[M00M]

Guys,

I need some help. I have a Alto and want to change the car. Am looking at the Vento TDi Highline, City V, and the Skoda Fabia 1.6 Elegance.

Vento:
Positives:
Solid ride, Performance and Fuel Efficiency of the Diesel, Good tough build and feeling.

Negatives:
Have heard and read a lot of criticism for Bad After Sales Support of VW, FB page seems to have just complaints, I dint like the Vento Fit and Finish thought it was under market compared to the City VMT, Equipment levels of the Vento werent all that impressive either and we keep blasting Honda for under equipping the City but i think the Vento is under equipped too but only sells due to its Diesel Engine, Car dint seem special like something that had to be had - it seemed like just another car - felt something was missing.


City VMT:
Positives:
Great Performance, Ride, Fuel EFficiency of Petrol City is the best in the segment (im considering the manual), Fit and Finish on the V is better than before, Stereo sounded good, Overall i've owned a City in the past and its a good everyday car, Honda's age well.

Negatives:
Bad Honda Service, Higher Fuel Bills due to the difference in prices, Dont like the City's rear end design car feels weird.


Skoda Fabia 1.6 Elegance:
Positives:
Great Ride, Solid Build, Performance of the 1.6 motor, Car felt Special.

Negatives:
Bad Skoda After Sales Service, Higher Fuel Bills due to the difference in prices.

Just for a back drop on my list of choices: My Alto is currently a third car and not used much but once exchanged the new car will see a lot of city use, highway trips (about 3-4 every year of 700-800 kms each), and will move from being a third car to my parents personal car. I see the running for the car to be about 6000-7000 kms a year.

Priorities: Good Ride Quality, Good Fit Finish, Ease of Use and Maintenance. I also do not like the fact that we have to spend about 10 lacs on a car and then we have to go and change some components on the car like the Vento's HU doesnt even have a Aux In and may have to be changed, I prefer buying the higher variant complete with all the bells and whistles and not having to do much except maybe change speakers and install some good sun film. My cars feel stock, new and are well maintained.

I await your different suggestions and viewpoints.

[karanraheja]

Originally Posted by M00M

I dint like the Vento Fit and Finish thought it was under market compared to the City VMT

That is surprising !! I own a ANHC and i feel the Vento has better fit and finish.

Originally Posted by M00M

City VMT:
Negatives:
Bad Honda Service

Now where did that come from?? Is it from your past experience from owning a City? I would'nt say Honda has best service - its about average and the only irritating thing is the 5k service interval compared to 15k/1yr service interval of the competitors.

Originally Posted by M00M

Dont like the City's rear end design car feels weird.

. If you could wait for the facelift ANHC which is rumoured to be launched around Diwali hopefully some changes would be made to the rear design.

Originally Posted by M00M

I see the running for the car to be about 6000-7000 kms a year.

The running justifies for petrol. The ANHC seems to be the best bet but do check out the soon to be launched New Ford Fiesta too !

[M00M]

Originally Posted by karanraheja

That is surprising !! I own a ANHC and i feel the Vento has better fit and finish.

Test Drive vehicle was badly maintained and had smelly dirty interiors. Obviously a new car would be better but still felt sick. The Rear Hump was annoying.

Now where did that come from?? Is it from your past experience from owning a City? I would'nt say Honda has best service - its about average and the only irritating thing is the 5k service interval compared to 15k/1yr service interval of the competitors.


Yes from past experience of owning the City. I used to service my car once in 6 months and felt they never listened or did everything. Lucky for them the car was excellent so didnt need them to keep tweaking it at every service.

. If you could wait for the facelift ANHC which is rumoured to be launched around Diwali hopefully some changes would be made to the rear design.

Want to finalize the car as soon as possible. Maybe even within a week if possible.


The running justifies for petrol. The ANHC seems to be the best bet but do check out the soon to be launched New Ford Fiesta too !

Saw the fiesta and read some reviews. Car seems good will check it out soon.

Can you lay down some personal experience of yours with the ANHC. Happy with it ? Problems ? Ground Clearance Issues ?

[karanraheja]

Originally Posted by M00M

Can you lay down some personal experience of yours with the ANHC. Happy with it ? Problems ? Ground Clearance Issues ?

Happy?- Heck Yeah! Awesome performance , FE ( 12-13 in City) and i still adore the car's design.
Problems? - None till date.
GC Issue ?- Yup . Be prepared to scrape quite often.

[noopster]

If ground clearance is a big concern, the City will probably not work for you. Don't believe everything you read on Facebook: there is a guy there who is trolling relentlessly about the Vento's bad GC and how it scrapes every speed breaker with 2 people in back. Not true.
Also, diesel vs petrol comparison with today's prices seems strange. If you ask me it is a complete no-brainer: get the Vento TDI.
Fit and finish of Vento is one of its greatest strengths. Please go through some of the ownership reviews inluding mine and decide for yourself rather than basing your opinion on some badly-maintained demo car!

[akhilesh]

Out of the options listed I would simply stay away from Skoda. And since Skoda is in your list can I recommend you to test drive hatchbacks like the Punto 90HP, Ford Figo. If you insist on a sedan then you can wait for the new Fiesta which will be launched very shortly.

[mjothi]

Originally Posted by noopster

If you ask me it is a complete no-brainer: get the Vento TDI.

