[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by noopster

@vasudeva- mine is a 2010 model. Since I took delivery on Jan 22nd I didn't think it was a big deal. You should get the standard 16K corporate discount but little else (I think there are enough people waiting who will go for the 2010 models in whatever colour available!)
You really can't go wrong with ANHC AT. If you like the car, go for it.

They were offering a discount on insurance which is really worthless as it is like the difference between the MRP and actual price of a TV set. Anyway, white is not my colour of choice (at least since owning M800 in 1995 when white was it).

I like Vento for the looks but perhaps Honda is better for my conservative nature. Nothing finalised as there is no urgent need (just an intermittent urge to buy).

[mdsaab]

@noopster hey congratulations are in order again ~ this thread is HOT. Nice sense of humour, but dont forget to thank the car and ofcourse your decision.

@dot yep jm rd and mg rd definately assure us that we made the right decision going for an AT.

@vasudeva agree with noopster here. You cant go wrong with the city AT. What i love abt the honda automatics is the lovely paddle shifters. When on the highway or a string of twisties its the paddles that bring a smile to my face.

[RGK]

Congratulations Noopster for your wonderful white sedan. No doubt VW is going to give a competition a real run.
Mileage is very impressive for an ATSedan.
Happy Motoring...

[noopster]

Originally Posted by RGK

Congratulations Noopster for your wonderful white sedan. No doubt VW is going to give a competition a real run.
Mileage is very impressive for an ATSedan.
Happy Motoring...

Thanks RGK.

300 km done and the overall mileage is 10.4 kmpl. Can't complain!

[ambivalent_98]

Congrats Noopster. May you have many safe and happy driving miles in your new VW.

Just not to be off topic wanted to share - I was in the VW showroom yesterday and got a chance to testdrive the diesel Highline of the Vento.
It absolutely blew me away since my experience so far with diesels has been mostly Tata products which so far have been sluggish and noisy. The test car was a shade noisier but then the accelaration and control and the ease of driving had me spellbound. It costs more than the HIghline Petrol but then considering diesel costs I think the extra money is worth it.

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by ambivalent_98

Congrats Noopster. May you have many safe and happy driving miles in your new VW.

Just not to be off topic wanted to share - I was in the VW showroom yesterday and got a chance to testdrive the diesel Highline of the Vento.
It absolutely blew me away since my experience so far with diesels has been mostly Tata products which so far have been sluggish and noisy. The test car was a shade noisier but then the accelaration and control and the ease of driving had me spellbound. It costs more than the HIghline Petrol but then considering diesel costs I think the extra money is worth it.

Please note that the TD cars will not be well maintained. That's the reason why these cars are sluggish. Outside, the Vento is a bit noisier but well damped inside. Cabin is quiet. This is when I compared my Vento with my Swift and Fiesta.

I bet that Vento Highline Tdi is worth every penny.

[mdsaab]

Did you manage to go to lavasa? If you did what kind of mileage did you get on that run. Approx figures? And the city mileage you mentioned, is this with 100% ac usage?

[noopster]

Lavasa plan put on hold since there's gastro-enteritis in the air (not kidding, more than half the kids at the paediatrician were showing the same symptoms!). And yes, 10.4 kmpl is with mix of city and highway (in Pune suburbs the terms are interchangeable!) with AC always on.

Did some upping and downing on the highway but traffic was heavy. Managed to test my "speed limiter" (set to 100 kmph) but was disappointed All it does is give one melodious beep (easily drowned out by Pantera or Megadeth on the stereo LOL) and then flashes 100 kmph on the MID. I once drove in a Merc that used to flash the beep long and loud till you slowed down- now THAT would have been effective.


Got a chance to look at some other options in leather, though-honing in on a good deal. Will keep you guys posted.

Funnily enough I test drove the Skoda Laura today . Had gone there for some other work and the salesman saw me all suited up and thought-bakra hai! So offered me a test drive. Neki aur pooch pooch? Man am I glad I bought the Vento! While there is no comparing the DSG on the Laura to my baby's old-school AT (shifts smooth like a manual and no accidental kickdowns), the noise level thanks to the 2lit CRDI engine is a tad too high for my liking. And flame me if you will but the feeling is exactly the same as I get in the Vento, apart from the Laura feeling more firmly planted and the awesomely large ORVMs. Anyone considering the Laura DSG but on a budget, the Vento is the way to go!

[ambivalent_98]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

Please note that the TD cars will not be well maintained. That's the reason why these cars are sluggish. Outside, the Vento is a bit noisier but well damped inside. Cabin is quiet. This is when I compared my Vento with my Swift and Fiesta.

I bet that Vento Highline Tdi is worth every penny.

