Skoda Yeti facelift (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

This is the facelifted Skoda Yeti, brought bang up to date with the current Skoda design theme thanks to front and rear styling tweak as well as a restructured model range. It’s a straight-edged, angular redesign, but we can’t help thinking that binning the old car’s bulbous grille and charming foglights has robbed the Yeti of its cheeky character.

Redesigned headlights with integrated LEDs, a squared of grille, and new alloy wheel designs – standard facelift fare. At the back there are the triangulated styling creases from the current Rapid and Octavia, and new rear light clusters. Best off all, there are four new colours – silver, white, green, and brown!

The big news for the new Skoda Yeti is that the range has been split down the middle between the two- and four-wheel drive models. ‘City’ Yetis have body-coloured trim and two-wheel drive, while the 4x4 versions have plastic cladding and new bumpers that have improved approach and departure angles. It’s a subtle difference, but to our eyes the workmanlike 4x4 version is the better looker here.

Just a few detail tweaks. There’s a new three-spoke steering wheel inside, different seat fabric designs, an optional rear-view camera for the first time on a Yeti, an automatic reverse-parking system.

The engine and transmission combinations have been tweaked too. The 2.0 TDI can now be twinned with all-wheel drive and the six-speed dual clutch transmission. Meanwhile, the front-wheel drive Yeti 1.6 TDI can also be had with the DSG automatic ’box.

By Ollie Kew