When I was in my 20s there was only one car I ever dreamed of owning – a Matra Simca Rancho.

With its raised roof, body-moulded side protectors and bonnet-mounted spotlights, in the late 1970s, when ownership of a Range Rover remained a mere dream for most, the Rancho epitomised motoring adventure.

Fast forward into the 21st century and there is a massive choice of vehicles offering the taste of off-road driving spawned all those years ago by Range Rover.

Skoda was quick to realise the attraction of a macho-looking off-roader when it first launched the Yeti, and the car quickly became a best-seller.

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Now the Czech carmaker has developed an even more sophisticated approach to marketing the Yeti.

Conscious of the fact that many owners have no need or desire to tackle off-road motoring, the quiet, smooth, sharp-handling Yeti now comes in two distinct models.

For folk who know they will never venture off the beaten track, there is a two-wheel-drive model with all the space and higher ride height of the off-roader, but none of the costlier electronics and mechanical complications.

To help those who feel slightly daunted by manoeuvring a meaty vehicle into tight parking spots, Skoda offers a park-assist system. Simply touch a button take your hands off the steering wheel and the car uses its array of sensors to guide the Yeti into a parallel parking, or even a bay parking slot.

There is also a GreenLine model with a lower chassis and other tweaks that can deliver more than 60mpg and tax-efficient low emissions.

The top-of-the-range model tested here came fitted with an electronically-controlled 4x4 system that allows the car to automatically handle most rough ground or off-road situations. Push the off-road button and the car manages a host of functions from maintaining a constant speed downhill to holding the car still on a hill-start and help stop the wheels spinning on loose surfaces.Watford Observer:

The handling is superb depending on which model you choose

Quite whether you would want to attempt any of this heroic off-road stuff in the spectacularly well-equipped, top-of-the-range model named after Skoda’s founders, Václav Laurin and Václav Klement, is doubtful.

When you are sporting 17-inch alloy wheels, brown leather upholstery, a panoramic sunroof, silver-coloured roof rails and swanky L&K inscriptions on the front mudguards, the last place I would be heading is a rocky hillside or a muddy field.

For me and for those who have a real need for serious off-road pulling power, probably the S or SE Outdoor would be the vehicle of choice.

But whichever model you choose, perhaps the biggest difference between the Rancho and the modern Skoda, is that the Yeti really delivers both on and off road, something the front-wheel-drive Rancho, for all its macho looks, could not.

At a glance

  • Cost: £27,840
  • Insurance grp: 22E 
  • Fuel consumption (combined): 44.8mpg 
  • Top speed: 122mph 
  • Length: 422.2cm/166.2in 
  • Width: 179.3cm/70.6in 
  • Luggage capacity: 14.7 cu ft 
  • Fuel tank capacity: 13.2 gallons/60 litres 
  • CO2 emissions: 164 g/km 
  • Warranty: Three years/ 60,000 miles


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