[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Prologue:
I had moved to Gurgaon some 3and a half years ago from Pune where I completed my education. I had my trusted Karizma and I was happy playing and experimenting with it. Then 2 years back I got married. My father’s Indica passed on to me and he bought a Ford Fiesta Diesel. Although I had in mind of keeping the Fiesta but I guess God had better things in store for me. Our Indica was already 5 years old and had done 57K Kms but since it was maintained well, it was in good shape. The 2 years that I had her, I did 40K Kms and spent close to 50K on services and necessary repair works. When I sold her it had done 97K Kms and was still in perfect shape.

I was thinking of buying a new car from around a year and half back. The day the Vento was launched and I read its reviews I knew it was one of my top contenders. I took its test drive around an year back and was completely blown by that mad engine. That time I could not afford it so I waited. Fast forward to a couple of months back, I got promoted and dad had some spare cash so he said that I should change my car. My top 2 contenders were Vento Highline and Merlin. I kept thinking for 1 month but since nothing was fixed for Merlin and its expected price was also higher I decided for the Vento.

Other Cars Seen or contemplated:
Merlin:
1) No fixed launch date.
2) No fixed pricing.
3) Plus Vento Highline was already a stretch and I assumed Merlin to be priced above it hence decided against it.
4) Most times only me and my wife would travel so keeping such a huge vehicle is less practical I thought.
Verna (Test Drove):
1) Huge waiting list hence did not even consider but did take a Test drive.
2) Butter smooth and silent engine and amazingly fast.
3) Interiors are catchy and appear to be of good quality.
4) Pathetic salesmanship from Hyundai guys.
5) Back seat not that great as observed by wife.
6) Gorgeous looks
New Ford Fiesta (Saw in the showroom):
1) No test drive was available, hence only checked it out in the showroom.
2) Amazing cockpit, steering and front seats.
3) I thought it was overpriced.
4) Reviews on performance disappointed me.
Vento:
1) Was always biased towards it.
2) Amazing engine, slightly noisy but I don’t mind it.
3) I found its interiors better than Verna but I would agree that most people would prefer Verna’s.
4) Back seat definitely better.
5) I like the understated looks, wifey doesn’t hence colour was her choice and even though delivery date was getting delayed because of this colour I respected her choice and waited for this colour only. Even I find this colour to be the best in this car.
6) I don’t find Vento lacking in features now that I have the refreshed one. It has everything I could think of.

Buying Experience:
Booked the car from Chandigarh as there was some cash saving. Was in touch with Gurgaon dealer also. Experience with both of them was excellent. Booked the car on 28 Sept. Was promised the delivery in 1 month. In this 1 month the delivery date saw a lot of ups and downs but in the end dealer managed to deliver the car on 23 Oct.

I reached Chd the previous day and went to showroom to check the car. PDI was already done. The car was ready. Since it was a Saturday waited for the next day. Tried negotiating for free Mud Flaps and mats and they refused initially but used my friend’s contacts to get them free in the end. We were around 12-13 people there on the delivery day and it appeared as if we were there as baraat. But we were given our space and freedom in the showroom. Overall a very pleasant experience. Gave the Service Advisor a Tommi wallet and took the car. They gave a flower bouquet , a box full of candies and 20 Ltr fuel coupon from the next pump. Since it was a Sunday there store was closed hence they could not provide the free mud flaps and mats but promised to give them whenever I visited them next.

Cost:
Ex Showroom: 9.82
Corporate discount: -16K
Insurance: 16 K (Orientel 50% NCB from earlier car + 30% additional discount for premium customers) Unlimited Third party claim + IDV of full amount without any depreciation ie 9.64
Registration – around 28K

Total – around 10.1 Laks

Now Some Pics:
When I saw her for the 1st time




Twin Foldable keys


The Torque Monster


Some Delivery day Pics


My friends checking out the car




Me & wifey taking the keys (Pic spoiled by my closed eyes)


Father, Wife, Me and Mom and BlueBerry


The complete gathering


After the delivery



After the first Polish:


Dashboard lighting in the night. Sorry for bad quality but in real it looks ultra cool




Additions:
Mud Flaps: Complementary
Carpet Mats – Complementary
Transparent Plastic mats – 900Rs
Door sills – 1150Rs (Saw scratches on the first day itself hence got these)

Planned:
3M Tints
Seat Covers
Amplifier fitment to stock speakers and if need arises replacing front 2 speakers with good components.


Story So far.
After taking the delivery we straightaway took the car to highway, I took the car to Palampur (Himachal) my home town as I was supposed to be there with family for Diwali. The roads were in real bad shape and we really took a long time avoiding bumps and stuff. Finally reached home late night. Next morning I woke up early gave the car a nice wash and Formula1 polishing session. The car was shining and this colour was showing all its glory. Stayed in Himachal for a week and now I am finally back to Gurgaon. The car has covered 1000 Kms in the first 7 days.

