[prabhuferrari]

Introduction:


I got my Esteem in 2007 and it has been an excellent experience with the car for around 73000 kms. Initially I wanted to change the car only by 2012. But when my company tied up with Orix early this year things changed. Made some calculations, got approval from the home minister, and finally decided to go for a new car by late may 2011.

Having decided to go for a new car, came the obvious question 'What car?'. What car span off to some more questions like

-Whats the budget? -> 10 to 12L
-Petrol or Diesel? -> Nothing in particular, but since I have driven only a petrol car so far wanted to try a diesel car. Low fuel prices does not hurt as well.

Mission statement 1 May 2011: Buy a good sedan that can be the perfect replacement for my esteem.

First stop: Volkswagen Palace Cross, Bangalore - Vento AT(Thank you noopster), Vento TDi highline(Thank you souravc,vb-san, oxyzen, nileshch, bala80, evilshantantu, naveenraju).

Mission statement 2 - Jun 2011: Buy a good sedan that can be easily obtainable without doing a penance. Sigh!

Breaking news: Junior expected by Feb 2011

Mission statement 3 - Late Jun2011: Buy a comfortable sedan that is good for the wife's back and is gentle on the roads.

Second stop: Magnum Honda, Bangalore - Honda City AT (Thank you charthom, mdsaab, kirantp, remingstonsteele, libran1987)

Mission statement 4 - Late Jun 2011: Buy a comfortable sedan with good interiors which can handle very bad roads, with decent ground clearance.

Third stop: Sundaram Motors, Chevrolet, Bangalore

Mission statement 5 - Very late Jun 2011: Go for Optra Magnum LT. Change HU. (Thank you optimist, poitive, NoRules, sylvan, keyur, do_or_die, visweshkalambur)

Official break: July 2011 Trip to Sweden for a few days. Ogle at the Fiesta hatchback and also few Volkswagen cars.

Fourth stop: Metro Ford, Bangalore - New Ford Fiesta petrol, diesel and Fiesta classic. (Thank you Team-BHP)

Mission statement 6 - Don't earn the wrath of home minister by talking only about cars.

Mission statement 7 - Late July 2011- Go for a comfortable sedan that is reasonably priced with decent interiors with a clear visibility on the release date.

It was at this juncture I shot a mail to GM, asking them if I can change the HU to Caska or something. Got a very rude response from GM on how the warranty will be void and I cant change anything in the car. And around same time there were few threads on Optra's reliability concerns. Add to it Sundaram Motors was ending their dealership with GM. The other options in Bangalore were Trident and Kropex which did not have decent reviews neither on sales or after sales service. Optra fell off my radar immediately. It maybe a great car but I was not willing to take the risk as it will be a company leased car and did not want to take any chances.

Back to ground zero.

Fifth stop: Trident Hyundai - Hyundai Verna SX(o) CRDi

Mission statement 8 - Mid August 2011 - Go for a comfortable sedan in which my parents can comfortably sit in the backseat without wondering where they are.

Sixth stop: Orix office Bangalore - Late September 2011. That's when I get to know if I go via Orix, they will get me a Black Vento TDi in 1 month.

Mission statement 9 - Early September 2011 - Book a Vento TDi and go for Pioneer 3350 BT or JVC HU.

When I booked the price of Vento TDi without insurance was 10.97L. That's when I came to know Vento might be upgraded to the one similar to the one 'In Soviet Russia'. Not sure if Putin was visiting India and if VW wanted to impress him. Anyway the upgrade was a closely guarded secret like KGB's files to start with and later became like the 'Exclusive Breaking news' from our news channels. It was neither exclusive nor breaking. Everyone except the Bangalore dealers knew about it. Thanks to ninjatalli, ricky63 and gaurav got to know more information with photographs. Now that I didn't have an option of going for pre upgraded Vento, started pestering the dealer for the new quote. Finally after a week came to know that the price had increased by around 37K. I had allocated that amount anyway for accessories.

Sometime around late last week(Saturday) I got to know that the vehicle is in transit and it will take 4(?) days to reach from Pune to Bangalore. I was wondering if my Vento was being taken to the german embassy to verify if everything was in order before releasing it to my dealer. Luckily that was not the case and I could visit the stockyard on Monday and see the car in flesh. Thanks to the Ayudha Pooja and Vijayadasami celebrations it was absolute mayhem in the dealership for 2 days as most of them who had booked the car wanted to take it in these 2 days. I happily decided to wait till Saturday(8th Oct) to get my car.

