[motorhead5]

Finally car reached Bangalore. Will get it hopefully next week. took insurance directly from bajaj allianz (cash less and all benefits of being a VW partner) for 16.5K.

[souravc]

I chose to buy the cake after trying out the pastry , felt that the pastry was a bit flimsy compared to the cake and the cake suited my palate better ( the torque was addictive) . Yet the entire buying experience has been pathetic to say the least , we have been so very disappointed - Honda / Toyota are so much better ! The VW dealers are so clueless , I am dreading how clued on the technicians would be especially after reading about the experience in the other newbie Etios.
For folks (or volks ) who are still stuck with indifferent sales folks, please try mailing the following id with your order details - KUNDENBETREUUNG@volkswagen.de , this is the mail id of VW German customer care. My experience has been that I get a call from the dealer within a couple of days of mailing - the last one being to give me the good news that my car has arrived !

[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by motorhead5

Finally car reached Bangalore. Will get it hopefully next week. took insurance directly from bajaj allianz (cash less and all benefits of being a VW partner) for 16.5K.

online it is showing 25.7K for diesel highline.

[imjimmy]

Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM

Vento can no way stand in comparision with the City when it comes to Fit, Finish and Finesse.

I don't agree. While your pictures are definitely alarming, maybe it's an isolated case? I haven't seen any panel gaps in our Vento, nor all of the other cars that I've driven. I personally don't like the ANHCs (IMO flashy) interiors - and easily find the quality of plastics better in the Vento. Of course some people might prefer the way ANHCs interior looks, but I certainly cannot see how anyone can claim that the interior "quality" (plastic etc) are better in ANHC?

Other than the GC, another reason why we decided against the ANHC was the ROAD noise. At high speeds you hear the wind, road, tire noise etc in the cabin. If you keep liquids in the boot, you will hear them sloshing around in the back seat. Honda should have given the car more insulation. (** FWIW this seems to be a common pattern with Hondas. My Civic in the US has the same problem. It seems worse because a large proportion of driving there is on the freeway, and at higher speeds**)

Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM

10.54 OTR for the Honda City, seems to be APT

I think ANHC is still overpriced. The Vento Tdi Highline is almost similar in price with ANHC VMT, even though one is petrol and the other diesel. Although a case could be made that the Vento's long term ownership costs are unknown. Is that worth the extra money? Perhaps..

Again FWIW, for those who drive a fair bit: Besides the excellent performance on highway, Vento Tdi also has some phenomenal F.E figures. Suffice to say that it's 4-5 kmpl more than our Baleno. And personally we never got that kind of mileage even from our Indica D or Swift (both have been sold off). So the Kmpl is definitely a bonus, even if it wasn't the reason why we bought the car.

[RemingtonSteele]

Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM

Would you eat same priced Cake or the Pastry. I chose the Pastry.

Pavan: Almost similar views were expressed by my auto enthusiast friend back then in Aug-Sept2010, but the problem was it posted by me (an ANHC owner) during ANHC or Vento fight was in full swing
Finally the friend I referred below went for ANHC-VMT and is very happy crunching miles in it (13K in 5 months)

Originally Posted by RemingtonSteele

This friend of mine was about to buy ANHC in July2010, considering that he was not in hurry (already had Swift and Old Gen Corolla) I suggested him to wait for as Vento was about to launch.

After the Vento Launch he was quite excited about the pricing and reviews of VW offers from the TBHP reviews. He was really thankful to me on my suggestion to wait for vento.

Finally some days ago he saw Vento in flesh & blood along with the TD.
Immediately after leaving the showroom he was in no confusion to say No to Vento.I was surprised how he changed the polarity so fast inspite being pumped up for Vento couple of days ago.Now I was really curious to know what prompted this decision after reading so many posts about Vento.

Summary is as below (Does this sound similar to the mass Indians thought process?? & not from the Guru's at TBHP):

1) Its as POLO with boot!!! Doesn't give a feel of 10 lac car. Front view is 100% Polo. Honda does offer the 10L pay image value.

2) Dash and plastics as too bland for his taste. He prefers and likes Black+Beige as in ANHC VMT.

3) Not as roomy & plushy as ANHC.

4) Backseat ride was not as comfortable as ANHC (his parents complained).

5) Not too crazy about diesel, instead would prefer proven reliability & after sales and service, plus 4 year Honda warranty pack was big plus.

6) Not interested in saving 50K on Vento when fishing 10L from his pocket. (Plus he got free insurance + 25K Corporate disc. on ANHC).

7) Running cost as compared to diesel doesn't matter as its a slow drip to pocket.

8) VW service ?? Plus spare parts rates are expensive.

9) Good resale value for Honda Cars.

Are the above introspective to prospective Vento buyers??

Now please don't flame me because I own ANHC, don't think I am biased. Please remember I was the one who asked him to hold on before buying ANHC outright.

Bottom line is, we pay for the product and then it better be worth it, its CONSUMERISM.

