I've only got net access via my mobile, so I'll keep this short.

Some pics of the car can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28866854@N03/

I'm very,very pleased with it. The upgraded sound system is worth every penny. It works exactly like dynaudio, using the in built mic in the car to do dynamic equalization. You can also change the focus of the sound field to driver, front passenger or all. There are also different settings such as rock, classic. It sounds so much better than the standard kit.

The other thing I'm really impressed with is the bluetooth kit. I'm using it with a Nokia E71 and it all works perfectly. The voice control works really well, now that I've worked out how to record the tags for the address book. The other surprising feature is the inclusion of a bluetooth modem. You can pair your laptop with the car and use its built GPRS connection to access the net. You also pair bluetooth audio devices with the Columbus, such as headphones. Not tried this yet, so not quite sure what the capabilities are.

The other really cool thing is the headlights. They really are amazingly good.

All in all, I'm completely amazed at how much car I've got for the money.

I'll post more once I get a decent net connection.

Bagpuss.

May I be the first to congratulate you!

Very nice, love the colour.

And I'm still waiting for my benchmarking quote from my fleet manager!

Dan

Nice one, what colour is that?

Also what rubber do they fit at factory - are they still using Dunlops?

Looks very nice

Glad it's been worth the wait, and all the effort in finding all the info out from Skoda.

Cool! About time, you've waited long enough!

When your around my way again make sure you pop in to show me the upgraded sound system.

Nice one, what colour is that?

Also what rubber do they fit at factory - are they still using Dunlops?

Thanks wilko. The colour is steel grey (platin grey in mainland europe).

As for the tyres, I'm not sure, but I'll check and let you know.

May I be the first to congratulate you!

Very nice, love the colour.

And I'm still waiting for my benchmarking quote from my fleet manager!

Dan

Thanks Dan. Trust me, no matter how long you have to wait, it will be worth it.

Cool! About time, you've waited long enough!

When your around my way again make sure you pop in to show me the upgraded sound system.

Will do. Should be in Camberley on 5th and 6th November, so will try and pop by then.

Nice

Excellent mate, glad the wait is over for you. Its a great car.

Congratulations, your car looks very good.

I'm pleased you report positively on the upgraded sound system, I took a chance when I ordered that on Friday as at that stage no one had commented much apart from guess work.

I see from the columbus manual on another thread that the system has a tv apparently built in. Does it work on your car and if so is it any good, or is it like some computer systems where you need an extra card to receive tv signals?

2slo

Congratulations, your car looks very good.

I'm pleased you report positively on the upgraded sound system, I took a chance when I ordered that on Friday as at that stage no one had commented much apart from guess work.

I see from the columbus manual on another thread that the system has a tv apparently built in. Does it work on your car and if so is it any good, or is it like some computer systems where you need an extra card to receive tv signals?

2slo

You won't regret going for the upgraded audio. Even with all the clever stuff turned off, it still sounds way better than the standard setup. I guess you can thank the better speakers, midrange drivers and superior amplification for this.

As for TV, this is optional and sadly not available in the UK. Kufatec will sell you the bits to upgrade a UK car, but its not cheap. From memory, you are looking at about £400.

Bagpuss.

Congrats on your new car, and yes.....I am jealous!

Love the car, can't wait until i get mine. Have fun.

Look forward to seeing further pics. Have ordered mine and like others I will have to wait patiently for the day when it arrives.

looks nice, really like the interior....

Looks very nice, really liked the one I sat in at my local dealers. Enjoy.

very nice - glad i ordered upgraded sound now - enjoy

Thanks everyone. I'm still getting familiar with everything on the car, but it's fun discovering all the little features I didn't know about.

I also have to mention the folks at Fish Bros. who did a great job getting the car ready so quickly. The handover was brilliant. Chris gave me the general lowdown, then chief technician, Tony went over all the other features of the car, including a demo of the park assist. All told, they spent about 90 minutes, making sure that I was happy with everything. It made me feel like a valued customer, even though I'll probably never use them again (I live too far away).

Note to wilkopilko, the tyres are Continental SportContact 2's.

Bagpuss

Hello Bagpuss to say I am jealous is an understatement.

I was promised a call back by customer services over my invisible car Saturday predictably it did not happen sadly I think it is heading to a cancellation by the end of the week, I have looked forward to the car since the day it was announced my old one is past its sell by date nearly 180000 almost faultless mileage, but i put nearly a thousand a week on so need reliability who knows what I may end up going if things dont improve very quickly..

Enjoy what is probably one of the best cars on the road.

Right nice looking motor there mate.

Doesn't look like you'll be running short of room in a while then....

Congratulations on your new car. Very nice.

nice one andy. a few quick questions :

1) thanks for pics of rear side sunblinds. they look good. is the mechanism easy and smooth ?

2) what are the mats you have in the back - they look like rubber. hope these are not the ones i have paid £50 for . was expecting posh carpet ones.

3)what do you reckon to the voice control on the bluetooth. the bit where you can simply say a number in full and it will dial it. i thought that was very clever.

4) interesting what you say about bluetooth modem. i will talk to you more when you are back. i need a solution for occasional internet access when i am in my caravan, this might be the answer.

enjoy your holiday

oh yeah - and can you disable the auto dim rear view mirror ?

You also pair bluetooth audio devices with the Columbus, such as headphones. Not tried this yet, so not quite sure what the capabilities are.

Bagpuss.

so your passenger can watch a DVD while you are driving. although i bet DVD playback isnt available whilst in motion is it (no doubt someone very clever will work out a fix for this)

all we need now is to work out how to feed the DVD signal to some rear screens !!