I have just had a Skoda Superb estate for four years with 220 bhp. Sadly Skoda no longer make the engine and model I bought four years ago. My wife wanted a SUV and so I purchased a Volvo B5 R-Design Pro. Overall I have been happy with the Volvo. The seats are very comfortable, it drives and handles well (turning circle a bit wide). But, and it is a huge BUT the infotainment system is just rubbish compared to my previous car (four year old car).
1. Skoda has Appleplay included. Volvo want to charge £300 for the privilege. This is a complete ripoff.
2. Skoda has a larger screen than Volvo.
3. Skoda uses coloured icons similar to a telephone, which means they are more intuitive, Volvo far too monochrome.
4. Skoda never had any load problems, Volvo sometimes waits for ages to load and for the radio to turn on.
5. Skoda on radio stations shows the name of the program and the song being played. Volvo does not give this detailed information.
6. Skoda when playing music off a mobile telephone will show track or album information when available, Volvo does not.
7. Skoda has more icons on the home screen, Volvo requires more swiping.
8. Skoda can use Siri on Appleplay, which is faultless. Volvo voice control most often "not on list".
The Skoda infotainment system was not perfect, but in direct comparison between the two I would rate the Volvo as 1/10.
Infotainment system is atrocious
1. Skoda has Appleplay included. Volvo want to charge £300 for the privilege. This is a complete ripoff.
You still paid the £300 Apple charge for it however were not given the option of not having it. If you were not an Apple user would you not prefer your car to be £300 cheaper?
2. Skoda has a larger screen than Volvo.
And? My XC40 has a bigger windscreen area so I can see more of the road. I know where I prefer to look
3. Skoda uses coloured icons similar to a telephone, which means they are more intuitive, Volvo far too monochrome.
You say intuitive, I say garish and tacky
4. Skoda never had any load problems, Volvo sometimes waits for ages to load and for the radio to turn on.
Never noticed it but happy to take your word
5. Skoda on radio stations shows the name of the program and the song being played. Volvo does not give this detailed information.
Mine shows the radio station and the song being played on some stations.
6. Skoda when playing music off a mobile telephone will show track or album information when available, Volvo does not.
But you just said you used CarPlay so the is not relevant.
7. Skoda has more icons on the home screen, Volvo requires more swiping.
This is a safety feature keeping just the essentials in view so to be less of a distraction
8. Skoda can use Siri on Appleplay, which is faultless. Volvo voice control most often "not on list".
Volvo can use Siri on CarPlay in exactly the same way. I fail to see your issue here.
But honestly, if the Volvo is so inferior to your Skoda, why did you buy it? If these things are important to you, why did you not check them out before parting with a not insubstantial amount of money?
You still paid the £300 Apple charge for it however were not given the option of not having it. If you were not an Apple user would you not prefer your car to be £300 cheaper?
2. Skoda has a larger screen than Volvo.
And? My XC40 has a bigger windscreen area so I can see more of the road. I know where I prefer to look
3. Skoda uses coloured icons similar to a telephone, which means they are more intuitive, Volvo far too monochrome.
You say intuitive, I say garish and tacky
4. Skoda never had any load problems, Volvo sometimes waits for ages to load and for the radio to turn on.
Never noticed it but happy to take your word
5. Skoda on radio stations shows the name of the program and the song being played. Volvo does not give this detailed information.
Mine shows the radio station and the song being played on some stations.
6. Skoda when playing music off a mobile telephone will show track or album information when available, Volvo does not.
But you just said you used CarPlay so the is not relevant.
7. Skoda has more icons on the home screen, Volvo requires more swiping.
This is a safety feature keeping just the essentials in view so to be less of a distraction
8. Skoda can use Siri on Appleplay, which is faultless. Volvo voice control most often "not on list".
Volvo can use Siri on CarPlay in exactly the same way. I fail to see your issue here.
But honestly, if the Volvo is so inferior to your Skoda, why did you buy it? If these things are important to you, why did you not check them out before parting with a not insubstantial amount of money?
