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In my experience don't pay extra for the Columbus sat nav, it's rubbish the maps are out of date the screen is low res and unresponsive and it often gets locked in loops. SD card audio playback is ok but woefully slow. Dynavin N6 is a worthy replacement if you want integrated nav, or find some other aftermarket solution. Climatronic system on some cars will 'whistle' on some cars when cold, this can be annoying enough that you want to drive off a bridge. 18 inch wheels on elegance are easily unbalanced so look for wheel wobble when accelerating at high speed 65mph+. Make sure your local Skoda dealer is helpful, mine were useless. BTW I had a 2014 elegance estate I chopped in early for a Mondeo Estate. Better car in every possible way. I didn't realise what a barge the Superb was til driving the Ford.

I think the F150 looks great, sure it's not made for the UK, i doubt we'll really see these kind of vehicles here, but I think the next generation will be interesting when the market forces them to go hybrid or even all electric, if you position the batteries over the rear axle there is the potential to improve handling characteristics over the traditional 'gas' models.

For me I have to ask why was this defeat device developed? What was its function? Why did it exist? From what I can see the purpose of this was to misinform or mislead customers and regulators, and to give the company a competitive edge over other manufacturers so it could sell more cars and make more money. Whilst yes I can't say that I considered in detail the NOx levels produced by the vehicle, nor would I have necessarily chosen this car producing 138mg/km over another vehicle producing 140mg/km, I was aware that the vehicle met the EU5 standard for emissions before I purchased, and therefore I can make fair comparisons against other vehicles which meet the same standard. This should be a level playing field for all manufacturers, and allow the consumer to compare other factors, such as performance, economy, load capacity, finance deals, reliability reports, etc. Would I have bought this vehicle had I been told it only met EU4 standard? No. I don't feel that Skoda UK/VW handling of the scandal has been acceptable, more than a year on I don't know when my car will be fixed, I get sporadic letters from the company to tell me everything is fine. Transparency about the fix is low. From what I can tell even once the fix is applied the vehicle will not meet the original spec, will it just scrape into the EU5 standard. But who knows?? And if it's really that easy for them to fix through a software update, why did they continue to install this software in so many later vehicles? My car is a 2014 model. I can't believe they just forgot it was there... For a whole range of other issues I have not been treated well by Skoda UK and VWFS. Skoda/Volkswagen are not really interested in what their customers have to say about the whole issue, and for that reason I will be joining the group action.

Had a conversation with VWFS this morning. They have someone tasked especially to deal with emissions queries. They will read you a carefully drafted statement about how VW/Skoda/whoever are working to rebuild customer relations (blah,blah blah) and how the performance of the vehicle is not affected on the road, only in test procedures. Not really able to give a satisfactory answer I pointed out that Skoda UK haven't been in touch for months, and the dealer have no information and the aim is to leave the car unaffected, how does that show rebuilding of trust? When I ask why there is even a fix if the vehicle is only affected in test conditions, and is it not the case that the NOx figures published are based on these test conditions which are in no way reflected by vehicle performance on the road due to this 'defeat device'? The response was that the NOx figures are not published in the UK sales literature, so basically pi$$ off. Maybe this is the case that they are not published, but the EU5 spec was, and just because something is not published does not mean it was not part of the compliance information for the vehicle, or in any way important. The literature doesn't explicitly state that the wheels will not fall off at 90mph, but i'd be unhappy if they did!

Could someone help me to understand? There are lots of news articles out there, but they all seem a bit dated now on the actual emissions issue, more focused on the deal being agreed for the yanks. At the current moment, my car does or does not meet Euro5 standard with the cheating software installed? If it does currently not meet Euro5 standard, when Skoda remove the cheating software and load their new magic software, it will meet Euro5 emission standard, and in no way affect performance, economy or reliability? Anyone think this is actually possible? Has anyone with a car on finance complained to VWFS? From my perspective the vehicle they are supplying does not meet the spec it was sold as and I don't really want to keep it. Skoda have had a more than reasonable opportunity to fix the issue (nearly 12 months now). I haven't heard anything from them in months, and the last thing I heard was a letter tell me to sit tight?

