How to deal with a yeti. Does Bigfoot exist, what are the facts and evidence of his existence? Bigfoot and his history

Since prehistoric times, human fear of the unknown has given rise to legends about bloodthirsty monsters living in places untouched by civilization. It is still unknown, for example, whether it exists only in fairy tales or whether there is real scientific evidence.

Myths and testimonies of ancient peoples

The legendary animal has many names, depending on the region where it was seen:

• Nepalese Yeti;
• American Sasquatch or Bigfoot;
• Australian Yowie;
• Chinese Yeren.

Titles minche And tzu-tech in the Tibetan language, the unknown beast is classified as a bear.

The Lepcha people of India, who live in the Sikkim Himalaya region, revere a "creature from the glacier" described as resembling a prehistoric one. hominid, considered the deity of hunting and appearance compares him to a bear.

In the Bon religion, the blood of the mi-rgod or “wild man” was used for special ceremonies.

Scientists study the yeti phenomenon

When eyewitness accounts were sketchy and no records, bones or other physical evidence were found, anthropologists hypothesized that big Foot is a hominid, a descendant of Neanderthals, who has survived to this day. Carl Linnaeus came up with the name Homo troglodytes(cave man).

• The first documented tracks were described by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Howard-Bury in the book “Mount Everest. Intelligence" in 1921. A guide from the local Sherpa people told the climber that he had seen what the Tibetans call metoh-kangmi or “wild man of the snows.”
• In 1925 photographer Tombazi on the slope of Zemu noticed a tall creature with red fur at an altitude of 4600m. above sea level, and also discovered footprints belonging to a bipedal, five-toed hominid with a foot length of 33 cm.
• In the territory former USSR In Abkhazia there lives a family whose ancestor, according to the stories of local residents, is the wild monkey-like Zana. At the end of the 19th century, Prince Achba caught her and gave her to his vassal, who brought the savage to Tkhina. Rural centenarians say that Zana's body was covered with gray long hair, her height reached two meters, she ran faster than horses and carried weights without much effort.
• Since 1975 Candidate of Historical Sciences Igor Burtsev began studying the descendants of Zana. He managed to get permission to dig up his son’s skull and send it for examination. unusual woman Tahina. The results showed that these people originated from West Africa. It is also believed that Zana was simply a mentally retarded runaway.

What does Bigfoot look like?

IN popular culture the image of Bigfoot as an ape-like creature was formed gigantic size with white skin and elongated forelimbs. People fear him as a monster that can drag away and eat people. This idea differs from the one that cryptozoologists form based on eyewitness accounts.

If we summarize the impressions of the lucky ones who saw the tracks of the animal and himself, the yeti really looks like a huge upright orangutan, whose height reaches 3 m. The body of the animal is covered with brown, gray or red hair, the head is approximately twice the size of a human and has a pointed shape.

He deftly moves through mountains and climbs trees, surpassing people in strength and speed. Scientists suggest that Bigfoot is an omnivore, feeding on small animals, insects and berries.

Where does the legendary Bigfoot live?

Judging by the legends, the descendant of ancient primates likes to hide in the mountains. Yeti is known in more than dozens of regions on three continents:

1. They talk about encounters with an unknown “wild man” in the Himalayas, Dagestan, Abkhazia, Bhutan, Pamir, the Caucasus, the Urals, Chukotka;
2. More than 300 evidence was recorded in China;
3. Arriving on the Australian continent, the Europeans encountered wild ape-like aborigines and even fought with them;
4. North America and Canada also have their own legend about the Sasquatch.

Since Bigfoot was encountered most often in the territory of the former USSR, in 1957. A Commission was created at the Academy of Sciences, which brought together scientists from related specialties (geologist, mountaineer, doctor, anthropologist) to study the phenomenon. However, this work did not produce serious results.

Does Bigfoot really exist?

