[prabhuferrari]

Lovely photos and write up. I am finding it so difficult to while away my time and end up reading all Vento threads one by one to see if I missed anything. 46 hrs left

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by prabhuferrari

Lovely photos and write up. I am finding it so difficult to while away my time and end up reading all Vento threads one by one to see if I missed anything. 46 hrs left

Hahaha. Awesome hours to be in. In fact during that weekend I was in Bombay, but I couldn't wait, and on a Saturday took a 6 o'clock volvo to reach Pune by 11 (time the dealer opened) and then traveled back to Bombay by 1 p.m.

Btw I had to upload this pic.


Damn you @Mikon, @Prabhuferrari & all other black Vento owners! She looks so sexy in black too! Wish I had two Ventos, one in black and one in blue

[souravc]

Great pics Ninja - have to visit Lavassa one of these days . Stayed away from it since I have heard that there's not much one can do there .
On your experience in the hills , I am a bit surprised since I did Goa-Mumbai via NH17 and the twisties were a breeze on my Vento ( with 6 people). Would Lavassa be steeper than that ? As I have not been to Lavassa I can't say how NH17 compares but on an absolute scale there were a few stretches of steep inclines and coupled with overloaded trucks that are usually there , cars struggle but I don't remember downshifting below 2nd anytime. For the Vento you have to play by the rpm and downshift accordingly and my experience has been that even on fairly steep inclines it can happily grunt up in the 2nd / 3rd, much sprightly than any SUV /MUV in that price bracket .

On the arm rest , you have to figure out a good compromise angle . I find the 2nd notch from the bottom the most convenient which allows for operating of hand brake as well as the buckles . Agree that it could have been made sliding to make things easier.

Seat belt indicator does not exist, seems like a freakish german idea to miss it out

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Till date, I hardly had any negatives about this car. Found quite a few today:

• This car is not made for the hills. Leave that for SUVs. Yes, she doesn't need to grunt her way up. But take her on a steep curve, and the lag kicks in. Big time.
• Today I discovered the first gear. Till date, I hardly ever used the first gear. Even in peak traffic, the 2nd gear did the job. But not today, especially when taking 180degree steep curves.
• Using the handbrake while keeping the hand rest might be uncomfortable, but trying to buckle the seat belt is a pain. Everytime I need to lift the hand rest in order to put on the seat belt.
• Absence of seat belt indicator. Either this has been disabled or it doesn't exist. I consider this as important as having airbags/ABS.

[noopster]

Nice pics Ninja! I love attacking the twisties en route Lavasa: my baby doesn't run out of breath like you say yours does- the petrol advantage I guess!

The seatbelt indicator is supposed to kick in at 25 kmph. I got this from the manual. But mine doesn't work at all (tested under CONTROLLED conditions). Maybe it's one of those features that need to be activated at the dealer's. Not a biggie since I am kinda religious when it comes to fastening seatbelts anyway!

I also don't use the handbrake as much (mine being an AT)- which is a relief since that armrest all but blocks access to it! It's a useful thing though (the armrest I mean!)- also have never faced any hindrance when buckling up- don't know why you report that as a an issue.

We should do another Lavasa drive soon- long overdue.

[subodh]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Vento owners, need this clarity from you guys - there is an extremely bad patch of 4-5 kms on the route from my home to office (Hinjewadi) - everytime I go through this patch, I hear minute squeaks coming from the dashboard - this comes up only when I go through such a bad patch - it stops the minute I get back to normal roads. Checked with @mikon, even he has experienced such squeaks from his car. Kindly note this is not from the suspension, it is inside the car only.

Neither of us have checked this up with the service center (yet). Is this a common occurance for all?

Yes Even i have noticces similar noise from my pillars and not from my dash board. Initially I thought it was because of my ICE installation, but guess its inherent in vento if others are also facing it.

Originally Posted by noopster

Nice pics Ninja! I love attacking the twisties en route Lavasa: my baby doesn't run out of breath like you say yours does- the petrol advantage I guess!

The seatbelt indicator is supposed to kick in at 25 kmph. I got this from the manual. But mine doesn't work at all (tested under CONTROLLED conditions). Maybe it's one of those features that need to be activated at the dealer's. Not a biggie since I am kinda religious when it comes to fastening seatbelts anyway!

I also don't use the handbrake as much (mine being an AT)- which is a relief since that armrest all but blocks access to it! It's a useful thing though (the armrest I mean!)- also have never faced any hindrance when buckling up- don't know why you report that as a an issue.

We should do another Lavasa drive soon- long overdue.

Noop even my seat belt indicator does not work at all. Need to check it up with service center guys.

Regarding the arm rest coming in way to buckle up, even i face that problem while buckling up. Luckily with practice, i have found a way to buckle it without putting the arm rest up. But sometimes i still have to do it.

