[vasoo]

Originally Posted by tachobells

Does Vento automatic have a manual override mode (whatever marketing name they call it) ?

I saw + and - signs on the shifter. Hence this question.

Vento has the tiptronic transmission, which is similar to what is seen in Corolla Altis AT. It is expected to provide a "clutch-less/semi-automatic" feeling though I am not sure how many will end up using it in real life. It cannot be called a manual override as the shift pattern is strictly governed by ECU/electronics. Paddle shifts on Hondas are much more ergonomic and fun to use.

[holysmoke]

Originally Posted by subodh

what about the ride, handling, Space, equipment levels etc of these cars?

Ride - Kinda depends on what you prefer. Vento is trademark european suspension. It is multilink suspension on the vento that eats up the jerks. City suspension is softer tho. Vento will let you feel you've gone over a bad road, city hides that better.

Handling. The city does not hold a candle to the vento handling. City is "boaty".

Space - City is a bit bigger spacewise.. around 5%.

Equipment levels. Similarly equipped. Vento has climate control etc. City has aux in and ipod connection, but no cd player.. whereas vento has cd player but no aux in/ipod connection.

Originally Posted by tachobells

I thought city auto is a good option considering there's paddle shift. You can 'drive' it like an F1 car.

Paddle shifts are fun for the first 3 hours. Then you never end up using them. I've got paddleshifts on my civic and superb and I dont use them at all. Neither do my friends with AT.

Originally Posted by sathyaprakash

I would like any body comenting on the auto of the city to be brief in what they lack in it?

The gearbox feels like it is made in 1900. The engine lacks low end torque.

Originally Posted by tachobells

Does Vento automatic have a manual override mode (whatever marketing name they call it) ?

I saw + and - signs on the shifter. Hence this question.

Yes. You can manually change gears by pushing the gear lever to the left when it is on "D".

Originally Posted by ACM

Give the underdog (in India) a change, give VW Vento a change,

DSG is the best auto - period - paddle shifters and tiptronics are toys, one ends up using the basic auto mode only in 90% of the case and that is when DSG is useful.

The other features on the VW are also v nice the City will only have bullet proof reliability going for it, but is price too high for the car that it is.

DSG is the best there is.

But do u know there is a new version in DSG? Now there is a dry clutch DSG, and that is just fantastic!


BTW no dsg on the vento.

Originally Posted by rosh_aveo1.4

The Honda makes more sense...although I think more expensive right?

With the vento launch, they are giving discounts, so the price of both the vento auto and the city auto is more or less the same on road. (+- 2k)

[Guna]

Originally Posted by holysmoke

Paddle shifts are fun for the first 3 hours. Then you never end up using them. I've got paddleshifts on my civic and superb and I dont use them at all. Neither do my friends with AT.

The gearbox feels like it is made in 1900. The engine lacks low end torque.

It depends on the person. I use the paddle shift extensively even after 18 months (and 28K).
How do you find the civic AT in comparison? Essentially it is the same AT system and I hear that Civic's low end torque is nothing to write home about.

[subodh]

Yes. You can manually change gears by pushing the gear lever to the left when it is on "D".

wow. I was not aware that you can change gears by pushing gear ever to left. i test drive the vento today and it was a really nice experience. it ate up the bumps pretty good and the steering felt good at slow speed. The car was quite light and precise to handle in tight traffic conditions. The space at the back after behind my driving position is pretty damn good and the car looks better than the city IMO. This was the first time i drove a automatic transmission car so i would not comment on the gearbox as i really dont have any benchmark. But will test drive the city tomorrow and then maybe I can compare.

Thanks for all the help guys. Still not enough material to make a definite choice though. Keep them coming.

[holysmoke]

Originally Posted by Guna

It depends on the person. I use the paddle shift extensively even after 18 months (and 28K).
How do you find the civic AT in comparison? Essentially it is the same AT system and I hear that Civic's low end torque is nothing to write home about.

Yeah, I guess it depends on the person.

For me, I can control the AT boxes I have by the right foot itself.(probably the reason I dont use paddleshifts/tiptronics) I mean.. I know exactly how much to press the accelerator to go a gear down, and how much I can go in the same gear before it goes down etc.. and how much to leave the accelerator so that I up-shift. It's kinda difficult to explain, but you've driven an AT extensively so you know what I mean.

Yes, the civic's low end torque is even worse than the city. But the gearbox is miles better. Compared to the city it is instantaneous! IIRC the civic engine was made specially keeping the AT gearbox in mind.(or they were made for each other, something like that) I find the civic accelerates much better than the city.. although it doesn't power through with torque (like the superb).
I found the vento gearbox much more intuitive and responsive than the city. Let me give you an example. There were 5 of us in the city. On kick-down, the car took around 2-3 seconds to downshift, and it downshifted 1 gear. It was almost like I was feathering the accelerator! no movement at all! The vento on the other hand downshifted 2 gears and leapt like a cat.

Originally Posted by subodh

Yes. You can manually change gears by pushing the gear lever to the left when it is on "D".

wow. I was not aware that you can change gears by pushing gear ever to left. i test drive the vento today and it was a really nice experience. it ate up the bumps pretty good and the steering felt good at slow speed. The car was quite light and precise to handle in tight traffic conditions. The space at the back after behind my driving position is pretty damn good and the car looks better than the city IMO. This was the first time i drove a automatic transmission car so i would not comment on the gearbox as i really dont have any benchmark. But will test drive the city tomorrow and then maybe I can compare.

Thanks for all the help guys. Still not enough material to make a definite choice though. Keep them coming.

YouTube - 2009 Jetta TDI Tiptronic Automatic

That shows link how it is done.... 1:20 onwards


PS - Made a mistake.. how do I delete this post/merge it with the above one?