Likes:
1) Engine is really powerful. Even in high slopes you would not need more that 3rd gear. Even if you brake while ascending just keep it in 3rd and torque pulls the car well. I don’t feel any turbo lag in this car. I think this much lag at Low Rpms is present in Petrol cars also. For me this is a gem of an engine made for Torque junkies like me.
2) Handling is planted. I have driven my dad’s fiesta on hills and this was not very different. Although I have not driven both these cars at high speeds in hills but I guess fast enough and I did not find any major difference in handling except for Steering. Steering in Vento is lighter.
3) Brakes are superb for me, Car stays flat through corners and there is no Body roll.
4) Interiors feel rich, are very well made and I like most of the features and attention to details. I guess there is decent amount of gadgetry to keep guys busy.
5) Music System. This was the biggest surprise. Music System in my eyes is awesome. I have heard Laura’s system and this one is almost same in terms of sound. The sound is loud, the bass has punch and the sound stays clean. I am really impressed. I was thinking on spending some money on music system but now I guess I will just plonk the 4 channel amp that I already have with these speakers only.
6) Space. The car is spacious and overall the comfort of the cabin is very good. Even on long drives the fatigue was much lesser than my indica.
7) Looks The car is graceful and in this colour I guess is catchy also. Chrome inserts on the outside plus Fog lamps add to the looks.
8) Horn. I just love this cars horn.
9) Keys. The keys are gorgeous and very convenient too.
10) Fuel Efficiency. In 50 ltrs the car covered 982 Kms. This is with Full AC, 50% hills on broken roads, some city driving, some test drives to friends and my very sedate driving on Highway. I am quite satisfied.

Dislikes:
1) When people complained of Torque steer in this car I thought they are not used to Diesels, but when I experienced it myself I realised. Imagine you going downhill on 4th gear, you brake to slow down and lift the brake the car automatically gathers speed. There is no engine braking as low as 3rd gear. While negotiating bad stretch of roads I had half clutch in 2 gear and as soon as I used to lift the clutch the car used to jump. But 1 plus to this is the car never knocks. No matter how slow at whichever gear, just leave the clutch and the car will pick without knocking.
2) Hand sweating: Surprisingly I am experiencing excessive hand sweating while holding this steering wheel. Did not face this even in my 200 Rs steering cover in my Indica. I am not very sure of the reason and cure.

Overall I am in love with this car. This is the most expensive car that I have driven (Barring a very short Accord drive some 7 years ago) and thankfully its mine. I am completely satisfied with this car.



First Service Centre Experience:
When we took the delivery of the car, after around 50 Kms we got good roads and dad observed steering wobbling. On my way back from himachal even I experienced it between 60 – 90 Km/hr speeds. Today I took the car to Gurgaon service centre. The advisor gave an estimate of 2000 Rs for alignment and balancing and said it will take 2 hours. Alignment only takes 1 hour. I was shocked. Nevertheless I requested him to hurry up as I had to go to work. He promptly asked the mechanic to start the work. The guys balanced front 2 wheels and asked me to try. He said he will only go ahead with the alignment if the problem remains. I took the test drive and problem was solved. I asked them to wash the car also. The advisor immediately asked the cleaning staff to clean my car quickly as it was urgent and they responded. During all this time I kept roaming around my car and spoke to mechanics and I was not stopped even once. Guys listened to me and were prompt to help. Total expenditure came out to be 1250 (450 balancing + weights & 450 Wash + taxes). Still on the higher side but overall I am happy at the workmanship and overall experience.

After Wash at service center



Multiple guys working on the car to get it done quickly

[.anshuman]

Congratulations Rachit!! Vento in Blue looks awesome, my favorite shade on my favorite car from this segment. Thanks for sharing the thread.

[souravc]

Congrats Rachit , welcome to the Vento family . The blue is the best shade without a doubt . Wish you many happy miles with your beauty.
cheers

[Repsol]

Congratulations on the blue beauty !

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

Today I took the car to Gurgaon service centre. The advisor gave an estimate of 2000 Rs for alignment and balancing and said it will take 2 hours.

Just one question here. Why have you been charged for sorting out a minor issue which creeped up in a brand new car and that too in the first month of ownership. I think this could have been done free of cost by VW. I remember, even after 2 years of owning my Santro, I was also facing some issues with the handling and there was some kind of noise coming from the rear part. The Hyundai service center simply sorted out the issue and fixed the noise which was coming from the silencer. I feel this gesture makes a lot of difference and builds your trust in a brand.

[ankurvirmani19]

Congrats Rachit for this new family member. Vento looks awesome in Blue.
Hope to read a detailed review soon along with pictures.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Congratulations Rachit!! Vento in Blue looks awesome, my favorite shade on my favorite car from this segment. Thanks for sharing the thread.

