sir, there is no problem".

I wanted a second test drive and called up Tafe access, they confirmed the timing but never turned up, I called up the sales person and he told me he's somewhere else and would take about an hour more!

At least, Vinayak Skoda was better in that respect!

[SushilBajpai]

@nitin

I understand your annoyance with the attitude that Skoda dealers have. But this is not really uncommon with other manufacturers either. I have entered BMW showrooms with their sales-persons treating me rather shabbily. Last year when we wanted to purchase the Innova for my office, the Pune dealer made plenty of Nakhara parting with a quotation and refusing to talk to our driver till I made a call.

It is the people, and their attitude.

There is another perspective I'd like to share.

Upfront, the cost for Yeti is good Rs 3.5 lakh less than Fortuner. And this covers Skoda Shield + Skoda Assure (no depreciation insurance) for four years. Remember also that no-depreciation insurance for Fortuner will always be more expensive than Yeti on account of higher insured value.

The quality of Yeti is at par with Mercedes C class, of 3 series BMW. These cars don't fail easily. Even if they did, there is very little financial risk with extended warranty and no-depriciation insurance to boot.

Yeti is the most green among the SUVs/Cross-overs on offer in India. The engine and gear train is world class. The body and paint work is of a quality that it is guaranteed for 10 years in european markets.

If you have a look at the maintenance and service schedule the Yeti will not visit a service station more than three or four times in as many years. I don't suppose you will encounter the service station often. The only maintenance it needs is change of oil and filters, wheel rotation, scan each year and another half a dozen inspections every other year. Hardly anything needs routine replacement for the first 1,00,000 km. And if it did it would be covered under warranty.

Fortuner is definitely a very capable vehicle - but the build quality, ride and handling is at least two notches below Yeti. And yet i costs a good three lakh more with waiting periods and what not.

At the end of the day you wish to own a vehicle that is fun to drive, technologically up to date, safe as can be, fun to drive, trouble free, green, easy to maneuver (and park) in city, happy with bad and kuchcha roads when needed, and doesn't visit service station.

I would not allow hyped up impressions about bad service - even if true - rob me of my choice and right to own a vehicle that suits me best.

Just make sure that you are up to speed with the technical details of the vehicle. Pramods rightly says that the dealers rapidly fall in line when they know that you know more than them. This is true for any car and any service station.

As an added insurance get a couple of Team-BHP stickers on the car. It alerts the service stations that you are backed by a rather potent community of knowledgeable opinion makers. They wouldn't easily mess with you or your car. They know that you'll put in a good word if they treat your car well, and could have heat turned upon them for any gaffs.

[ajmat]

As I reiterate Vinayak Skoda are pretty good, they do a decent job. They are not perfect and may be slow in unusual problems but for routine service, I am happy. I also think Skoda has made efforts in dealer training ever since

[dkaile]

My views of Skoda are also changing having been in close contact with a close friend who has opened the Skoda showroom here in Meerut. It was their dealerships which was the main grouse of most complaints. Their products are very capable. As I had said before, after test driving the Superb TSI recently was shell shocked to see the quality and equipment level at a 19.4L price quoted to me on-road here in Meerut (with Uttaranchal registration);

I was a huge Skoda critic, BUT with their dealer network becoming more customer centric, I can see Skoda taking a huge jump... I can see myself taking the plunge in Superb's favour (instead for the BMW 320D I had planned)

But when it comes to my views on the Fortuner, that's another story all together....

[Santoshbhat]

I think the quality of A.S.S for any car maker gets tested out when the product is not up to scratch in the reliability department and spares are not readily available. This has been the issue which has made the gerenal public vary of A.S.S from car makers like Fiat and Skoda. Both companies made great cars but when they first came to India with their products they were not able to maintain the same relaibility standards as that of say... Maruti , who had the advantage of coming into a very nascent market with car owners used to taking their Ambys and Fiats to so called 'garages' almost every month! Just the concept of a company backed A.S.S was enough to excite car owners. But when a company like Fiat launched the Palio, they failed to make it as reliable as the Marutis , which the people were already used to.

Companies like Fiat and Skoda have realised this and I think (and hope ) have worked on improving the reliablity quotient in their cars in their recent offerrings. Cars like Punto , Linea, facelifted Laura , Fabia and the Yeti are case in point Vs. Cars like Palio, Octavia and the Old gen Laura.

I have owned cars from Maruti, Hyundai, Fiat and Toyota stables before and can tell you that quality of after sales service I have got from each of these companies has been pretty much on par with nothing much to choose between them. Ofcourse I am not commenting on the service network here, but general satisfaction levels experienced. Of course, this is mostly because I have been lucky enough that none of my cars have had any major reliability issues.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by SushilBajpai

@nitin

Fortuner is definitely a very capable vehicle - but the build quality, ride and handling is at least two notches below Yeti. And yet i costs a good three lakh more with waiting periods and what not.

Build quality of Fortuner is two notches below Yeti? I don't know what to say, if you are also including overall build quality, including the quality of the platform and toughness of the 4WD system.

So what are your views regarding relative reliability of the two vehicles?