2017 Facelift - is Skoda Connect worth it as an option?

[thekidfromkensington]

Hi All,

 

I am in the process of ordering to replace my 63 plate VRS with a new 2017 facelift model (it's still just the best value car that does what I want and need by a country mile!)

 

My question is this, my old car didn't have satnav, but the 2017 facelift has Amudsen as standard. From what I can work out the system also works with Smartlink/Android Auto etc. The options list includes a fairly pricy 3 year subscription to Skoda Connect (the app has awful reviews on Googel Play). 

 

Whilst I have no desire to see how much fuel is in the tank from my phone, or honk the horn remotely when the car is on the drive to scare the neighbours cat, I would like to have live traffic functionality and map updates on the Amudsen sat nav. Is it worth paying the £3-400 odd for this or are there other ways of getting map updates (via download sites and SD cards for instance) and traffic updates (via Android Auto etc)?

 

The received wisdom is as ever appreciated....

 

 

[glosrich]

I guess your somewhat of a pioneer, not many people will have used this yet.

 

Smartlink delivers a lot of these functions, but you have to plug your smartphone in. Skoda Connect is just a more integrated solution.

 

But is it worth £400?

 

[thekidfromkensington]

If it does the same things as smart link but just wirelessly then I doubt it is worth it for £400!!!!

[thekidfromkensington]

Especially not when the app itself gets very bad google play reviews for compatibility and stability of connection.

[Mark06]

Sure I read somewhere you can put google maps up on screen,their sat nav is live and free. It's all I use now,Tom Tom not been used for years. Bit harder to see on phone but if you can display this on car touch screen,all good. Maybe someone who's vrs has arrived can confirm?

[juan27]

Haven't got a new Octavia, but I believe Smartliink allows you to run some apps off your phone on the car screen via Android Auto/Apple Carplay. So you can put Google Maps up and get directions based on traffic info. All assuming you're got a signal of course. I think the phone needs to be plugged in via USB. Not sure if that charges the phone at the same time which could be an issue on a long trip. We hired a Corsa recently with similar connectivity and that didn't seem to charge when connected. 

[juan27]

17 hours ago, thekidfromkensington said:

If it does the same things as smart link but just wirelessly then I doubt it is worth it for £400!!!!

Pretty sure that's not what is. It's a subscription to online services from Skoda unless I'm much mistaken.

[juan27]

9 hours ago, Mark06 said:

Sure I read somewhere you can put google maps up on screen,their sat nav is live and free. It's all I use now,Tom Tom not been used for years.

Me too. If I had the choice assuming Smartliink works as expected with Google Maps I wouldn't bother paying for integrated car satnav. But you don't get that choice on the VRS.

[Wet Kipper]

From what I was told a while back when this was "coming" it's online services integrated into the car, so you don't have to use your phone to connect. So the main part of the fee is that you're essentially paying for the mobile data contract for the extra SIM card in your car

[Mark06]

Well the description for the basic Amundsen that comes standard with vrs reads as this

[Mark06]

Just now, Mark06 said:

Well the description for the basic Amundsen that comes standard with vrs reads as this

How you can have wifi or integrated wifi hotspot without a sim? Maybe just the capability to tether to phone? Either way this states you get sat nav anyway? So what you actually get for smartlink doesn't seem much if you already get this.

[themanwithnoaim]

2 hours ago, Mark06 said:

How you can have wifi or integrated wifi hotspot without a sim? Maybe just the capability to tether to phone? Either way this states you get sat nav anyway? So what you actually get for smartlink doesn't seem much if you already get this.

Cos Skoda Sat Nav is clumbsy & ****te

[Wet Kipper]

I've since looked at the little info pop up when you choose the SKODA Connect. It says you still need to link it to your phone, or provide your own SIM.

So what I was told before is not correct. I don't really know what the £400is for then. 

[Croat]

Probably not worth it.

[TonyD]

I think this will be the same difference between a TomTom using RDS as traffic updates or their subscription for traffic master updates which are more accurate and timely. The Amundsen currently uses RDS updates but is slow and clunky. I used to use the TomTom app on my phone and found the RDS ok but slow but with traffic subscription it transformed the app, may be the same on the ŠKODA sat navs?

Edited 22 May, 2017 by TonyD

[juan27]

Found the setup options for Skoda Connect on my FL today but need a code to get it working....anyone using it now?

[wg100]

My car came with a year of Skoda Connect. When it is able to connect, it provides live traffic updates and you can also find up to date petrol stations prices along your route.

The main issue is that it is extremely flakey to connect. The car will not automatically connect to my iPhone, even though the personal hotspot is always live. I have to restart the hotspot, then find it through the WLAN menu. It can then take up to 20 mins to establish a connection to Skoda Connect and download live traffic. Even then, if I try to search for petrol prices, it will often not connect. Overall, I find it extremely frustrating to use.

 

Would I pay for it when the initial subscription is up? No.

 

The ideal situation would be to move back to an Android phone and use the smartlink to have Waze on the headunit. That was all I used prior to getting the O3 FL Scout.

[roo]

You get the code by registering on the skoda connect website. This links the car to your account. 

[London Les]

If you are looking to improve on the SatNav then the Waze app on iphone or android is fantastic for live traffic updates and road speeds - I use it all the time, including when taxi drivers in London get stuck in traffic!

[wg100]

14 minutes ago, London Les said:

If you are looking to improve on the SatNav then the Waze app on iphone or android is fantastic for live traffic updates and road speeds - I use it all the time, including when taxi drivers in London get stuck in traffic!

 

Unfortunately, Apple don't allow other navigation apps in Carplay, so Waze can't be displayed. If you've got an android phone, then you can view Waze in Android Auto.

[Mark06]

My free 1 year subscription has worked about 4 times in about 20 attempts I gave up ages ago. As for sat nav I use google maps via iPhone it's better than the one provided imho.

[Mark06]

Just now, Mark06 said:

My free 1 year subscription has worked about 4 times in about 20 attempts I gave up ages ago. As for sat nav I use google maps via iPhone it's better than the one provided imho.

 In fact I've just remembered the day I picked car up the skoda expert was in teaching the staff how to set skoda connect up so he used mine as an example. And embarrassingly for them he couldn't get it to work! Left with it not been able to connect!

[stever750]

No, it's utter b0ll0ck$. The Skoda infotainment system wrt to navigation is utter pants in the Octy. My 2016 Superb system is much better, all of the POIs are embedded in the system for a start, the latest Amundsen relies on your phone hotspot, which is taking the p*$$. I really hate it, but thankfully I have CoPilot on my phone.

Edited 12 November, 2017 by stever750

[juan27]

Anyone know roughly how much data it uses?