[bluevolt]

I don’t know why all complain on ANHC’s ground clearance. Even Vento’s GC is 168 mm while Honda city’s GC is 160mm. Is there a really big difference? Criticizing a car over a mere 8 mm difference in GC is not fair thing. If one wishes to have a car with good GC then one should check out SX4 (180 mm GC)

This thread is going KARIZMA VS PULSAR 220 ways.

[.anshuman]

^^ Even the Civic(Pre-facelift) had 170mm GC on Paper, Does this paper spec prevent it from scraping on speedbreakers, NO. Reason the soft rear suspension had a tendency to sag with load.

Similarly when i drove ANHC AT last year, it unexpectedly scrapped on a speedbreaker on my daily commute route. None of the other cars i drive regularly scrape even on bigger speedbreakers. Culprit= Saggy suspension.

So it's not just the GC specified in the brochure that matters in the real world conditions, a lot of other factors are equally important too.

[cuteavaya]

I don’t know why all complain on ANHC’s ground clearance. Even Vento’s GC is 168 mm while Honda city’s GC is 160mm. Is there a really big difference? Criticizing a car over a mere 8 mm difference in GC is not fair thing. If one wishes to have a car with good GC then one should check out SX4 (180 mm GC)

the GC height is just one part of the jigsaw...and a very mis-leading one. The kind and quality of suspension, and the design (wheel base) of the car play a major role....Vento is just 8 mm higher but feels a lot more in real life situations.

[Svis]

Originally Posted by cuteavaya

How is a 0% dep insurance quote for 29,740 Rs sound ??? TDI Highline vehicle in new delhi. Price after 5% depreciation : 8,49,775.Company is ICICI lombard.

Is this too high or acceptable? thx

@ Cute - did 0% dep for 30,210 for sum insured of INR 9 Lacs (after 5% dep). Vento TDI Highline. Yours seems high. Check out Royal Sundaram or Tata AIG

Originally Posted by motorhead5

Finally car reached Bangalore. Will get it hopefully next week. took insurance directly from bajaj allianz (cash less and all benefits of being a VW partner) for 16.5K.

Looks like your delivery will coincide with mine, as our booking dates are also the same. Reg the insurance, consider the zero dep policy, worth the extra 5-6k. Is yours a TDi Highline? Insurance seems a great deal. Mine was 30,210 with zero dep.

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Please use the "edit" button if posting within 20 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post.

Also use "Multi Quote" option for quoting Multiple posts.

[rohbatra]

Hi Guys,
Writing a mail to customercaresales@volkswagen.co.in & KUNDENBETREUUNG@volkswagen.de, Indeed has its effects even though I never got any response from our email id of customer care, however did get a reply from the Germany email id that my complaint had been registered & would be looked into.
Had written to the above email id's on 19/01/11 & rcvd a reply on 24/01/11.
However last week after writing my first post on team BHP forum of delays in delivery on 15/02/11, next morning on 16/02/11 get a call from dealer that my Vento has been billed & in transit from the Pune Plant, I should prepare for making payments & collect the car within a week. ( What a sigh of relief after all these months of waiting, atlast the dealer made a final commitment on date).
Reminded the dealer that all my payments have been made & I just need to discuss with him on Insurance, after telling him the offer on hand from Bajaj & NEW India Assurance, the dealer calculated again and offered me insurance at a cheaper rate than Bajaj, hence opted for insurance also from the dealer.
Have already taken delivery of my Silver Beauty on 23/02/11, delivery experience was good & perfectly co-ordinated at the time fixed without delay. After the usual handing of Keys, Flowers & car Tilak done at dealership was surprised to see a feedback form & More shockingly was the other form of withdrawl of complaint against dealership issued from VW Germany. YES guys VW Germany had acted on my complaint & were grilling the dealer due to delay in delivery. Filled up the forms with a piece of my mind boldly written on the form, stating complaint is not withdrawn, but have no more further complaints as VW was doing its bit but also needs to inform the customers regarding this very clearly.
Any ways will post pics & experience with my beauty later, still just enjoying the ride.

Cheers all & do write down to VW, it does help.

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by souravc

I chose to buy the cake after trying out the pastry , felt that the pastry was a bit flimsy compared to the cake and the cake suited my palate better ( the torque was addictive) . Yet the entire buying experience has been pathetic to say the least , we have been so very disappointed - Honda / Toyota are so much better ! The VW dealers are so clueless , I am dreading how clued on the technicians would be especially after reading about the experience in the other newbie Etios.
For folks (or volks ) who are still stuck with indifferent sales folks, please try mailing the following id with your order details - KUNDENBETREUUNG@volkswagen.de , this is the mail id of VW German customer care. My experience has been that I get a call from the dealer within a couple of days of mailing - the last one being to give me the good news that my car has arrived !

Continuing from where i left before, i was surprised by many guys taking my review lightly saying " One off car"

Sorry to disappoint you again guys.

Today we had gone to Dakshin Honda (same guys run a VW showroom in Bangalore) to finalise color for the "BOOKED" TANHC They had 2 Vento's which was ready for delivery.

I took some random pics, and the story remains the same.

