Volkswagen Vento : Test Drive & Review

[athalaga]

Thank you GTO. The review was great and the best for me so far.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by acidkill

I think that Verna would probably see a wipeout in sales because of its similar pricing to Vento.

I disagree. Hyundai has a widespread reach in India, and has built an image of no-nonsense ownership. We have to understand that automotive choices are driven by brand reputation as much as the actual product.

As mentioned in my review, this is exactly where VW has to work hard. Real hard. A great ownership experience is imperative to the brand's Indian success.

Originally Posted by carfanatic007

I have one grouse though why not a comparison with Fiesta to Vento?

The Fiesta's price & size (especially cabin room) now moves it to a lower segment. The 8 lakh rupee game has moved on.

Originally Posted by fuel_addict

"All 4 power windows have one touch up / down function" - that does sound like a first in the segment. Even cars in the higher segments do not have this feature.

Originally Posted by Guna

Steering reach adjustment- is this first in the segment?

Thanks for pointing that out, guys. Added to the opening post.

Reading the comparison of Vento with other C segment cars in your first post, you have mentioned GC of SX4 as 170mm. Isn't this supposed to be 190mm? Atleast that is what Maruti claims.

Nope. This Maruti Website states 170.

Originally Posted by RGK

I think you are more impressed of Vento D after the Figo D reviewed on 25th Jan.

You got a sharp eye, RGK. After completing the test-drive, I thought to myself "The last car I drove that was so neutral in nature was the Figo". Different segments, but either hits the sweet spot.

Originally Posted by anekho

A quick look on the net reveals that with a tuning box 1.6 TDi can be tuned up to 125 HP and 300NM of Torque!! Should be a great drive

Vento + tuning box + alloys : here I come!

250 NM was so much fun, I can only imagine what she's like to drive with 300.

Originally Posted by rangaraj

Thanks for the review GTO.. A few pictures of you/others sitting in the car would have given a perspective of space

Don't have any on the back seat, yet here's two pictures of me and the Vento. Thanks to Kartik for the shots:

Originally Posted by TheStig

Have you guys ever considered launching a Team BHP magazine or TV show?

Why would we want to move backward

[m_upreti]

Originally Posted by GTO

What you'll like:

• A well-built, robust, European sedan
• Clean and contemporary styling. Boot is superbly integrated
• Competitive pricing, especially for a German car
• Stunning diesel engine. New torque king of the C segment
• Mature suspension setup. Balanced ride & handling
• Segment firsts : Reach adjust steering, gear recommender, adjustable driver armrest etc.
• All-rounded nature; Jack of all trades

What you won't:

• 6.99L Trendline (entry) variant is simply too basic. No Comfortline (middle) variant
• Electric power steering. The Vento deserves a pure hydraulic unit
• Some goodies missing (steering-mounted audio controls, AUX / USB stereo, dead pedal & folding rear seat)
• Thin 47 dealer all-India network. After sales has yet to prove itself
• VW's long-term ownership costs are unknown

Thanks GTO for the excellent review yet again. This has rekindled my dwindling interest for theis car after an initial euphoria.

Couple of sugestions needed from you if you can spare some time:

1. Is it advisable to jump on the the bandwagon right now or wait for another few months to see the performnce of both the Car and the Company as a whole.

2. Can we expect some of the missing items in a subsequent release after initial customer feedback (viz. steering-mounted audio controls, AUX / USB stereo, dead pedal & folding rear seat, parking sensors etc.)

ANy updates on the Mumbai / Navi Mumbai Ex Showroom prices

Another thing would be to convince the family to switch down from a high slung vehicle to a Sedan, plus losing on the feel good gizmos like TPMS, Cruise Control, Automatic lights, Auto wipers etc.) they have already rejected all the other sedans in this category (ANHC, SX4, Linea, Manza, Verna etc).

