[Karthik_S]

A very detailed review GTO, thank you.

So its a good car that is priced competitive but is missing some goodies. As i look for a new car ( undecided between the optra diesel, vento and the cedia) I guess it boils down to what I must have and what is nice rose have. Guess I'll just wait for a TD vento to be available and see how it goes

[BuRnT RuBbEr]

I'm a lot more confused now. earlier it was fiesta vs. linea. and now it' 250NM vs. everything else.

But that lack of usb and steering controls is surely missed. As I said elsewhere, even people-mover tempos in gurgaon have usb stereos. for that matter, only usb and fm.

[sajo]

([Yet] Another)Fantastic review GTO!

Ride when puttering about in the city is at best “compliant” and NOT “plush” (like the soft Manza, for instance). As the speedometer climbs, the Vento can flatten the worst of Indian roads. The heavy-duty suspension feels robust, the car obviously has tough underpinnings.

A tad disappointed with that. So if my primary requirement is to be chauffeured on the highway, which one is better : The City or the Vento? (petrol only).

[windiesel]

This is (at least) the kind of diesel engine which Toyota ought to have put in the Altis, instead in all their wisdom they plonk in a puny mill. Still the Altis D will be a hit with the Taxi chaps. After all in India Kitna Deti Hai matters more to the Hoi Polloi

[quadmaniac]

Bril review GTO, as always. I've always loved the clean looks of the Polo - and I think the Vento would also be one of the best lookers on Indian roads.

VW has made a few silly mistakes though, and I think the most important ones are:

1. No USB on the integrated HU. Are you kidding! Even my Chevy Beat's HU has that.
2. No 4 power windows on Trendline

Also, driverside Airbags and ABS on trendline would be cool... a la Micra

Overall though, I see people at Honda starting to sweat, and not because of the weather!

[Butters]

finally the review is here and as expected, one of the best's !! Excellent work GTO.

[bigron]

Nice review. The car looks much better than some of the other "stick-up a boot" jobs. Specially looks pretty in white. The interios are much better than the linea and miles ahead of the city.You cant go wrong with black and beige in india.Somehow i find the length of the car is a little to short. Maybe looking at the car will change that.The diesel will certainly be the pick of the lot as pointed out by GTO. And thank god for the 105hp 1.6 diesel. Toyota , if VW can do it in thier 9 lakh car you could have certainly done it in your 12+ lakh car.

[Klever]

A fantastic Review, GTO. Very informative.

I was eagerly looking forward to this review. Tad disappointed that you did not get a chance to test drive the AT variant. Hopefully, VW will respond to your request pretty soon.

BTW, the idea to include comparisons with the competitors in the review is a fab one.

Likes:

Loved the look of the car.
The leg room at the rear.
The quality of the interiors.

Dislikes:

Was stunned to see the hump at the rear. It's outrageous.
Why on earth would you not have steering mounted controls?
The absence of USB on the HU is inexplicable.
Narrow front seat.

GTO, between a City Petrol and a Vento petrol, what would you recommend?

[Mi10]

Superb review GTO. You are really setting the benchmark for Auto reviews in India.

1.6 Diesel is too hard to resist, really. Even if one goes for Trendline Diesel i think its worth the fun.

Originally Posted by GTO

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.

In a tight righthander i would unintentionally push the gear down, but would most probably downshifting to 2nd than 3rd

[SkyWalker]

GTO - this is your best review to date - great quality. Thanks and marked 5 stars.
The diesel Vento will definitely rock the sales chart and will easily be the best seller for VW. I hope VW comes with a 1.6D for Polo too, as you mentioned. From what I read in the review, I would happily recommend this car over Linea,Verna,Fiesta diesels to any of my friends.