Dealership Experience: Volkswagen Downtown Bangalore

Excellent:
*Kept informing me on a regular basis on the car delivery status.
*Test drive car was in excellent condition. One of the best test drive cars across brands.
*Very prompt service from the SE, Rakesh Rathore. Came to my office multiple times to get the paperwork done. It was hassle free.
*I was initially planning to take the car on Friday. But due to personal emergency it got delayed by a day. VW were accommodating and kept the car safe in McGrath road for a day!

Good
*Showroom experience where the cars are on display.
*Stockyard PDI experience.

Average
*Showroom waiting area. AC does not work here and is close to the the service workshop.
*Delivery time was between 3 and 3.30. But the SE was assigned to a test drive, while we were waiting for 30 to 45 minutes.
*Lack of clarity about the upgraded version with the dealer. Not sure if it is the dealers fault or VW's fault. Maybe they tied the information on a pigeon's leg and sent it to Bangalore. It took so long to get the information from the dealer.

Bad
*Location of the showroom. Its at the centre of the city. But anyone going there will feel like Abhimanyu in chakravyuha. You can get in, but cannot get out. No parking space, one way road.
*Lack of space in the showroom. Maybe this showroom would have been ideal for selling premium cars like Bentley. Not for VW. 25 cars are parked in a place where 5 cars can be parked. Just because of this reason I gave an excellent rating to them for keeping my car safe one extra day.
*It seems they need to activate some code to make the music system work. And I will get it only by Monday.

[prabhuferrari]

Alright, now let's talk about the car.

*I wont lie saying that I always knew about cars. I knew nothing about cars when I got my Esteem in 2007. Yes, I have been a F1 fan for quite sometime. But its for the pure adrenaline rush. Thanks to Team-BHP I came to know about many things about a car. This time I did not want to buy the car without proper information.

Things I like about the car

*Engine performance. I am upgrading from a 1.3L 87 BHP petrol engine to 1.6L 105 BHP Diesel engine. Its too good. Luckily the traffic was light yesterday and the drive from MG Road to Sahakar Nagar via the Golf course was a pleasure. I think by the next few weeks I will discover what self control means.
*Seating position. I am not that tall and for me the seat height adjustment is a boon. The seating position is perfect and for my frame I don't find the central unit brishing my left leg.
*Steering wheel. Esteem also had an EPS. But this one is wow for me. Not sure about high speeds. Love the adjustments on the steering wheel too.
*Engine growl. Though I hardly hear anything inside the car, mind you I dont have the music system enabled yet, I love the sound of the diesel engine. It subsides after a while, but I love the sound.
*Rear Parking sensors are a boon
*MID is good. I am not going to be too bothered about the fuel efficiency mileage etc. Its time for enjoying the car.
*Leg space and the comfort of the drivers seat. Its so comfortable.
*I use the handbrake only when I park the car. So the drivers arm rest is excellent for me.


Things that I didn't like
*3rd to 4th gear shift is not as smooth as other gears.
*Rear view mirror at the center. Its very small. Thinking of upgrading to a wider one, if the side mirrors don't solve the purpose. I liked the side mirrors though.
*For some strange reason my right leg hurts. Guess I have not found the ideal right foot position. Thanks to most of your experiences, I have managed to take care of the clutch. I don't ride the clutch nor do I release it abruptly. So clutch is not a problem for me. Let me observe the vibration noise as reported by Ricky63 over the next few days.

Accessories I am planning for
*Sun films for the side and rear window. Not decided between V-Kool, 3M and Garware. Need some tips from experts on what might go well on a black car. Please help.
*Kagu 3D Floor mats.
*Initially I thought of going for MapMyIndia RoadPilot or something with maps, bluetooth. Later decided against it. Got the Android version for 2K instead. And my wife gifted me with a lovely Plantronics M20 Bluetooth earpiece for my birthday. M20 can connect to 2 phones and its a boon.

Initially thought of changing the Apollo tyres to Michelin or Yoko, but after reading the reviews decided to wait for sometime. The roads are dug near my house due to BWSSB pipe laying work. It might take a month or two for the roads to be back to normal. Once that's done will go for the new ones. Apollo seems to handle the bad roads quite well, so far. I have not had the opportunity to focus on the tyre noise, yet. Let me check.

Here are some pictures to start with. Am waiting for the sun film and other quirks activation to remove the plastic cover from the seats. Once that's done, will post the interior pictures as well.






Will keep posting updates regularly and also more photos.

