UHeading into the long weekend, and we are not alone: traffic jams and disruptions everywhere. In the past, only the luxury class of automobiles had usable real-time traffic data on board, but they are now also available in the compact class. Not only that, with a basic price of 23,000 euros, powerful infotainment is even part of the standard equipment: We were surprised in the Škoda Scala that an e-Sim is already installed in this price range for retrieving premium traffic jam data. However, a look at the details shows what you have to take into account when configuring. The smallest model variant, “Essence”, only has a 6.5-inch on-board monitor with the Swing infotainment system. Nothing more than radio reception and MP3 music playback is offered. The Bolero system offers an 8-inch monitor, the system supports Apple Carplay and Android Auto and is part of the standard equipment of the two upscale model variants.
Quality of traffic information remarkable
If you’re looking for navigation, voice control and an even larger 9.2-inch display, you can take Amundsen for 1,100 euros. There is also a large digital cockpit display in front of the steering wheel. It offers five different views, including a classic one with a speedometer and tachometer and one that shows the navigation system map in almost full size.
We tried out Amundsen for some time and what we found particularly remarkable was the quality of the traffic information. They can be used free of charge for three years. Petrol station and parking information as well as weather reports and news are also sent to the vehicle via SIM card. The individual modules can be reloaded in a shop directly on the screen.
The on-board monitor serves as a central control element. Unfortunately, the display has a huge black mourning border, and further space is lost on the sides because buttons for accessing the submenus and adjusting the audio volume are permanently displayed here. The menus and departments can be accessed at the touch of a finger; large tiles for the submenus are self-explanatory. Proximity sensors display context menus as soon as the display detects an approaching finger. After starting the engine, you have to wait several seconds until navigation and voice control are available. The latter worked well for us, but not outstandingly, like at Mercedes-Benz.
There are physical buttons and two rotary controls below the monitor to operate the air conditioning. One detail is annoying: there is no direct access to adjust the ventilation intensity, but you have to press a menu button. Then the desired value must be set on the monitor. This is complicated, time-consuming, and the menu button doesn’t always respond. An inductive charging device for the smartphone called a phone box is part of all three infotainment packages, and the two additional USB-C ports at the rear should be happy for young passengers, who always have far too little battery power when the smartphone is in constant use.
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