[SR-71]

Had the opportunity to look at both the Vento and the Verna side by side at the expo today & as any serious prospective buyer, I took the opportunity of comparing them once again when they stood next to each other. Following is my personal feeling in my prospect to buy one of them. I don’t have any bias for either of these 2 equally good vehicles (if any, am biased towards the Honda for its high revving engine). The following comparison is between Verna 1.6 CRDI SX & Vento TDI HL.

• The Vento looks a tad smaller from external appearances compared to the Verna which seems to stand tall

• While I love the subtle design cues of the Vento the Verna blows one out with its stylish design.

• The Vento exuded a good amount of solidity, shutting the door gave a reassuring feeling unlike the Verna which sounded like a tin can

• Front seat headroom seemed to be more or less same in both cars (I am 6feet 1 inch tall)

• Front seats thigh support seemed to be more or less same in both though the Vento fares marginally better (Neither of them is the City)

• The overall spaciousness of the legroom in the driver side seems to be more in the Verna compared to Vento. In the Vento my left thigh kept hitting the point where the center tunnel meets the dashboard just ahead of the gear box (if you understand what i mean). Verna seems to have the edge here. The floor seems more roomy.

• Vento's rear seat headroom is definitely better than the Verna’s. In the Verna, my head directly hits the roof if I sit in the rear seat. Given Verna's drivability, a slight undulation at decent speeds will cause a lot of discomfort for the rear seat passengers. The Vento on the other hand doesn't seem to suffer from this curse.

• Like my wife rightly observed, one gets the feeling that Verna’s cabin is more airy & spacious by the sheer looks of it while the Vento seems to be a tad claustrophobic. The observation by sitting in various locations in the cabin. I know many people have said otherwise, but I had an different feel, don't ask me why.

• Vento gave me a better driving position, I liked it. While the Verna doesn’t lack in this department, the Vento has the edge as far as I am concerned

• Boot space seems to be a tad bit more in the Verna.

• Ingress/Egress pretty average in both while Verna was marginally better.

• Much has been said about the equipment list and central tunnel and neither is a deal breaker as far as i am concerned (maybe the central tunnel hump is annoying). If i can shell out 11L, I can shell out another 50K to get the equipment list i prefer.

The hunt started with City, went all the way upto Cruze, and settled at Vento for quiet sometime, i moved onto the Verna since I had the opportunity to procure the car almost immediately via some quota. But after a more serious comparison I am moving back to the Vento camp, since I was sold out always on its relatively better road manners (I meant to say better of the average road manners both exhibit) and that’s where I am settling at.

[bansal98]

Originally Posted by SR-71

The hunt started with City, went all the way upto Cruze, and settled at Vento for quiet sometime, i moved onto the Verna since I had the opportunity to procure the car almost immediately via some quota. But after a more serious comparison I am moving back to the Vento camp, since I was sold out always on its relatively better road manners (I meant to say better of the average road manners both exhibit) and that’s where I am settling at.

I had gone to the Hyundai showroom sometime back with my family to check out the new Verna. When four of us sat in it (I was out), the wheel well was sagging dangerously low. It did not actually touch the wheel but it certainly appeared to be if you looked at it standing up. That and the thin-looking metal sheet did not inspire confidence.

When the same family members sat in Vento, there was no such problem. We took a TD with five people in the car and it handled the bad roads with ease. In fact, it was the sales guy who suggested a bad road to test the car on; He was that confident.

As of now, I am oscillating between Vento and Optra Magnum. Looking at the waiting period of Vento, I might go with Optra but Vento's FTD factor is higher. Why is it so tough to make decisions

[drmohitg]

Is there any new information available as to the supposedly new features being added to the Vento? Namely the usb, steering controls and electrically foldable ORVMs.

Even though enough has been already said by me and others before in this thread, I have to say this again. The dealer experiences continue to be pathetic with the VW. This time again the VW showroom was empty (the Hyundai showroom next door was like a fish market) but alas we spent a good half an hour but no one showed any interest in us. Either they were busy on there phones or sitting behind there desks. I myself kept showing my Dad all the cars and finally seeing no response from anyone moved out. I cant understand the attitude. But my heart is still for the Vento.

