[PlatzdaTurbo]

Nice 1 GTO
This basically makes it quite clear the the TDI Highline is the version to go for unless your running is meager.

[anekho]

Fantastic review, GTO! Thank you!

A quick look on the net reveals that with a tuning box 1.6 TDi can be tuned up to 125 HP and 300NM of Torque!! Should be a great drive

Vento + tuning box + alloys : here I come!

[rangaraj]

Thanks for the review GTO.. A few pictures of you/others sitting in the car would have given a perspective of space..

Leg Space:
- The Polo had issues on the space for long legged people at the driver's seat and of course the leg space in the rear. We have read about the increased length and the wheelbase which would help the rear seat passenger - what about tall drivers?

COO:
- Indications of service costs, cost of spares (heard on NDTV car and bike show, that about 60% localization has been done and incorrectly mentioned it was a DSG gear box on the auto) would help. The 15K interval helps..

Front Dam/GC:
The Polo seems to have a log front air dam and could possibly hit every speed breaker in town (though it is tested as the ad says to drive through a jungle). Did you notice anything about the GC and issues in city driving? It seems higher than the Honda City though.

Diesel city driving:
Looks like it is a good alternative to the ageing Octavia which had great low end torque and fuel efficiency. With some tuning as you mentioned, it would be the Polo cup class of performance.

Reliability:
I once noticed a leading jeweler in town stranded on the inner ring road with a brand new Jetta stranded and trying to call the service guys. VW was notorious for this in the US till they got their act together. Did the guys mention anything about this?

Visibility:
Did not mention this, but from the pictures, it looks clean unlike the 1/8'th kind of opening in Civic, SX4, Jazz to try and increase the visibility. How is it in the Vento?

FE:
The "kitna detta hai" question - any actual figures against that of the ARAI rating?

Boot space:
Can it fit a few golf sets?

[Ary10]

Please GTO, give us 0-100 figures of Vento, which should indeed be quite intriguing.The performance of Vento Diesel which ought to be phenomenal,given its underlying ratios, is already characterised as stunning, as per various reviews.The reason why I say so is, that there is hardly any difference, in the engine output in BHP terms between old Jetta Diesel and Vento, while the torque remains the same.Even the torque of new Jetta and Vento is the same while there is marginal difference in Bhp output between the two, notwithstanding the fact that Jetta had/has 2 Litre engine vis-a-vis 1.6 Litre engine of Vento.Given the higher power to weight ratio of Vento as compared to Jetta, Vento's performance, at least in theory ought to be equal or better than Jetta. If this is true, wouldn't Vento hurt Jetta,besides hurting other Diesel sedans?
The following is the test figures of Jetta, courtesy Auto Car India which I am quoting :-
Price Range (in lakhs)*
Ex-showroom,Delhi Rs 15.92 lakh
ENGINE
Fuel Diesel Installation Front, transverse, front-wheel drive Bore/stroke 81.0/95.5mm Power 108bhp @ 4200rpm Torque 25.5kgm at 1500-4000rpm
Transmission
Gearbox 5-speed manual
Chassis & Body
Length 4554mm
Width 1781mm
Height 1459mm
Wheel Base 2575mm
Ground Clearance 152mm
Tyres 205/55 R16 Spare Full size
Brakes
Front Ventilated discs Rear Solid discs
Acceleration
0-60 4.99 sec
0-100 11.94 sec
0-120 17.13 sec
Acceleration in Gear
20-80kph in kickdown 6.93 sec
40-100kph in kickdown 8.65 sec

Tank size 55 litres
If we extrapolate these figures to Vento, its performance should be mind-boggling!!
The following is the specifications of Vento Quoted from VW's site:-
Technical Specifications.
Vento 1.6L (CR Diesel)
Variants available Trendline/Highline
Engine Type 4-cylinder, In-line DOHC 4-cylinder,
Displacement (cc) 1598
Fuel effi ciency (km/l) 20.5 (MT)
Performance Max. power [PS (kW) @ rpm] 105 (77) @ 4400
Max. torque (Nm @ rpm) 250 @ 1500-2500
Transmission Trendline 5-speed manual
Highline 5-speed manual
automatic with Tiptronic
Steering Type
Electronic power steering Electronic power steering
Minimum turning radius (m) 5.4
Acceleration
Top Speed (kph)186 (MT)
Tyres and Wheels Highline 185/60 R15 (Alloy)
Dimensions Length (mm) 4384
Width (mm) 1699
Height (mm) 1466
Wheelbase (mm) 2552
Ground clearance (mm) 168
Kerb weight (kg) 1190 TL (MT), 1220 HL (MT)

Fuel tank capacity 55
If my reasoning is right, then Vento Diesel, is indeed, an enthusiasts car and offers great value,ceteris paribus.