I am very surprised to hear all the positive reviews for this company, perhaps these are only experiences where nothing went wrong. But for me buying a car from Rainworth Skoda was the worst decision I've made in a very long time. Poor feedback through the sales process, and upon collection of new car it was missing items. I've had many minor quality issues and I've found them to be very dismissive. I had a safety issue with the car and they did not return calls nor respond to letters. Their MD Jon Atherton is a very rude person who feels he is too important to speak to his customers. I ended up rejecting the car on a Saturday morning at 9am - They did not contact me even as a courtesy until the following Friday afternoon. After a long battle with Skoda UK and Motorcodes, I finally received a cheque for compensation for many of these issues for a modest (taking into account all the expenses and hassle associated, plus sav-nav fault that will not be fixed) £590. I would not ever buy a car from Rainworth Skoda again, and tbh don't think I would buy another Skoda after dealing with Skoda UK "customer service". I now take the car to Sandicliffe in Daybrook, dealing with James in service department, who have been very fair with me and helped resolve some of the issues, despite not having sold the motor.

I'm pretty sure after 10 years or so of CR diesel engine development VW engineers are pretty knowledgeable on the limits of these motors. As they have admitted the software was active during the EU testing I suspect the bulk of their efforts is going into fortifying their legal defence dealing with litigious owners and rejected motors if they cannot resolve without adversely affecting performance and economy.

Skomaz - was bought from Rainworth near Mansfield, but I think they are the same people as Bickerton in Sheffield. I was surprised that a lot of people have had positive experiences here, but most of these reports seem to have been from buyers who didn't have any problems. It is the customer care people who are based in Sheffield also. Ryeman - I agree VAG can't afford to slip up here, they need to be open with the data otherwise they will experience another wave of negative publicity.My thought was if the defeat software was active during the test, then without this software active does it shift the vehicle from the middle or bottom of the test scope to the very upper limits of the Eu5 standard?

Reading through these threads its still not clear if the "defeat" software was or was not active during the EU5 tests. Some folks have said it would not be required to pass the EU5, but does the activation of this software make the difference between a strong pass and a scrape-through-by-the-skin-of-your-teeth pass? VAG and particularly the VW marque charged a premium for vehicles which were "clean". Emissions are important and should be important to all of us, and if simply removing the software means that the car meets the EU5 standards, but would never meet the advertised "lab" results is that ethically right? Then there is the question of trust. I bought a new factory-order Superb last November and have had appalling service from the main dealer and just as bad from Skoda UK "customer care" in Sheffield. There are still minor faults reported within days of delivery still outstanding. As an example of the first 130 days of ownership of the car it spent 23 days sat at the dealers. They have done nothing to build any brand loyalty in me. So my question is if the manufacturer say "this fix will have no impact on your performance or fuel efficiency" then how do they intend to support that? "Well you'll just have to believe what we say..."

I don't think its anything to do with the "type" of gearbox. We have an auto Vauxhall which is also a electronically controlled manual, with a single clutch arrangement and that doesn't roll back at all on hills, much like the older torque converter type gearbox. Although I don't have hill hold, seems to be a characteristic of the DSG. Does the same thing when reversing on a hill, will roll forward a metre or so before it "bites". There is a technique to reversing and hill starts without rolling back, takes a bit of practise and sometimes use of handbrake is necessary.

Did you make your mind up on the Columbus or N6? I'd be interested in any feedback on the N6. My point on the Columbus was set your expectations low and you won't be disappointed. I compared the sound quality to a car with the older Bolero stereo and standard speaker setup was far superior. SD card navigation was way faster too. I've also had problems with Columbus freezing and randomly resetting. It's not even a year old. The only good things about the Columbus is the GPS acquires satellites quickly - But then so has every car I've owned with integrated sat-nav, I guess the antenna is integrated into the car somewhere - this might be a consideration for your installation. The DAB is also good to lock on, but to browse the stations you'll need to use the terrible touchscreen which will leave you so frustrated you'll probably want to drive your car off a bridge...

