[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by man_and_machine

There was interesting discussion with the sales rep yesterday. For all the owners of Comfortline and Highline cars Vento Polo alike what do you do with the existing head unit when you replace that with the Blaupaunkt 835? You can only fit it into VW Skoda Seat cars, in India only VW and Skoda. Has anyone tried selling it on OLX?

Originally Posted by Turbohead

Why would people buy the stock unit in the first place?

I still have my stock unit. Never used( replaced with 835 on day 1) but 2 years old now. I held it without selling for a year on case I needed it. Post that I was ready to sell. Without advertising it, almost sold it to a couple of bhpians here through discussions in threads here. One guy dropped at the last minute and another person ( who had a 2012 Skoda) put plans on build since he found it was not plug and play.

In summary, if advertised, there should be buyers. Those who have lower variants and folks with the older models will be the target buyers. Of course can't expect big money. Dealers will not buy it back. Can be easily sold to spare part dealers( Sp road area in Bangalore). They offer something around 4-5k.

[Rajeevraj]

Picked up these magnetic sunshades for my Vento (2013) from VW Calicut (Kerala). Was looking for the one that comes with the 2015 Vento Highline Plus edition. But apparently they cannot sell that separately.

A little expensive- Rs 2900 for a set of 4, but I liked the quality and had been looking out for these magnetic shades. So went ahead.

Fits quite well on the frame and does not impede the window up down movement. I did not put it on the driver window as I felt my eyes were not comfortable with it in close quarters.


Some snaps

[AtheK]

I just got similar one for 800 bucks off JC road in bangalore, pretty good fit as well.

Does your driver and passenger side have zipper, I have the zipper really helps in malls.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by AtheK

I just got similar one for 800 bucks off JC road in bangalore, pretty good fit as well.

Does your driver and passenger side have zipper, I have the zipper really helps in malls.

Nice. 800 is a very good price. I had checked some online options and all decent looking ones were above 1000 minimum. No, mine does not have zippers.

I was not comfortable with the shade on the driver side, so have removed it for now.

[navate]

Took the delivery of Vento TSI HL (Toffee Brown) on 26th Nov in Thane. Got free insurance - No other discounts. Also opted for extended warranty and zero dep.

Want to thank the forum and especially reviews from Ventoman and Rajeevraj which helped immensely to finalize my decision after spending more than 6 months thinking which car to buy.


Preferred a petrol for two reasons -
1) The test drive of TSI DSG combo (it was on a polo) wowed me. No other cars I drove in the segment were even close.
TDI was in contention for couple of months mainly for low running cost. Test dove it twice - but eventually TSI was the winner. TDI engine is not that refined IMO and also costs around 1.5 lac more. Its definitely not as punchy !!

2) My monthly running was around 1200km (which I think is borderline for Petrol vs Diesel) with my old i20.
But this one is so fun to drive that already covered ~2500 km and no regret at all of not buying a diesel.

Positives:
1) Looks and Built quality - Both exterior and interior. Especially the front grill on the facelift version.

2) Stability. No problem cruising at triple digit speeds. Easy to maneuver the sharp corners at high speed. Drive is very planted.

3) Great Mileage for a petrol automatic - For my Trip to Mahabaleshwar which included a detour in Pune city - I got 15.5 !.
For office commute in Mumbai, mileage is around 12-13. (Off peak hours)

4) DSG gearbox is superb !!!
Its an awesome gearbox and combo with TSI is just amazing. DSG definitely adopts to one's driving style. Never felt trip-tonic is needed. It handles with ease all conditions like Ghat sections, quick over-taking on a single lane highway etc. Use S mode for those extra revvs but D mode itself is quite capable.

I read quite few threads about jerking issue. Thankfully, haven't faced any.
In one particular situation, I can feel minor jerk or engine breaking perhaps. In slow moving traffic if the gearbox upshifts from 2 to 3 and then you have to slow down because of traffic ahead and gearbox happens to downshift to 2 again (after staying at 3 may be for couple of seconds). If this happens there is a minor jerk. But its very manageable.



Negatives:
1) Volkswagen's famed A.S.S - Especially after owning Maruti and Hyundai for last 10 years
2) Thud from suspension at speed bumps and potholes (not always)
3) Headlights not very powerful
4) Transmission tunnel is too high for third passenger on the rear seat.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by navate

Took the delivery of Vento TSI HL (Toffee Brown) on 26th Nov in Thane. Got free insurance - No other discounts. Also opted for extended warranty and zero dep.