XC40 T5 Recharge Inscription Pro - Denim & Blonde
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Arthur Wellsley
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon May 10, 2021 8:51 am
1. Skoda has Appleplay included. Volvo want to charge £300 for the privilege. This is a complete ripoff.
You still paid the £300 Apple charge for it however were not given the option of not having it. If you were not an Apple user would you not prefer your car to be £300 cheaper? = The Skoda comes with both Appleplay and Androidplay for free. Every modern car should have this as standard. Volvo's decision to charge for it is to be depreciated. Most of the population carries one form of smart phone or another and so this should not be a charged option.
2. Skoda has a larger screen than Volvo.
And? My XC40 has a bigger windscreen area so I can see more of the road. I know where I prefer to look = In fact the front windowscreen of the Skoda was far larger than the Volvo, but it is a larger car.
3. Skoda uses coloured icons similar to a telephone, which means they are more intuitive, Volvo far too monochrome.
You say intuitive, I say garish and tacky. = Modern design and the psychology of design is interesting. 2007 is the date of the first Iphone. Apple have followed a concept of Skeuomorphism which all the other operating system designers have also followed. Making an icon that looks like what it represents has been shown to be easier for the user to operate. That includes the use of colour.
4. Skoda never had any load problems, Volvo sometimes waits for ages to load and for the radio to turn on.
Never noticed it but happy to take your word
5. Skoda on radio stations shows the name of the program and the song being played. Volvo does not give this detailed information.
Mine shows the radio station and the song being played on some stations. = Volvo need to improve this area as my Volvo shows fewer than the Skoda managed.
6. Skoda when playing music off a mobile telephone will show track or album information when available, Volvo does not.
But you just said you used CarPlay so the is not relevant. = No this is when not using Appleplay, this is using the system Volvo provides. In comparison to the Skoda system it lacks the functions.
7. Skoda has more icons on the home screen, Volvo requires more swiping.
This is a safety feature keeping just the essentials in view so to be less of a distraction. = Arguably swiping through the Volvo screens to find what is needed is far more distracting.
8. Skoda can use Siri on Appleplay, which is faultless. Volvo voice control most often "not on list".
Volvo can use Siri on CarPlay in exactly the same way. I fail to see your issue here. = The issue is if Volvo as a manufacturer are going to offer voice control as an option why does it not work as well as other providers of similar voice recognition controls? Surely the offering from Volvo should be as efficient or better than what is available in other cars rather than inferior?
But honestly, if the Volvo is so inferior to your Skoda, why did you buy it? If these things are important to you, why did you not check them out before parting with a not insubstantial amount of money? = I did not say the car was inferior. I am happy with the Volvo as a "car" as I said at the start of the post. The seats are great, and it drives well. It irks me that a car so good should have such a poor implementation of it's infotainment system which is so inferior to that in the Skoda. The overall all balance of purchase was that the car is good and I enjoy driving it. I am happy with my purchase. But surely a company that turns out an overall good car should be able to do so much better with the infotainment system?
You still paid the £300 Apple charge for it however were not given the option of not having it. If you were not an Apple user would you not prefer your car to be £300 cheaper? = The Skoda comes with both Appleplay and Androidplay for free. Every modern car should have this as standard. Volvo's decision to charge for it is to be depreciated. Most of the population carries one form of smart phone or another and so this should not be a charged option.
2. Skoda has a larger screen than Volvo.
And? My XC40 has a bigger windscreen area so I can see more of the road. I know where I prefer to look
= In fact the front windowscreen of the Skoda was far larger than the Volvo, but it is a larger car.3. Skoda uses coloured icons similar to a telephone, which means they are more intuitive, Volvo far too monochrome.
You say intuitive, I say garish and tacky. = Modern design and the psychology of design is interesting. 2007 is the date of the first Iphone. Apple have followed a concept of Skeuomorphism which all the other operating system designers have also followed. Making an icon that looks like what it represents has been shown to be easier for the user to operate. That includes the use of colour.
4. Skoda never had any load problems, Volvo sometimes waits for ages to load and for the radio to turn on.
Never noticed it but happy to take your word
5. Skoda on radio stations shows the name of the program and the song being played. Volvo does not give this detailed information.
Mine shows the radio station and the song being played on some stations. = Volvo need to improve this area as my Volvo shows fewer than the Skoda managed.
6. Skoda when playing music off a mobile telephone will show track or album information when available, Volvo does not.
But you just said you used CarPlay so the is not relevant. = No this is when not using Appleplay, this is using the system Volvo provides. In comparison to the Skoda system it lacks the functions.