I'm not sure what you'd need to make this work in your car but I'd discourage you from getting the Columbus unit or at least warn you not to expect much. I have a new superb (last of mk2 shape) and I really think the Columbus is junk. It's slow, the touchscreen is rubbish, the sat nav goes haywire, the maps are out of date, audio quality is terrible and Bluetooth is very poorly featured. I've been considering the Dynavin N6 as a replacement also looking for feedback when installed in Skoda.

Thanks for the replies. I'm not surprised they are fobbing me off, seems for them easier than actually investigating the problem. As a car the Superb is great, comfortable, good load space, DSG and I'm 6'6" and passengers can actually use the rear seat behind me! Just a shame the dealer can't sort some of these little issues The whistle is inconsistent on low heats, but always on high heat and can be reproduced on demand. I could understand if this happened before turning the engine on, because all the controls need to reset and the system is cold, but this happens all the time. I've made sure all the vents are open (inc. the glovebox). As for the rear pillar, I know in the past from other cars when the vents are in the back of the centre console they are normally quite weak, but they are definitely open and there is zero airflow. Not sure if they are driven from one single motor in the dash - its quite a long route for the air to travel. In general the climate control on high setting makes a lot of noise for not much airflow - even with just "forward" direction set. Looks like a trip back to the dealership for me...

Can anyone out there with a FL Superb2 (mine is an Elegance if that makes a difference) tell me if you put the blower on high heat (MAX/25/26) and speed settings 4/5 does it make a whistling noise? Sounds like an old kettle, it fluctuates a bit, kind of like there is a film left on something, or the bushes in the motor are rubbing. Basically the dealership told me it's a characteristic and that all Superbs do this. They have very little credibility left with me and I don't believe anything they tell me. Also should there be any noticeable airflow through the rear B pillar vents? I've tried with the blower on max, using all the different air directions, and checked when moving at speed and nothing al all comes out of them. Thanks for any feedback!

Hi - Just to update the thread, I've been quiet whilst pursuing this with the dealer and Skoda UK (who have the worst customer service of anyone I've dealt with in a long time). Basically come to the conclusion that the Columbus is junk. Poor sound quality (I listened to a Bolero with the same speaker config which sounded better) badly configured speakers output - poor balance between mid-range and tweeters, little bass. The menus are slow to draw, it is often unresponsive, the touchscreen doesn't action all presses - even when pressing slowly and deliberately the the acoustic feedback is received (so it knows there was a touch). Slow to navigate SD card contents - Again benchmarked against the Bolero which was much faster. Bluetooth streaming is poorly featured - It remains connected even if BT source isn't selected and audio announcements don't intersect the current audio source. In it's defence DAB support is good, switching between transmitters is fine and the satnav is adequate - Although not as comprehensive as my Garmin, but acquires satellites quickly and integration into car is nice. I guess Skoda know this because it's being replaced in the Superb3. But I've learnt my lesson in the future - will make sure I check this out more thoroughly on my next car, and would recommend anyone looking at a Superb with this system checks it out thoroughly and make sure you are happy with the performance of this unit.

I'm still waiting for the dealer to book the car in (been waiting 2 days for service dept to call...), but I suspect there won't be much they can change to improve it. Sounds like I should have taken the upgrade, but I never have on cars in the past, and have generally been happy. Agree with the speaker locations, they aren't well placed. Anyway thanks for all the responses - I'll let you know how I get on.

