Sitting kicking my heels in my Skoda dealer after the coolant warning came on, so plenty of time to peruse the new stock. 

A new version of my car MY 17 is in the showroom complete with 9.2" Columbus and DSG7 speed.

I was slightly envious I just missed the new Columbus, now I'm not so sure.

Some thoughts:

The screen now dominates the centre dashboard, but there is still a lot of surround beyond the actual screen. It feel almost too big.

Touch buttons over on lhs; a carry over from Lhd models?

It now takes more menu/ sub-menu screen touching and scrolling to get where the manual buttons took you.

Manual rotating buttons quicker to use when driving.

I also don't like the extension of piano black to all the heater controls. I think it cheapens the interior.

Just some thoughts. I'm sure the new Columbus owners love it.

 

I would have preferred the previous 8" Columbus with the buttons/knobs. But nothing I could do about it with the spec changing around the time I was deciding on the order.

Just had mine delivered today at 17.30 in the dark.

It all looks lovely at the moment, I can't wait to see it in the daylight.

I chose the light leather interior and it looks fantastic with the contrast of the black elements. 

I need to play a bit but it seems ok to me at the moment. 

One thing I have done a couple of times is turned it off as I can't see the buttons in the dark.

Edited 13 November, 20178 yr by vfrvrs

9 hours ago, Ashmount said:

The screen now dominates the centre dashboard, but there is still a lot of surround beyond the actual screen. It feel almost too big.

 

 

i noticed this in pictures too - the overhang is very noticeable across the top, below the air vents - like its too big to fit in the space.

it doesn't sit flush with the dash trim, almost blocking out the led ambient lighting!!

 

not good. like an afterthought. bad design in my opinion.

 

new design....

 

previous design.......

Having driven around with the new Columbus Infotainment system for nearly two months now, I have to say I've gotten used to it, and slowly started to like it.

The fact that there are no hardware buttons were a turnoff for me at first, but after a while you don't go through all the different menus anymore, and just use 3-4 menus, so it is quick enough without the hardware buttons.

The overhang on top is actually quite useful for me. Since Apple CarPlay doesn't support Waze, or vice versa, and I am adamant on using Waze, there no better place for me to put my iPhone than on top of the screen, supported by the little ledge. Even without any other mounting option, this is a surprisingly secure way to "mount" your phone, and it doesn't detract from the rest of the interior when the phone's not there.

 

Overall, I do like the new Columbus. The extra screen estate is nice, and in my eyes the bezel isn't too thick.

Having a look at the pictures with the old Columbus, it looks properly ancient in my eyes now.

 

To be fair, I would have like to have the buttons for A/C etc in the matte surface finish rather than the glossy finish. But that's about it

Edited 14 November, 20178 yr by kriva