At the end of the 20th century, only cryptozoologists and fanatics believed in the reality of the Yeti. Science community considered all information concerning the hominid to be erroneous or fabricated. However, in 2013 Oxford University professor Brian Sykes and his team carried out a genetic analysis of the hair of a mummified Bigfoot from Ladakh, northern India, and wool found by one of the inhabitants of Bhutan. These samples were between 20 and 40 years old. The result showed that the DNA of the samples matched 100% with the genetic material of the ancestor of polar bears, who lived during the Pleistocene era, that is, from 40,000 to 120,000 years ago.

After publishing this news, Brian Sykes continued to collect genetic material from everyone who claimed to have encountered the monster. The remaining samples obtained belonged to different types predators, domestic dogs, some turned out to be plant and even synthetic fibers.

In 2016, a paper was presented at the 69th Annual Anthropological Research Conference in the USA. It dealt with the study of teeth marks discovered in 2013-2014. in the Mount St. Helens area of ​​Washington State. Mitchell Townsend argued that impressions on deer rib bones indicate a hominid with a jaw twice the size of a human. The scientist concluded that the animal that gnawed the ribs held them with one hand, as primates do.

IN beginning of XXI century, the approach to the issue of searching for information about ancient monsters has changed. If previously a big role was played by the subjective ideas of scientists about the findings and stories of witnesses, now there are tools that give accurate answers. Based on new data, debates continue in the pseudo-scientific community about whether Bigfoot exists or not. We can only wait for the next discoveries to put an end to this issue.

5 most reliable video facts of the existence of the Yeti

In this video, anthropologist Vladimir Perevalov will show real-life footage in which he managed to capture Bigfoot:

Many people believe in the existence of Yeti. The question has been raised by scientists more than once, but no direct evidence of the life of such creatures on the planet has been provided by witnesses. The most common belief is that Bigfoot is a mythical humanoid creature that lives in snow-covered forests and mountains. But no one knows for sure whether the Yeti is a myth or reality.

Description of Bigfoot

The prehistoric bipedal hominid was named Homo troglodytes by Carl Linnaeus, which means “caveman.” The creatures belong to the order of primates. Depending on their habitat, they received different names. So Bigfoot or Sasquatch is a snowman living in America, in Asia Homo troglodytes is called yeti, in India - barunga.

Outwardly, they are something between a huge monkey and a human. The creatures look scary. Their weight is about 200 kg. They have a large build with large muscle mass, long arms - up to the knees, massive jaws and a small frontal part. The creature has stocky, muscular legs with short thighs.

The entire body of bigfoots is covered with long (the size of a palm) and dense hair, the color of which can be white, red, black, and brown. The Bigfoot's face protrudes forward at the bottom and also has fur starting from the eyebrows. The head is conical. The feet are wide, with long, flexible toes. The giant's height is 2-3 m. Yeti's footprints are similar to human ones. Usually, eyewitnesses talk about the unpleasant odor that accompanies sasquatch.

Norwegian traveler Thor Heyerdahl proposed a classification of bigfoots:

• dwarf yeti, which are found in India, Nepal, Tibet, up to 1 m tall;
• a true bigfoot has a height of up to 2 m, thick hair, long hair on the head;
• giant yeti - 2.5-3 m tall, the savage's tracks are very similar to human ones.

Yeti food

Cryptozoologists who study species not discovered by science suggest that Bigfoot belongs to primates, and therefore has similarities with monkeys. large sizes diet Yeti eats:

• fresh fruits, vegetables, berries, honey;
• edible herbs, nuts, roots, mushrooms;
• insects, snakes;
• small animals, poultry, fish;
• frogs and other amphibians.

It is safe to assume that this creature will not disappear in any habitat and will find something it can feast on.

Bigfoot habitats

Anyone can try to catch a bigfoot. To do this, you just need to know what Bigfoot looks like and where he lives. Reports of Yeti come mainly from mountainous areas or forests. In grottoes and caves, among rocks or in impenetrable thickets, he feels most safe. Travelers claim to have seen Sasquatch or their tracks in certain places.

