New Skoda Octavia gets third-generation infotainment system

- To be available in three types - Columbus, Swing and Bolero (end of 2020)

- Saves presets in Skoda’s Cloud

The fourth generation Skoda Octavia gets the new-generation infotainment system. The new central 10-inch display offers access to vehicle’s settings with just a touch, gesture, as well as voice control. The new infotainment system welcomes the driver by name on the screen, followed by driver seat automatically moving to the preferred position and the exterior mirrors adjusting themselves. The Climatronic already knows the preferred temperature, and the desired radio station can be set with a simple swiping gesture. Using voice commands, the Skoda digital assistant Laura will calculate the optimal route to the destination online. Moreover, the driver can customise and split the screen according to preferences and configure the home screen with most important functions. 

The new infotainment system will be available in three types – Columbus, Swing and Bolero (by the end of 2020). All three infotainment systems feature a 10-inch display screen. Individual elements can be moved and rearranged by touch, in the same way as you can on a smartphone.    

To adjust the volume, either the control buttons on the steering wheel or the new touch slider can be used directly. One finger is used to adjust the volume, and two fingers are used to change the size of the navigation map in the navigation menu. For the first time, the Columbus infotainment system can now display a different zoom resolution than the map in the Virtual Cockpit. Alternatively, the map section in the central display can be made bigger or smaller using a zoom gesture with two fingers directly on the glass surface.

The touch slider, as well as buttons and rotary controls on the multifunction steering wheel and the intelligent Skoda digital assistant Laura, help to ensure that Octavia drivers rarely need to take their eyes off the road to operate the infotainment functions. The head-up display is available as an option for the Octavia. 

The new infotainment systems will use wireless SmartLink technology to connect to Apple iOS or Android smartphone. After one-time pairing, the mobile device automatically connects when entering the vehicle. The clearly arranged menu can also be accessed directly by pressing a button in the centre console. In addition, further shortcut keys can be used to activate the maximum fan speed for the windscreen and switch on the rear window heating.

Interestingly, as soon as the driver’s Skoda Connect account is activated in the vehicle, the Octavia stores all infotainment-system and air-conditioning presets, as well as the adjustment of the driver’s seat and the outside mirrors, in the Skoda’s Cloud. The preferences of up to 14 individual users can be stored or transferred to another Skoda model that is also equipped with the latest generation infotainment system.