Good morning everyone! Just wondering now... A dealer here in Dublin told me that when the sun roof is not available anymore they might offer the sat nav as a replacement and it wouldn't cost anything for the experience model.

My question is.... is columbus sat nav worth having even though you already have portable sat nav?

for the bolero users.... do you have any regret not going for the columbus at all? Will I miss anything if I didn't get the columbus at all? please help.

I want to know more about the 2. If I will just be satisfied with the bolero sound system then I can just use my extra money to other options for the Yeti.

Keep in mind that the Columbus also has a huge internal hard drive. So you can copy all your music to it never ever to need an MP3 player of any sorts again. So if that is of any use it might sway you.

And you can sit and watch a DVD whilst stuck in those horrid traffic jams lol !!

It looks a very good system have to say.

:yes:

I don't think you'll get any agreement on this. There's no doubt that Columbus is hugely expensive for what you get - its extra features probably justify some premium over eg a Tomtom, but it's priced 2-3x above what it should be IMO.

All that said, I never expect to order another car without built-in satnav - it's the one toy I'm definitely prepared to pay for. The substantially larger screen on Columbus, extra zoom levels etc, to my eye make it _much_ easier to see than Tomtom and the fact that the built-in screen is close at hand and rigidly supported add a lot to ease-of-use. Plus there are the extra features like the hard drive. I'd suggest that once you've used a car with a built-in satnav with a decent sized screen then any other Tomtom-like substitute is very much the poor relation.

However, there are still some things that the TomTom does better like, live (or is it IQ) routes giving you better en-route rerouting. Actually on long journeys I tend to use both - the built-in one for general navigation and then the Tomtom for alerts and reroutes around problems en route.

I prefer TomToms over built in Satnavs come map update time. THAT is when the built in one will cost you a fortune for new maps from your friendly dealer. I suspect new maps will cost as much as a whole new TomTom.

Thanks for all your replies guys! Appreciate it.

Does Bolero have any hard drive? I know that if a car has a built in sat nav that means you can consider your car as some kind of luxury edition already isn't it? So it is a good thing for a Yeti. BTW... with Columbus, does it have 6 cd changer as well?

I really like my Columbus. It is much easier to see than either Tomtom or Garmin and is well inte´grated with the MFD. You can leave the map scale on the Columbus to get an overview of your route and get the detailed instructions directly in front of you on the MFD with clear distance bar to the next event and sufficient graphic of the road features close to you - like which of the three close together side roads you really need to turn onto.

I generaly concur that the price is exorbitant, but particularly with senior eyes, it is a lot better.

I prefer TomToms over built in Satnavs come map update time.

That's true but I'm not sure how often you really need to update maps, especially with the minimal amount of roadbuilding that's likely to be happening over the coming few years. I'm still using the 2003 map in my Accord and other than the very occasional new bypass - which is usually pretty obvious anyway - it is still accurate for the great majority of the time - say 98%, which is good enough for me. Long-distance route-planning is a slightly different matter because en-route obstructions certainly will vary over time, but I don't think that any satnav device is very good here - it's much more comfortably done on a large PC screen before you start the journey.

But as I say, I've routinely used both built-in and TomTom types for some years now and the built-in one still wins hands-down for me (which is why it's on my Yeti order!).

Just updated all my maps. £16 for a nice 2011 Road Atlas from the AA.

Seriously I have traffic warnings on my Bolero. GPS on my phone to tell me where I am. (if I don't already know) A set of updated maps and the best navigation system I will ever need - my own ability. As a back up I use Autoroute or Google Maps to plan my route before I start.

I have known too many instances where a sat nav has failed to provide proper navigation simply because drivers rely on the incorrect information provided by the box. Example: The Dutch flower lorry plus trailer that got itself jammed just outside our house on the 9 ft. wide roads.

All sat nav guidance needs to be tempered with common sense. FWIW I have both a Tom Tom and a built-in in the CRV (rebadged Alpine) and the Tom Tom does a better job. Plus, a new map disk does indeed cost more than another Tom Tom. I'd have the built in if it didn't cost me a fortune ar was already fitted to a demonstrator or nearly new, but i wouldn't pay the huge premium. You just don't get it back come trade-in time.

While a portable one is often better as you can move it between cars and cheaper, fixed ones do have other nice functions.

The Rangie tells you that you don't have enough fuel to get there and highlights all the petrol stations on the route and close to it.

Yes, I know you can see that from the fuel guage, but it's still a nice feature.

There are others too. Probably my favorite is voice control. Tell it to "Go home" and it'll plan just that, while you are driving and without taking a hand off the steering wheel.

What features like that does the Columbus system have?

I have to admit I still like to use a map though.

Technology can go wrong, so it's nice to retain the skill of doing it yourself.

A set of updated maps and the best navigation system I will ever need - my own ability...

I don't disagree with that either - everyone should have some decent map-reading skills - but it does depend which aspect of 'navigation' you're talking about. Paper road atlases are great for route-planning (although they're less good for comparing likely travel times where there are 2 or 3 optional routes from A to B, especially when you don't know much about the roads in question - this is where viamichelin (my personal favourite) or other online route-planning services excel).

Paper atlases are also the best for providing context en route - even on the larger built-in satnav screens there's usually not enough detail present to get good orientation (or even any - I still haven't worked out how to get my Tomtom to stay zoomed out).

But there are certain areas where satnavs excel, eg trying to visit an address at a particular postcode in an unfamiliar town (shame though that the VW satnavs only recognise 4-character postcodes), trying to spot a diversion round a roadblock ahead, especially again in unfamiliar territory, pointing up which lane to be in on complex motorway junctions, finding the quickest way home after a visit out somewhere etc.

Like all of these debates, one solution on its own will never satisfy all drivers - it's a question of finding the best combination for the purpose at hand.

Version 7 maps are now available with 7 digit postcodes.

My link

Mike

Having seen it in action I think Columbus is one of the best OE Sat Navs out there. Thank your lucky stars you haven't got a Volvo or an Aston Martin (it's a Volvo unit). Having said all that it's a poor second to the huge Navigon 8130 I have on a Brodit mount. Using a Columbus is utter faf compared to the voice control on the Navigon, I get free map updates for yonks and 3D maps, free traffic updates and instant emergency numbers and car park spaces instantly at all destinations.

There was an interesting analysis of Manufacturer Sat Nav units in last weeks Auto Express - yes we are being royally ripped off.

At least with Columbus it's a more than intuitive and competent unit and that is far from the case with a lot of car makers.