[anantu2001]

THE BLUE VENTO TDI

There are cars and then there’s the VENTO. How do you differentiate among these two?? For me there’s a huge difference. This is a small story of me falling in love with a car. The VENTO.

This write-up would be more about my love for the car and less about the fine details about the car itself. Many people have already documented each and every bit about the car. I do not want to replicate it. Hope the mods don’t mind.

August 2010.

My daily drive used to be a humble Chevy Spark. Of course there was a Civic at home too, but my Sparky was good enough for me to travel around the city. Me being in Bangalore found it very convenient to manoeuvre around narrow roads and lots of traffic. It was all well and things were going as planned till I read GTO’s Vento review on the 15th of August, 2010. It was a holiday and a perfect time to fall in love. Then, all hell broke loose. I read the whole report more than 15 times that day. I just couldn’t control my excitement and the within a couple of days I was sitting in a Vento TDI for a test drive.

Drove the car for about 5 kms and was blown away by the response from the engine. I had read GTO’s report which mentioned 250 NM of torque. I could feel every NM of it. Much has been said about the dynamics, power and other things about this car and hence will not go in detail. After driving down a Civic to the dealership, I couldn’t help but compare the two cars. Civic - a pure, refined petrol car. Vento – an aggressive, not so refined diesel car. I preferred the latter. It was true. I had fallen for it. Mentally I made a note – My next car would be a WHITE Vento.

I asked for a quote, made some calculations and left the place. That day, I couldn’t sleep. That turbo whoosh had taken over me. I wanted it badly. Neither my Spark nor our Civic gave that feeling of power. Kept the proposal of buying this car in front of my family and all dreams about the car came to a grinding halt. Better sense prevailed. It was only about a year since we had bought the Spark and there was no way we could have bought the Vento.
Over the next couple of months, I took multiple test drives of the Vento just to experience the car. Every time, it was a great feeling. I thought whatever happens; this is going to be my next car.

Cut to 2011.

I was going through Team-BHP and chanced upon to see a thread titled – “Bringing home the blue Teutonic beauty”, by Nileshch. The moment I saw the first picture of a shadow blue Vento, I was stunned. I was wondering where this colour was all these days!!! Thanks nileshch for that wonderful write-up and those amazing pictures. I even asked permission from nileshch to use of one of those pictures as my wallpaper. He agreed. Thanks again. By the way, I still use that picture as my wallpaper.

Then came ninjatalli’s thread. His was a shadow blue coloured Vento too. Was floored again. I must have read these two threads more than 50 times. Thanks to both of you. Suddenly the WHITE, which I was in love with, looked pale and dull in front of the Shadow Blue. I went to the dealer to check out the shadow blue in person and was disappointed by their response. They said the shadow blue was not a fast moving colour and they don’t stock it. Only when a specific order comes they get it. All the while I was wondering why such a lovely colour has no takers!! I was aware that maintaining a colour like a black or a blue is difficult, but still I should have at least seen that particular colour somewhere on the road. I returned home disappointed.
All the while, I was pestering my family about purchase of a new car. I just wanted the car so badly. And finally, after months of constant talk about the Vento on the breakfast table, during dinner, during work, during free time etc., they agreed. And it was January 2012 by then. Quite a wait I would say from the day I read GTO’s report.

I really thank GTO, nileshch and ninjatalli for sharing their experiences here. I am sure hundreds of people like me have read those reports and blindly bought the VENTO. They will be a happy lot for sure. Just like me.

Selection of the car:

This section may sound really stupid after writing so much about my love for the Vento. Yes, Vento was my first and last choice. I admit that I haven’t test driven any other vehicle in its category till date. I don’t want to.

Dealer Experience:

Having taken multiple test drives over the last few months at Volkswagen Downtown, it was my first and obvious choice. I had been treated well every time I took the car for a test drive. I’m sure that particular sales representative who always co-ordinated my test drives must have thought – what a crazy guy this fellow is. He comes, drives the car, smiles and goes back. He must have thought the same thing when I went to book the car. The moment I said that I would like to book the Vento, I could see a sign of relief on his face. Even I had a sign of relief on my face since there was a Blue Vento in stock. Perfect start.