[noopster]

Originally Posted by monkey_wrench

Don't know if this has already been posted somewhere, but check out NDTV's review of the vento:

Vento: Volkswagen?s new baby

Ummmm...coudln't see it because of work firewall but this really made me giggle:
"The car, priced between Rs 6.99-Rs 9.23 lakh, is sure to give stiff competition to Honda's City and Indigo Manza. "

[AirWind]

GTO - Would dumping the 1.4 D Toyota mil into Etios be any competition to Vento?

[lijodavis]

Excellent review GTO. You did it again.This review cleared my so many questions to vw dealer.Hope vw launches AMC packages too.

[fi.robin]

The Vento Diesel is the car that was badly needed in the segment. The petrol on the other hand is just ok. It is no match for the Honda
City's vtec engine. VW groups petrol offerings in the sub 10 lacs is nothing to talk about. If they want to be the leader, they have to be good in every department.

If VW wants to have a share of the petrol segment, they will eventually need the TSI engines. VW is shying away from the 1.2 TSI because of cost issue. If they are really serious about the Indian market they should start producing these engines in India.

By mid 2011, there could be atleast 5 models (polo/vento/fabia/yeti/new octavia) which can use same eninge in two different configurations.
With proper planning they can easily create demand for 30k - 50k of the TSI units.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

I mean passengers can't unlock or lock their respective doors seem absurd.

Passengers can indeed unlock their doors. They can't lock them.

Originally Posted by architect

1. The EPS: Is it really bad? How would you rate the steering feel on this one, especially at high speeds, since you have already mentioned that the ride and handling is second only to the Fiat Linea.

Have things changed from the Polo. IIRC steering was not a complaint there.

Nope, things haven't changed from the Polo. Steering isn't bad per se, but the expectations from a Polo (and its commuter engines) are different than the Vento (and its stonking diesel). I prefer pure hydraulics in my fast German sedans. The steering is on the lighter side at speed and no feedback either. The Linea's unit remains the best this side of 10 lakh rupees.

Originally Posted by Ary10

It would be interesting to know 0-100 performance figures of Vento Diesel. More so. when the engine specifications of Jetta Diesel( Old and New ) and Vento Diesel are almost similiar in terms of BHP output and are identical in terms of Torque.Both vehicles share the Torque of 250 NM at 1500-2500 rpm, notwithstanding the fact that Jetta has 2.0 L TDI engine and Vento has 1.6 L TDI engine.Given that Vento weighs 1220 kgs (High Line) whereas Jetta weighs 1420 kgs, the Vento clearly has favourable power to weight ratio,ceteris paribus.As a natural corollary, Vento's performance, at least in theory, ought to be equal or better than Jetta in 0 to 100/120 category. If this turns out to be true, then Vento should return mind-boggling performance figures.Just to get a perspective, according to ACI, Jetta accelerates from 0-100 in 11.94 sec. Given that Vento is 200 kgs lighter, it ought to better Jetta performance by a wide margin. No wonder people reviewing Vento Diesel are going gaga over it. I am just eagerly waiting to test drive Vento to see for myself how it performs.

Nice post. Was the ACI timing for a DSG though, or MT?

Originally Posted by Mpower

Job of the Trendline is to pull you into the showroom and the job of the HL is to seduce you once you are there.

Well said!

Originally Posted by shuvc

Wonderful review GTO.
How is the rear seat space compared to the Octavia?

Noticeably better.

Originally Posted by nowwhat?

If the Polo 1.6. petrol reaches 100 kmph in 11.1 seconds and others who have received it have said that it is sluggish in the start, does it mean that somehow the acceleration picks up in subsequent gears?

What it means is that the engine's response at low rpm isn't good. You need to be generous with your accelerator input.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Come on... did you mention Skoda's A-S-S reputation?

Sure did. And told them that the after-sales could be a worthy differentiator in choosing VW over Skoda. Hope they realise this.

Originally Posted by adimicra

Simple request for some objective comparison of all the petrol cars in this segment in terms of outright performance, driveability, refinement etc.

