I want to know how good the Columbus actually is?

Don't count the price, I know that there are a lot of people that don't think it's worth the money.

I just want to know how it functions.

Is it possible to get speedcam information?

I'm guessing that it doesn't have live traffic?

I value the clean look that it has and not having to remove the GPS all the time.

Does the Columbus/Amundsen have anything that the Bolero doesn't have(except nav)?

I haven't got mine yet but, if it's as good as a "Pipboy" I'll be very happy! :-)

I want to know how good the Columbus actually is?

Don't count the price, I know that there are a lot of people that don't think it's worth the money.

I just want to know how it functions.

Is it possible to get speedcam information?

I'm guessing that it doesn't have live traffic?

I value the clean look that it has and not having to remove the GPS all the time.

Does the Columbus/Amundsen have anything that the Bolero doesn't have(except nav)?

Speedcam info - you can load your own as POIs, it is a bit convoluted, but possible. There isnt an option for an audible warning when approaching POIs though

It does have traffic info from the RDS-TMC network, which has improved massively over the years, but not as accurate as TomTom LIVE Traffic info.

Above the Bolero and Amundsen it plays DVD videos and a whole host of video file formats, FLAC audio format (a must if you spec Canton as well) and has an internal HDD you can store about 11Gb of tunes on.

 

And a LOT larger screen.

Simplest fix: go and buy a third-party sat-nav for less than 1/10 of the price and choose exactly the features you want.  You can also mount it where you can see it better, and easily upgrade / repair / replace it whenever you want.

OK doesn't look so cool, but how much that matters depends on your personal priorities.

Having an integrated solution is much more convenient, and for the main part when following directions you are looking at the instructions on the maxidot in-between the speedometer and rev counter rather than the screen on the main unit. So with respect to this there's not a lot of difference between the Amundsen and the Columbus

 

The Columbus has more media playing options such as FLAC and a lot of video formats too, other than novelty -how often are you going to sit in the car watching videos

 

I have a couple of issues with the satnav function of the Columbus:

 

• The maps are pretty out of date (hopefully fixed with update)
• When planning a route -it sometimes seems to want to take me through the the centre of any towns en-route, so a little bit of attention is needed when planning a route to avoid this -this is regardless of which of the route options is selected (shortest, fastest, most economical).

 

Having an integrated solution is much more convenient, and for the main part when following directions you are looking at the instructions on the maxidot in-between the speedometer and rev counter rather than the screen on the main unit. So with respect to this there's not a lot of difference between the Amundsen and the Columbus

 

The Columbus has more media playing options such as FLAC and a lot of video formats too, other than novelty -how often are you going to sit in the car watching videos

 

I have a couple of issues with the satnav function of the Columbus:

 

• The maps are pretty out of date (hopefully fixed with update)
• When planning a route -it sometimes seems to want to take me through the the centre of any towns en-route, so a little bit of attention is needed when planning a route to avoid this -this is regardless of which of the route options is selected (shortest, fastest, most economical).

 

The issues aside, has the Columbus been worth it for you?

Counting in all the convenience it brings.

It's certainly a nice unit and looks a lot better for having the bigger screen -not having any experience with the MIB Amundsen it's hard to say if it is worth the extra, that would be very much a matter of personal opinion. My car was a showroom model and then a demonstrator,so I didn't choose the spec -it is an early example that has just about every option fitted that was available at time of launch, 

The Columbus is a fine looking piece of kit, but you'll soon be able to buy 3x iPad Air's (5's) for the same price, all of which will have bigger and better screens, better mapping, more audio features, more features full stop. You just need to find a damn big window mount for them . Nobody says iPads are good value either.

 

The Columbus is about £700 over priced, but if value doesn't concern you, go for it. You'll certainly impress your friends with the size of your gizmo, even if it is a bit limp on added performance.

I don't think it is necessary to post about how "expensive" it is or "plug in an aftermarket" as the OP said he wasn't concerned about the price.

 

I've endured x3 years of having cables trailing about my Mazda6 because Nav wasn't an option at the time of purchase.

 

If you've got the money and prefer the aesthetics of the Columbus, then why not.

 

I'm sure Smartprice Cornflakes are cheap and do the job for some, but those that don't mind the higher price will buy Kellogs. :-)

£1000+ is a lot of money to spend on saving just one cable. That's a years worth of fuel for many people. I will buy a decent ~£200 satnav for my VRS, then throw it away and buy a better GPS III device when that goes live in a few years. The best built-in satnav I have ever used is the Tomtom unit which came as standard within my wife's Renault. It murders my 3-series and any VAG device for ease and speed of use, and is basically just a repackaged £120 Tomtom Go. It seems silly spending so much money on built-in devices that just look pretty, but are functionally inferior to many of the most basic alternatives.

 

Saying all that my wife wants a £900 handbag for her 40th Birthday present. Desire and common sense do not always go hand in hand. I would rather spend that money on the Columbus :think: .

Cost to one side I personally am very happy with the Columbus. I had mine fitted after buying the car by a specialist (a lot cheaper than main dealer). The sound system is good and the sat nav with up to date maps I also find very good.

As per the OP I also prefer the neatness and tidiness of a built in unit. I had the Columbus and OEM Bluetooth installed at the same time and also had voice control activated (which I do actually use for the sat nav should I need a new destination when driving) and it all works great.

I understand and agree with what others have said about price and aftermarket units etc but for me it came down to personal choice. I spent a lot of money on a fantastic car and adding the Columbus was simply a great way of finishing it off for me.

Hope this helps the OP.

Cost to one side I personally am very happy with the Columbus. I had mine fitted after buying the car by a specialist (a lot cheaper than main dealer). The sound system is good and the sat nav with up to date maps I also find very good.

As per the OP I also prefer the neatness and tidiness of a built in unit. I had the Columbus and OEM Bluetooth installed at the same time and also had voice control activated (which I do actually use for the sat nav should I need a new destination when driving) and it all works great.

I understand and agree with what others have said about price and aftermarket units etc but for me it came down to personal choice. I spent a lot of money on a fantastic car and adding the Columbus was simply a great way of finishing it off for me.

Hope this helps the OP.

I assume this isn't on an Octavia III?

P

Sent from my HTC One max using Tapatalk

Can anyone with a Columbus in the Octavia III confirm that the text messaging system (as the previous Columbus) works in the same way? i.e. displayed on the screen and have the facility to have the text read out to you?

Not noticed it on mine, but I have an Android phone with a pretty crappy Bluetooth stack

I get mine later today, ie Thursday it has Columbus, I'll play with it and let you know

For me, a great feature of the Columbus is being able to blank the screen when the unit is on.

Sarge.

I assume this isn't on an Octavia III?

P

Sent from my HTC One max using Tapatalk[/

Your assumption is correct

Columbus is fantastic so far.

Just can't figure out how to play mpeg4 anyone got any assistance

Columbus is fantastic so far.

Just can't figure out how to play mpeg4 anyone got any assistance

Columbus should just play it -however it can only play standard definition (DVD rips) and not HD (BluRay rips)