[kaiserketkar]

the VW brand has the brand image that it has in india probably partly because of these two factors:
one it's still fresh in india.
two it is a german car manufacturer, and a good one at that, that's within the reach of the aam junta. a "german" brand that you and i can aspire to own.

maybe a few years down the line, it may not have it's newness factor and may not stand out in the even more crowded market of the next decade.

Originally Posted by chevelle

And this goes for Skoda, VW and Toyota too. Different Countries, Different perception of how the 'brand image' role works.

i'm reminded of the time when i told my sis in the US that i bought for my wife a chevy spark. she didn't sound impressed saying that chevy is a brand in the US that desis wouldn't touch with a 10-ft pole.
here,chevy may not be a brand to aspire, but they've done some things right and are consequently reaping the benifits of that.

[hondacity]

Originally Posted by aseem

VW Vento petrol/diesel..... ANHC Petrol

• 0-60 kmph: 5.09/ 4.80.......4.58
• 0-100 kmph: 12.18/ 11.30.....10.28

Acceleration in gear: Vento P/Diesel.....ANHC P

• 20-80 3rd gear: 13.40 secs/ 9.24 secs....../12.86
• 40-100 in 4th gear: 22.61 seconds/ 10.50 seconds....../16.71

Fuel economy:

Vento petrol/ANHC Petrol:

• city: 9.2 kmpl..../10.1
• highway: 15.3 kmpl...../16.5
• combined average: 12.25 kmpl...../13.3

Diesel:

• city: 13.1 kmpl
• highway: 17.3 kmpl
• combined average: 15.2 kmpl

I think now the Vento Diesel for sure is the real performance king .. I mean 40-100 in 10 odd seconds is terrific for most D segment cars , leave along C segment.

Such figures are going to put a real smile on the driver's face and the diesel one cant be ignored for sure. I wonder what the waiting for the car would be now.

I am eagerly awaiting for our friends to take delivery of the Diesel and give us feedback.

Cheers.

[fuel_addict]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

Being the ex-owner of an Accord, and the current owner of an NHC, I can report that India is probably one of the only countries in the world where people use the words "Honda" and "Brand Image" in the same sentence.

Every time I drive the NHC, all that comes to mind is that this is an immensely average car that's reliable and dependable, but has absolutely no soul and will never, ever, put a smile on my face. In fact, I can honestly state i have more fun driving my Swift-D than I do when I'm behind the wheel of my NHC.
I've driven the ANHC too, and it's better, but it still leaves me unimpressed.

Having said that, I realize this is a personal opinion. I'm sure my priorities differ from those people that LIKE Honda products, whatever their reasons may be.

My Swift will be replaced in another 12 months or so, and if the choice was between a Vento and a Honda City, my money's going to VW. I'm sure the Honda will be more reliable in the long run, but i know the Vento will make me smile more often and to me that's worth a lot.

The pricing factor in India also plays a role in Honda/Toyota/Skoda being treated as premium brands. A Grand Vitara does not carry the brand image of a Jazz or ANHC just because its a Suzuki product which is associated with cheaper Maruti cars. Since Honda/Toyota/Skoda vehicles have always carried the higher price tag, the brand image tag has stuck to them viz-a-viz a Maruti/Hyundai/Tata which makes (cheaper) cars for the mass market. At the same time, the reliability and quality of Honda/Toyota/Skoda does justify the brand image tag to a great extent.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by fuel_addict

A Grand Vitara does not carry the brand image of a Jazz or ANHC just because its a Suzuki product which is associated with cheaper Maruti cars.

Brand perception is relative. What matters is how do the target audience perceive the brand. I myself own a ANHC but GV is an aspirational brand to me.

[ventoman]

Thanks GTO for the wonderful and detailed post. I have not yet seen such a comprehensive review on Vento anywhere else.
I have booked (rather blocked) a Vento Highline Diesel with VW palace cross. Yet to see the vehicle in flesh and test drive. The final confirmation will be after that.
Regarding the below features missing in Highline:
1) USB/Aux input
2) Steering mounted audio controls
3) Bluetooth options
I was thankful that #2 and 3 were not available, as I never thought any of the companies provided a decent OEM ICE unit. This now gives the flexibility to upgrade the ICE, which I am definitely going to do. (Mostly at Evo, with a touchscreen unit)
Other upgrades planned are 16" alloys or atleast the tyres to Michelin primary LC 195/60 R15.
The OTR in VW palace cross is 11.18L (4k more than VW downtown due to different bumper to bumper insurance policy). Might get a Corporate discount of about 14k (the actual figure yet to be confirmed).
They expect a vehicle in the showroom on 6th or 7th and the first lot is expected within the next 2-3 weeks. Mine's in the first lot and hence hope to receive the car soon.
Although the thread's current discussion is heading in a different direction, I am posting this now, as I got the membership approved quite recently and want to post these info in this thread.

[Ramsagar]

Welcome on board ventoman good to see this handle after the poloman

That's a great piece of machine you have booked. As said, you can have an everlasting smile on your face when you drive. BTW what is your choice of color?