Dream statement: I got my Vento TDi highline black delivered and have clocked only 100 kms in a day.

Is Vento the best diesel car available in the market? I don't know.
Is Vento the most fuel efficient car? I don't know.
Is Vento THE car that's the best Value for Money? I don't know.

But I really know Vento TDi is THE car for me. I really enjoy driving, no not going at insane speeds, and I feel I have taken the right decision. The fun begins.

[Rudra Sen]

Mods note: Thread moved to Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports. Thanks for sharing.

[ethanhunt123]

Congrats on your ride ! Vento in black looks stunning indeed

[Y@SH]

Congratulations! Good review and a great choice. Black looks stunning, even I prefer the vento in this segment! Eagerly waiting for interior pictures.

[HappyRoadie]

Congratulations on your purchase. Everytime I see black or blue colour Vento I am getting more attracted towards it. I think it simply looks stunning in these 2 colours although black needs more maintenance. Do post some interior pictures also. Could you please sgare the On Road price you paid? Do keep this thread updated.

[doxinboy]

Wonderful narration prabhu, do you work for covert ops by any chance? Your black Vento looks stunning, I'm lusting over your pics, sometimes I wonder if I should have bought a black one instead of White. Truly a great car to own.

Also, a Bangalore Vento meet is brewing amidst the backdrop of Metallica concert, hope to meet you and the black beauty soon

[Ricky_63]

Nice write up for a nicer car !! Congratulations on the Vento TDI. You are going to love it more each day !!




Cheers

[souravc]

Nice writeup Prabhu , bravo for landing the vento through quite a few twisties of a decision . On your specific query regarding sun films , my advice to you would be too either go for 3M or Llumar , stay away from Garware and Vkool is not worth it for Bengaluru weather . I use Llumar and am extremely happy with its performance - 3M and Llumar are at par on performance .
Further you should put a film on windscreen and side windows , ideally leave the rear glass uncovered as it has the defoggers . If you think its a must then the film should be put from the outside rather than inside .
Given that your car is black , I would think the darkest possible shade thats legally allowed should be your automatic choice. You should not take a chance with the transparency since I have seen Bengaluru police scratch and tear apart sun films which do not conform to transparency norms .

Wish you many a miles of enjoyable ownership !

[bala80]

Many congratulations prabhuferrari. Vento looks ravishing and beautiful in black. Good set of pictures complimenting her. Wishing you a very happy and memorable ownership experience with your new car.

- It will get sorted out as you put on more kms in the odo. Mine felt the same way when I first got it, now it is absolutely fine.
- I got used to it, dont feel the need to upgrade. If you are used to using the side ORVM's you will get accustomed to it too.
- I had exactly the same problem (and still continue to have at times). ABC pedals arent placed at the same height and I think this is the reason few of us have this problem. Try depressing the acc pedal with straight foot rather than at an angle. It should help.

Originally Posted by prabhuferrari

Things that I didn't like
*3rd to 4th gear shift is not as smooth as other gears.
*Rear view mirror at the center. Its very small. Thinking of upgrading to a wider one, if the side mirrors don't solve the purpose. I liked the side mirrors though.
*For some strange reason my right leg hurts. Guess I have not found the ideal right foot position.

- Personally I would opt for a little light shade (standard grey) around 40-50% visibility since that will highlight the colour contrast between interiors and exteriors very well. Beige interiors doesnt show up well against a white or a silver colour exterior but does so with dark exterior shades.

Accessories I am planning for
*Sun films for the side and rear window. Not decided between V-Kool, 3M and Garware. Need some tips from experts on what might go well on a black car. Please help.

Very well written. This is what matters at the end of the day.

Most of the vento owners on the forum are of the same breed. One another reason why you see more vento threads in this forum. Wishing you a great ownership experience with her.

Is Vento the best diesel car available in the market? I don't know.
Is Vento the most fuel efficient car? I don't know.
Is Vento THE car that's the best Value for Money? I don't know.

But I really know Vento TDi is THE car for me. I really enjoy driving, no not going at insane speeds, and I feel I have taken the right decision. The fun begins.

Edit - Souravc - No problems with the usage of rear defogger due to installation of sun film. As long as the filament lines arent damaged during installation, it works fine.

[vb-saan]

Congratulations again Prabhu! Excellent write-up garnished with some nice pictures. The Vento looks awesome in black. I really like the way you started the thread with a picture of the Esteem.