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Finally got a chance to take the lady for a trip up the hills. Although she had done the Mumbai - Pune expressway quite a few times, I hadn't tested her out on a proper hilly stretch. With the rain gods playing hide and seek (more of hide than seek), I opted for a short drive to Lavasa.

Hey, nice pics, Ninja!

• This car is not made for the hills. Leave that for SUVs. Yes, she doesn't need to grunt her way up. But take her on a steep curve, and the lag kicks in. Big time.
• Today I discovered the first gear. Till date, I hardly ever used the first gear. Even in peak traffic, the 2nd gear did the job. But not today, especially when taking 180degree steep curves.

I had recently been to Ooty (writeup+pics in my thread) and had exactly the opposite experience. I had taken the Masinagudi route which has 36 hairpin bends on the climb to Ooty. The car performed exceptionally well. I drove up mostly in the 2nd gear. I had to shift down to the first gear only when there was an approaching vehicle at the hairpin bend. Got an excellent mileage inspite of the climb.

I could say I have gotten completely comfortable with the car now and probably that is the reason I was able to climb in 2nd gear throughout (by maintaining the rpm). Maybe that is the reason why you preferred shifting down? or was it loss of power on the curve?

[Vid6639]

I seriously hope your joking about cleaning the body with newspaper and using Johnson's baby shampoo. As good as sandpapering the finish off the car.

Why no invest in a bottle of Sonax shampoo and a proper microfibre cloth?

Also a visit to the car detailing thread is a must if you want the paint to last long.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

I seriously hope your joking about cleaning the body with newspaper and using Johnson's baby shampoo. As good as sandpapering the finish off the car.

Why no invest in a bottle of Sonax shampoo and a proper microfibre cloth?

Also a visit to the car detailing thread is a must if you want the paint to last long.

Ouch. Unfortunately no. That's as a good as a rap on my head. Appreciate you pointing out this.

I didn't use the newspaper like a cloth - it was more used as a means of pushing away the water droplets on the body. Also had got "advice" (not-TBHP) on using a mild shampoo.

And I get the point. Will be digging into the car details threads asap.

Originally Posted by souravc

Great pics Ninja - have to visit Lavassa one of these days . Stayed away from it since I have heard that there's not much one can do there .

Actually its not really worth it - but the Lavasa team has maintained the entire stretch of road really well - and that is what makes up the drive.
On empty stretches you can easily reach top speeds, if not for the curves.

On your experience in the hills , I am a bit surprised since I did Goa-Mumbai via NH17 and the twisties were a breeze on my Vento ( with 6 people). Would Lavassa be steeper than that ? As I have not been to Lavassa I can't say how NH17 compares but on an absolute scale there were a few stretches of steep inclines and coupled with overloaded trucks that are usually there , cars struggle but I don't remember downshifting below 2nd anytime.

It's been some time since I have been on NH17 - but there are a few points when the turns at Lavasa are 180degrees and the road immediately climb up too. Don't think NH17 has such curves.

But I digress - probably I hadn't put down my thoughts correctly - need to clarify. The car does not grunt at all - she can easily take the hills with any number of passengers effortlessly.
But what disappointed me was, while the excellent 3-4-5th gears are perfect for city & highway drives, it's the 1st & 2nd gears that come in more use up the hills. On a hill road with a gradual rise, I could switch to the upper gears & enjoy the drive.

And also there are these so many small single lane routes that criss-cross the MH hillside - I dare not do it on a Vento and hence the statement on SUV.

For example the last pic (flowers) was on a single lane detour that actually turned out to be the best part of the drive (refer to the map - blue line is the normal route to Lavasa, while the detour is marked by placeholders)

The entire stretch was a single lane road with small craters at every odd kms.
But what blew us away was both sides were lined up with flowers throughout the stretch.

Originally Posted by noopster

Nice pics Ninja! I love attacking the twisties en route Lavasa: my baby doesn't run out of breath like you say yours does- the petrol advantage I guess!

Kindly note, the Tdi never runs out of breath! Reasons given above. But your AT would be the perfect gear system for the turns of Lavasa I guess.

We should do another Lavasa drive soon- long overdue.

Lavasa? Maybe. But a trip up the hills - definite!
Btw if you see Lavasa on Gmaps, at the final point of reaching Lavasa, the road goes further left (south) towards Varasgaon dam (& village). My hands are itching to try out those untapped roads.

Originally Posted by subodh

Yes Even i have noticces similar noise from my pillars and not from my dash board. Initially I thought it was because of my ICE installation, but guess its inherent in vento if others are also facing it.

Thank god such issues are common. Keep getting these thoughts if mine is going to be the first Vento lemon on the forum!!!

Originally Posted by nileshch

Hey, nice pics, Ninja!
I had recently been to Ooty (writeup+pics in my thread) and had exactly the opposite experience. I had taken the Masinagudi route which has 36 hairpin bends on the climb to Ooty. The car performed exceptionally well. I drove up mostly in the 2nd gear. I had to shift down to the first gear only when there was an approaching vehicle at the hairpin bend. Got an excellent mileage inspite of the climb.

