Volkswagen Vento : Test Drive & Review

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by aseem

Skoda Superb UK launched with Vento's 1.6 Tdi engine. This has become to VW what 1.3 MJD has become to India

Even the Skoda Laura in UK now comes with the same 1.6 Diesel. They are slowly moving towards smaller engines with lesser Co2 emission to take advantage of the taxation system.

[//M]

Does anybody know the prices of the Vento HL in Kolkata, both petrol and diesel? Any idea folks?

[V-16]

Unfortunately, the Vento has the same (lousy) locking mechanism as the Polo. Firstly, the doors don't auto-lock when you start driving. To add to it, there isn't a visible lock / unlock knob sticking out of the door panels, reminding you to lock the doors. The only way to lock all doors is from the driver's control panel (passengers cannot lock their doors independently).

A very irritating thing indeed. Just as in the last gen Skoda Laura too. I guess its a VW thing. Maybe the Audi is similar? None of the doors including the drivers have any mechanism either a push pull kinds nor lever specific. Theres just one button to lock all the doors and one to unlock all. Weird.

A couple of days ago, there was a Vento which was parked in my compound which i sat in briefly and noticed a few niggles.
VW are harping on the line "built specifically for India" and while they have added the really useful front passenger seat adjuster from the rear (like the Mercedes W220 S class, albeit via electronics) by a lever, they have not added bottle/cup holes in the rear doors as they have in the front.

Another bit issue is the front seat center arm rest. Though it is a great option for an automatic car and even a manual, this particular arm rest actually interferes with your driving. Without driving the car i can pre-empt that it will interfere with the manual gear changing. When the arm rest is down, try operating the hand brake. One has to put the arm rest up and only then can one operate the hand brake or try all kinds of jugglery to squeeze your hand through the space between the seats and the arm rest and operate the hand brake.

Though i didnt drive the car, i found that the thigh support is wanting for the front seats and the rear seat angle is a bit vague though the space is quite adequate. I think during long rides, it might be an issue for the rear passenger.

Looks like VW never thought that the owners would drive the car so why give steering mounted controls at all. So what if every other car even below their segment is doing it.

Wake up VW!!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by V-16

A couple of days ago, there was a Vento which was parked in my compound which i sat in briefly

*Did the owner know?

Another bit issue is the front seat center arm rest. Though it is a great option for an automatic car and even a manual, this particular arm rest actually interferes with your driving. Without driving the car i can pre-empt that it will interfere with the manual gear changing. When the arm rest is down, try operating the hand brake. One has to put the arm rest up and only then can one operate the hand brake or try all kinds of jugglery to squeeze your hand through the space between the seats and the arm rest and operate the hand brake.

At first, I thought this was ridiculous, but now I'm not so sure. In highway driving, there won't be much need of using the handbrake, and in city driving, maybe just keep it folded up.

An ideal driver controls the car with both hands on the wheel (you'd fail a UK test for steering with one hand), but hey, I don't.

Looks like VW never thought that the owners would drive the car so why give steering mounted controls at all. So what if every other car even below their segment is doing it.

Must be quite difficult for VW to adjust to the idea of the car being chauffeur driven. Excepting, perhaps, the Phaeton, I doubt that they expect many of their cars to be driven other than by the owner. Same would be true even of an Audi of this level.




*peculiar Brit sense of humour

[SPARKled]

Guys any idea of the price of the Vento diesel ex Navi Mumbai and how soon will deliveries commence? Also is there a long wait for this car?

[anjan_c2007]

Fantastic review GTO.The ergonomic niggles notwithstanding, the car may sell well initially and even later on too with VW centric buyers. But the maintenance costs are likely to be north moving and will be Skodaish!
The car is designed to be more like the chauffeur driven kind, but other than the rear AC vents and the front seat adjusters the back seat people need some more of the usual goodies.Overall, as you rightly put it, this is a worthy competitor for the Honda City as the other cars in this segment lack brand equity and finesse.
The lack of a middle level variant is a real turn off.
Lets see how and when VW takes up 8 to 10 % of the car market pie in India by 2014-16? Of course TOI is with them.

[V-16]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

*Did the owner know?

Actually not. It must have been from the VW guys only coz the Vento is yet not available. It was Silver in colour and a Petrol version. Took the liberty to take a seat in and check the car out without permission. Thats why i didnt take any pics

At first, I thought this was ridiculous, but now I'm not so sure. In highway driving, there won't be much need of using the handbrake, and in city driving, maybe just keep it folded up.
An ideal driver controls the car with both hands on the wheel

Actually Thad, mostly i drive most of the cars myself so i think more about the driver's perspective. When you do actually see that car and take a seat inside,you will notice how the arm rest could have been an afterthought for a manual transmission car. Will definitely come in the way as a hinderance in case of emergency situations when one has to pull the lever, eg, car in neutral suddenly slides back, or at a signal it slides back, etc. On a highway, well yes one does not need it but then ergonomically it is not right. When one is selling a car at that price and harping about its premium everything, one must give thought to these small details. As they say the God/Devil is in the details.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Took the liberty to take a seat in and check the car out without permission.

And I thought I was joking! ok... the joke's on me

Like a foot rest, a central arm rest is something I've never had: I don't know how the ergonomics works on other cars that do have one. It sounds like something it would have been better off without. I find my lap makes a good enough rest for my left arm, but I do like something soft that the right elbow can be propped against.

[Mella]

Great review GTO. Spot on as usual. How does the Vento compare against the Manza, especially the diesel.

[Palio_2005]

Originally Posted by Mella

Great review GTO. Spot on as usual. How does the Vento compare against the Manza, especially the diesel.