Hi, thanks for your honest feedback. I think you are right. I'm moving past the initial disappointment - having seen the Discover system in a Golf mk7, I thought there would have been some incremental updates to the Columbus system along the way... As for audio quality it sounds like the system is calibrated for a different speaker configuration, I've got to drop down to the Skoda dealer and see what they can do. I saw in the forums here there is a setup menu which can be accessed, so will give this a go, see if there is anything useful in there. It sounds like the tweeters in the door are being driven too hard. As these are closer to head height the sound is "thin". I'm not an audiophile, but to me it doesn't sound quite right. I'll let you know how I get on at the dealer. ads

I've reposted in here as recommended in the "Introduce yourself" forum. Having just picked up my 64 reg Superb Elegance Estate, whilst I am very pleased with the car I am disappointed by the Columbus stereo/sat nav. Generally the unit is very slow to respond, I know the touch screen is resistive type, but often it doesn't pickup presses, I'll press twice and then it will catchup and press the option twice. When you select options, such as the phone keypad it is very slow to draw the display, and generally move around the menus. My main gripe is that the sound quality is poor, there is no depth or warmth to the sound, I've asked a couple of people for their opinion and the general consensus is it sounds like it is calibrated for a subwoofer that isn't present. Does anyone know if this is possible with the Columbus? I had a similar type of VW head unit in a previous car (Mk6 Golf GTI) which sounded much better. Of the recent cars I've owned (Audi A4 / Volvo V70, neither of which had a "premium" or upgraded sound system) the sound quality doesn't compare. The stereo in my wife's Vauxhall Meriva produces a much fuller and richer sound, which should be a much lesser car. It has a "transistor radio" quality to it, I've tried adjusting the tone options, which are limited, and playing from CD/DAB/SD, etc. Also doesn't anyone know if this unit should support Album Art from SD card or CD text, the Skoda dealer can't give me a clear answer, so I need to go and see them. Maybe I should have done more research before buying, but I assumed that this being 2014 and the Columbus being the top of the range head unit, that it would have great sound and these features. Comparing to a friends Mk7 Golf (which I know has a newer type head unit) I thought the Columbus in the Superb would have been updated with these sort of features. Sorry to gripe, I just feel it's letting down a great car. Can anyone offer feedback from their experience with the Columbus?

Hi all, Thanks for the responses. I'll try in the main forum if anyone has had any problems with sound quality. Ads

Hi All, I've just picked up my new Superb Estate, an Elegance 2.0TDI DSG 140, overall I'm very pleased with the car, much different to my old '03 Superb. Very comfortable, quiet, bags of space, DSG is smooth and responsive. I went through the whole 140 vs 170 debate, but I'm glad I didn't bother spending the extra £900, the 140 seems reasonably powerful for the car. However... I'm disappointed by the Columbus stereo/sat nav. Generally the unit is very slow to respond, I know the touch screen is resistive type, but often it doesn't pickup presses, I'll press twice and then it will catchup and press the option twice. When you select options, such as the phone keypad it is very slow to draw the display, and generally move around the menus. My main gripe is that the sound quality is poor, there is no depth or warmth to the sound, I've asked a couple of people for their opinion and the general consensus is it sounds like it is calibrated for a subwoofer that isn't present. Does anyone know if this is possible with the Columbus? I had a similar type of VW head unit in a previous car (Mk6 Golf GTI) which sounded much better. Of the recent cars I've owned (Audi A4 / Volvo V70, neither of which had a "premium" or upgraded sound system) the sound quality doesn't compare. The stereo in my wife's Vauxhall Meriva produces a much fuller and richer sound, which should be a much lesser car. It has a "transistor radio" quality to it, I've tried adjusting the tone options, which are limited, and playing from CD/DAB/SD, etc. Also doesn't anyone know if this unit should support Album Art from SD card or CD text, the Skoda dealer can't give me a clear answer, so I need to go and see them. Maybe I should have done more research before buying, but I assumed that this being 2014 and the Columbus being the top of the range head unit, that it would have great sound and these features. Comparing to a friends Mk7 Golf (which I know has a newer type head unit) I thought the Columbus in the Superb would have been updated with these sort of features. Sorry to gripe, I just feel it's letting down a great car. Can anyone offer feedback from their experience with the Columbus? Thanks, Ads.