Yes I agree totally. The TD car I drove did not even have the VW logos on the front and rear. I wonder whether they were stolen or they were intentionally removed so as to not tempt anyone

[mdsaab]

Too bad lavasa was put on hold. If gastro is in the air, glad that we are not in pune right now. 10.3 is a darn good mileage for city mix conditions. And the best part is that it can only go up from here.

Hey atleast the car did warn you in its way. Something is better than nothing.

Leather seats wise i am of the opinion than stanley is the way to go. Not sure what they stock, but you could check out poona motors off east street, they might have something you like.

Will test drive both the laura and vento once back in pune.

[rkap01]

Originally Posted by noopster

She's here! This afternoon at around 4 pm, I finally took delivery of my Volkswagen Vento 1.6 AT Highline from VW Pune. First impressions:

Ja! Ja!
• Elegant, understated looks: German Fraülein through and through
• Refined but peppy 1.6L petrol engine pumping out 105 BHP & 153 Nm torque
• 6 speed automatic a joy to drive in the city
• Good interiors- premium feel and grey-beige colour combination works great
• Highline comes equipped with ABS, airbags, climate control, 15” alloys, rear AC, height adjustable driver's seat, tilt and telescopic steering adjust, rear AC vents- pretty much everything I need!

Nein Bitte!
• VW’s bad management of the supply process translating into indifferent dealer experience
• Colour choices limited and availability issues
• Tyres are awkward size and upsizing voids warranty
• The inner RVM is a disaster! It obstructs my view and doesn’t show me much of the rear view at all.
But I nitpick. Take a look at my beauty…

Congrats! I had almost made up my mind about this car; but my very bad experience with the sales team as well as no AT test car availability put me off permanently. I went for time tested Honda City 1.5 V AT exclusive.
Congrats again. Car looks superb!

[manavdotcom]

Did a quick TD of AT.The guys responded well and came on time.

Pro's.

- Liked 6 Speed AT,Tiptronic, etc
- Engine seems to be hungry to go.

Con's

- Didn't like Plastics.. Looked cheap.
- Seats were very dirty
Both above could be bad maint of the Demo car.
- Horn in center, difficult to press.
- Low seating.Overall hight of car is less.
- ORVMS/RVM's are very small.
- No USB, Audio is Okayish.
- Long waiting period.

Last two points making me to go for other options.

[akj53]

Congratulations noopster on a fine car with AT. I will be completing two years in March with Altis AT and the convenience of AT is simply addictive. I will now not go back to manual tranny. The extra cost of AT is money well spent indeed.

I had also tried the CITY AT in 2009 before buying the Altis but had found that to be a bare bones car with basic interiors. Altis has served me well so far, with out any hassles at all.

Wishing you a long and happy ownership with Vento. Do post about your trip to Lavasa.

[noopster]

Tip of the day: Use front fog lamps always. They do wonders for visibility at night- as mentioned before the headlamps are inadequate. To use, go to the headlights or parking lights setting on the light dial and pull it out slightly.

Originally Posted by rkap01

Congrats! I had almost made up my mind about this car; but my very bad experience with the sales team as well as no AT test car availability put me off permanently. I went for time tested Honda City 1.5 V AT exclusive.
Congrats again. Car looks superb!

Thanks rkap1. I spotted your ownership thread and even commented there. All the best!

Originally Posted by manavdotcom

Con's

- Didn't like Plastics.. Looked cheap.
- Seats were very dirty
Both above could be bad maint of the Demo car.
- Horn in center, difficult to press.
- Low seating.Overall hight of car is less.
- ORVMS/RVM's are very small.
- No USB, Audio is Okayish.
- Long waiting period.

Last two points making me to go for other options.

You have identified just the right things as potential deal breakers. I must say however that, though the seating is low, it's easy to get used to and the ORVMs while small are very effective.
You're also right about the demo car because plastics on the Vento are impeccable (a little softer would have been nice though). Seats getting dirty is to be expected since the OE upholstery is a very light shade of beige.

Originally Posted by akj53

Congratulations noopster on a fine car with AT. I will be completing two years in March with Altis AT and the convenience of AT is simply addictive. I will now not go back to manual tranny. The extra cost of AT is money well spent indeed.

(...)Wishing you a long and happy ownership with Vento. Do post about your trip to Lavasa.

Thank you sir! I am hoping to capture at least an iota of the joy you brought to your Jaguar thread. Altis AT is great but massively overpriced. Toyota should launch an AT version of the G variant and see how sales soar!

[Abhi_Automobile]

- Didn't like Plastics.. Looked cheap.

Interesting.. You are the first person on the entire forum who is saying that. After branding the Vento plastics as 'cheap' , I'll be surprised if you like the ANHC or any of the other ones in the same segment. Theough not premium, I found the Vento plastics the best of the segment.

Maybe you need to move a segment up to CIVIC/Laura/Jetta to get good interiors then