1. Himalayas. This is Bigfoot's home. Here, for the first time in 1951, a huge footprint similar to a human one was recorded on camera.
2. Slopes of the Tien Shan mountains. Climbers and rangers in this area never cease to claim the existence of bigfoots here.
3. Altai mountains. Witnesses have recorded Bigfoot approaching human settlements in search of food.
4. Karelian Isthmus. The military testified that they saw a yeti with white hair in the mountains. Their data was confirmed local residents and an expedition organized by the authorities.
5. North-Eastern Siberia. Bigfoot traces were discovered during ongoing research.
6. Texas. According to eyewitnesses, the yeti lives in the local Sam Houston Nature Reserve. Those who want to catch him come here regularly, but so far not a single hunt has been successful.
7. California. San Diego resident Ray Wallace made a film in 1958 in which he showed a female Sasquatch that lives in the mountains in this area. Later, information surfaced that the filming was falsified; the role of the Yeti was played by Wallace's wife, dressed in a fur suit.
8. Tajikistan. In the summer of 1979, a photo of a 34 cm long footprint discovered in the Gissar Mountains appeared.
9. India. A three-meter-tall monster covered with black hair is often encountered here. The locals call him barunga. They managed to obtain a sample of the animal's fur. It is similar to the hair of a yeti obtained by British climber E. Hillary on the slope of Mount Everest.
10. There is also evidence of the existence of Bigfoot in real life found in Abkhazia, Vancouver, Yamal and Oregon, USA.

It is quite difficult to understand whether the existence of Bigfoot is a myth or reality. The chronicles of Tibetan monks contain records of humanoid animals covered with fur noticed by temple servants. In this region, traces of Bigfoot were discovered for the first time. Stories about Sasquatch first appeared in printed publications in the 50s of the last century. They were told by climbers who conquered Everest. New adventurers immediately found themselves wanting to see the giant wild people.

Bigfoot family and offspring

The existence of tribes of Bigfoot people and children found by hunters, completely covered with hair, is evidenced by the stories of residents of Tajikistan. A family of wild people - a man, a woman and a child - was spotted near Lake Parien. The locals called them “Oda Obi,” that is, water people. The Yeti family approached the water and more than once scared the Tajiks away from their home. There were also numerous traces of Bigfoot presence here. But due to the dusty sandy soil and insufficient clarity of the contour, it turned out to be impossible to make a plaster casting. There is no real material evidence of these stories.

The Times newspaper wrote about the DNA analysis of a real female Bigfoot in 2015. It was about the legendary wild woman Zana, who lived in the 19th century in Abkhazia. The story goes that Prince Achba caught her and kept her in his cage. She was a tall woman with dark gray skin. Hair covered her entire massive body and face. The cone-shaped head was distinguished by a protruding jaw, a flat nose with raised nostrils. The eyes had a reddish tint. The legs were strong with thin shins, wide feet ending in long flexible toes.

Legend has it that over time the woman's temper pacified and she lived freely in a hole dug with her own hands. She walked around the village, expressed her emotions with cries and gestures, did not learn human language until the end of her life, but responded to her name. She did not use household items and clothing. She is credited with extraordinary strength, speed and agility. Her body retained its youthful features until old age: her hair did not turn gray, her teeth did not fall out, her skin remained elastic and smooth.

Zana had five children from local men. She drowned her firstborn, so the rest of the descendants were taken from the woman immediately after birth. One of Zana's sons remained in the village of Thin. He had a daughter, who was interviewed by researchers in search of information. Zana's descendants did not have hominid characteristics, they only had features of the Negroid race. DNA studies showed that the woman has West African roots. Her children didn't have hairline on the body, so there were speculations that the villagers could have embellished the story to attract attention.

Frank Hansen's Bigfoot

At the end of 1968 in Minnesota, in one of the traveling booths, the body of a Bigfoot appeared frozen in ice block. Yeti were shown to spectators for profit. The owner of the unusual creature resembling a monkey was the famous showman Frank Hansen. The strange exhibit attracted the attention of the police and scientists. Zoologists Bernard Euvelmans and Ivan Sanders urgently flew to the city of Rollingstone.