Have ridden on the bends of Ooty - that's a beautiful route!
Well I got a mileage of 15-16, which I can consider decent enough. I guess there is a learning curve for me to improvise on driving the vento better.

P.s. Where are the Ooty pics? Edit : Re-read your post - will check them out.

Originally Posted by souravc

On the arm rest , you have to figure out a good compromise angle . I find the 2nd notch from the bottom the most convenient which allows for operating of hand brake as well as the buckles . Agree that it could have been made sliding to make things easier.

Originally Posted by subodh

Regarding the arm rest coming in way to buckle up, even i face that problem while buckling up. Luckily with practice, i have found a way to buckle it without putting the arm rest up. But sometimes i still have to do it.

Originally Posted by noopster

also have never faced any hindrance when buckling up- don't know why you report that as a an issue.

Well, I did a bit of seat analysis - I generally keep the seat upfront - probably that is why I only am facing the issue. If I push back the seat, the buckle lock is not that difficult to access.


P.s. 1400 kms up! Wish my TBHP posts count also went up that fast!

[ajay_satpute]

Hey Ninja

Nice report and very good pics of your beauty. I also did my Lavasa trip very recently. I had a ball driving up and down those twisties since the road was really well-laid out. I agree that some patches have extremely steep climbs and I guess everyone has to downshift to go through those steeps.

However, Lavasa as a location is fantastic, leave aside the exorbitant pricing all around the place. The BW photo is damn good.

Hoping to meet you in person sometime soon.

BTW, here's my photologoue of Lavasa trip (post # 59 onwards)
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...mpleted-4.html

[Swanand Inamdar]

So, the Dusshera holiday was put to good use then . Lovely pics. Loved the one in B&W.

Even in the Laura, the seatbelt warning doesnt kick in. At whatever speeds.

1400 kms up already! Man, you seem to have started a taxi service with your car! Good that its a TDi.

Lets plan a trip soon. I would love to take the Superb to Lavasa. The twisties would be fun.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by ajay_satpute

Hey Ninja

Nice report and very good pics of your beauty. I also did my Lavasa trip very recently. I had a ball driving up and down those twisties since the road was really well-laid out. I agree that some patches have extremely steep climbs and I guess everyone has to downshift to go through those steeps.

However, Lavasa as a location is fantastic, leave aside the exorbitant pricing all around the place. The BW photo is damn good.

Hoping to meet you in person sometime soon.

BTW, here's my photologoue of Lavasa trip (post # 59 onwards)
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...mpleted-4.html

Thanks Ajay. But haven't we met? I remember seeing your car on a evening tbhp meet (the one for which we had first gathered at Mezza9). Or was it Amit's? I keep getting confused

As of now posting through mobile, so will have to go through that later.

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Thanks Ajay. But haven't we met? I remember seeing your car on a evening tbhp meet (the one for which we had first gathered at Mezza9). Or was it Amit's? I keep getting confused

As of now posting through mobile, so will have to go through that later.

That must have been Amit. I wasnt there at Mezza9 for the first leg of that meet. I met everyone at Bavdhan.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

So, the Dusshera holiday was put to good use then . Lovely pics. Loved the one in B&W.

Even in the Laura, the seatbelt warning doesnt kick in. At whatever speeds.

1400 kms up already! Man, you seem to have started a taxi service with your car! Good that its a TDi.

Lets plan a trip soon. I would love to take the Superb to Lavasa. The twisties would be fun.

Well as long as I have vitamin M to fund the kms, I ain't worrying

btw if everyone's game for a lavasa trip, then let's do it. How about doing a night trip when the full moon is up? The pics would be worth it if nothing else. We could leave directly from office too, taking the back route behind megapolis. We could even do it on a weekday, we'll be back home by 1. What say?

[mikon]

Originally Posted by noopster

We should do another Lavasa drive soon- long overdue.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Lavasa? Maybe. But a trip up the hills - definite!

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

Lets plan a trip soon. I would love to take the Superb to Lavasa. The twisties would be fun.

I went to Lavasa yesterday. But this time it wasn't the vento. It was something else . And I bet the twisties are real fun on that monster. Swanand has experienced it a bit.

The mausam is awesome at lavasa now. We should plan the meet soon. I'm yet to drive with the vento family and the big daddy superb.

[Swanand Inamdar]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

How about doing a night trip when the full moon is up? The pics would be worth it if nothing else.

A night trip sure sounds great! We could leave late evening and head back post dinner. Weekdays seems a bit tough though.

Originally Posted by mikon

I went to Lavasa yesterday. But this time it wasn't the vento. It was something else . And I bet the twisties are real fun on that monster. Swanand has experienced it a bit.

That "something else" is really something else! Man, what a beast it was! Adrenaline pumping et al.