Volkswagen Vento : Test Drive & Review

idofsuresh · 16th August 2010, 02:12

A wonderful review GTO

. You made my day.

Isn't it a serious safety concern if the rear passenger can adjust the front seat ? What if an ignorant person (there are too many around) or a naughty kid plays around with the adjustment lever ? Or is it that only the passenger seat is adjustable from the rear ? It is extremely scary to me if the rear passenger can adjust the driver seat when the car is in motion. I sincerely hope it is not the case.

anku94 · 16th August 2010, 02:40

Awesome review. One of the best ever, if I might add.

And excellent car. A premium brand within the reach of a common man, and throw in a well-engineered car, a lethal combination.

Now only if could see a few Beetles on the road...sigh !

Thad E Ginathom · 16th August 2010, 02:57

GTO... You know the one, burning, hot question that we all want to put to VW!

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

sbhasin · 16th August 2010, 03:09

GTO: One of your pictures has a loose wire hanging under the chassis. Looks like it can easily get caught in something. Was it only on that car or did you see that with all the cars?

vineethvazhayil · 16th August 2010, 06:34

Extremely competent review. As much as pointing out the pluses, the negatives have been summarised well! For me, as I expected, the diesel is the obvious choice. Driving a Jetta TDi I really know how the diesel performs exceedingly well even in a petrol mad USA.

I see VW doing a mid cycle refresh to bring steering mounted audio controls, USB/Aux in etc. Before that they would be better off bringing a comfortline version. The way the pricing is now, they are at risk of losing customers who will get put off by the steep price difference.

sureshaddagalla · 16th August 2010, 07:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by vid6639

Even though petrol does not seem to be as good as the ANHC I'm sure below 3000rpm it will be more lively than the ANHC. The peak torque for the Vento is available 1000rpm lesser than the ANHC.

GTO, does this really translate to better driveability in city driving conditions in the Vento?

thanks

16th August 2010, 08:24

An educative and informative narrative.

Gear-shift indicator in MID is a nice must-have feature for MT cars.

But, missing steering-mounted audio control, Aux/USB connectivity and dead pedal in the Highline variant due to cost-cutting reasons are let-downs.

monkey_wrench · 16th August 2010, 10:03

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

Vento: Volkswagen?s new baby

ambivalent_98 · 16th August 2010, 10:19

@GTO. As usual Sir, you have given an awesome test review for the sedan I have personally being looking forward to since I am contemplating to change from my old EXi Honda City to a new one. The Vento Petrol seems a good replacement.
Thanks a lot for the meticulous analysis and awesome pictures.

nowwhat? · 16th August 2010, 10:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashwinvig

While the VW India website does not provide 0 to 100 kmph times for the vento, the technical specs sheet from the VW Russia website has figures for the 1.6 petrol MT and AT variants (for the Polo Sedan, as it is called in Russia).

I am attaching the PDF file with this post. Although it is in Russian, you can figure out where the times are given. The third table provides the max. speed and 0 to 80/100 kmph times (7.2/10.5s for the MT and 8.1/12.1s for the AT). No specs for the diesel engine are provided, I guess Russia doesn't get the diesel version yet.

Excellent, ashwinvig! Thanks!

Only question is whether they use the same quality (octane) fuel in Russia as we do?

I guess the 4th table has the fuel consumption figures (liters/100 kms) -- city, highway & combined. Did I read that right?

adimicra · 16th August 2010, 10:23

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

Example -
Outright acceleration - City>Fiesta>Vento=Verna>Linea ( This is my assumption).
Similar comparision for driveability/in-gear acceleration and the refinement aspects of the 1.6 petrol!

I believe this will be really useful for any prospective buyer for a C segment sedan (petrol).

adimicra · 16th August 2010, 10:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by nowwhat?

Excellent, ashwinvig! Thanks!

Only question is whether they use the same quality (octane) fuel in Russia as we do?

I guess the 4th table has the fuel consumption figures (liters/100 kms) -- city, highway & combined. Did I read that right?

This is meaningless speculation IMO! When VW (Inida) claims 0-100 time of 11.1 secs for Polo 1.6, Vento will be a little slower than that! No point in getting numbers from all corners of the wolrd. Let GTO provide the answers or some professional automags like Autocar come out with the numbers.

sanjayr328 · 16th August 2010, 10:31

Excellent summary GTO - thanks for doing this for all of us !!

The day the pricing was announced last week, i knew the Honda City is going to have a tough time justifying their price tags and the lack of an oil burner, the Vento diesel sounds like a hoot to drive..nothing beats the kick of driving a good turbo, knowing VW the build quality is also going to be good, all they need is more dealers and reduce waiting time. I tell you, VW is here and here to give the rest a run for their money - big time. Also interesting to see how the internal positioning plays out i.e Skoda vs VW.

nowwhat? · 16th August 2010, 10:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by adimicra

This is meaningless speculation IMO! When VW (Inida) claims 0-100 time of 11.1 secs for Polo 1.6, Vento will be a little slower than that! No point in getting numbers from all corners of the wolrd. Let GTO provide the answers or some professional automags like Autocar come out with the numbers.

Agreed, adimicra! GTO's replies would be very, very credible indeed!

