You attach a sat nav to the windscreen?

 

I'd never put one on there in a million years, I always use a bean bag mount with a neoprene base and it stays put in all but the most aggressive style of driving or have a very steeply angled dashboard.

You attach a sat nav to the windscreen?

 

I'd never put one on there in a million years, I always use a bean bag mount with a neoprene base and it stays put in all but the most aggressive style of driving or have a very steeply angled dashboard.

Either way it's just more stuff I'd have to carry around and have sitting on my dash somewhere. Just not 'my bag' (pun intended), I'm just a more feng shui and minimalist person.

My Blackline is the first car ive had with factory nav and have to say i'd never go back now. In my opinion whilst £550 is alot of money its money well spent (certainly compared to spending £1350 on the Columbus) to get OEM nav.

My rationale; a really decent 3D traffic nav unit still costs a good few hundred quid, it might navigate a little better but youve still got to mount it somewhere in the car and power it, the audio may or may not come through the car audio and 6 months down the line Garmin, TomTom or whoever have launched a better unit and offer little or no support for your one 6 months later. 3D traffic subscriptions typically cost money too.

Sorry i dont think id go back now.

I have the new 8" Columbus in my elegance and its awesome !! So much better than the old Columbus I had in the Yeti, the display is superb, the colour maxidot is very good, the whole thing is just so much better. Personal choice obviously but I am glad I picked it as an option as it makes the whole display of information a real focal point in the cabin.

Also just as an additional point whilst the dash screen is nigh on identical to the Bolero's the brains mounted in the glovebox is bound to be more complex over and above just an additional SD slot, to be able to perform nav functions as well as control audio/phone etc at the same time is bound to take more processing power so that additional spend must be going somewhere.

I have the new 8" Columbus in my elegance and its awesome !! So much better than the old Columbus I had in the Yeti, the display is superb, the colour maxidot is very good, the whole thing is just so much better. Personal choice obviously but I am glad I picked it as an option as it makes the whole display of information a real focal point in the cabin.

the columbus is lovely and money being no object id have it too....just think £1350 on the vRS is a big ask. My total optional extras if i were to order one would be just over £1400 and thats including Amundsen, Canton and a couple of other useful bits.

£1350 for a Columbus is too much, if it were nearer the £1k mark if not sub £1k mark then I would have probably added it. SUK's pricing strategy needs to be examined.

 

I can see that some people may decide to retrofit it later on, if it's possible at all.

My original plan was to buy the SE model, in which case I would probably not have spent the additional cost on the Amunden sat nav, as I have a perfectly good Tom Tom, but negotiated a really good deal on the Elegance where Amundsen is standard. It's quite good, but no better than a Tom Tom the only real advantage being no sucker on the windscreen ( leaving tell tale invitations to opportunist thieves) and trailing wires. Did think of upgrading to the Columbus but at £800 this seemed excessive so didn't bother. No regrets though.

Its difficult isnt it as it seems teh opinions really are based upon personal preference, and I agree with both sides of the issue, the integrated or external sat nav, for me I prefer the integrated version, but am struggling to justify the £550?  Maybe I will see what deal the dealer will do on it for me, maybe if he will discount it to around £400-£425 then I would go for it?

Really glad to have read this. I  use Sygic on all my devices, whilst it was on offer paid £39 for worldwide maps, and then added worldwide travel (both lifetime updates) for about the same amount. I was torn not to have the bigger columbus screen, and didnt see the point of the basic nav add on as all of my older cars, these systems seem to get out dated more quickly than our mobile devices. The trick will be when they get wireless charging properly sorted and there is no need for the cable.

 

I think I'll investigate a way to mount a small tablet somewhere permanently. Speaking of which, if I didn't go for the smoking pack, does the USB socket have enough oomph to power/charge devices? Pretty much standard these days that everyone needs to charge something!

Strange, I have just dumped Sygic because of it's poor mapping & numerous errors and refusal to do anything about it, mind you it uses TeleAtlas data, which is TBQH 5H17, that's why I dumped TomTom. 

 

I have just paid £30 for CoPilot Premium Western Europe. which will be more than enough for my needs & uses someone else's, namely Navteq.

They should have just named the Amundsen Bolero+satnav, and the Columbus Big Bolero+satnav, but then not so many people would spend £500-£1300. Columbus is quite a funny name for Skoda's top Satnav. After all Columbus got completely lost and couldn't find somewhere as large as China.

Well if Amundsen is a poor relation to my Garmin unit then I have specced a right lemon because my Garmin Nuvi is absolute garbage. It can take an age to locate satellites, sometimes 5-10 mins. The resistive touch screen is worse than horrible, often putting up incorrect letters or numbers after repeatedly punching the correct ones in. I also hate the trail of wires it leaves rattling against plastics etc. It's also a pain when it just switches off when it has a little power remaining as stand alone, telling you it is on low power when clearly indicating a quarter battery left. 

My Garmin is fine, but it does eat the battery when away from the car, not that I use it away from the car. The mapping has been spot on each time and the traffic facility has been pretty accurate.

 

The thing is I know the back routes for the main journey I undertake every few months, so I can avoid things like the Stonehenge snarl up either way and things like The Magic Roundabout" around London aka M25 & keep going.

 

A I have recently stated I have just dumped Sygic Navigation for CoPilot on my SGS3 and I've already seen a marked improvement in the mapping, I could have just used the free Google Maps Navigation, but they've mucked around with it and since it doesn't hold mapping data on the device anymore and needs a constant data connection to do it & that's something that's been roundly slated by thousands of users for doing so and consequently discounted. 