+1. The TDi is a gem and go ahead with that.

Vento feels very solid and good, in my opinion. AHNC days are gone I guess Probably a new model with a better price will help it.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by M00M

Guys,
I need some help. I have a Alto and want to change the car. Am looking at the Vento TDi Highline, City V, and the Skoda Fabia 1.6 Elegance.

From the given list, it has to be the Vento TDI. And it is the only diesel pick in your list. And if you liked the looks of the new Fiesta, maybe you can give it a try as well.

[bluevolt]

I guess if you go to test drive all three cars yourself than it will help you to decide much better. As your running is low, please do not go for diesel (will do well to environment also).

When you will TD all three cars it will give you better picture. I will suggest you Honda City, the best C segment petrol sedan, it is the fastest and and the most reliable. I have done over 5000 KMs and not even a single time scratched the under body. The technique is to be followed instead of complaining car's characteristic.

There are few complaints regarding the fit and finish in Vento, go through the official Vento ownership thread (with pictures).

[pamishra]

Any specific reason why you have ignored the new Verna? its a stunner.

[M00M]

@Noopster: Thanks but i also felt dissatisfied knowing that after spending 10 lacs i have to go and change the HU to use my ipod, and VW Downtown Mumbai in short Shaman are known for Bad Service and were quite stuck up regarding my changing the HU, they were very adamant i use only their rather ridiculous overpriced ones but i will give it another go in the next few days.

@Akhilesh: Dont want to go for a hatch 99.99%. I included the Skoda Fabia 1.6 because when i drove it i just got a huge smile on my face. I liked the performance and interior fit and finish and car felt stable, peppy and safe, was a good feeling.

@Vb-san: I will check out the Fiesta but i think il stick to these 3 options. Not a huge Ford fan.

@bluevolt: Yes the City seems like the best package. Infact i used to own one for 6 years before i upgraded and it is a no brainer that if i buy it i will get good service for atleast 7-8 years from the car without any hitches but with the petrol price relentlessly going up just wondering if its time to move to a Diesel. For me the best Diesel is the Laura TDI but its size is a concern since my folks wont be able to drive it on one of the rare occasions they get behind the wheel. I have used the Octavia and Laura extensively and its a great car.

@Pamishra: I ignored the Hyundai Verna because from my personal experience of owning Hyundai's is that they give you a terrific package but somehow they havent got the ride + handling + performance formula right and also the fact that their cars are not solidly built. They start getting all shaken up in 3-4 years. Also the fact that their service station though very good is terribly overloaded and is far and gives appointments after 1 month of booking a service. I somehow dont want to go for a Hyundai this time.

[mayankjha1806]

In the available options i found the Honda to be the best. The problems about low GC, well we didnt scrape the bottom even once when we drove it, and what i like about Honda's and Toyota is they drive very well even after 7-8 years. One of my friend owns a 7 year old Honda and it still drives like 2-3 year old. Also considering usage petrol will turn out cheaper and the break-even will be about 6+ years.

[arup.misra]

Originally Posted by karanraheja

That is surprising !! I own a ANHC and i feel the Vento has better fit and finish.



Now where did that come from?? Is it from your past experience from owning a City? I would'nt say Honda has best service - its about average and the only irritating thing is the 5k service interval compared to 15k/1yr service interval of the competitors.




. If you could wait for the facelift ANHC which is rumoured to be launched around Diwali hopefully some changes would be made to the rear design.




The running justifies for petrol. The ANHC seems to be the best bet but do check out the soon to be launched New Ford Fiesta too !

Hi Moom,

I'm sorry I don't intend hijacking your thread but I just have one question for Karan Raheja.

I intend to buy the AHNC too (Sep or Oct) I would like to know if there is any truth to the rumors of face lifted City to be unveiled by Diwali. I spoke to the dealers but they haven't heard of it (don't think they'll be upfront anyway). If there are any scoop pics or any news clips it'll be much appreciated.

Thanks

[bluevolt]

Originally Posted by arup.misra

I intend to buy the AHNC too (Sep or Oct) I would like to know if there is any truth to the rumors of face lifted City to be unveiled by Diwali. I spoke to the dealers but they haven't heard of it (don't think they'll be upfront anyway). If there are any scoop pics or any news clips it'll be much appreciated.

Thanks

Hi arup,

There is no official news about the facelift, nor there is news from reliable source like team-bhp. These are rumors as of now and that too spread by non-reliable blogs. If you are buying in oct/sep then there is no issue as the picture will be much clearer by then.

[mkh]

If the choice is between a diesel and petrol, you have to go with the Vento, but then your running does not justify to buy a diesel. That said the SMT model for ANHC is not a bad choice, any reason to prefer the VMT?
As for Honda service being bad- it will depend on the city but my experience in bangalore, they are a little off hand at times and surely they believe NOTHING can be wrong with their cars.
That said VW is not far behind too when it comes to dealer support, have heard from owners a few sad stories here. Having seen both closely, quality that you get with Honda is better in most aspects( material, paint etc), also look closely at the rear seat comfort before making a choice. GC- well ANHC will surely scrape with full load, that is the only real negative in the car.
You have already owned a honda, if you are someone who prefers to stick to the known go for ANHC, some people want a change- go for VW, that should make the decision easier