[rockyjee]

Took delivery of my Highline TSI yesterday!

Done 50Kms or so, the FE is hovering around 12Kmpl right now

But am very happy with the car, the delivery, the looks, the feel!

[derek]

I took delivery of a night blue TSI highline in mumbai last week.

The car is lovely to drive. Occasionally i feel the car takes times to respond,especially in S mode when i step on the pedal. I feel that slight bit of lag even in D mode.

Overall car is fantastic to drive in the city. My first tank full gave me an average of 10kmpl. In the city traffic it goes down to even 5 or 6kmpl.

The DSG sometimes gets confused while shifting. Seen that a lot in 2nd gear in D mode when it holds on to the rpms a lot longer. What i mean is the shifting from 3 to 4 to 5 is seamless and u cant even feel it. Just from 2 to 3 i feel it overrevs.

These are my experiences and thoughts. The car is absolutely silent on idle and has a nice grunt as u pull away. Overall a fantastic car.

Mine is a night blue TSI btw in mumbai.

[H_Dogg72]

Congratulations on the TSI POWAH!
Welcome to the club

Please idle your cars after manic runs.
Mods, please close the thread.

[lamborghini]

So on the lookout for a replacement for the Liva.

Our current running is 1200kms/month, and the runs comprise short ones as well. Diesel has the advantage of being better for the very rare highway drive (say a couple of times a year to Pune - but may increase), and petrol would be better for shorter runs.
Mostly chauffeur driven, say 1000kms/month; and occupants will include our GSD who goes to the vet every now and then.
Priorities were space, ride quality, reliability and maintenance, ease of ingress and egress, and a feel good factor; with the A/T being very high on the preferences list as well though not a must.

The Ciaz, a front runner, failed due to the poor headroom in the back.
Etios was next up, but we already have an Etios and a Liva (which we intend to replace), so a third one was definitely not happening.
City was a favourite, but I wasn't impressed by the car - poor ride, poor NVH, not as easy to drive in the city, etc.
Creta AT was considered but I haven't gotten a TD as yet, and prices were quite high. Plus given I want an Innova Crysta in a year, I'd rather save for that. Auto door locks were another big emission on the Creta, and a must for me.
Duster was a no-go as well, and the lack of service centres close by didn't help.

That pretty much left us with the Vento and Rapid, to which I am warming up to the Vento more, primarily due to the classier look and feel + better service option IMHO (H - hopeful) even though there is a considerable price difference post discounts.

The confusion though starts at TSi v/s TDi. There is no doubt that the TSi would be a better choice for the self driven, but in the case of chauffeur driven?
Any thoughts? Alternate options welcome!

PS: We also have a skoda Laura, the service of which is pathetic. And I am trying to be an optimist about the DSG as no cases have come up very recently barring a member's Octy TSi.

[heydj]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

That pretty much left us with the Vento and Rapid, to which I am warming up to the Vento more, primarily due to the classier look and feel + better service option IMHO (H - hopeful) even though there is a considerable price difference post discounts.

The confusion though starts at TSi v/s TDi. There is no doubt that the TSi would be a better choice for the self driven, but in the case of chauffeur driven?
Any thoughts? Alternate options welcome!

PS: We also have a skoda Laura, the service of which is pathetic. And I am trying to be an optimist about the DSG as no cases have come up very recently barring a member's Octy TSi.

Three observations:

A) Skoda Rapid TDI after all discounts comes at almost same price as Vento TSI. Which was true in my case.

B) I personally prefer suspension setup of Skoda over VW.

C) As you already have a Skoda car then to experience something new look at Ford Ecosport AT, it fits the price range and gearbox is DCT.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Any thoughts? Alternate options welcome!

PS: We also have a skoda Laura, the service of which is pathetic. And I am trying to be an optimist about the DSG as no cases have come up very recently barring a member's Octy TSi.

If not the Ciaz check out the S-cross. It's a perfect fit for the dog as well. 1.3 or 1.6 you can decide on budget. for the price of a Vento DSG, you can easily get the 1.6 in lower trim or the 1.3 in highest trim.

For chauffeur driven I would go for the 1.3L. The 1.6L is laggy around town and drivers will just mess up the clutch.

I doubt the Vento will have better rear comfort than a Ciaz.

Another alternate is the Ecosport.

[lamborghini]

I shall be checking out both the Rapid and the Vento back to back tomorrow, so will update between those two.