A quick attempt:

Quality : Vento > City > Verna > SX4 > Linea
Interior space : ANHC > Vento > SX4 = Verna > Linea
Petrol engine : ANHC > Vento > SX4 > Linea = Verna
Diesel engine : Vento > Verna > Linea
Ride & handling : Linea > Vento > ANHC > SX4 > Verna

Originally Posted by ampere

How pronounced is the axle hump at the back?

5 - 6 inches in height. Not a bother if there's 2 on the backseat. A headache with 3.

As per your review ICE is average. How can one change, but one wants keep the Highline variant as well.

Same way I did in my Civic. Do look up the thread for pics.

Are 15 Inch tyres good or its worth upgrading to 16? Any thoughts?

16s would look swell

[srishiva]

Now how am I going to use my Ipod? The rear floor hump is a little too much. I dont see much excitement in the review for the petrol Vento.
Even for the diesel, the excitement I had is slowly waning other than the mileage and torque.

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by GTO

A quick attempt:

Quality : Vento > City > Verna > SX4 > Linea
Interior space : ANHC > Vento > SX4 = Verna > Linea
Petrol engine : ANHC > Vento > SX4 > Linea = Verna
Diesel engine : Vento > Verna > Linea
Ride & handling : Linea > Vento > ANHC > SX4 > Verna

Thanks for your prompt answer. I did not know the Verna's petrol engine is so bad since it generates more than 100 horses!

Can you split the petrols in terms of outright performance, in-gear acceleration and refinement? I heard lot of people not-so-happy with the low-end response of the Honda City? How does the Vento compare with the City and others in terms of driveability or low-end response? Another request is to split the ride and handling into 2 different aspects!

Thanks again for the wonderful review! Great job!

[AAK]

Originally Posted by uditmohanty

Besides the flaws like Dead Pedal, USB-AUX, DoorLock, Steering mount audio controls, complex mix of wheels (15" & 14" spare) or front reading light in the new VWV, I think VW seriously messed up on the rear seat area. Adjusting facility of the front passenger seat by rear passenger might not necessarily be an advantage. Most serious inconvenience is the flooring hump of about 6 inch at the centre. I don't find any logic of doing it.

With the major problem areas like dealer network, A-S-S, long run maintenance cost of the car, I will be keen to know the average fuel efficiency of Petrol Highline in a city drivig condition.

I am also looking for a comparision between VW-Vento and Mitsu-Cedia. All the comparisions are between ANHC and Vento as yet.

The hump at the rear is due to the exhaust system running through the body, as compared to all other cars where it runs under the body.
there are advantages of such design in terms of high ground clearance, less exposed exhaust system....

[naveen.raju]

Thanks GTO for that wonderful review. Was really waiting for your verdict on this.
One question, what's the backlit color for these models (Highline) for the stereo, climate control and speedometer? Is it blue? A pic with the backlit lights would have been great.
Anyways, it wouldnt matter much since I already paid the advance and decided to go for Vento.
Thanks once again.

[aniketi]

Too good review, excellent is the only word

I guess it will dent sales of Altis as well. With competitive pricing & diesel option i guess Corolla Altis (It also has now) & VW Vento will fight for sales topper badge. People will definitely prefer new car over altis as corolla is quite old now. Lets see who wins

[rangaraj]

GTO and other Team BHP reviewers..

Time for an equivalent of Top Gear's shoot out of the top cars in each segment from a Team BHP perspective.. A comprehensive top 5 list for each segment for car buyers would be welcome by many in this forum. The list i am sure will be a lot more trust worthy than the magazines..

A quick attempt:

Quality : Vento > City > Verna > SX4 > Linea
Interior space : ANHC > Vento > SX4 = Verna > Linea
Petrol engine : ANHC > Vento > SX4 > Linea = Verna
Diesel engine : Vento > Verna > Linea
Ride & handling : Linea > Vento > ANHC > SX4 > Verna

[StarrySky]

Thanks for the superb review, GTO!

It seems that City will still be the preferred petrol sedan under 10L and the Vento will be the preferred diesel sedan in that price range. I think Fiesta/Verna/Linea need to be more concerned than City.

The TL variant is so basic that it feels like a segment below compared to the HL variant!