Booked the car on the 31st of Jan after paying a advance of Rs. 75000. The next day, a guy from the bank came, took all the necessary documents to process the loan and left. I have a weakness - I can’t wait. So I asked him to do it faster so that I could get the delivery of my vehicle as soon as possible.
Overall, it was a good experience at the dealer. They never said NO. And that’s what a customer wants. Right?

Pre-Delivery Inspection:

I went to the dealer after I got a confirmation from them that they would take me to the stockyard. I say this because they hesitated initially and then when I mentioned T-BHP their attitude changed all of a sudden. I was given royal treatment after the word T-BHP was mentioned!! That was special in a way, but I wonder what other customers would do if these fellows act stubborn and avoid the PDI by the customer. Things need to change.

Anyway, once I got to the stockyard, they brought a BLUE Vento which was supposedly to be delivered to me. Noted down the VIN number, chassis number and the ODO reading. All seemed fine. Had a close look at the car for scratches, dents and other unwanted things in a new car. The bonnet and roof of the car was covered in a thick white plastic sheet to avoid scratches. The car looked funny this way. A picture attached.


One observation I made – there were around 200 Ventos present in the stockyard. A check with the sales guy revealed these statistics.
Total Ventos – 200 and the break-up was something like this!!
White Ventos – 182
Silver Ventos – 8
Black Ventos – 8
Blue Ventos – 2
Only 2 Shadow Blue Ventos in about 200 cars??? That feels special isn’t it??

Delivery:

The day had arrived. The sales representative had told us to come at 4 in the evening to take the delivery. I must say that I was a bit nervous the whole morning and was waiting to see my shadow blue Vento all sparkling and shining. As we arrived at the showroom about 20 minutes early, we were offered coffee and some snacks. But who wants coffee when my Vento was standing right there in front of my eyes. The first look was spectacular. Awesome colour was the first thought that came to my mind.

As I went around the car to have a look, I heard many people saying that this was the best colour in the Vento. Felt like a really proud owner.

Then the SA explained all the features, showed me all the necessary things and we were all ready to go. A PDI followed, for which the SA said “Only people from T-BHP look at all these small things in a car, others just drive away”. That’s the way T-BHP has influenced people. Thanks again.
All in all, it was a very good experience and we didn’t face any sort of problems.

The drive back to home was very pleasant. NICE road from Hosur road to Mysore road (people from B’lore might know) was taken, which is a 4 lane expressway with minimal traffic. After the customary pooja at home, the car was taken to a Ganesha temple for a formal pooja for the vehicle.

What I like about the car:
1. The 1.6 litre diesel monster. Simply amazing.
2. The clean, simple and timeless design of the exteriors.
3. The centre arm rest rocks.
4. Feels like a tank after driving a Spark.
5. The rear seat comfort (more so with the AC vents)
6. The handling is very good, compared to my Spark and Captiva.
7. The soft touches of chrome on the interiors. Gives a very premium feel to the car.
8. The new ICE. I’m not a hardcore music guy, so this seems sufficient for me. Of course, i would have hated the earlier system which didn’t even have a USB port!
9. The steering - its super light and a pleasure to drive. Does have audio controls but the Bluetooth button irritates me a lot. Why have a dummy button!!!
10. Mileage – Keep driving constantly at around 80 kmph and you can see the average mileage displayed on the MID shoot up like anything. When we started from the showroom, it was showing about 13.9 kmph but later when we started to drive at 80 kmph, I could see the mileage shooting up to 22 kmph. Simply amazing I say.

What I dislike about the car:
1. The noise from the engine. Could have been better insulated.
2. Beige. Beige. Beige. Its all over the place. Although it helps in making the interiors airy and feel big, its a tough thing to maintain.
3. The headlights are inadequate. Need to upgrade on this.

Upgrades planned:
1. Headlights – This is my top priority. Have heard a lot about Philips 90/100 bulbs. Can somebody tell me where I can get these done without voiding the warranty?
2. Leather seats – these beige seats will get dirty very quickly. Will either go for Marvin or Stanley seats.
3. Rear camera – the car comes with sensors but its only audio. A camera would be necessary i guess.
Only these three as of now. My car is coming with Acceleres, while I saw few other cars with JK’s. Just wanted to ask this – are Acceleres ok? Or do we need to upgrade??

Even though I like my car so much, I haven’t been able to name it. Please help me with some suggestions!!