Thank you so much Anshuman. Your suggestions and advice really helped fostering my decision for this car. Hope to meet you in the next meet soon.

Originally Posted by souravc

Congrats Rachit , welcome to the Vento family . The blue is the best shade without a doubt . Wish you many happy miles with your beauty.
cheers

Thank you souravc. It was yours, ninjatalli's and ricky_63's ownership threads that helped me pass time during the waiting period.

Originally Posted by Repsol

Congratulations on the blue beauty !


Just one question here. Why have you been charged for sorting out a minor issue which creeped up in a brand new car and that too in the first month of ownership. I think this could have been done free of cost by VW. I remember, even after 2 years of owning my Santro, I was also facing some issues with the handling and there was some kind of noise coming from the rear part. The Hyundai service center simply sorted out the issue and fixed the noise which was coming from the silencer. I feel this gesture makes a lot of difference and builds your trust in a brand.

Thanks Repsol. Actually to be frank even I thought about it but then didnt want to argue and start the relation with service center on a bad note. I guess if I would have been adamant they might have done something. Also when we first saw the problem, the car after that had done 1000 Km road trip to some really bad stretches of Himachal. I thought lets get things checked also once. Looking at the good experience that I had in the service center I am much more relaxed as I was very worried about after sales experience. I used to take my Indica to Chd get it serviced and never even dare to take it to any NCR service center after my brother's horrible experience with many dealers in NCR.

Originally Posted by ankurvirmani19

Congrats Rachit for this new family member. Vento looks awesome in Blue.
Hope to read a detailed review soon along with pictures.

Thank you very much ankurvirmani. Will keep posting pics at regular intervals and will try to keep the thread alive with updates. Thanks for the wishes..

[bluevolt]

Congratulations Rachit for the brand new VW Vento TDi.

Take good care of her and do keep the thread updated.

Wishing you happy and safe driving!

[prabhuferrari]

Hearty congratulations Rachit. Your car looks excellent and can understand your feelings. I also clocked 1000 kms last night and the car has become butter smooth. I am quite surprised on the sweat part while holding the steering wheel. Is it very hot there in Gurgaon? I have driven in Bangalore and chennai and never felt this.

[_raVan_]

Congratulations on your Vento Any reason why you didnt opt for the Breeze Edition? I suppose the navigation center available in the same is brilliant.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by _raVan_

Congratulations on your Vento Any reason why you didnt opt for the Breeze Edition? I suppose the navigation center available in the same is brilliant.

Breeze is only for the petrol variant and that too lower trim. There's no Breeze TDI variant.

[_raVan_]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Breeze is only for the petrol variant and that too lower trim. There's no Breeze TDI variant.

Thanks Vid for the update. I was under the impression that 'Breezing' is done at the dealer itself irrespective of the Vento model.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by _raVan_

Congratulations on your Vento Any reason why you didnt opt for the Breeze Edition? I suppose the navigation center available in the same is brilliant.

Thanks raVan..

Breeze is available for Diesel also. It is actually Trendline Model plus the Navigation center and some seat covers.

Well the reason I didnt go for it is I plan to keep this car for long and wanted it have some features so that I can live with it for longer duration. Some of the features that I wanted and made me decide Highline:
1) Foldable Key. I love these things. They somehow feel very premium.
2) Factory Fitted 15 inch Alloy Wheels. If you get from outside your warrant goes plus the service center will never take responsibility for the alignment of your car.
3) High adjustable Driver seat. I am short in height so I guess this is useful.
4) Chrome treatment. According to me the chrome treatment on the inside and outside of the car really enhances the looks of the car. Interiors specifically otherwise feel very bland and not upmarket.
5) Onboard computer has more info. If you have to justify the cost of the car to some normal person just show him the options on the Onboard computer of Highline and I am sue he will be impressed.
6) Plus the Music System on this car is very good so you save some more on that.

ABS and Airbags you can say are also a plus. In my eyes you pay around 1.3 Lakhs more for Highline and its absolutely worth it.

[_raVan_]

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

Thanks raVan..

Breeze is available for Diesel also. It is actually Trendline Model plus the Navigation center and some seat covers.

Is there any technical limitation that the Navigation center cannot be fitted in the Highline?

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by _raVan_

Is there any technical limitation that the Navigation center cannot be fitted in the Highline?

I dont think so. But I am sure the factory/Showroom guys wouldnt do it. Also you might have to install some plugin for Steering Mounted Controls to work.

[mikon]

Congrats Rachit.
You are owning one of the best cars in this segment. Enjoy the ride

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

2) Factory Fitted 15 inch Alloy Wheels. If you get from outside your warrant goes plus the service center will never take responsibility for the alignment of your car.

Did VW guys tell you this?
It's because I've upgraded both alloys and tyres from outside on day2 of my car. And it has completed its first service. There were no fuss about the warranty. Rather the Service guys were admiring the alloys more than the car