Regarding the Eco-sport and S-Cross: We also need a rear seat armrest, and a boot - for the highway and airport trips. In fact, the biggest shortcoming of the Liva was the lack of a boot. Plus, mom isn't too comfy with the idea of a cross-over / high car - so I'd rather stick to having only one such car in the family (which is where I hope the Innova Crysta fits the bill, but that would be when the need arises)

Even though the Laura is there, I am very particular about who uses it, and what it's being used for, plus I keep it very busy and it's the highest running car at home.
No doubt it will do the odd airport pick-up, but most of them will be done by the new car.

Coming to hatches, we also checked out the Jazz, but the lack of magic seats on the CVT variant was a deal breaker as it would have been a boon for our GSD.

However, for the multiple caps the new sedan would have to wear - a cross over, or a hatch won't cut it. Maybe when it's time to replace the Laura.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Regarding the Eco-sport and S-Cross: We also need a rear seat armrest, and a boot - for the highway and airport trips. In fact, the biggest shortcoming of the Liva was the lack of a boot. Plus, mom isn't too comfy with the idea of a cross-over / high car - so I'd rather stick to having only one such car in the family (which is where I hope the Innova Crysta fits the bill, but that would be when the need arises)

The Ecosport doesn't get a rear arm rest but the S-cross has one.

Regarding boot space, the S-cross is not bad. On paper figures are lower as it's only mentioned uptill a certain height.

The S-cross is barely a cross over. Consider it like a larger hatch. The rear is for sure more comfortable than Rapid/Vento and can seat 3 wide.

Plus it's not like other Maruti's. More euro than japanese.

For a chauffeur driven beater car, my vote would be the S-cross vs the complex DSG germans.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Plus it's not like other Maruti's. More euro than japanese.

For a chauffeur driven beater car, my vote would be the S-cross vs the complex DSG germans.

Thanks much Vid! I did check out the review of the S-Cross, and it looks very promising.
Will be going to see it next week, along with a relook at the Jazz & City.

Lack of AT in the top variant is upsetting, as an AT would have been a boon (all the other cars are AT), even with the chauffeur driving 80% of the time.

Went and saw the Vento today, but the headroom was poor. If I am willing to compromise on the headroom, nothing beats the Ciaz AT for our requirements.

[itsashishsharma]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Lack of AT in the top variant is upsetting, as an AT would have been a boon (all the other cars are AT), even with the chauffeur driving 80% of the time.

For chauffeur driven, as Vid suggested, why do you want a complex DSG? A manual will be advisable for your needs. It would be cheaper to buy too.
The S Cross will not only easiest to maintain in long run, it's high speed stability and handling is as good as the Vento. Take a large size suitcase with you for the TD. I am sure you would like loading and unloading it in S Cross' boot, plus as it is a hatchback, you can keep the suitcase in an upright position, saving space for your other baggages, unlike the Vento where you will have to keep it lie down.
Also, for the elderly, the back seat of the S Cross is at a better height. You got to sit down in the Vento, but in S Cross, you can more easily walk in and out. It's not like Ecosport wherein you got to climb up to get in. S Cross is somewhat perfect for your usage.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

For chauffeur driven I would go for the 1.3L. The 1.6L is laggy around town and drivers will just mess up the clutch.

Originally Posted by itsashishsharma

The S Cross will not only easiest to maintain in long run, it's high speed stability and handling is as good as the Vento. Take a large size suitcase with you for the TD. I am sure you would like loading and unloading it in S Cross' boot, plus as it is a hatchback, you can keep the suitcase in an upright position, saving space for your other baggages, unlike the Vento where you will have to keep it lie down.
Also, for the elderly, the back seat of the S Cross is at a better height. You got to sit down in the Vento, but in S Cross, you can more easily walk in and out. It's not like Ecosport wherein you got to climb up to get in. S Cross is somewhat perfect for your usage.

Thank you guys!

You'll prompted me to check out the S-Cross, and quite honestly - I am bowled over!

We just booked a silver 1.6 Alpha yesterday, with delivery in 6 weeks and no discounts

All reasoning was thrown out of the window - A/T, 1.3L v/s 1.6L, etc.

Ideally we wanted an A/T as it would be smoother with the chauffeur behind the wheels, and for the 20-30% that it would be driven by dad or me - would've been easier.
Sadly the M/T option limits how much dad would drive it, but then when he wants to drive, I wouldn't mind swapping the Laura's keys for that of the S-Cross.

Wanted a boot for the airport trips, but barring a few trips that the Laura will have to undertake, this can pretty much handle it all. Plus, on those very odd occasions, we can swap the S-Cross with the office Etios for a day.

