[ventoman]

Originally Posted by diptimanraje

hi everyone!
sorry could not post earlier as was enjoying the vento to its maximum.
took the delivery from the Poona dealer on Thursday 9/9.

Wow. Congratulations on owning the first vento in team Bhp. Eagerly awaiting your ownership report. Please share your delivery experiences as well.

[ASTRIKX]

Congratulations Diptimanraje on your new Vento !. If i am right, you are the first person on 'Team Bhp' to have the privilege of owning a Volkswagen Vento. I can definitely sense a lot of enthusiasm and excitement from your post and looks like you've got your toy to play around with. Looking forward to a detailed review and sales experience from you. Please do post pictures as well. A picture definitely speaks a 1000 words !.

[souravc]

Apologies if I am joining in late .. I did get to test drive the Vento diesel on the 6th itself at VW's dealership in Chembur - I was fairly impressed by the car ! As mentioned in GTO's review the build quality is great , I car feels sure footed and heavy ( as compared to ANHC which I test drove a week back just for the heck of it for better comparison) .. its like riding a Enfield bullet as compared to say a Yamaha, that's the difference in feel .. the low end torque is heady . I guess the car I was driving didn't get adequate time to let me feel the turbo lag as I was in a hurry to floor the pedal .. it felt superb !! Steering wheel feedback is okay .. I guess I would not be the right person to give a dependable feedback because all along I have driving cars light on the steering .. like Swift , Honda City, etc.

The rear seat mid-ridge is a minor irritant but I chose to ignore it .. as the rear passenger leg space is quite good , adjustments are possible ..besides seating for 4 is more than adequate for me .

One thing I noted is that VW dealers are charging more than usual for insurance .. Rs 37 K .. they gave some funny logic that this insurance covers plastic too .. frankly , I have no idea . ANHC insurance is around 25K if got from the dealer and around 20 K if directly got from insurance company.


All in all I didn't have any hesitation in booking the car .. so please factor in any bias to that effect... after all I am entitled to the bias after agreeing to spend 10.6L on road price !!

[for_cars1]

I checked out the Vento, there were two petrol Highline cars on display, one automatic and the other manual and felt the following about Vento:
1. The dashboard seems placed a bit high from the visibility perspective (but this should not be a problem as there is height adjustable driver seat) Steering has both tilt and adjustable for reach.
2. Seems to be built very solid. Fit and finish is excellent.
3. The ground clearance /suspension setup looks good enough and looks like VW seem to have taken into account the indian road conditions.
4. Cabin Space is good enough, I felt that the front seating a bit forward and the glovebox could not be opened without hitting down on the knee. Boot space is very good.
5. The back seat did not feel that comfortable. The rear AC vents feature is a very good feature in the Vento.
6. I feel that Vento diesel would be best option to go for considering the high expected fuel efficiency.

While the Vento experience is still fresh, Then I checked out the Honda city:
1. City's dashboard height felt just perfect. Steering has only tilt adjust and no reach adjust
2. Doesn't feel that solid in comparison, Fit and finish is excellent.
3. Regarding the Lower Ground clearance/softer suspension and the resulting scraping over humps when loaded at the back, the salesman mentioned that the underside of the City is reinforced so that nothing happens even if it keeps scraping on humps. (Is this true ?).
4. The overall cabin felt more spacious and luxurious. Huge boot space.
5. The rear seat felt very comfortable and has more leg room even with the front seats pushed all the way back.
6.The Engine felt super smooth, currently City not having a diesel option means higher running costs compared to diesel Vento. (High End City and High End Diesel Vento are priced very close).

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by diptimanraje

hi everyone!
sorry could not post earlier as was enjoying the vento to its maximum.
took the delivery from the Poona dealer on Thursday 9/9. did not take it before Thursday because of some planet behaviour ( according to my wife ).
have already done 700kgs. in 3 days.
what an excellent vehicle.
after filling diesel for the first time I have done 635 kms. & as yet the tank has to reach the half mark. the fuel consumption figure showes 20.3 km/l on the MID.
tomorrow going to Poona again & I should complete 1000 kms. by Tuesday. then will post an detailed ownership report.
bye till then.

Hey, congrats.. Enjoy your drive and please post the test report with lots of pics .
Waiting for your feedback.

[motorhead5]

Originally Posted by diptimanraje

hi everyone!
after filling diesel for the first time I have done 635 kms. & as yet the tank has to reach the half mark. the fuel consumption figure showes 20.3 km/l on the MID.

Thats wonderful figures!. Congratulations!!

Got some details on accessories - As expected by many, there are NO freebies . The accessories list that I got had the below prices. Not sure if its going to be same with Polo and Vento.

Mud flap - Rs 899/-
Parking sensor - 3270/-
Sun film - From 1275 to 6099/-
Rubber Mat - 1815
Seat Cover - Rs 6000-6470/-. No leather options.
Music system - kenwood Single with Aux/Usb/BT with 4 speakers - Around 19K. 2Din + 2 speakers - Around 20K.
They have the sports kit and Spoiler etc - Prices not in yet.