Option prices for the Columbus and DSG Gearboxes (including paddles)  are within £40 of eachother. Whilst my preference is for manual shifters, I can fully understand why many would pay £1390 for DSG. Paying the same for a glorified satnav with a few extra media options seems madness to me. The Bolero option would have to be circa £200 and Columbus circa £500 for me to even consider them, and map updates should also be free for life (or at least free with an official major service).

Excuse my intervention here (as a budding new Yeti owner), but this has been an extremely useful thread. The Elegance 2WD Yetis only have the Bolero as standard, and I'd assumed that for £550 extra you were getting a lot more than just a Sat Nav added!

If that £550 is basically for another Bolero, but with Sat Nav, that settles it for me. Thanks!

With a perfectly functional, and very good, Garmin (with free Lifetime map updates and traffic alerts) which cost me just £155 (£129 now on Amazon) I'll save the £550 for something else.

... I have just dumped Sygic because of it's poor mapping & numerous errors and refusal to do anything about it, mind you it uses TeleAtlas data, which is TBQH 5H17, that's why I dumped TomTom. 

 

I have just paid £30 for CoPilot Premium Western Europe. which will be more than enough for my needs & uses someone else's, namely Navteq.

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A useful insight into the workings of some standalone sat-navs and the sources of their maps - thank you.

Do you know of a link to a dedicated site anywhere please which describes and discusses the maps and other features of the various standalone sat-navs?

It is clear that the satellite detection, consequent position calculation, maps and user interface are all quite distinct (and very variable) aspects of sat-navs and it would be interesting to read some well-informed discussion about these.

I lke the user interface of my old TomTom but it takes a long time to work out where it is on switch-on and sometimes loses the plot during a journey.  The maps sometimes leave something to be desired or at least, are often out-of-date.  However I guess this forum is not really the place for this discussion: any suggestion as to which forum or website might be, please? 

Excuse my intervention here (as a budding new Yeti owner), but this has been an extremely useful thread. The Elegance 2WD Yetis only have the Bolero as standard, and I'd assumed that for £550 extra you were getting a lot more than just a Sat Nav added! If that £550 is basically for another Bolero, but with Sat Nav, that settles it for me. Thanks! With a perfectly functional, and very good, Garmin (with free Lifetime map updates and traffic alerts) which cost me just £155 (£129 now on Amazon) I'll save the £550 for something else.

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Well put - I agree.

I wouldn't pay a penny extra for any built-in sat-nav unless it included at the very least free regular map updates for life and even complete software upgrades as and when necessary, like Windows do for their operating systems.

Nav software itself - not just the maps - develops at such a rapid pace that even the short-term owner of a new car will rapidly find himself the owner of a very expensive but seriously outdated system, compared with the buyer of a low-cost standalone system which he can afford to update / replace regularly.

OK, well after a lot of thinking I decided to bite the bullet and add the Amundsen to my order, fortunately it hadnt been locked yet so it could be added without fuss.

 

Having the weekend demo of the standard vRS last weekend it confirmed things for me that I do need a sat nav, and a portable one despite its flexibility really is not something that is for me, I like the fact that the factory sat navs are fully integrated and works with the maxi-dot like the Columbus did in my previous mk2, so I know is an extra cost, it is one in my view that is worthwhile, it will be updated etc at annual servicing whilst I own the car so it does the job for me.

 

I dont want to get into a long winded discussion, about the pro's and cons's of factory vs portable, its about what works for people as individuals, I accept some peopel like portable, however, for me factory built in is a much preffered option and if it means paying a premium to acheieve that, then so be it, anyway, really pleased I have ordered it!!!

I travel a lot to various clients houses/offices and to basically pay £1300 more for a sat nav built in was a no no for me. I am going from a 5 series with built in nav as well.

 

Bought a garmin (free lifetime maps and lifetime traffic) yesterday for £130, 2 cycle carriers, aero bars and locks for the roof, and still have £800 in my pocket!

 

Enjoy whatever you buy - but for me it was way to much.

There was no way I was ordering the Columbus for my new car, but the Amundsen is the sort of halfway house I suppose, i.e. I get teh sat nav but without all the bells and whistles the Columbus offers, so I suppose its still a compromise and the £1350 extra for the Columbus is way too much being honest, I am not keen on paying what I am for the Amundsen but they have you over a barrel of sorts if you want integrated.

 

For me, it was about getting this car right, its on 0% so its to my advantage to have the car how I want, and keep it the full length of the PCP, not get fed up and bored after 18 months and want to change, the thought of going to something that is with interest just doesnt appeal, so the car has to be right, hence why I have specc'd what I have done, now lets see if I get bored with it....!

How  do you get updates on the Navigation Amundsen? Dealer told me you need to buy the SD card every time. Is that true?

How  do you get updates on the Navigation Amundsen? Dealer told me you need to buy the SD card every time. Is that true?

 

Incorrect - http://new.skoda-auto.com/en/experience/service/maps-updating

How  do you get updates on the Navigation Amundsen? Dealer told me you need to buy the SD card every time. Is that true?

 

I see you are in Ireland, in the UK, we will get annual updates free of charge, presumably at the time of a service, or if you request an update at the dealer if you know a new one has been released, as for Ireland, I don't know what Skoda over there are offering.

 

Funny, but I started this thread back in October and here we are in January and still no car, and still no Amundsen to play with just yet!  Its being built next week so will have in a few weeks time :-)

In the UK you get three free updates which you can do yourself using the link shown on the above entry. Not done it as yet but from other threads on same subject can be a slow & lengthy job depending on your internet connection speed. Whether the dealer will do it for you at time of service presumably depends on if they CAN DO IT.