Want to thank the forum and especially reviews from Ventoman and Rajeevraj which helped immensely to finalize my decision after spending more than 6 months thinking which car to buy.

Congrats on the purchase and thank you for the acknowledgement.

I was recently at the VW showroom and spent some time looking at the new Vento. The subtle upgrades over the last 2 years really work on the car and it looks classier than ever both inside and outside.

Wish you all the best.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by navate

Took the delivery of Vento TSI HL (Toffee Brown) on 26th Nov in Thane. Got free insurance - No other discounts. Also opted for extended warranty and zero dep.

Negatives:
1) Volkswagen's famed A.S.S - Especially after owning Maruti and Hyundai for last 10 years

Hey navate, welcome to TBHP and congrats on your latest acquisition

I have had a similar dilemma about owning a VW at times, since both my previous cars were from the Korean stable. But what I have realised is that the more you think about the 'Unthinkable', the more it freaks you out.
So my advise to you is, just enjoy the German Engineering and no matter how good/horrible A.S.S really is, there is no denying the fact that this is a special car

Please post an ownership report at the earliest with lots of pics. Wish you a happy motoring.

Drive safe.

[navate]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Hey navate, welcome to TBHP and congrats on your latest acquisition

just enjoy the German Engineering and no matter how good/horrible A.S.S really is, there is no denying the fact that this is a special car

Please post an ownership report at the earliest with lots of pics. Wish you a happy motoring.

Drive safe.

Thanks Rajeevraj and Vik0728.

You're spot on! Just enjoying the German Engineering for now without worrying about the A.S.S

[man_and_machine]

The new highline has voice control that works well with an iPhone. It can wake up Siri. Does anyone know if that interface is available in the Philadelphia 835 (from the style variant)? I am searching for VW compatible Apple car play system on the net, could not find much info. VW was late in joining in the Carplay pool. Any pointers?

[LandCruiser]

The spied new Ameo seems to have a large touch screen audio system? Could be the android auto/car play? Possible to come in vento too?

http://indianautosblog.com/wp-conten...d-up-close.jpg

[anandharamanp]

VW Vento TDI Highline (MT)comes home

Having had driven a Santro GLS for 7 years , I really wanted to upgrade to a sedan that excels in performance and drive handling. Upon reading GTO’s transparent, indepth and unbiased review about all C2 sedans, my craze for VW Vento started an year back, the craze grew day by day month by month. Did a test drive on Dec 12th and I was mesmerized. On Dec 19th went to the showroom and booked a Carbon steel Grey Vento TDI Manual Transmission. From the time I got this car delivered to me I wanted to share the news with all my fellow Bhpians here.

Cars considered:

Fiat Linea: Rock solid, reliable and proven engine, superior brakes, with excellent ride handling and stability with a high ground clearance of 190 mm. But the engine felt very much under powered for me. Fiat was ready to offer huge discounts still under powered engine was a deal breaker.

Hyundai Verna:Powerful and torquey diesel to my likings. But the reviews that i read about its ride handling and steering feedbacks made me think many times.
The dealer agreed to offer me a test drive in one hour time span but he hesitated and never returned the call when i told him that i want to TD the vehicle in relatively less traffic roads for the reason that i want to test the handling of vehicle and steering feedback. hence I could not TD the vehicle and verna was deleted from my list.

Skoda Rapid:
Was priced lower than Vento, a VFM car with projector headlamps(which is missing in vento) but the interior of the car did not offer the richness that is available in Vento. Also after reading the Scary ASS experiences of Team Bhpians here with Skoda and lack of more networked dealers here in tamil nadu made me not to go ahead with Skoda.

Honda City: It was an easy decision for me to drop City from my list. Not to offend any 2015 Honda owners here. Honda just for the sake of achieving highest ARAI mileage had compromised in terms of build quality. The tiny clunk sound when closing of doors, Skinny tyres, naked Boot lid and top of all these is the much clattery diesel engine and the poor noise insulation offered by 4th generation city helped me to drop it without any hesitation.

Vento - the King and the contender - Solid build without any compromise on performance. it had a torquey diesel, rich interiors, fuel efficiency and many more that i liked are shared in this ownership report. I finalized upon Vento TDI - Highline - Manual Transmission. On the road it costed Rs. 13,25,000 (with elite Insurance package). After negotiations got a cash discount of Rs 1,00,000 and the final price worked to Rs. 12,25,000. request the feedback of Fellow team Bhpians if i should opt for the extended warranty.