7. Skoda has more icons on the home screen, Volvo requires more swiping.
This is a safety feature keeping just the essentials in view so to be less of a distraction. = Arguably swiping through the Volvo screens to find what is needed is far more distracting.
8. Skoda can use Siri on Appleplay, which is faultless. Volvo voice control most often "not on list".
Volvo can use Siri on CarPlay in exactly the same way. I fail to see your issue here. = The issue is if Volvo as a manufacturer are going to offer voice control as an option why does it not work as well as other providers of similar voice recognition controls? Surely the offering from Volvo should be as efficient or better than what is available in other cars rather than inferior?
But honestly, if the Volvo is so inferior to your Skoda, why did you buy it? If these things are important to you, why did you not check them out before parting with a not insubstantial amount of money? = I did not say the car was inferior. I am happy with the Volvo as a "car" as I said at the start of the post. The seats are great, and it drives well. It irks me that a car so good should have such a poor implementation of it's infotainment system which is so inferior to that in the Skoda. The overall all balance of purchase was that the car is good and I enjoy driving it. I am happy with my purchase. But surely a company that turns out an overall good car should be able to do so much better with the infotainment system?
XC40 B5 R-Design, with rear camera.
Well for one don't want to pay for the likes of apple play or the google thing. Won't ever use it. So glad it is optional.
Really don't know why you didn't spot these issues that are personal to you and not what the vast majority feel. It does sound like you picked the wrong SUV for your personal tastes. You are entitled to your opinion of course as is everyone else. I like the infotainment system and I would NEVER EVER buy a VAG car after dieselgate.
Better luck researching your next car.
Really don't know why you didn't spot these issues that are personal to you and not what the vast majority feel. It does sound like you picked the wrong SUV for your personal tastes. You are entitled to your opinion of course as is everyone else. I like the infotainment system and I would NEVER EVER buy a VAG car after dieselgate.
Better luck researching your next car.
T4 Auto AWD R Design March 2019
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billybobb2019
- Posts: 77
- Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2020 8:43 pm
I'm with the OP - its not a great system its laggy at times - voice commands are patchy at best and I did my research and it is what it is - I'm disappointed in the issues with it and with the car overall; in just over a year its been back for 2 recalls and ++ electrical issues stop start app stuff - I know the vast majority of owners will not have anything other than minor stuff but its an indication but fingers crossed all is well with it at present but I'm with blastpipe though re VAG - had Tiguans prior to this and wouldn't buy VAG again because I don't like being lied to, that and when you do go the local dealers they make you think they are doing you a favour selling you a car.
as an alternative to apple CarPlay, on prime offers I bought an Alexa auto for cheap - got to say its good for selecting Spotify and radio and podcasts and works 90% of the time flawlessly
as an alternative to apple CarPlay, on prime offers I bought an Alexa auto for cheap - got to say its good for selecting Spotify and radio and podcasts and works 90% of the time flawlessly
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Arthur Wellsley
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon May 10, 2021 8:51 am
I am sorry perhaps I was not clear enough in the first post. I am pleased with my choice of Volvo overall. I did my research and picked the correct SUV and I am overall very pleased with the XC40 that I chose. I was of course aware of the limitations with the Volvo infotainment system when I purchased the car. However as the weeks have gone by I have been thoroughly disappointed with the infotainment system and just how poorly Volvo have implemented it compared to Skoda. Before the SKoda I had a BMW. Even the old BMW system seems more competent than the current Volvo system that I now have. Before the BWM I had a T5 V70 so I have come full circle. The monochrome Volvo setup in comparison to the Skoda system is like going back to black and white TV.blastpipe wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 3:16 pm Well for one don't want to pay for the likes of apple play or the google thing. Won't ever use it. So glad it is optional.
Really don't know why you didn't spot these issues that are personal to you and not what the vast majority feel. It does sound like you picked the wrong SUV for your personal tastes. You are entitled to your opinion of course as is everyone else. I like the infotainment system and I would NEVER EVER buy a VAG car after dieselgate.
Better luck researching your next car.