[subodh]

This is pretty impressive. Thanks bro. This calls for one more TD of the vento to check out the functioning of the gearbox.

[GTO]

Automatic Gearbox: No contest, the one in the City is far superior. Better shifts, quicker response time and paddles to play with.

Build Quality: Vento feels sturdier

Interior Quality: Vento

Interior Space:Honda City, though the Vento is close

Engine: The City has an edge. In terms of refinement and outright performance

Ride & Handling:Vento. Superior ride, handling and high speed stability.

Equipment: Vento. Lots of segment firsts too (reach adjustable steering, front seat fore & aft adjust from the back etc.)

Reliability & Peace of the mind: Honda City. A 13 year track record of supreme reliability & no-nonsense ownership. VW has a long way to go before it earns the "reliable" tag.

VFM: Vento. It's much better priced.

DSG is the best auto - period - paddle shifters and tiptronics are toys, one ends up using the basic auto mode only in 90% of the case and that is when DSG is useful.

ACM, the Vento slush box isn't a DSG and we should be glad. The DSG's long-term reliability is highly suspect.

[JustCause]

From the scenario the OP has narrated, the Vento seems to be a no-brainer.
If you need "driving comfort", I surely will put my money on the Vento. I mean, what's the use of a Flappy paddle gearbox if the driver requires freedom from constant gear changes. ANHC A/T can be pipped by a DSG anyday, and the money you save buying a Vento can be used for adding aftermarket accessories.

To be honest , I too, am considering an automatic sedan sometime in 2011 and have TD'ed the ANHC A/T & the Vento A/T & even the Verna and my opinion is based solely on the driving experience.

[Axe77]

I would recommend the City (eyes closed) if the price difference is palatable.

[Axe77]

Sorry missed the 20 min edit timeline so adding new post.

@ Guna / Holysmoke: I agree with Guna. I also use the paddles in my 13 month old civic extensively and its not because it makes me feel like an F1 driver. I recognise gear changes as well with accelerator input but to give an example: in D mode its extremely useful to cut speed on a fast corner by paddling down combined with braking and then continuing business as usual in D mode without the manual override. In the Vento tiptronic, I'm guessing that I don't have the ability to do something like that.

The flexibility and range of use that the paddles offer even in regular D mode make me prefer them significantly over their tiptronic counterparts.

Finally, I still think VW needs to prove that its got its act together. I've had several experiences at their Mumbai dealership and they just seem to have an arrogance I can't explain. Its plain annoying. Given the Skoda perception in India, I would have thought they should be on their toes before in what kind of an impression they make on their customers.

I was recently in the market for a Vento or a City A/T to replace our manual accord. The price advantage was making me seriously consider the Vento. But their dealership attitude somehow made me hesitant. In the meantime, I chanced upon a 5000 km run 10 month old City A/T at a much lower price than the Vento and grabbed the opportunity and purchased it. Haven't regretted the decision for a moment.

[diksh]

My vote goes for the Honda city. I am using a city (Manual)for the last one and a half year and it is a breeze to drive in the city and also very comfortable for long drives.

[sgiitk]

@Guna; Civic low end torque story is the Honda story. They are all high revving engines (redline at 6700) with max. power at 6000+ as against the 5250 or so in the VW. But the AT is a real beauty, virtually no lag, instant response, and economical. In my Civic if you use a light foot, it seldom crosses 2000rpm in town driving.

I do occasionally go to the S-mode, or even shift up with the Paddles in D. Yes, it is available. One point where the S is necessary is going down hills. It stops the engine from free-wheeling.

[Aroy]

Honda any day for reliability and peace of mind.

Ventro for better car, but peace of mind? Lots of posts on the dealer arrogance here. If that translates to maintenance issues, you are in same boat as Skoda owners. I would wait a year till committing on VW service.

Further damper is that the German vehicle maintenance cost is in general more than the Japanese and Korean ones. Keep in mind that until and unless there are numbers in sales, most of the parts would be imported. At least City has been selling in decent numbers for years, hence many parts are of local manufacture.

[subodh]

I agree Honda reliability and service are superior but how has the experience been for people who own the passats or jettas or for that matter polo till now? I was also victim of bad attitude from VW dealer. It went so far as to the salesman recommended me to consider honda city since i was looking for automatic. he said there is 3 months waiting period for an automatic vento, why dont u consider honda city. That also comes in auto. further more when i asked what is the "s" mode on gear box (just to have fun) he told me its a different mode of gear box. After asking what is so different about it, he said it gives better average!!!!! But i dont wanna rule out the car simply because of that persons stupidity.
Any comments from former vw owners on service and ownership experiences?

Does honda city have rear ac vents? i cant seem to remember from the time i drove it

As an after thought, which colours do you guys think do both these cars look good in?

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by vasoo

It cannot be called a manual override as the shift pattern is strictly governed by ECU/electronics. Paddle shifts on Hondas are much more ergonomic and fun to use.

So are you saying the shift pattern in Vento is governed by ECU even in manual mode (i.e. +/- mode), however in Honda City, it's not governed by ECU (simply because +/- is printed on the paddles instead of the shifter slot???

Ergonomics and ECU override are two different things, isn't it?

Talking about ergonomics:
The paddles are a pain while taking an acute corner - padddles move with the steering and during a very acute turn, + and - practically swap their places, while good thing about the shifter is that it does not change it's place no matter what so I can seamlessly shift while taking corners.

Talking about ECU override:
The manual mode in any auto box is always ECU controlled and hence it works as manual only "within the safe limits determined by the ECU". It Does not matter whether you use paddles or the shifter.