Design Review: Skoda Yeti

Yeti is the Tibetian word for ‘magical creature’ and the name given to the mythical large ape or ‘abominable snowman’ first thought to have been sighted in the Himalayas eighty years ago, which ever since has eluded a verifiable sighting. A strange name to give a concept car perhaps, but that’s what Skoda have just done; it’s the name of their Geneva show car.

The Yeti takes its core conceptual theme from the Skoda Roomster concept shown in 2003 at Frankfurt and evolves this towards a slightly more off-road, conservative and closer to production feasible concept. Although nominally a European B-class vehicle (based on the Skoda Fabia, and therefore Volkswagen Polo, platform) with two wheel drive, it is clearly slightly ‘off-road’ with a higher than normal ground clearance, tall profile tyres and chunky aesthetic.

It is also slightly less MPV than the Roomster with relatively shallow DLO and a not particularly tall roof. Essentially the Yeti combines the spatial and cost benefits of a two wheel drive large B-class package, with some of the rugged appeal of a junior SUV. The Honda Element has done similar things in the North American market, but up until now in Europe this has only been addressed by car derived SUV style variants such as the Polo Fun or MG Rover Streetwise - and they have limited appeal relative to the ‘normal’ cars they’re based on.

As well as evolving the core theme of the Roomster, the Yeti has also progressed many of its design elements; the prominent logo that forms the base of a central hood bulge, front lamps with lower lines that sweep upward, wrap-around windscreen that visually includes a blacked out A-pillar, a DLO that sweeps up into a reclined B-pillar, and upright rear lamps that bookend the side and rear aspects.

But the exterior by designer Peter Kukorelli under head of exteriors Peter Wouda also introduces new and different solutions - most notably a soft strong form language that is very different to the taut, finely hewn surfaces of the Roomster. This surfacing is congruent with the SUV flavour of the concept and fits also with the unusual (at least unusual since the mid 1990s) slightly squared off wheel arches which have a “big, old school metal bending” feel to them as Skoda design chief Thomas Ingenlath told Car Design News.

The roof is also an area with particularly distinctive design solutions. Dark grey bars coherently connect the tail lamps to the A-pillars and in profile act like a clamp holding together the cabin area that spreads outwards from the body colour B-pillar.

These also visually secure the white roof that floats as a separate element capping the blue B-pillar and glasshouse.

Some other new design elements are; none-handed door mirrors and door handles (except for the embossed ‘Yeti’ logo), tail lamps that bulge out to emphasis the body side shoulder, high mounted prominent fog lamps recessed into the front surface to give a chunky feel, and a fold down rear tailgate that can carry a bike.

The interior by designer Peter Olah under head of interior Andres Meyer also has some very interesting elements that wholly fit with its ‘outdoor active’ theme, most imaginatively a water cooler with two tubes that pull out of the centre console to drink from - similar to a biker’s camelbak. There are also rucksack style elastic straps on seat backs to hold cabin accoutrements in place, a detachable navigation system to use when hiking, an easy to wash plastic floor instead of carpets, and humorous hare and rabbit icons to denote different gear shift modes.

Skoda are very clear in saying that the Yeti is not a thinly veiled production car but a genuine concept car that exists purely to take the temperature of this possible new market niche. Given how much closer the concept is to production relative to the Roomster it would suggest that this is a niche likely to soon see a very similar production Skoda. Such a vehicle seems wholly fitting with the brand and on the strength of the Yeti it’s success ought to eclipse those of the car derived SUV style variants. Who knows, perhaps in a few years verifiable sightings of the Yeti will be happening all over the place!