[prince_pervez]

Great review. Nice to see some features that cars here have come to India the VW way for far lesser price. Kudos. The Indian car scene is fast pciking up pace thanks to some serious competition. And yes the 14" spare wheel is a common option here as well, and it serves the purpose of an emergency till the original wheel is fixed. I would get another 15" as a spare and throw out the 14 incher.

[hiren959]

What a wonderful review GTO!! you and only you have made me feel that "now I dont like to read the road tests and review printed in some famous auto magazines".

IMO Vento will surely hit the market share of ANHC, as it will be available in both petrol and diesel variants. From this review I strongly believe that Vento will be the first choice for those who want diesel engine in C segment. For the petrolheads ANHC will do the better job as it is more fun to drive with great fuel efficiency. But no matter for those who want that premium logo of "VW", both engines will be great.

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by GTO

Full brand name on the boot. Unusual for VW, they don't normally do this. Early Polos only wore the VW badge. Some marketing research firm must have told them its better for brand visibility:

As always nice review GTO. Regarding the full brand name on the boot, that is what hit me first in all the Pictures. I have never seen this in Europe and many BHPians who go to foreign shores would agree that mostly it is just VW. Even the model name is missing from the back.

Guess VW and many other german brands follow clean back policy in Europe.

[montoo]

Originally Posted by GTO

It's a wake up call for sure. The Vento, as a package, is VERY competitive.



Please also share a detailed ownership review . It'll help many others.



This diesel in the Polo would be something else.



Thanks Amartya!




An oversight perhaps?



Hardly. The Vento, by itself, is a very handsome sedan. And the Polo is also a premium hatchback. It's no 3 lakh rupee car.



Could be the packaging of the exhaust components. That hump is pretty tall and will interfere with the 5th passenger.



Was just waiting for someone to notice. Full credit to BHPian ZeRo© who PM'ed me with this suggestion.



Yup, Trendline is way too basic. It's the Highline that packs appeal.



The Linea is hardly the primary target of the Vento. Either ways, the price difference between the Vento & the Linea, top-end, is Rs. 60,000. When I'm spending 8 - 9 lakhs on a car, I certainly wouldn't mind spending 55K more on:
- Stupendously superior performance. Expect a 5 second quicker 0 - 100. This alone is worth 55K to me.
- The gearshift is also 2X better
- Way better fit & finish. The Vento feels like a 9 lakh rupee car when you are inside
- More interior cabin space
- A brand that's perceived to be more premium
- Lighter controls + better power delivery = Better to drive in the city, which is after all where we spend 99% of our driving kms
- No messed up ergonomics
- Sheer quality. Has an immense feel good factor.

The Vento is also well-equipped, though the VW & Fiat both have unique features (for instance, the Vento's gear shift indicator, anti-pinch windows or the Linea's blue & Meetc.). The only area where the Linea scores over is a marginal advantage in ride & handling, but its too close. The VW is also a solid European. The 5% difference is more than offset by stunning performance. Fact is, the Vento is a far more complete (read = well rounded) package than the Linea.

IN 2-3 HOURS OF STARTING THE THREAD,I AM SEEING PAGES ARE INCRREASING EVERY 30 MINUTES.It means how eagerly we all were waiting for the review by GTO the great.THUMBSUP TO GTO AND OFFCOURSE TO VW.

[tanwaramit]

Excellent review. Was waiting for it. I am not too impressed with low slung seats. SX4 has seats at good height. I think even Altis diesel will be impacted by this car.

[montoo]

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

Excellent review. Was waiting for it. I am not too impressed with low slung seats. SX4 has seats at good height. I think even Altis diesel will be impacted by this car.

exactly same here.they should re consider their pricing.

[sukiwa]

Does immobilizer indication work only at night? Have noticed blinking red light on driver door only at night & not during daytime.

[oxyzen]

Looks like days of verna,fiesta,altis and Linea diesels are numbered. If its such a good Diesel powertrain. Even maruti will be thinking twice before launching SX4 Diesel.
+Performance
+Ride and Handling
+Transmission (AT in diesel is missed)

@GTO how is the turbo lag compared to fiesta/figo TCDI?

[KRf1]

The diesel Highline Vento is brilliant . With the emphasis on the backseat "sethji" it might steal potential sales from the Altis D-4D as well . I really liked the Seat adjuster for the rear passenger , very thoughtful . The boot integration is as good as it gets . The stereo is dissapointing but overall a very good package .

I still think though that Honda City would remain king of petrols in this segment .

The reviews just get better every time . Brilliant work GTO .

[TheStig]

WOW what a review! Congrats GTO!
I really feel there is absolutely no need to buy those biased auto magazines now!
Have you guys ever considered launching a Team BHP magazine or TV show? That would be great!
And also rating this thread 5 stars!

[theragingbull]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Does immobilizer indication work only at night? Have noticed blinking red light on driver door only at night & not during daytime.

Attachment 405969

hehe...it's not so clearly visible during the day! It does work obviously 24x7