[naveen.raju]

@Motorhead5- VW Cochin provides leather seats at 25k. No idea about the other accessories. But NO FREEBIES as of now

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Please avoid quoting an entire large post. It inconveniences our small screen & mobile readers.
Thanks.

[vivekmohan83]

Test drove the Highline Petrol AT today from the VW Downtown showroom near Sidhivinayak. It was crazy at VW Downtown, felt like Big Bazaar with people everywhere and hassled looking sales guys. Guess its India shining in all its glory if people are crowding around 20+ lakh Passats and 10+ lakh Ventos like they were in some garment sale.

Was a short 5 min drive in the crowded area around Sidhivinayak, so didn't really get much time to stretch the car but having test driven the ANHC VAT short time while here's my take on ANHC vs Vento

Steering: Feels much more grounded in Vento, felt ANHC was a little light and video-gamish

Rear seat space: Not much to differentiate actually. Liked the rear vents.

Driving position: Fairly similar, though thought ANHC gave a wider span of vision

Look and Feel: Definitely prefer the Vento dashboard to ANHC, especially those damn AC knobs in ANHC which belonged in an Ambassador. The seat upholstery was fantastic in the Vento. Liked the feel of the seats

All in all I am pitching for the Vento AT - a solid car if there ever was one.

I was also offered a 15k corporate discount so the OTR Mumbi price comes to 10.43 lacs.

[Deep Blue]

Mangloreans rejoice. I heard the Bharat autocars people have got the VW dealership. VW cars will be more accessible for us now.

[holysmoke]

Originally Posted by vivekmohan83

Test drove the Highline Petrol AT today from the VW Downtown showroom near Sidhivinayak. It was crazy at VW Downtown, felt like Big Bazaar with people everywhere and hassled looking sales guys. Guess its India shining in all its glory if people are crowding around 20+ lakh Passats and 10+ lakh Ventos like they were in some garment sale.

Was a short 5 min drive in the crowded area around Sidhivinayak, so didn't really get much time to stretch the car but having test driven the ANHC VAT short time while here's my take on ANHC vs Vento

Steering: Feels much more grounded in Vento, felt ANHC was a little light and video-gamish

Rear seat space: Not much to differentiate actually. Liked the rear vents.

Driving position: Fairly similar, though thought ANHC gave a wider span of vision

Look and Feel: Definitely prefer the Vento dashboard to ANHC, especially those damn AC knobs in ANHC which belonged in an Ambassador. The seat upholstery was fantastic in the Vento. Liked the feel of the seats

All in all I am pitching for the Vento AT - a solid car if there ever was one.

I was also offered a 15k corporate discount so the OTR Mumbi price comes to 10.43 lacs.

I was there too.. yes it was quite crazy!
I test drove both the diesel and the auto. The diesel is quite torquey, but I was somehow disappointed with it.. I guess it was hyped up a bit.

I drove the petrol AT and it was quite good! I also test drove the Honda City AT and it felt lame in comparison.

Looks like the AT is a big hit! A couple of close friends have booked it and are awaiting delivery.

[FlyingSpur]

I think it's more to do with the festive season. Ganpati has his charm, you know

And I'm glad to hear the Auto's on TD at Downtown. Got to go check it out asap, I've been curious about this one for a while. A friend has booked one and is waiting for delivery, but I can't wait that long !!

[Mevtec]

My friend was on the look for a diesel sedan to replace his 90,000 km run (trouble free) NHC.We took the test drive of the diesel Vento (Highline) from EVM Motors,Trivandrum .The sales executive was friendly and helpful. Took the test drive car to nearby bad roads and highway.


My friend liked the car and he booked the top end diesel Vento. Booking amount is 1 lakh.Waiting period is 5 months.About 60 Ventos have been booked already in Trivandrum. Test drive car arrived only 3 days back. Most of the bookings are for the diesel.

What I liked most.

1, Solid built quality
2, Good quality plastics and switches.
3, The torque of the diesel. Amazing! The car pulls forward like a locomotive. It will be discomfortable for the back seat drivers.

But I still prefer the VTEC for its refinement and linear power delivery upto about 6000 rpm. (? Honda fan boy). My friend said that you can never get such acceleration in petrol. So I had to give him a test drive in my ANHC.He was surprised but I had to agree that VTEC’s performance comes at a higher rpm and overtaking will be much easier on a Vento diesel

Other positive points have been discussed already.The team bhp review was spot on.My friend a team bhp follower had read the GTO's review and was well-informed than the sales executive.


Things I am not happy.

1, Looks identical to Polo.

2, I felt the ride was too firm to my liking. Back seat comfort not as good as ANHC at low speeds in roads with broken tarmac or undulations.

3, High hump in the floor of the rear seat, it will be uncomfortable to the middle passenger. Like GTO said “The Vento is best as a 4 seater sedan”.

4, Sitting in the front seat I felt the ANHC is more roomy.

5, Lack of audio controls in the steering wheel and lack of AUX / USB support in the ICE is disappointing.

6,Adjustable (for height) center armrest obstructs the use of the hand brake.