[noopster]

mohit, the refresh has been put on hold as per latest reports. Sales staff have been talking about a 25K price increase with no additional features come July. A lil birdy says the additional features will only come in 2012.

[bansal98]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Is there any new information available as to the supposedly new features being added to the Vento? Namely the usb, steering controls and electrically foldable ORVMs.

Even though enough has been already said by me and others before in this thread, I have to say this again. The dealer experiences continue to be pathetic with the VW. This time again the VW showroom was empty (the Hyundai showroom next door was like a fish market) but alas we spent a good half an hour but no one showed any interest in us. Either they were busy on there phones or sitting behind there desks. I myself kept showing my Dad all the cars and finally seeing no response from anyone moved out. I cant understand the attitude. But my heart is still for the Vento.

I didn't have any problem at all of this kind at the VW showroom. I went there on a Saturday. The showroom was almost void of customers but anyway, I was attended to promptly by the sales staff. All five of us were offered tea and the test drive was promptly arranged. The sales guy was quite helpful during the TD also. He guided us to some bad roads to see how the car felt in such conditions.

Come to think of it, I have never had bad experience at any company's showroom. I have vusited Ford, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Tata and, of course, Maruti showrooms. Plain luck, may be!

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by noopster

mohit, the refresh has been put on hold as per latest reports. Sales staff have been talking about a 25K price increase with no additional features come July. A lil birdy says the additional features will only come in 2012.

Thanks a lot noopster for that info. You are my saviour LOL. So then I am going to book a Verna finally. Confused between SXO MT and AT. Any tips on that?

Ps: Pm me if its not an issue as the mods might object to Verna discussions on this thread.

[souravc]

Folks I got monsoon service coupons alongwith a free / discount coupons on windshield cleaning solutions - I am yet to see the stuff but was told that the coupons have reached my home . Its barely a month since the summer service was done, looks like VW is in a hurry to make amends for the agony of the buying experience

[souravc]

Originally Posted by SR-71

Much has been said about the equipment list and central tunnel and neither is a deal breaker as far as i am concerned (maybe the central tunnel hump is annoying). If i can shell out 11L, I can shell out another 50K to get the equipment list i prefer.

Had to comment , exactly my thoughts including one on the central tunnel. Why can't VW make it less pronounced like Honda / Toyota ?

Originally Posted by SR-71

But after a more serious comparison I am moving back to the Vento camp

Welcome ! Good to see one more addition to the camp who is ready to weather the torment of the VW dealership but overall I would say the wait would be well worth it. Have you decided on the colour?
BTW, I must commend you on the ready reckoner cheat sheet between Vento and Verna prepared by you - you were spot on the comparisons. I agreed to all the comments apart from the claustrophobic one , Verna's small rear windows make it more claustrophobic IMO - again personal experiences do vary.

[SR-71]

Originally Posted by souravc

Welcome ! Good to see one more addition to the camp who is ready to weather the torment of the VW dealership but overall I would say the wait would be well worth it. Have you decided on the color?
BTW, I must commend you on the ready reckoner cheat sheet between Vento and Verna prepared by you - you were spot on the comparisons. I agreed to all the comments apart from the claustrophobic one , Verna's small rear windows make it more claustrophobic IMO - again personal experiences do vary.

Thanks sourav. I have short listed the terra biege, well its the wife's department and since i was not averse to the color i was ok with it. And as for the claustrophobic part is concerned, Not just you, everyone has the same feeling, that vento feels spacious. But for some reason, i remember when i sat in both cars' rear seats (2 times each, alternating it) i got the feel the other way round - probably it was the influence of my wife who had the feeling first.

[Frontosa]

Originally Posted by souravc

Folks I got monsoon service coupons alongwith a free / discount coupons on windshield cleaning solutions - I am yet to see the stuff but was told that the coupons have reached my home . Its barely a month since the summer service was done, looks like VW is in a hurry to make amends for the agony of the buying experience

That's awesome! Unfortunately I haven't received summer coupons nor monsoon coupons. But when I had called vw in summers they invited me and did the jib free of cost. + gave me some cold drinks etc and a free drop home I guess will call them up for monsoon camp as well!
Thanks for sharing the info

[bansal98]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Is there any new information available as to the supposedly new features being added to the Vento? Namely the usb, steering controls and electrically foldable ORVMs.