And lastly, wanted the 1.3 as it made sense - but one drive in the 1.6 and I was sold! Yes - it's a waste for the chauffeur, but thankfully we don't have any adrenaline fuelled boy racers employed.
Plus, with an ageing garage (2008 E60, 2012 Laura covered 55Kkm, etc.), I won't be surprised if the S-Cross sees more self-driven usage.

Once again, thank you folks! This car would have been totally discounted were it not for your help.

PS: Broke the news to a few friends. Enthusiasts had words of praise, and the general junta was more of
'you bought a Maruti?'
'You paid WHAT for it?'

PS 2: Still haven't broken the news to mom. Hopefully she won't have the same reaction as the general junta. That would be a pain point.

EDIT: Only one flaw that I could find, pertaining to the debated style - no one gives this car any respect on the road as was evident in the TD itself. Heck, the Etios IMO gets more respect.

[sixthsense2k6]

Planning to buy vento highline TDI DSG (Automatic). Didn't think about City Cvt because I am currently using Amaze. F E of city is around 12 and vento TDI around 20. Service intervals are different. I don't like the looks of CIAZ and I cant go beyond 14 Lakhs to buy a Creta. Anyone please advise, will it be a wise decision. I am planning to keep this car for around 5-6 years and my daily commute is around 50-60km (half is highway).

[mijnoirhammer67]

Originally Posted by sixthsense2k6

Planning to buy vento highline TDI DSG (Automatic). Didn't think about City Cvt because I am currently using Amaze. F E of city is around 12 and vento TDI around 20. Service intervals are different. I don't like the looks of CIAZ and I cant go beyond 14 Lakhs to buy a Creta. Anyone please advise, will it be a wise decision. I am planning to keep this car for around 5-6 years and my daily commute is around 50-60km (half is highway).

Well why don't you look at the Ecosport? Unless you are strictly looking at a sedan, the Ecosport could be fun. Alternatively, the S-cross 1.6 could stretch your budget but it'd be worth in my opinion. Or, wait for the Baleno RS. Though i think the baleno is a bit too light for the highway commute, I've time and time again felt its build quality is poor. Especially after that car accident in which 5 people died in their new baleno, I've advised anyone looking for the Baleno to look at it only if its a city car.
But my recommendation for sedans would be between the Rapid and Vento and Verna if it appeals to you. The new rapid is due, you can wait for that. That could bring a few new features. And if not, you can expect the current Rapid with extra discounts since its an outgoing model.

Recommendations:
1. S-Cross 1.6
2. Ecosport
3. New Rapid
4. Current gen Rapid or Vento

Happy hunting

[FanaticOnWheels]

Originally Posted by rockyjee

After many days of planning, I finally did take a TD of the TSI.

Quick notes, although spent a few minutes only on the busy South Delhi roads, just one quick spin in the Safdurjung area and around the Ring Road..

The car seemed fairly quick, I did not feel that the additional weight was an issue with the Vento in comparison to the GT TSI...
.

Hi Rocky. I can give some answers based on my ownership experience with the Polo GT TSI.

The S mode would rev the engine hard at each gear for better acceleration. The engine sounds would be audible (I love it, though ). I have always found D mode to be more than adequate, even for highway drives, when I need that additional power. I use S mode very, very rarely. The D mode is more or less magical, you will find yourself pretty much in the perfect gear 90% of the times. Unless you need near instant acceleration, in which case D mode might disappoint you, D mode will be more than sufficient for your city/highway drives.

The A/C works like a charm (My reference point is Pune summers). On hot days, I've never had to go below 24 degree C on the ACC.

I get an average of 12 KM/L in the city, and highway drives give me 17 KM/L. The Vento TSI's figures might then have to be corrected for the additional weight the car carries.

All the best!

[heydj]

Originally Posted by mijnoirhammer67

The new rapid is due, you can wait for that. That could bring a few new features. And if not, you can expect the current Rapid with extra discounts since its an outgoing model.
2. Ecosport
3. New Rapid
4. Current gen Rapid or Vento

Happy hunting

+1 for the options given.

I am using Rapid TDI DSG for a year now and would recommend the vehicle, service thing is hit or a miss depending on service station. Lately Skoda has been making right noises about customer service but lets see, I personally am having a tiff with them about airbag module. Again lets see.

In TSi I found downshifts to be a issue at times, this was true for both Vento and Polo.

Also Ameo TDI DSG is launched, so if on budget consider.