Researchers spent several days taking photographs and sketches of the yeti. Bigfoot was huge, had large legs and arms, a flattened nose, and brown fur. Thumb the legs were adjacent to the rest, like those of people. The head and arm were pierced bullet wound. The owner reacted calmly to the scientists’ comments and claimed that the body was smuggled out of Kamchatka. The story began to gain increasing popularity among journalists and the public.

Researchers began to insist on defrosting and further studying the corpse. Hansen was offered a huge sum for the right to examine Bigfoot, and then he admitted that the body was a skillful dummy made at a monster factory in Hollywood.

Later, after the fuss had died down, Hansen again asserted the reality of Bigfoot in his memoirs and recounted how he personally shot him while deer hunting in Wisconsin. Zoologists Bernard Euvelmans and Ivan Sanders continued to insist on the plausibility of the Yeti, stating: they heard the smell of decomposition when they examined the creature, so there can be no doubt that it is real.

Photo and video evidence of the existence of Bigfoot

To this day, no physical evidence of the existence of Bigfoot has been found. Samples of wool, hair, and bones provided by eyewitnesses and owners of private collections have long been studied.

Their DNA matched the DNA known to science animals: brown, polar and Himalayan bears, raccoons, cows, horses, deer and other forest inhabitants. One of the samples belonged to an ordinary dog.

No skeletons, skins, bones or other remains of Bigfoot people have been found. One of the Nepalese monasteries houses a skull allegedly belonging to Bigfoot. Laboratory analysis of scalp hair indicated morphological characteristics Himalayan ibex DNA.

Witnesses have provided numerous videos and photographs of evidence of the existence of the Sasquatch, but the quality of the images leaves much to be desired each time. Eyewitnesses explain the lack of clarity in the images as an unexplained phenomenon.

The equipment stops working when approaching bigfoot. The gaze of Bigfoot has a hypnotic effect, introducing those present into an unconscious state when it is impossible to control their actions. The Yeti also cannot be clearly captured due to its high speed movement and overall dimensions. People are often prevented from making a normal video or photo by fear and poor health.

Refutations of Yeti Stories

Zoologists are inclined to believe that stories about the existence of Bigfoot are unreal. There are no unexplored places and territories left on Earth. The last time scientists discovered a new large animal occurred more than a century ago.

Even the discovery of an unknown species of mushroom is now considered a huge event, although there are about 100 thousand of them. Opponents of the version of the existence of the Yeti point to a well-known biological fact: for a population to survive, more than a hundred individuals are needed, and such a number is impossible not to notice.

Numerous eyewitness accounts in mountain and forest areas may be caused by the following facts:

• oxygen starvation of the brain at high altitudes;
• poor visibility in foggy areas, twilight, observer errors;
• deliberate lies to attract attention;
• fear that gives rise to imagination;
• retellings of professional and folk legends and belief in them;
• Found footprints of yeti may be left by other animals, for example, Snow Leopard puts his paws in one line and his print looks like the footprint of a huge bare foot.

Despite the fact that no physical evidence of the reality of the Yeti, confirmed by genetic examinations, was found, rumors about mythical creatures do not subside. New evidence, photos, audio and video data are being found that are of dubious quality and may be fake.

DNA research continues on the submitted bone, saliva and hair samples, which always match the DNA of other animals. Bigfoot, according to eyewitnesses, is approaching human settlements, expanding the boundaries of its range.

The vastness of our vast planet holds many secrets. Mysterious creatures hiding from the human world have always aroused genuine interest among scientists and enthusiastic researchers. One of these secrets was Bigfoot.

Yeti, Bigfoot, Angey, Sasquatch - these are all his names. It is believed that it belongs to the class of mammals, the order of primates, and the genus humans.

Of course, its existence has not been proven by scientists, however, according to eyewitnesses and many researchers today we have Full description this creature.

What does the legendary cryptid look like?