As everyone on this Forum says,

Stay with the Topic - I am doing so

Product Bashing - I am doing so, Why, the product let me down when it mattered most.

Biased view - I am doing so, Why, There are BETTER and REFINED competitors in the market at the similar price

VW India is now more centric on Mass Production than Production with Class.

The fit and finish FLIMSY,

Paint quality, TERRIBLE

Panel gaps, NASTY

Well, my humble mobile camera could only manage this quality, anyone needs better pictures, please tell me, i will take my SLR and do the needful sometime soon on some other Vento.

I believe in FACTS, no Brand loyalty, inspite of restoring almost 14 VW's so far, i am dejected at the way VW has strayed away from Quality cars............ Sorry VW

[noopster]

@Pavan- well, at least you're honest about being biased! I honestly don't think it's a fair comparison with "old school" VW because the Polo/Vento is a mass market (for India) product and has to fit into a 10 lac budget.

I guess you are within your rights to "bash" any product you choose, but can you please bear in mind that there are primarily people on this thread who have spent/are intending to spend a considerable amount of their hard-earned wealth on acquiring one of these cars? Being one of those who has already done so, I would like to assure people who're still deciding that the fit and finish of my Vento is absolutely fine and passes muster even with a fine tooth comb. Interiors are good, plastics are of good quality (though could have been softer), panel gaps are even and paint job is impeccable out of the shop, though maintaining my white baby takes some doing!

In any case, do check for yourselves- I was quite impressed with the fit and finish of the demo/TD cars saw though I did account for some wear and tear and careless handling by the people who throng any dealership. And I was NOT happy with the ANHC- purely personal opinion and I am fine with people who say they love how it looks.

[cuteavaya]

@Pavan

What is your agenda here? I have no idea where you are finding these vehicles but I only trust my own eyes. And the Vento that I have seen have excellent fit and finish. No issues at all.

I think ANHC may look better when in the showroom, but i know its condition after 1 or 2 years.Whereas vento is strong and solid.

I am leaving now to take the delivery of my vehicle and your post has sort of disturbed me.Last thing I wanted to see.

[evilshantanu]

Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM

Continuing from where i left before, i was surprised by many guys taking my review lightly saying " One off car"

Sorry to disappoint you again guys.

Today we had gone to Dakshin Honda (same guys run a VW showroom in Bangalore) to finalise color for the "BOOKED" TANHC They had 2 Vento's which was ready for delivery.

I took some random pics, and the story remains the same.

As everyone on this Forum says,

Stay with the Topic - I am doing so

Product Bashing - I am doing so, Why, the product let me down when it mattered most.

Biased view - I am doing so, Why, There are BETTER and REFINED competitors in the market at the similar price

VW India is now more centric on Mass Production than Production with Class.

The fit and finish FLIMSY,

Paint quality, TERRIBLE

Panel gaps, NASTY

Well, my humble mobile camera could only manage this quality, anyone needs better pictures, please tell me, i will take my SLR and do the needful sometime soon on some other Vento.

I believe in FACTS, no Brand loyalty, inspite of restoring almost 14 VW's so far, i am dejected at the way VW has strayed away from Quality cars............ Sorry VW

Congrats on the booking of your ANHC.
I think you made the right choice by not choosing Vento, as if you are so dissatisfied with Vento as a product, that would only lead to more cribs later on.

As far as my opinion is concerned, I think Vento is an excellent product, and I didnt find any issues with the quality. Not at all a fan of ANHC, dont like their handling at high speeds as well. even if I close my eyes and dont observe the shiny cheap plastics used in the interiors, again this is my opinion.

Good journalism with the photographs though! But I would still stick to VW Vento.

[anjal]

I cancelled my booking of the Shadow Blue Vento TDi HighLine after waiting for 5 months. Had sent a cancellation email the previous day and neither the dealer nor VW customer care bothered to reply even to that.
Called them to inquire about my refund cheque, but no one had a clue and struggled to track me as a customer.
Additionally, not once was I offered by anybody to look into the problem, the sales guy as usual had attitude and passed the call to the customer relationship person to provide cancellation formalities.

Personally went and completed cancellation formalities. INR 75000/- refund takes around 8 - 10 days (so they say). Fighting for 5 months interest which dealer claims VW does not give. Dealer told me he will get back to me regarding this issue in one hour. As usual and as expected has not gotten back to me so far.
I know I won't get it, but will be escalating it to the highest levels and will give supposedly educated-highly-paid-and-qualified management people all chances to act cheap, shameless and display their level.

Was given assurance of intimation of my refund cheque upon arrival by the CRE. But, as we all know by now, she will not call. The disgust, I think, will continue on for some time.

What a waste of time and money (I'll end paying more for my next car as well as it's finance).

Gave in to tempation and booked the Tuscan Wine Linea T-Jet+. FIAT sales experience with multiple dealers and, at all times in the past 8 months of my car search + wait, has been far, far better than even the slightest interaction I've had with VW.

I was surprised when the anticipation of the first new car returned after completing booking formalities!
3-weeks for the reptilian beauty!