We live in Cyprus and recently bought a Skoda Yeti 1.6 Tdi Greenline with 5 speed manual gear box in preference to the DSG option. We took delivery about 3&1/2 weeks back. We got it from the local VAG dealer who sold it to us in preference to either a (more expensive) VW Golf or a Touran. The other car the VAG dealership suggested as offering very good value (and in preference to a Golf) was the Skoda Octavia. We paid Euro 17500 (or about £15300) OTR. It is the most basic model, but with some FFE such as alloy wheels. List should have been about Euro 20000 plus.

One of our key guidelines was fuel economy since we were doing a lot of distance, as well as practicality for family motoring with picnic and beach trips.

Before we bought we looked also at the VW range from Golf through to Touran, Ford Focus, Hyundai i30, Kia Ceed, Renault Clio, Megane and Scenic/Grand Scenic, and Toyota Yaris Hybrid from local main dealers. For tax band reasons we are looking at the sub 1650 CC range. Road tax that at level is €0.05980 per cc, compared to €0.11960 for cars from 1651cc up to 2251 cc, while excise duty goes from a basics Euro 0.51c per cc to Euro 3.42 per cc at that point, which adds a minimum Euro 3300 or so, for new cars assuming the lowest band of CO2 consumption. This affects the price of larger engine cars quite significantly. We also looked at “nearly new” import from the UK which would cost close on Euro 3000 to transport and put on the road a sub 1650 cc car with reasonable CO2 emissions. Our key guidelines were fuel economy since we were doing a lot of distance.

Since delivery we have done about 3200 Km or about 2000 miles, or about 700 miles per week, which is actually less than our normal mileage of between 1600km/1000 miles to 2000km/1200 miles a week (and why we went for Diesel).

The roads in Cyprus are mostly undulating, and once away from the main highway (2 lane Motorway) many are narrow and twisting country lanes which are mostly closer to good English “B” roads at best. This can lead to frequent gear changing and use of the accelerator pedal. Some rural roads still have a loose surface, and we have in fact ended up doing some 50 km or so of dirt-tracking on some occasionally very steep loose rutted forest roads.

The ups and downs are quite marked. We live about 3km (just under 2 miles) from the beach and are about 110 m or 350 feet or so up. If we go the same distance further inland, we climb another 200M, or so, or about 650 feet, and are at about the 300m / 1000 foot mark.

On a 55 mile run on the main highway to Nicosia, which has some steep climbs on it, and keeping to about the 110km/h (just under 70 mph mark) (Speed limit is 100kph/62 mph) we can get the consumption down to an average of 5.4 L/ 100 Km or about 53 mpg. This reduces to 5.3 L/100 or about 53 MPG on the return (more down than up). On more general motoring around town or in the country we are getting at about 6.5 L/100 Km or about 43 mpg.

As it is warm and often humid (we look upon 30C as a cool day), the Air-con is always on, which will affect consumption.

The car is high off the ground, with good visibility, which I like. It steers well and is predictable. I have not found any problems with body roll but with the wife and two kids on board and aiming for economy I have not been pushing it too hard into the bends or out the other side.

The car can be sluggish initially pulling away but the car was never intended to be a dragster, and if you just tap the accelerator a bit more the rate of acceleration picks up quite quickly.

The gearbox took a bit of getting used to as the gate seems quite narrow and it can be easy to select third rather than first. This initially caused the wife a few problems, but then she had not driven a manual gearbox car since she passed her test in a Lada in Moscow over twenty 20 years back, and had spent the last 8 years driving cars with torque-converter automatic boxes. (She chose the manual box version and forced herself to convert, which she managed after about 30 minutes total guidance from me on the use of clutch and gearstick).

The load space in normal two row seating mode is very good, complete with a 12v socket (essential for the electric cool box, which is virtually essential for Cyprus Summer, particularly if transporting frozen goods from the shops), as well as bag hooks and tie down points.

I am slightly disappointed that this model does not a USB input equipped audio system, so it is back to discs. The car also does not have a spare wheel, just a tube of tyre weld, and a pump. I am thinking of buying a spare for country outings.

I can however thoroughly recommend this car as a 4/5 seater.

After 8000 km or 5000 miles I can still recommend the car. We are currently managing about 40 mpg or 7 L/100 but this is in the country with plenty of steep and twisty roads, some of which are unsurfaced, requiring plenty of use of throttle and brake. Lack of a spare is definitely a downer as we found out when we blew a tyre beyond repair on a rural road.

We are now 6 months into ownership and have done 19000 Km, Or about 11500 miles. We are still delighted with the car. With care I am now regularly returning about 6.2 L/100 km or about 45 mpg round town, and on longer motorway runs 5.1L/100 km or about 55 mpg. The car has been trouble free and we have not found any disappointments in use, in terms of layout, etc, baring the lack of a USB input in the sound system and lack of cup sockets in the back of the folding rear middle seat. It performs well and remains a car I could recommend.

Now into 9 months of ownership and getting close to the 32000 km/20000 miles service. With care, overall we are getting 5.8 l/ 100 Km or around 48mpg. On a run on the highway it is down to between 53 and 58 mpg. Cannot complain at that. The car is reliable. Nothing has gone wrong. Only real beef is lack of a spare where we have now twice trashed a tyre beyond the ability of gunk to fill the gash. Still delighted with it and a car I would still recommend for a family of four plus the occasional extra.

Water Pump went at 15 months 25000 mile mark. Otherwise very happy.

We are nearly three years in and have done close to 100000 km or about 60,000 miles. A sensor went on the exhaust system at 50000 miles and it took weeks to get replaced after several tow ins to the main dealer. Not good. Otherwise reliable and functional.