The most popular image of Bigfoot

Its physique is dense and muscular with a thick coat of hair over the entire surface of the body, with the exception of the palms and feet, which, according to people who have met the yeti, remain completely naked.

The color of the coat can be different depending on the habitat - white, black, gray, red.

The faces are always dark, and the hair on the head is longer than on the rest of the body. According to some reports, the beard and mustache are completely absent, or they are very short and sparse.

The skull has a pointed shape and massive lower jaw.

The height of these creatures varies from 1.5 to 3 meters. Other witnesses claimed to have met taller individuals.

Features of the body of Bigfoot are also Long hands and shortened hips.

The habitat of the yeti is a controversial issue, since people claim to have seen it in America, Asia and even Russia. Presumably, they can be found in the Urals, the Caucasus and Chukotka.

These mysterious creatures live far from civilization, carefully hiding from human attention. Nests can be located in trees or in caves.

But no matter how carefully snow people did not try to hide; there were local residents who claimed to have seen them.

First eyewitnesses

The first to see mysterious creature live, there were Chinese peasants. According to available information, the meeting was not isolated, but numbered about a hundred cases.

After such statements, several countries, including America and Great Britain, sent an expedition to search for traces.

Thanks to the collaboration of two prominent scientists, Richard Greenwell and Gene Poirier, confirmation of the existence of the Yeti was found.

The find was hair that was believed to belong only to him. However, later, in 1960, Edmund Hillary had the opportunity to examine the scalp again.

His conclusion was unequivocal: the “find” was made of antelope wool.

As one would expect, many scientists did not agree with this version, finding more and more confirmation of the previously put forward theory.

Bigfoot scalp

Apart from the found hair, the identity of which is still a controversial issue, there is no other documented evidence.

Except for countless photographs, footprints and eyewitness accounts.

Photos are often very Bad quality, so they do not allow you to reliably determine whether these frames are real or fake.

The footprints, which, of course, are similar to human ones, but wider and longer, are considered by scientists to be the traces of known animals living in the area where they were found.

And even the stories of eyewitnesses who, according to them, met Bigfoot, do not allow one to establish for certain the fact of their existence.

Bigfoot on video

However, in 1967, two men were able to film Bigfoot.

They were R. Patterson and B. Gimlin from Northern California. Being shepherds, one autumn on the river bank they noticed a creature, which, realizing that it had been discovered, immediately went on the run.

Grabbing the camera, Roger Patterson set off to catch up with the unusual creature, which was mistaken for a Yeti.

The film aroused genuine interest among scientists who long years tried to prove or disprove the existence of a mythical creature.

Bob Gimlin and Roger Patterson

A number of features proved that the film was not a fake.

The size of the body and the unusual gait indicated that it was not a person.

The video showed a clear image of the creature's body and limbs, which ruled out the creation of a special costume for filming.

Some features of the body structure allowed scientists to draw conclusions about the similarity of the individual from the video footage with the prehistoric ancestor of man - the Neanderthal ( approx. the last Neanderthals lived about 40 thousand years ago), but very large in size: height reached 2.5 meters, and weight - 200 kg.

After much research, the film was found to be authentic.

In 2002, after the death of Ray Wallace, who initiated this filming, his relatives and friends reported that the film was completely staged: a man in a specially tailored suit portrayed an American Yeti, and unusual marks were left by artificial forms.

But they did not provide evidence that the film was fake. Later, experts conducted an experiment in which a trained person tried to repeat the filmed footage in a suit.

They concluded that at the time the film was made, it was impossible to carry out such a high-quality production.

There were other meetings with unusual creature, in most cases in America. For example, in North Carolina, Texas and near Missouri, but unfortunately there is no evidence of these meetings, other than oral stories of people.

A woman named Zana from Abkhazia

An interesting and unusual confirmation of the existence of these individuals was a woman named Zana, who lived in Abkhazia in the 19th century.