Loan: I went for SBI car loan and the payment was approved and released in leas than 12 hours. Hats off to SBI Alandur branch.

Freebies Offered: Rubber Floor mats, Mud Flaps and Body cover.

Dealership experience:
It was really a wonderful experience that I had with “Kun Volkswagen Madras” Thillai ganga Nagar showroom. Loan was processed and approved in less than 12 hours, I made my down-payment and the car went for registration the next day. The treatment that i received when taking the delivery of the car was really royal. In one word the experience with the dealership “Kun Volkswagen Madras” was awesome. I informed them with a smile that i would like to have this fantastic experience continued even during ASS.

What i like in the car:

Powerful and torquey Diesel engine - Turbo lag is very very minimal, turbo gets kicked around 1500 rpm and hence driving in city's is definitely a breeze. Around 1800-2000 rpm there is a sudden surge of power that brings a grin on my face every time i press the accelerator pedal because of which overtaking in city or Highways is very effortless.

Solid Build quality - Build quality is rock solid, the doors are heavy and i simply love the thud sound every time the door gets closed.

Stability and ride handling in one word is excellent. The car handles straight roads and corners in a like fashion that i get tempted to push it around the corners with touch of couple of fingers and i never felt in secured so far in these 1000 kms driven so far.Body roll is very very minimal that you will not even notice and the car gives you enough confidence to oush it around corners. The car handles the corners in a same fashion just as it handles straight roads.

Noise insulation inside the cabin - though the diesel engine is little clattery on the outside (and gets settled once the engined gets warm), the noise insulation is excellent. Once inside the cabin, you don't hear the sound of diesel engine under the hood. One of colleague who owns i20 (who is a car enthusiast and aspiring to buy Cruze) asked me if it is a petrol engine that i have bought.

Contemporary matured looks and integrated boot (unlike Dzire) gave vento a perfect Sedan look.

Rear leg room - is more than adequate. When i adjusted my front driver seat for my height, still i could comfortably go back, sit at the rear seat and still there is some un utilized leg room. For your reference my height is 5 feet 10 inches.

Quality of materials used inside the cabin is top notch in this segment.

Gear shift is butter smooth.

MID - a lot of information is provided including Average fuel efficiency, coolant temperature, outside temperature, Distance to empty, dual trip meter, Gear shift indicator, open door warning etc. Once on the highway, after having a stop for a break at restaurant, i driving the vehicle and the MID alerted me that Handbrake in on.

Features like Cruise control, Voice command call, Bluetooth sync with mobile, USB connectivity etc are great and good to have features.

Audio System: In general i would rate the Quality of audio to be above average. For my requirement it is good but definitely not excellent. Music enthusiast will definitely need to upgrade.

Flat bottomed steering wheel- gives you a solid grip which brings a lot of confidence when you hold them and i really love to have the nice feeling of the steering rolling in between my palm and fingers when i release them after taking a u turn.

German imported Alloy wheels gives the car a classy look to the contemporary design of the car. I found the 185/60/R15 stock tyres to be doing its job well and i did not fell any need to upgrade.

Suspension is bit stiff at low speeds but does an excellent job after 40 kms speed.

Rectangular shaped 494 L Boot space with minimum intrusion of wheel wells which help us to swallow all of the holiday luggage. the boot lid wirings are concealed unlike in the Japanese competitor. Soft touch boot open is a really nice.

Excellent braking - I once did an emergency braking and the car stopped stopped instantaneously in a straight line.

Fuel efficiency - On my fisrt Highway trip(to my hometown) the car tempted me to drive it faster but I managed to control myself and maintained a speed in the range of 70-90 and made sure that the rpm did not exceed 1800 at any time in any gear. What made more excited is that the mileage displayed on the meter showed 26 Km/l but completely on the highway.

On my second highway trip during pongal holidays (and the traffic was really hectic even on highways and in between i was forced to drive in a very congested traffic from Pondhicherry-cuddalore to sirkali) when I push the car at mid triple digit speeds where ever possible,it returned 18.5 kms/L. I would say this is a huge win for a vehicle with 1750 kg weight.

On an average the car returns 21 KM/L on highway trips with lower triple digit speeds. Vento is a blend of Performance and fuel efficiency.

Smoked Head lamps gives the car a sporty look and the beam throw is designed in such a way that it did not irriatate the drivers coming on the opposite direction. Before getting delivery of the car, I had a plan to upgrade the stock bulbs to 100/90 but the dealer confirmed me that warranty will become void if I do so. On my way to my home town, I started early morning yesterday I could make use of the double barrel head lights. I found the lightning to be really adequate. I would not say that the lightning as excellent but it is more than enough for me to push it on the highway. Hence I dropped the idea of upgrading the head lights.