Overall the Volvo is a very good car that I enjoy driving. The disappointment is that the infotainment system is so poor in comparison to the rest of the car. My lament is that Volvo need to seriously up their game with regard to the infotainment system.
XC40 B5 R-Design, with rear camera.
The infotainment system is excellent. It can even be reprogrammed for the emergency services so they can access their specialist functions without having to have the addition of the usual cumbersome controls. The system is likely to be updated soon to google based as seen in the XC60. Perhaps you should have waited and bought one with the well known upgrade that was coming..plenty of discussion on this forum about its arrival in Volvo cars.
T4 Auto AWD R Design March 2019
I think its important to distinguish between design and functionality. Design and appearance are very personal and without going down customisation and themes its rather difficult to please everyone. I happen to like the monochromatic nature, thinking is pairs well with the simple colour pallet used in the r-design. I would go even further and remove album cover art, having had a red album cover pop up in the driver console in the corner of your eye can be disconcerting.
Functionally one change i would like is the ability to remove the last used app at the bottom of the home screen and the ability to populate it with some car functions such as park assist or cameras.
Cant comment on voice control or radio much as i tend not to use them, have an ipod which iuse that for audio and aside from a couple of lock ups during playback it works for me.
Functionally one change i would like is the ability to remove the last used app at the bottom of the home screen and the ability to populate it with some car functions such as park assist or cameras.
Cant comment on voice control or radio much as i tend not to use them, have an ipod which iuse that for audio and aside from a couple of lock ups during playback it works for me.
black r-design b4 awd with lounge, climate, versatility, driver assist, tow-bar and lava
I am sorry but that will not happen. Quite sorry for me. Perhaps in the new generation of the XC40. Not through upgrade.blastpipe wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 5:25 pm The infotainment system is excellent. It can even be reprogrammed for the emergency services so they can access their specialist functions without having to have the addition of the usual cumbersome controls. The system is likely to be updated soon to google based as seen in the XC60. Perhaps you should have waited and bought one with the well known upgrade that was coming..plenty of discussion on this forum about its arrival in Volvo cars.
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Dermottdog
- Posts: 768
- Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2019 7:39 pm
- Location: Orpington, Kent
Go on son, defend that XC40!!m@rk wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 9:28 am 1. Skoda has Appleplay included. Volvo want to charge £300 for the privilege. This is a complete ripoff.
You still paid the £300 Apple charge for it however were not given the option of not having it. If you were not an Apple user would you not prefer your car to be £300 cheaper?
2. Skoda has a larger screen than Volvo.
And? My XC40 has a bigger windscreen area so I can see more of the road. I know where I prefer to look
3. Skoda uses coloured icons similar to a telephone, which means they are more intuitive, Volvo far too monochrome.
You say intuitive, I say garish and tacky
4. Skoda never had any load problems, Volvo sometimes waits for ages to load and for the radio to turn on.
Never noticed it but happy to take your word
5. Skoda on radio stations shows the name of the program and the song being played. Volvo does not give this detailed information.
Mine shows the radio station and the song being played on some stations.
6. Skoda when playing music off a mobile telephone will show track or album information when available, Volvo does not.
But you just said you used CarPlay so the is not relevant.
7. Skoda has more icons on the home screen, Volvo requires more swiping.
This is a safety feature keeping just the essentials in view so to be less of a distraction
8. Skoda can use Siri on Appleplay, which is faultless. Volvo voice control most often "not on list".
Volvo can use Siri on CarPlay in exactly the same way. I fail to see your issue here.
But honestly, if the Volvo is so inferior to your Skoda, why did you buy it? If these things are important to you, why did you not check them out before parting with a not insubstantial amount of money?
For me, the infotainment screen is fine. In fact, more than fine. I’m finding that the voice commands are also coming into their own and the centre screen doesn’t always have to be accessed. A few people have also complained about the Sat Nav. Looking for a new house, we’ve been using the voice command ‘Navigation’ and ‘Go to’ a lot over the past month. It has been faultless. I think the OP needs to take time to settle in to the car. I don’t think there is a car made that doesn’t have a design issue. From Skoda to Aston Martin, nothing is perfect.
R Design Pro T5 AWD in Crystal White. Convenience Pack, Front Parking and Apple Car. Couldn’t afford anything else!! Arriving late September 2019.