Raisa Khvitovna, granddaughter of Zana - daughter of Khvit and a Russian woman named Maria

The description of her appearance is similar to existing descriptions of Bigfoot: red fur that covered her dark skin, and the hair on her head was longer than on the rest of her body.

Articulate speech she did not control, but only uttered cries and individual sounds.

The face was large, the cheekbones protruded, and the jaw protruded strongly forward, which gave her a fierce appearance.

Zana was able to integrate into human society and even gave birth to several children from local men.

Later, scientists conducted research on the genetic material of Zana's descendants.

According to some sources, their origins begin in West Africa.

The results of the examination indicate the possibility of the existence of a population in Abkhazia during Zana’s life, and therefore cannot be ruled out in other regions.

Makoto Nebuka reveals the secret

One of the enthusiasts who wanted to prove the existence of the yeti was the Japanese mountaineer Makoto Nebuka.

He hunted Bigfoot for 12 years while exploring the Himalayas.

After so many years of persecution, he came to a disappointing conclusion: the legendary humanoid creature turned out to be just a brown Himalayan bear.

The book containing his research describes some Interesting Facts. It turns out that the word "Yeti" is nothing more than a corruption of the word "Meti", which means "bear" in the local dialect.

Tibetan clans considered the bear to be a supernatural creature that possessed power. Perhaps these concepts came together, and the myth of Bigfoot spread everywhere.

Research of different countries

Many scientists around the world have conducted numerous studies. The USSR was no exception.

The commission for the study of Bigfoot included geologists, anthropologists and botanists. As a result of their work, a theory was put forward that states that Bigfoot is a degraded branch of Neanderthals.

However, then the work of the commission was stopped, and only a few enthusiasts continued to work on the research.

Genetic studies of available samples deny the existence of the Yeti. A professor at Oxford University, after analyzing the hair, proved that it belonged to polar bear, which existed several thousand years ago.

Still from a film filmed in Northern California on 10/20/1967

Currently, discussions are ongoing.

The question of the existence of another mystery of nature remains open, and the society of cryptozoologists is still trying to find evidence.

All the available facts today do not give one hundred percent confidence in the reality of this creature, although some people really want to believe in it.

Obviously, only a film shot in Northern California can be considered evidence of the existence of the object being studied.

Some people tend to believe that Bigfoot is of alien origin.

This is why it is so difficult to detect, and all genetic and anthropological analyzes lead scientists to incorrect results.

Someone is sure that science is silent about the fact of their existence and will publish false research, because there are so many eyewitnesses.

But questions are only multiplying every day, and answers are extremely rare. And although many believe in the existence of Bigfoot, science still denies this fact.

The Yeti or Bigfoot is of great interest. There have been various rumors about this creature for several decades. Who is Yeti? Scientists can only guess, since it is very difficult to prove its existence due to a lack of facts.

Eyewitnesses who met the strange creature describe in detail its fearsome appearance:

In addition, scientists were able to study the size of the monster’s feet from prints left on the snow or ground. Eyewitnesses also provided scraps of fur found in the thickets through which the Yeti made its way, drew it from memory, and tried to photograph it.

Direct evidence

It is impossible to determine with certainty who Bigfoot is. When approaching him, people begin to feel dizzy, their consciousness changes and their blood pressure rises. The creatures act on human energy in such a way that they are simply not noticed. In addition, yeti inspire animal fear in all living beings. As he approaches, there is complete silence around: the birds fall silent and the animals run away.

Numerous attempts to film the creature on a video camera proved virtually fruitless. Even if this was possible, the pictures and videos were of very poor quality, despite the high-quality equipment. This is explained not only by the fact that yetis move too quickly, despite their enormous height and dense physique, but also by the fact that technology, just like people, begins to fail. Attempts to catch up with the fleeing “man” were unsuccessful.

Those who wanted to photograph the yeti say that when trying to look into his eyes, a person loses control of himself. Accordingly, pictures are simply not taken, or foreign objects are visible on them.