Minor Hitch: SX4 GC is not 170, but 185/195 depending on Vxi/Zxi

Some parts where VW could have done a little better:

1. The suspension's bottom spring mount plate looks scary. Hope it holds after going through our speed breakers

Originally Posted by GTO

Unfortunately, the Vento has the same (lousy) locking mechanism as the Polo. Firstly, the doors don't auto-lock when you start driving. To add to it, there isn't a visible lock / unlock knob sticking out of the door panels, reminding you to lock the doors....Again, a Maruti 800 with a 1,500 rupee central locking kit offers a more practical locking / unlocking solution.

this is seriously sloppy of VW. I hope they can fix it via firmware upgrade.

Originally Posted by GTO

Integrated audio controls sorely missed:

come on VW, for a few Rs. more - you could have easily done it.

Originally Posted by GTO

Absence of AUX / USB support is shocking.

in this day and age, this is positively ridiculous.

Originally Posted by GTO

Dead pedal missed:

is this missing in AT too? This is Lame VW. Another for a few Rs. more thing.

Originally Posted by GTO

Prominent floor hump is an annoyance to the hopefully-occasional 5th passenger. About 5 - 6 inches in height:

not going to go well with india, where you will see a lot of 5th passengers.

And some good parts

Originally Posted by GTO

Adjustable (for height) center armrest rocks!

excellent. I wish ANHC had this.

Originally Posted by GTO

Rear air-con vents standard, even on the Trendline variant. Independent direction controls for either rear passenger:

brilliant! This will soon become a standard in sedans.


And finally:

Originally Posted by GTO

Diesel + AT holds huge potential in urban markets. Premium customers are increasingly showing their preference for automatic oil burners (just ask your sibling, Skoda).

a lost opportunity. People would love to pick up a refined German diesel automatic at 1L more than Highline. Bring it fast VW.

[uditmohanty]

Besides the flaws like Dead Pedal, USB-AUX, DoorLock, Steering mount audio controls, complex mix of wheels (15" & 14" spare) or front reading light in the new VWV, I think VW seriously messed up on the rear seat area. Adjusting facility of the front passenger seat by rear passenger might not necessarily be an advantage. Most serious inconvenience is the flooring hump of about 6 inch at the centre. I don't find any logic of doing it.

With the major problem areas like dealer network, A-S-S, long run maintenance cost of the car, I will be keen to know the average fuel efficiency of Petrol Highline in a city drivig condition.

I am also looking for a comparision between VW-Vento and Mitsu-Cedia. All the comparisions are between ANHC and Vento as yet.

[noopster]

This is probably the most eagerly awaited review on TBHP in a while, and boy has GTO done it justice! No big surprises, but the AT review is sorely missed. BTW I complained to the Downtown VW about not having a diesel AT option and the prompt response was "Sir diesel highway ke liye suited hai aur automatic city traffic mein. So dono saath mein aane ka chance nahi hai. Uh huh?

[vinmechanic]

Excellent detailed review GTO !! you always make me to change my opinion on your best review,when your new writeup comes up.

By any chance, would VW will utilize Maruti's dealer network for service? in that case, Vento will be a trouble for all C segment competitors.

[Thunderbird77]

GTO,

Outstanding review as always!

I thought of going for Vento diesel to replace my Accent, but after seeing your review, I am thinking Verna diesel or Manza will be better choice.

This car, as you rightly pointed out, doesn't give much choice in the variants. 'Either go for basic or go for top' is not a nice attitude from VW.

BTW, why Manza is not included in the comparison? Just because it is a 'bloody Indian' car?

-Thunderbird

[adimicra]

The diesel is a scorcher as expected! The petrol engine sounds a tad disappointing, again on expected lines.

From your review, it is clear that the petrol engine lacks the city in terms of outright acceleration or refinement, neither it has the driveability of the Fiesta. Is there any reason for a prospective buyer of a petrol sedan in this segment to go for the Vento?

The diesel is almost at a similar price to the City V-MT! This is a serious threat to the City - many people who were not considering a diesel car previously due to low usage might be tempted to buy the Vento diesel just for that extra bit of fun!

Last but not the least - thanks for the wonderful review. I am looking forward to the day where the T-BHP reviews will have the stats in terms of acceleration/driveability/braking/top speed etc. as I simply love number crunching