When I made a call to VW Downtown they have quoted the same on-road price for HL-Diesel:1118000, 75k booking amount,33k for Insurance,2 months waiting period.

Isn't 33K high for the Insurance? They were not able to barge for getting the insurance done outside.

Cant wait to see one in flesh.

[Suresh Hari]

GTO - thumbs up for the excellent and comprehensive review. Every little detail has been covered immaculately.

I've been following this thread for a couple of weeks now and it has definitely made for some interesting reading. I had zeroed in on the ANHC a couple of months ago and decided to buy it during the festival period to try and cash in on some discounts. Boy, am I glad that I waited because Vento definitely is something to look out for before I decide.

[srishiva]

Congrats Ventoman. Will look forward to you getting your Vento. Will help people like us who do not want to book before it appears and test drive it ourselves.

[ventoman]

Originally Posted by Ramsagar

Welcome on board ventoman good to see this handle after the poloman

That's a great piece of machine you have booked. As said, you can have an everlasting smile on your face when you drive. BTW what is your choice of color?

When I made a call to VW Downtown they have quoted the same on-road price for HL-Diesel:1118000, 75k booking amount,33k for Insurance,2 months waiting period.

Isn't 33K high for the Insurance? They were not able to barge for getting the insurance done outside.

Cant wait to see one in flesh.

Thanks Ramsagar. Yes. I was inspired by Poloman when I chose my handle name
I have opted for Candy White color.
(Apparently VW palace cross told me that only White and Red will be available in the initial lot and other colours will be available from Nov manufactured lot onwards)
Yes. I too felt 33k is quite high and tried for getting the insurance done outside. But VW palace cross didn't agree to it.

Originally Posted by srishiva

Congrats Ventoman. Will look forward to you getting your Vento. Will help people like us who do not want to book before it appears and test drive it ourselves.

Thanks srishiva. I will definitely share all my experiences.

[nowwhat?]

Originally Posted by ventoman

The OTR in VW palace cross is 11.18L (4k more than VW downtown due to different bumper to bumper insurance policy)..

VW Downtown did not calculate the insurance correctly on my Polo 1.6 and I had to pay the missing 4K (approx.) a few days ago. So I wouldn't worry about it.

The insurance does seem on the higher side, but I get he feeling that this not our regular plain vanilla insurance. Nowadays Bajaj Allianz has some extra packages such as Drive Assure, etc. where they provide add-on facilities such as replacement car and so on. I have a feeling that's why the insurance seems high. If so, I personally may have preferred the regular insurance.

Other thing to note is that VW has now tied up with ICICI Lombard as well.

One way you can reduce insurance is by getting the NCB Certificate if you have an existing car.

[msd63]

Originally Posted by ventoman

Thanks Ramsagar. Yes. I was inspired by Poloman when I chose my handle name
I have opted for Candy White color.
(Apparently VW palace cross told me that only White and Red will be available in the initial lot and other colours will be available from Nov manufactured lot onwards)
Yes. I too felt 33k is quite high and tried for getting the insurance done outside. But VW palace cross didn't agree to it.


Thanks srishiva. I will definitely share all my experiences.

This is not good for me. I had booked my Vento diesel with the colour choice being silver. The sales person did not tell me anything about the delivery dates varying depending on the colour choice. I had booked mine at palace cross on 7th July itself. I remember seeing silver vento's in test drives and promotion photos etc. I am not sure the information is accurate.

[Yamaha100]

Can someone post onroad prices in bangalore for the vento petrol/diesel, trendline/highline please.

[diptimanraje]

hi everyone,
got a call from the dealer in Poona yesterday to do the balance payment.
am doing the payment today. they will do the temp. registration on Monday & deliver the car to me on Tuesday.

[ventoman]

Originally Posted by msd63

This is not good for me. I had booked my Vento diesel with the colour choice being silver. The sales person did not tell me anything about the delivery dates varying depending on the colour choice. I had booked mine at palace cross on 7th July itself. I remember seeing silver vento's in test drives and promotion photos etc. I am not sure the information is accurate.

msd63: This is the info I got from VW palace cross. My original choice of colors were Blue followed by White. 2 weeks back I got a call saying that only white and red are coming in the initial lot and other colors only later(after November manufacturing lot).
So I faxed a letter to VW palace cross regarding color change to Candy White.
Who is the sales person you are interacting with?
I am interacting with Deepak.

Originally Posted by diptimanraje

hi everyone,
got a call from the dealer in Poona yesterday to do the balance payment.
am doing the payment today. they will do the temp. registration on Monday & deliver the car to me on Tuesday.

Wow. congratulations.
Looks like your's might be the first Vento in Team-BHP.

[msd63]

Originally Posted by diptimanraje

hi everyone,
got a call from the dealer in Poona yesterday to do the balance payment.
am doing the payment today. they will do the temp. registration on Monday & deliver the car to me on Tuesday.

diptimanraje, Great! You must be one of the first in India. What colour choice had you opted for? Did the dealer mention any delay with respect to some colours?