Fact. Eyewitnesses from different parts of the planet describe creatures of either female or male gender. This suggests that Bigfoots most likely reproduce in the usual way.

It is not clear who Bigfoot really is. Is it this alien creature, or an individual from ancient times who miraculously managed to survive to our time. Or maybe this is the result of experiments conducted between humans and primates.

Where does Bigfoot live?

Tibetan ancient chronicles tell of encounters between Buddhist monks and a huge hairy monster on two legs. From Asian languages, the word “Yeti” is translated as “someone who lives among the stones.”

Fact: the first information about Bigfoot appeared in print in the 50s of the last century. The authors of these texts were climbers who tried to conquer Everest. The meeting with the yeti took place in the Himalayan forests, in which there are paths leading to the top of the mountain.

The places where the mystical creature lives are forests and mountains. Bigfoot in Russia was first recorded in the Caucasus. Eyewitnesses claim that as soon as they saw the huge primate, it disappeared right before their eyes, leaving behind a small cloud of haze.

Przhevalsky, who was studying the Gobi Desert, encountered the Yeti back in the 19th century. But further research was stopped due to the government’s refusal to allocate money for the expedition. This was influenced by clergy who considered the yeti to be a creature from hell.

After this, Bigfoot was seen in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and other places. In 2012, a hunter from Chelyabinsk region encountered a humanoid creature. Despite his great fear, he managed to photograph the monster on mobile phone. Then the yeti was seen many times near settlements. But his approach to people has not yet found an explanation.

Even though no one can say who the Yeti is, . This is supported not only by weak facts, but also by faith, which is sometimes stronger than all evidence.

I thought that the story was unfinished until the details of choosing the next car were described.

And, almost a year later, I consider this process finally completed. In the review itself, I touched on this briefly, now the details, thoughts and reasoning.

So here is my “notch” for memory, what to do and what to avoid.

So, after the decision to sell the Yeti, there was no clear understanding of what I would like in return.

Since the Skoda suited me quite well, except that it had become painfully familiar, naturally my first thoughts were about the new Yeti in a richer configuration. Everything seemed great: proven, familiar, with the addition of all sorts of convenient options, but the same 152-horsepower engine and the lack of a manual all-wheel drive option were confusing. And in the end, this familiarity pushed me away. You sit down in the salon, and everything is the same..., familiar and customary..., but your soul asks ehhh.! And therefore so on, so on.

The second natural consequence was the Tiguan.

Here, of course, is my respect! After the Yeti, the older brother, recently updated, is much more solid. The interior is just as comfortable, you can feel the kinship of the VAG - the same design details found here and there do not bore you with familiarity, but sweetly remind you of the past. At the same time, you have everything you need: you have a manual all-wheel drive package and a 150 hp engine. with the same torque characteristics as the 1.8 that was on the Yeti, in addition, it has already been modified with a timing belt instead of a chain, in general, what the doctor prescribed for my ailing organ of greed, which had been paying unreasonable prices for several years transport tax for the extra 2 horses.

Everything is great, but... the price, the price... I didn't have enough money. And then my organ of greed began to make niggles: The rear lights are too small and unfavorably (because they are not original) reminiscent of the BMW community, the central locking button is only on the driver’s door (in the center in Skoda), the 4WD option on the manual is only possible in the “collective farm edition” configuration with the mocking name Trendline, some kind of appearance in the background modern trends very without any frills, reminiscent of all the Passat Golfs taken together since the 90s, etc., etc.

Although an inner voice whispered: fool, this is what’s cool, grace in simplicity, classical severity and harmony of lines, look at this posture, at this glazing line. But, alas, the last “nail” was the contemptuous, half-hearted (or so it seemed to me), unfavorable assessment by the VW manager of my Yeti for a trade-in. In short, by again.

This is where the natural options ended and the unnatural ones began.

And since the desired cars did not suit me, I gave up on everything, inscribing on my banner “Practicality and economy family budget", I took Renault Duster out of many crossovers. But then my beautiful wife, exhausted by me, cried out, demanding some kind of beauty, at least on the outside or inside (may the Duster owners forgive her). As a result, the selection criteria wavered, shifted and pointed me to Hyundai Cretu.