Note: You meant to say Junior expected by Feb 2012? Start looking for a good child seat as well

[prabhuferrari]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Congrats on your ride ! Vento in black looks stunning indeed

Thank you ethanhunt

Originally Posted by Y@SH

Congratulations! Good review and a great choice. Black looks stunning, even I prefer the vento in this segment! Eagerly waiting for interior pictures.

Thank you Y@sh. Will get the interior pictures this week.

Originally Posted by HappyRoadie

Congratulations on your purchase. Everytime I see black or blue colour Vento I am getting more attracted towards it. I think it simply looks stunning in these 2 colours although black needs more maintenance. Do post some interior pictures also. Could you please sgare the On Road price you paid? Do keep this thread updated.

Thank you HappyRoadie. I paid 11.34L without insurance. And went for a zero dep insurance from ICICI Lombard for 36K separately. Will definitely keep this thread updated.

Originally Posted by souravc

N
Given that your car is black , I would think the darkest possible shade thats legally allowed should be your automatic choice. You should not take a chance with the transparency since I have seen Bengaluru police scratch and tear apart sun films which do not conform to transparency norms .

Wish you many a miles of enjoyable ownership !

Thank you sourav. I do not like very dark shades and I believe 50 % is the maximum allowed. Will never cross the wrong side of law. I had a 3M on my Esteem and was quite happy with the heat rejection. It was there on the rear windscreen as well and it did not affect the defogger function. It was applied from the outside if I remember correctly.

Originally Posted by bala80

Many congratulations prabhuferrari. Vento looks ravishing and beautiful in black. Good set of pictures complimenting her. Wishing you a very happy and memorable ownership experience with your new car.

Edit - Souravc - No problems with the usage of rear defogger due to installation of sun film. As long as the filament lines arent damaged during installation, it works fine.

Thank you Bala for your wishes and valuable tips.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Congratulations again Prabhu! Excellent write-up garnished with some nice pictures. The Vento looks awesome in black. I really like the way you started the thread with a picture of the Esteem.

Note: You meant to say Junior expected by Feb 2012? Start looking for a good child seat as well

Hi vb-san,
Thanks a lot for your wishes Yes, I meant 2012 and jumped the gun. Yes, that is the accessory which I have already started looking at mothercare and mom&me. Need to check the team-bhp thread on the same and finalise it just in time.

[guyfrmblr]

Originally Posted by prabhuferrari

*Sun films for the side and rear window. Not decided between V-Kool, 3M and Garware.

Congratulations. Black Vento looks fantastic. Please post some interior pics for us to admire.

I got 3M CS-20 for my black car. Its little on the darker side but it keeps the cabin sufficiently cool and hence increases the effectiveness of AC. Initially I used to face some amount of visibility problem at night, but now used to it. You can have a look at my thread to see how it actually looks on a black car.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ortz-crdi.html

[ninjatalli]

I have to repeat this - the Vento looks absolutely stunning in black! Beautiful pics boss! Nice writeup - very crisp & to the point.

It's a pity about the music system - but I guess it can wait; till then you can get accustomed to the car. Although I do find it weird they didn't activate it during the PDI itself (the music system is part of the showroom pdi checklist).

I hardly use the rear view mirror - this car seriously lacks a rear viper, add to it the horizontal lines on the rear glass - there's hardly any visibility. What works well are the side view mirrors, they are quite effective.

Also congratulations on the other (to-be) new member in the family

Is Vento the best diesel car available in the market? I don't know.
Is Vento the most fuel efficient car? I don't know.
Is Vento THE car that's the best Value for Money? I don't know.

But I really know Vento TDi is THE car for me. I really enjoy driving, no not going at insane speeds, and I feel I have taken the right decision. The fun begins.

Couldn't have put this any better. Before I did my Vento booking, I was equally undecided about Verna & SX4 (Fiesta wasn't out yet). If I had known about Optra, it would have made the confusion ever worse. But post delivery, I know Vento is the car for me.

Happy kms!

[nileshch]

Congratulations, Prabhu! Awesome photos! Great writeup. Black was naturally the next choice for me had I not gone for the blue. Don't know if anyone of the other Vento owners have noticed: The black, blue, red, silver and white each look good on their own and lend a different character to the Vento!

I relate to the confusion you had in the car selection process. But when I got the car, I knew it was THE car for me. It suits me. Simple but fun-loving.

Things that I didn't like
*3rd to 4th gear shift is not as smooth as other gears.

Let the run-in period go through. You will love the 3rd and 4th gears more than any of the others! The car does best in these gears, if you are looking for a pure adrenaline rush.