Overall a very good diesel sedan.But I feel Vento cannot be considered as a ANHC replacement.

[fuel_addict]

VW seems to be competing with Honda quite fiercely. Yesterday, I came across a newly opened VW showroom (VW Mumbai West) in Santacruz West bang next to Honda (Arya Honda). Now then, that is called taking the competition to your competitor's doorstep.

[Baburajs]

I too had gone to Downtown bangalore on Saturday. To say the least I was disappointed with the staff there. There were only three prospective customers there and only one was being serviced !!!!! . Dont know if the ganesha and ramzan festivals have robbed some of the enthusiasm from them.

I just went in saw two ventos there ( one white and one silver ) . Me and wife started to check out the cars . Sat inside, played around with the controls . Shifted the gears of both the cars and still no one was even remotely interested in us . I was hugely disappointed . If VW is watching this. YOU CANNOT SURVIVE THE MARKET WITH SUCH AN ATTITUDE .

These were my impressions after I saw the car in flesh. All these has been told earlier but still

- Good build quality. Liked the "Brey" interiors and also the feel of the knobs and other stuff.
- Good space on the inside but after sitting in my Indica Vista me and my wife felt that interiors are smaller than our hatch. It may be because of the taller design of the vista .
- Felt the front seats are lacking in under thigh support . Or is only me feeling so.
- Rear space is commendable looking at the boot and also at the over all car dimensions.
- The ridge in the centre at the back is a problem , but not for me as I am looking at a 4 seater car .
- The steering wheel felt very nice to hold . So was the gear knob. I will love to shift them.
- The boot was good but not very huge .
- Liked the alloy design. Quite good for a OEM one.
- The car itself didnt look very big ( Not like a cruze or a even a ANHC) but looked very good . It will age very well.
- White looked awesome but i am looking forward to a black.

But since i was pissed off the staff I didnt book the car . Now will take my own time to take a decision. Will go to other dealerships and see if this is a common trend .

Babu

[ashwinvig]

Test drove the Vento Diesel HL yesterday at VW Downtown Mumbai. As vivekmohan83 mentioned, all of Mumbai seemed to have turned up for a test drive! Managed to get a decent drive around the Siddhivinayak area, which wasn't too crowded in the afternoon. Followed it up with a test drive of the Honda City at the show room right next door.

My initial impressions of both the cars:

Vento Diesel HL
Pros:
1. Loved the performance of the diesel engine, very little turbo lag and isn't an issue at all in city traffic. You can feel the massive torque everytime you squeeze the throttle, no need to downshift at all.
2. The build quality feels quite solid, although there are a few parts which feel quite flimsy (see the cons section).
3. The multifunctional display is quite good and you have quite a few options you can scroll through.
3. The ride was quite comfortable at low speeds, felt very grounded. Didn't get a chance to make any fast turns though.

Cons:
1. The centre armrest was the biggest dissapointment for me. There is absolutley no way to use the hand brake with the arm rest down. In fact with the seat pushed back to the max (I am 6'1" and like the seat pushed back to the max.), even with the arm rest folded up, it was quite a challenge to use the hand brake, since the arm rest would block my elbow from moving back.
2. The arm rest plastic looks quite cheap and it feels flimsy as well.
3. No aux/USB on the audio system, but the sales guy said that they can replace it with a different system which has these features for Rs. 18K, couldn't get any further details from him.

Honda City V MT
Pros:
1. The petrol engine is super revv happy, goes all the way to 7000 RPM without any trouble. It does sound a little harsh after the 4/5K mark though.
2. Great pick-up, but needs a downshift for quick overtaking manoeuvers.
3. Bumpy ride at low speeds. Almost all bumps are passed through. But it feels just a tiny bit better than the vento at high speeds.

Cons:
1. Interior finish looks quite cheap. The padding on the roof near the rear view mirror appears to be hanging there and you can push it in and out. Saw this in the car I test drove and the one on display inside the showroom.
2. Even the door panelling is quite flimsy. I tried pressing it in, and to my surprise the whole panel moves in and out quite easily, like its come loose. I'm sure this would lead to rattles later on.
3. The air conditioner controls are archaic. I drive a Baleno Lxi (2006) and even that has buttons to control the air flow direction. The Honda City has huge mechanical knobs.
4. I thought the centre console looked quite cheap with huge buttons. Not something i'd expect to see in a Rs. 10L+ car. I didn't like the tiny orange lights around the speedometer either.
5. The MFD display is fixed and you cannot change the view. Thats what the sales guy told me, I may be wrong on this one.

I've been driving my baleno for 4 years now, have only got some 28K kms on the odo. My office is 800 metres from home, so the car gets to strecth its legs only on weekend drives. I quite like the ride and handling of the baleno, but it doesn't have ABS or airbags and I'm considering a Vento Diesel HL as a replacement. I'm still not fully convinced, since I feel the baleno handles better than the vento (upgraded the wheels on the baleno though, the OEM ones were too skinny) and that ridiculous arm rest on the vento is a big irritant. I'll go for another test drive next weekend, hopefully it won't be as crowded and I can get a longer TD. Any alternates worth considering?

Cheers