I am not getting the rationale behind removing such common features; that too in an 11L car. Do they think that anybody who buys a car at 10L+ must be an audiophile and only listen to CDs? But then their audio system is mediocre at best. Forget USB, they don't even an auxiliary port. How much does it cost anyway to add it? Is the money saved there worth the customer anguish? All it does is add one more hurdle in decision making.

Optra Magnum is even more weird in this regard. They actually have a 6-CD changer . What is it, nineties? And I am more surprised by the fact that someone is actually manufacturing such units in this day and age.

[souravc]

Originally Posted by Frontosa

That's awesome! Unfortunately I haven't received summer coupons nor monsoon coupons. But when I had called vw in summers they invited me and did the jib free of cost. + gave me some cold drinks etc and a free drop home I guess will call them up for monsoon camp as well!
Thanks for sharing the info

Actually the monsoon camp starts only from 1st of July - I got the coupons on 27th of June. Karma ! There are some 10% off on door mats , etc coupons too

[souravc]

Originally Posted by bansal98

I am not getting the rationale behind removing such common features; that too in an 11L car. Do they think that anybody who buys a car at 10L+ must be an audiophile and only listen to CDs? But then their audio system is mediocre at best. Forget USB, they don't even an auxiliary port. How much does it cost anyway to add it? Is the money saved there worth the customer anguish? All it does is add one more hurdle in decision making.

Optra Magnum is even more weird in this regard. They actually have a 6-CD changer . What is it, nineties? And I am more surprised by the fact that someone is actually manufacturing such units in this day and age.

Well suppose if we think about it from VW's perspective for once and recognise the fact that they need to make profits , what does the scene look like !
Vento was launched to take on 'ANHC" segment - thus the pricing of TDi HL was the same price as ANHC VMT , Petrol HL was 50-60K cheaper than ANHC VMT . To that segment of buyer would a primitive HU, absence of steering controls be a deal breaker ? Or if we rephrase it , would VW find 3000-4000 buyers every month for whom that would not be a deal breaker ? The answer till date is Yes . I guess Vento's positioning has never been features like the ANHV of Hyundai - its been centred around solid feel , planted drive , good engines and quality build which are core to german engineering .
The die-hards can upgrade the HU and enjoy the aux and usb as many have done on the forum .

[bansal98]

Originally Posted by souravc

Well suppose if we think about it from VW's perspective for once and recognise the fact that they need to make profits , what does the scene look like !
Vento was launched to take on 'ANHC" segment - thus the pricing of TDi HL was the same price as ANHC VMT , Petrol HL was 50-60K cheaper than ANHC VMT . To that segment of buyer would a primitive HU, absence of steering controls be a deal breaker ? Or if we rephrase it , would VW find 3000-4000 buyers every month for whom that would not be a deal breaker ? The answer till date is Yes . I guess Vento's positioning has never been features like the ANHV of Hyundai - its been centred around solid feel , planted drive , good engines and quality build which are core to german engineering .
The die-hards can upgrade the HU and enjoy the aux and usb as many have done on the forum .

I beg to differ.

The fact that Vento is selling well in spite of missing these features is a testament to the fact that it's a great car. That said, it's not like Vento does not have a music system at all. If it expected people to add their own music systems, as you say, then there was no need to provide any in the first place. May be people would have been happier that way. And how much does it cost anyway to add an auxiliary port and a USB port? The cheapo Pioneer HU in my car has both. It even has 'Made for iPod' certification which costs extra. Given the fact that Vento's HU is pretty decent, all I can say is that it was a quirky design decision on the part of Vento's designers to omit these features.

[noopster]

Guys I finally got my free monsoon checkup coupons in the mail, Morons had left out my apartment name and number and had only the street name! Thankfully my mobile no. was on there correctly. Am supposed to use it between 1st and 31st July.