I know I am clutching at straws, but for me something is better than nothing since I have very little information to go by even though I have put money on the car. The dealer hasn't been responsive, so all I have are you guys.

ampere · 16th August 2010, 10:42

Excellent review there. Few questions:

- How pronounced is the axle hump at the back?
- As per your review ICE is average. How can one change, but one wants keep the Highline variant as well.
- Are 15 Inch tyres good or its worth upgrading to 16? Any thoughts?
- What the VW stand on expanding dealership networks?
- Did they release spare pricing list? Or it shares the same with current Polo?
- How different is the Petrol engine from the old Jetta Engine? I could not find the difference mentioned in the review.
They should have done some thing to make it BSIV compliant. Since there is no 6 gear in MT, I guess some changes MUST have gone into the engine.

16th August 2010, 02:12	#136
idofsuresh BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 157 Thanked: 81 Times	A wonderful review GTO . You made my day. Isn't it a serious safety concern if the rear passenger can adjust the front seat ? What if an ignorant person (there are too many around) or a naughty kid plays around with the adjustment lever ? Or is it that only the passenger seat is adjustable from the rear ? It is extremely scary to me if the rear passenger can adjust the driver seat when the car is in motion. I sincerely hope it is not the case.
	() Thanks

16th August 2010, 02:40	#137
anku94 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 249 Thanked: 351 Times	Awesome review. One of the best ever, if I might add. And excellent car. A premium brand within the reach of a common man, and throw in a well-engineered car, a lethal combination. Now only if could see a few Beetles on the road...sigh !
	() Thanks

16th August 2010, 02:57	#138
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 10,990 Thanked: 26,378 Times	GTO... You know the one, burning, hot question that we all want to put to VW! Come on... did you mention Skoda's A-S-S reputation?
	() Thanks

16th August 2010, 03:09	#139
sbhasin BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 89 Thanked: 6 Times	GTO: One of your pictures has a loose wire hanging under the chassis. Looks like it can easily get caught in something. Was it only on that car or did you see that with all the cars?
	() Thanks

16th August 2010, 06:34	#140
vineethvazhayil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 1,513 Thanked: 456 Times View My Garage	Extremely competent review. As much as pointing out the pluses, the negatives have been summarised well! For me, as I expected, the diesel is the obvious choice. Driving a Jetta TDi I really know how the diesel performs exceedingly well even in a petrol mad USA. I see VW doing a mid cycle refresh to bring steering mounted audio controls, USB/Aux in etc. Before that they would be better off bringing a comfortline version. The way the pricing is now, they are at risk of losing customers who will get put off by the steep price difference.
	() Thanks

16th August 2010, 08:24	#142
J.Ravi Posts: n/a	An educative and informative narrative. Gear-shift indicator in MID is a nice must-have feature for MT cars. But, missing steering-mounted audio control, Aux/USB connectivity and dead pedal in the Highline variant due to cost-cutting reasons are let-downs.
	() Thanks

16th August 2010, 10:03	#143
monkey_wrench BHPian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: New Delhi Posts: 109 Thanked: 27 Times	Don't know if this has already been posted somewhere, but check out NDTV's review of the vento: Vento: Volkswagen?s new baby
	() Thanks

16th August 2010, 10:19	#144
ambivalent_98 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pune-Bangalore Posts: 807 Thanked: 203 Times	@GTO. As usual Sir, you have given an awesome test review for the sedan I have personally being looking forward to since I am contemplating to change from my old EXi Honda City to a new one. The Vento Petrol seems a good replacement. Thanks a lot for the meticulous analysis and awesome pictures.
	() Thanks

16th August 2010, 10:23	#146
adimicra Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 2,007 Thanked: 2,443 Times	GTO, Simple request for some objective comparison of all the petrol cars in this segment in terms of outright performance, driveability, refinement etc. Example - Outright acceleration - City>Fiesta>Vento=Verna>Linea ( This is my assumption). Similar comparision for driveability/in-gear acceleration and the refinement aspects of the 1.6 petrol! I believe this will be really useful for any prospective buyer for a C segment sedan (petrol).
	() Thanks

16th August 2010, 10:31	#148
sanjayr328 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 51 Thanked: 2 Times	Excellent summary GTO - thanks for doing this for all of us !! The day the pricing was announced last week, i knew the Honda City is going to have a tough time justifying their price tags and the lack of an oil burner, the Vento diesel sounds like a hoot to drive..nothing beats the kick of driving a good turbo, knowing VW the build quality is also going to be good, all they need is more dealers and reduce waiting time. I tell you, VW is here and here to give the rest a run for their money - big time. Also interesting to see how the internal positioning plays out i.e Skoda vs VW.
	() Thanks

16th August 2010, 10:42	#150
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,929 Thanked: 12,899 Times View My Garage	Excellent review there. Few questions: - How pronounced is the axle hump at the back? - As per your review ICE is average. How can one change, but one wants keep the Highline variant as well. - Are 15 Inch tyres good or its worth upgrading to 16? Any thoughts? - What the VW stand on expanding dealership networks? - Did they release spare pricing list? Or it shares the same with current Polo? - How different is the Petrol engine from the old Jetta Engine? I could not find the difference mentioned in the review. They should have done some thing to make it BSIV compliant. Since there is no 6 gear in MT, I guess some changes MUST have gone into the engine. Last edited by ampere : 16th August 2010 at 10:47.
	() Thanks