I don't think that would be a valid comparision, as both are in different categories. One can compare Vento with Linea MJD/Fiesta or Verna

[parsh]

Just read this. Great review GTO. Superbly to the point detailing. Something to learn from you. I am happy to see the Team-BHP logo on the number plate and hope to see many more first invitation drives for the community.

A few things come to my mind. The top end diesel quite up-priced at 9L+ bracket. Could that be viable option compared to Honda City? Or maybe Honda City will be pressurised for the Diesel option. What will be FE comparisons of the two, atleast the rated ones since we would not have actual ones yet?

[SPARKled]

The Vento looks good for sure, but the only thing that is keeping me from going and booking is the VW A.S.S. Today in the morning as I type this post, the forum is again full of Skoda A.S.S horror stories and considering that VW has even fewer service centers and not mention Skoda's parent company this is going to be one huge risk. So my take would be to wait for some time and see how they are sorting this A.S.S thingy. If sales is itself is so tardy, as seen form the way they have handled the Polo, I cant imagine what the service is going to be like.

[GTO]

Thank you for the 5 star thread ratings!

The main concern I'm seeing - overall - on this discussion is VW's after sales service. Exactly the area that can make it or break it for the brand. If you ask me, considering Skoda's shoddy after-sales, this is an opportunity waiting to be tapped for Volkswagen.

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

I guess VW is holding back on the comfortline to see how Honda and other players react and release this middle variant. This may again take about 6-8 months depending on the market reactions to the car.

I completely buy your reasoning . VW is probably banking on the Comfortline to fend off competitor reactions.

Originally Posted by Smooth Drive

Just curious, is it possible to fix a Jetta's music system and change the steering with the audio controls?

The Jetta music system would probably cost more than a superior Pioneer / Alpine / other after-market unit. Why would you? And no, I don't recommend after-market steering audio controls to an airbag equipped car. Reason? You have to remove the entire steering assembly! I developed cold feet when this was suggested for my Civic, and am happy using the remote control since.

Originally Posted by Ramsagar

I would like to know how good is driving pleasure in Vento when compared to Innova while both of them delivery amazing torque at very low RPM?

Due respect to the Innova for being the best MUV out there. But c'mon, its hardly a fun to drive vehicle!! Since you asked, Vento. No contest.

Originally Posted by adimicra

Yes, Honda dealers (at least in Hyderabad) have now become very courteous and more than willing to negotiate on the final deal - the effect of competition and low sales have changed their attitude for the good

That's nice to hear. As I have repeatedly stated (the obvious), competition makes things better for all of us.

Originally Posted by ajaynaphade

GTO, do you still recommend going for VW Vento Petrol?

Can't go wrong with one, though the diesel completely overshadows it. This is the case with pretty much all German cars.

Originally Posted by acidkill

Buying the trendline diesel tomorrow 1st half.

Originally Posted by diptimanraje

after getting all the above information I went ahead & booked the diesel highline white by paying rs.75000/-.

Congrats you guys! Please share detailed ownership reports so that other prospective buyers can benefit from your experience.

Originally Posted by namit

BTW .... GTO, what kind of average you would expect realistically from Diesel in city drivings ?

Minimal turbolag, thus no need to waste unnecessary revvs in the city. The car is light too. I'd expect the Vento to easily match the segment best when it comes to FE.

Originally Posted by V-16

Another bit issue is the front seat center arm rest.

Completely agree, Gogi. I didn't find it a hindrance while driving, but boy does it interfere with the handbrake's operation. Disaster in the ergonomic department if I ever saw one.

Originally Posted by Mella

How does the Vento compare against the Manza, especially the diesel.

Forget the Vento, no car this side of 15 lakh rupees (save for the Sonata Transform) can match the Manza on rear seat comfort and / or space.

[Ramsagar]

VW is seems to be very serious with their A.S.S as too keep the maintainance as low as other competetiors specially Toyota & Honda. But still the spares are expensive to procure. I had to replace a bent alloy of Jetta and was charged 18K. But the availability of alloy was very quick.

Vento comes with a 2years unlimited kms warrenty for spares expect for wear & tear parts.

I’m sure Vento might share a bigger foot print in Diesel rather than petrol segment.
But when it comes to Petrols, ANHC rocks.
The game is ON for Honda when they get-into Diesel market. Here the advantage of Japs is their A.S.S.
Lets wait...

[noopster]

I TDed the ANHC AT today. As much as I try to give the VW folks the benefit of the doubt, they aren't exactly doing their best to please me. The TD date has got pushed back from Sep 5th (definitely sir!) to 9th or 10th (probably). So I'm on leave today and crossing a Honda showroom and on a whim went in and asked about the City AT. They were nice enough and I had my TD within a few hours (they even sent the vehicle home).
Me and my nephew went out for a spin in Goregaon's horribly clogged streets (which is fine, I wanted to TD the automatic in slow traffic) and I cam back with mixed feelings. The City's interiors seem unimpressive (the "premium" beige looks anything but, and what's with that big red plastic button for the hazards?) Frankly my Swift looks more elegant- if I'm paying nearly 12 lac for it, I want a car that looks elegant not cheesy.
But I did love the steering-mounted audio controls and the paddle shift is quite amazing. Engine also felt refined and sharp, with a typical AT characteristic (I drove it American-style, flooring the gas as soon as a gap opened up, much to the alarm of the showroom guys in the backseat!)
If this darn car wasn't so overpriced I'd have gone for it, but now am even more eager to TD the Vento. At the risk of annoying some folks here, I do think it will be a better offering than the ANHC at this price point. The interiors shouldn't be that difficult to top and I could get used to a tiptronic and plain-Jane music system soon enough!
EDIT: Another thing I found weird was that the Honda dude said the service window is 3 months/5,000km while seems ridiculous compared to 15,000 km of the VW. Also Honda is charging some 22K for these 8 services (in the first 2 years) which seems quite high to me.