Team-BHP - Volkswagen Vento : Test Drive & Review

Hey GTO,
Superb review... leaving no stone unturned.

Have a question for you though. Sid in his C&B show mentioned that the car doesnt look as big as some of the other cars in the segment and that it maybe a let down for some ppl. Please help me answer the following questions:

1) How visually small the car is compared to ANHC. Does it have less road presence? And does it fall in Fiesta/SX4 category or is it as imposing (for the segment) as City?

2) How bad is the music quality in Vento compared to ANHC? How much do other HU from VW with better quality sound? Is it possible to buy Highline and than take the fitting of Trendline for stereo and fit an aftermarket 2 din touchscreen unit.... Or would an amp and better speakers make it to ANHC level?

3) Size wise which car its most comparable too? ANHC, Fiesta, Octi, Aveo

4) Is the middle hump in rear seats an eye sore and deal braker in your book?

5) What 0-100 timings you are expecting for the diesel?

Many thanks :)

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Originally Posted by aseem (Post 2029220)

2) How bad is the music quality in Vento compared to ANHC? How much do other HU from VW with better quality sound? Is it possible to buy Highline and than take the fitting of Trendline for stereo and fit an aftermarket 2 din touchscreen unit.... Or would an amp and better speakers make it to ANHC level?

Thought I'll share a few details. Higher bass levels give a booming effect and spoils the sound. I reduced the (tried on the polo and believe it's exactly the same) bass from 7 to 3 and the sound quality was pretty OK and something you can live with if you are not a serious audiophile. But I'd say the one in ANHC/Jazz is much better. The one in Jetta (RCD 510 HU with apparently better speakers/cables and additional tweeters) is comparable to the ANHC one.

Changing the HU, speakers and cables should obviously improve it to ANHC level, but I don't know if it affects warranty.

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Originally Posted by sureshaddagalla (Post 2029243)

I am guessing it wont void the warranty as Trendline doesnt come with stereo and VW cant expect all the trendline buyers to buy stereo from them.

BTW how much does the RCD 510 cost?

Also is it possible to add just amp to the existing HU and aftermarket speakers?

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Originally Posted by aseem (Post 2029252)

I am guessing it wont void the warranty as Trendline doesnt come with stereo and VW cant expect all the trendline buyers to buy stereo from them.

BTW how much does the RCD 510 cost?

Warranty - that makes sense. VW Hyd says the accessories will follow (which will include a 2 din HU), but they are not ready to commit anything.

RCD 510 - around 500 USD.

As always brilliant review GTO !!
Was waiting for this one eagerly as I had pre-booked the Auto version already. Wish you had test driven that too!
Although I am a but disappointed that the petrol isn't as good as expected, I won't refund my booking. Since performance isn't the biggest factor for this car decision of mine (only because I won't be using it :p), the vento still feels like the better package compared to the city. The interior quality and build being key plus points for me. Also you mentioned the auto box is lazy, then again this car will be used strictly in traffic by us hence no highway runs won't make the laziness evident. It replaces a NHC CVT, so any gearbox is better :p

Excellent review GTO :thumbs up.
Things which looked promising and I would love to have in my next car.

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• Reach adjust steering, gear recommender.
• Partially zinc coated body with 6 years anti-rust warranty.

Things which I did not like:

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• Prominent floor hump is an annoyance to the hopefully-occasional 5th passenger. About 5 - 6 inches in height.
• Fixed rear seat does NOT fold.
• Reverse gear has an unconventional placement. Up and ahead of 1st gear. You have to press the lever down to engage reverse. In a tight right-hander, if you are holding on to the gear lever for lateral support, you will unintentionally press it down.
• Climate control & Music players display not in same colour as the MID.

I expected it to look different from Polo. Just like the way Linea looks different from Punto!!

I don't think Vento petrol can seriously dent City's sales. If it does, it would be interesting to see Honda's next step.
IMO Vento Diesel AT @ Rs. 10,21,500/- would have made a good buy against some cars a segment higher.

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Originally Posted by nikesh (Post 2027162)

No 60/40 folding rear seats?
This has been purposefully not given as they have provided a strong metal plate on the back of rear seat and the boot to prevent luggage from back hitting the rear passengers in case of an accident from rear and provide additional safety.

If its for safety shouldn't they cover whole back side of rear seat with metal like in Punto and still can have 60/40 folding? (I'm not sure if Linea's rear seats back is covered with metal or not.)

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Rear windows come down only 60%. Why?
Thsi is again from safety point of view because they believe with this much you can still get the required wind and also have safety around children not getting thrown out in case of sudden braking. Again very well thought point!

Lol, I would blame it on the door design. If its safety, why spare front left door. By the way rear seat belts should take care of child's safety in case of sudden braking!!

Sigh! I'm going to be oogling at this review for the next few months or so. My F-in-law is planning to replace his 3 year old 1L+ km Logan DLS with the Vento. Since my daily drive is a Bolero Vlx, I like to knock myself out with the Logan whenever I go to the in-laws' and that car never fails to bring a smile to my lips even now, after all the kms it's done. After what I've heard on this review, the Vento's going to be the perfect upgrade from the Logan. Thanks G.T.O. for helping me dream!

P.S.: Dear God, waiting for you to say "Let there be a Vento Comfortline!".

[quote=GTO;2028327]

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Nice post. Was the ACI timing for a DSG though, or MT?

ACI figures are for MT. Volkwagen does not offer new JETTA 2.0 L TDI in DSG. This Jetta is offered post coming in vogue, Bharat Stage IV Emission norms.In view of favourable power to weight ratio, Vento's 0-100 timings, ought to be far less than Jetta's 11.94 sec. If i may hazard a guess, Vento should traverse 0-100, in just about 11 sec (or may be even less, had it not been detuned/tweaked for fuel efficiency).

Saw the Vento in the flesh a couple or so days ago. Its does look very neat and the boot integration (as mentioned by GTO) is nicely done, although I am not a big fan of the rear.

That said, I believe this sedan, especially the diesel has the potential to pull ANHC buyers, what with the difference of 15 - 20 k between the top end Vento and ANHC (hardly a consideration in this particular segment, which anyway would be wiped clean with the diesel savings) + feature laden + torquey diesel + perceived brand value. The only aspect which needs to be looked at is the A$$ side of things. If VW have that covered, there's no stopping this (dare I say) to be a bigger success than the hotseller of the c+ segment, the ANHC.