After the Duster toy showroom (may Duster owners forgive me), it was both convenient and almost pleasant to be in Crete. I especially liked the “supervision” instrument panel, I think it’s called something like that.

We drove around, tried them on, ordered top-end equipment, made an advance payment and the painful wait began. And it was painful, because there was no satisfaction from the choice, I didn’t want to savor the future acquisition, enjoy the selection of winter tires and other actions usual in such cases.

But I wanted...to continue monitoring automobile sites, reviews, forums, dealerships, as well as advertisements for sales on the secondary market.

And I monitored Her for myself! White, large, all-wheel drive, manual. Comfort equipment with parking sensors, rear view camera, already with Webasto, two years old, almost in perfect condition - still under warranty - Toyota Rav4. All this, as well as the opportunity to save some money, decided the matter.

But.., without driving it for even a year, I sold it. Did not get along. There was no happiness in our union. It's good, roomy, probably reliable - without any turbines/compressors - Toyota! But... it’s not as comfortable as it is in the gym.

As I now understand, I was led precisely by the contrast. In contrast to the square verticality of the Skoda, the rapid profile of the Toyota with side ribs that effectively transform into the rear tail of the spoiler and taillights, as well as the samurai squint of the line of the front optics with the radiator grille, captivated with its irresistibility.

This happens in life - a sparkling first impression hides a not always rich essence:

The first noticeable disadvantageous differences from Skoda were hidden in the pedal assembly. When releasing the clutch pedal, the end of the sole of the shoe clung to something on top. What the..!? Over time, of course, I got used to squeezing with the very sock, but no, no, you’ll catch it.

The thrust of the 2-liter engine for this car is clearly not enough at low speeds. Unlike the Skoda, when maneuvering in a parking lot or in a traffic jam with one clutch, you need to be very careful, so as not to drown out the engine, you have to rev it up like a Zhiguli. At the same time, the engine signaled its readiness to turn sour with an unpleasant vibration resonating through the body, which at such moments resembled a barn. But the most decisive disappointment was the behavior of the Rav4 on the track. In Skoda, gears other than sixth were used extremely rarely outside the city or only during acceleration. Toyota often asked for fifth or even fourth speed on hills or when overtaking, but without much effect other than the roar of the engine. As a result, there was an understanding that it was not very possible to compensate for the lack of engine power for this car with mechanics. And it feels like the option of making this model with a manual transmission was clearly not a priority for Toyota engineers. For example, the assistant indicator on the instrument panel does not reflect the current gearbox stage, but only gives recommendations for switching with arrows, and is often completely inappropriate.

Further, as usually happens, the main negative began to be overgrown with smaller ones, such as the inconvenience and oakiness (compared to the Skoda) of some buttons in the cabin, the ringing body in which even closing the locks was reflected as something falling on the roof, albeit spacious, but some kind of bald trunk in which there is no way to secure bags, with a stupid mesh stretcher and a roll-up soft shelf, the transverse rods of which, when installed, only concealed the space above, and other “roughnesses” that at first impression do not catch the eye or seem to be the case habits, but which begin to annoy during daily use.

All these are, of course, trifles, and I fully admit that the owners of Rav4 with automatic transmission are happy with everything. The car as a whole is not bad, it survived the harsh Siberian winter with dignity, but I still had to part with it. Its main advantage for me was that Toyota, firstly, took all sorts of Cretas away from me, and secondly, gave me time to think and accumulate funds to buy the car I really wanted.

As a result, my heart was calmed by the purchase... Volkswagen Tiguan!

I ordered it from the factory, the required configuration with the necessary additional packages.

Here I will only say that the Tiguan for me turned out to be the only worthy replacement for the Yeti in terms of comfort, feel and equipment of the interior, ride quality, general impression from the car. There are, of course, nuances, but more about this in a separate review.

Thanks for reading!