Foldable Remote key with Boot lid opening and closing of window glass from outside is definitely a plus.

what I don't like or could have been better:

Low Ground clearance of 163mm. On bad/bumpy roads, especially on flood affected roads of cuddalore district, I have to zero down and put a lot of efforts to make sure that the car does not gets bottomed and i have to say that i failed few times.

Door could be opened from inside while running even when the doors have a auto locking mechanism at 20 Km speeds. SA told me that all German vehicles are designed in a similar fashion. I could not understand the logic behind. I have a 4 year old son and i have to use the child lock option to be safe.

Though Beige seats looks very premium they get spoiled easily. It got spoiled with the dark blue colour of my mom's new cotton saree and i could not bring back the original tone of leather even after cleaning (expecting suggestions from fellow team bhpians if i can use any solutions available in the market for cleaning leather)

Rear window glass can be opened only half the way and not all the way down, why is it?

Missing scuff plates: VW should have provided scuff plates for vento. The stepping area gets easily spoiled and sometimes gets scratched. I am planning to go for one.

Pedal vibration: there is a slight vibration or pulse of engine is felt on the clutch similar to the pulse of heart beat of a person felt over a doctor's stethoscope. But that will not create any pain in your foot, its something that you will feel if you notice minutely.
Overall in the recent 1000 kms drive that i had so far I would say I am extremely satisfied and convinced with buying a VW product Vento.

Others:

Alloy Wheels and tyres: The alloy looks classy and sturdy, imported from Germany. I honestly was more than satisfied with the tyre size 185/60/R15 and did not feel that i need to do an upgrade. Stock tyres are Good Year and i could not comment on it now. sometimes i feel the tyre noise and sometimes i feel fine, may be too early to judge now.


Driving position: with the height adjustment, reach and rake steering it is very easy for you to identify a very comfortable position in the driver's seat and you will not get tired even in the long highway drives.

A/c cooling: I found the cooling effectiveness to be really adequate particularly with the Climate control option.

Interior storage: Front 2 doors have bottle holders with can house 1.5 L bottles. There is a ticket holder for holding the toll tickets, glove box is large enough and also provides A/c vents to keep your beverages cool.

I am just enjoying the German engineering. Thanks Bhp team.

Anandh.

[karansm4u]

Extended warranty is MUST for vento, please do not make mistake of not purchasing it for saving few thousands. I got my injector change which otherwise coated more than 1 lakh.

[anandharamanp]

Thanks for sharing your experience, i will get the extended warranty in another 6 months.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by anandharamanp

VW Vento TDI Highline (MT)comes home

On my second highway trip during pongal holidays (and the traffic was really hectic even on highways and in between i was forced to drive in a very congested traffic from Pondhicherry-cuddalore to sirkali) when I push the car at mid triple digit speeds where ever possible,it returned 18.5 kms/L. I would say this is a huge win for a vehicle with 1750 kg weight.

Congrats anandharamanp on your latest acquisition and this deserves an ownership report of its own buddy

Coming from a Hyundai ownership myself, VW is almost a revelation of sorts. The product in itself is a marvel and the engineering that has gone behind this machine shows up so frequently. You will be really amazed with the sort of features which are there on board and its a constant discovery to an extent.

VW TDi engines offer the best of both world and whether its their power figures or mileage numbers, seldom are they far off from what they claim.

VW Vento weighs just a shade over 1,200 kgs at most dude and even the heaviest sedan in its class (Fiat Linea) does not weigh anywhere near 1,750 kgs

Wish you a happy motoring and drive safe.

[lihkinm]

Originally Posted by anandharamanp

VW Vento TDI Highline (MT)comes home

Others:

Alloy Wheels and tyres: The alloy looks classy and sturdy, imported from Germany. I honestly was more than satisfied with the tyre size 185/60/R15 and did not feel that i need to do an upgrade. Stock tyres are Good Year and i could not comment on it now. sometimes i feel the tyre noise and sometimes i feel fine, may be too early to judge now.

Anandh.

Hey Anand, many congratulations on your new Vento. Regarding the alloys you mentioned here, did you import alloys by yourself? Or are you talking about the stock alloys that come with Highline? If possible, please upload a pic or two of the same. I wish you have thousands of miles with all smiles in your new Vento.