I would like to get your feedback about my car, pictures and everything else.

Regards,
Anant

[Y@SH]

Congratulations on the vento diesel, the color really stands out. Wish you many more miles in this wonderful car! Kindly post some interior pictures as well.

[anantu2001]

Originally Posted by Y@SH

Congratulations on the vento diesel, the color really stands out. Wish you many more miles in this wonderful car! Kindly post some interior pictures as well.

Thanks Yash. Yes, I am in love with this colour. I have a even bought a wrist watch to match this

Interior pics will be up soon.

Regards,
Anant

[souravc]

Congratulations on your Vento , the blue shade looks fantastic. The VW dealer was fibbing when he said that the blue is a slow moving colour - I am pretty much sure that there are not enough numbers of being rolled out by VW so it has a waiting list . Neutral colours like silver and white are being produced more in numbers . I own a silver Vento , unfortunately the blue shade was not on offer when I did the booking ( 6th Sept 2011 , the day Vento was launched ) else it would have blue all the way.
The Acceleres are tough tyres even though a bit noisy , I suggest that you give it some time and some miles ( first service) before you take any decision on any upgrade . The headlights do need an upgrade if you do highway driving , I am using 90/100 and am pretty happy about it . There are quite a few useful threads (ownership or otherwise) maintained by Vento owners on TBHP , you may go through them. One of the threads on the features is http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...es-quirks.html
That aside, better verify any of the dealer / SA's advice with us on the forum - their knowledge levels are often dubious and it pays to be a bit cynical rather than trusting them blindly.
Cheers to a happy ride

[M124]

congratz . great choice of colour. what was the OTR price ? Regarding tyre upgrade if you wish to do , do upgrade soon as you will get a good buy back. buy back offered on indian brands is less.

[Rameshdude]

Congrats Anantu
Nice colour and not so common one too. Are Vento tdi easily available now? No waiting period? Did you get any offers or discount? What was the final OTR?
Happy motoring

[KINI]

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[mayankjha1806]

Congratulations, although a rare color the blue looks good on Vento. I am also surprised that there were only two in two hundred ventos. Wish you many fun miles with it.

VW make solid feeling cars, and it shows up in all their lineup. I too like the clean and straight lines in Vento

[anantu2001]

Originally Posted by souravc

Congratulations on your Vento , the blue shade looks fantastic. The VW dealer was fibbing when he said that the blue is a slow moving colour - I am pretty much sure that there are not enough numbers of being rolled out by VW so it has a waiting list . Neutral colours like silver and white are being produced more in numbers . I own a silver Vento , unfortunately the blue shade was not on offer when I did the booking ( 6th Sept 2011 , the day Vento was launched ) else it would have blue all the way.
The Acceleres are tough tyres even though a bit noisy , I suggest that you give it some time and some miles ( first service) before you take any decision on any upgrade . The headlights do need an upgrade if you do highway driving , I am using 90/100 and am pretty happy about it . There are quite a few useful threads (ownership or otherwise) maintained by Vento owners on TBHP , you may go through them. One of the threads on the features is http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...es-quirks.html
That aside, better verify any of the dealer / SA's advice with us on the forum - their knowledge levels are often dubious and it pays to be a bit cynical rather than trusting them blindly.
Cheers to a happy ride

Thanks souravc for your wishes. Yes I think I will wait for sometime before I think about the tire upgrade. Acceleres are jack of all trades, the only problem is of noise.

Yes the headlights needs to be upgraded ASAP. Anyway, thanks for your comments.

Originally Posted by M124

congratz . great choice of colour. what was the OTR price ? Regarding tyre upgrade if you wish to do , do upgrade soon as you will get a good buy back. buy back offered on indian brands is less.

Thanks M124. The OTR price came to 11.53 lakhs. This is excluding extended warranty which I didnt opt for. Else this would have costed around 11k more. And as I said, I will wait for a couple of days before deciding on the tires.

Originally Posted by Rameshdude

Congrats Anantu
Nice colour and not so common one too. Are Vento tdi easily available now? No waiting period? Did you get any offers or discount? What was the final OTR?
Happy motoring

Thanks Rameshdude. The white and silver ones are available off the shelf. But rare colours like Blue and Black have a waiting period of 2 weeks. I did get a discount of 40k since this is a 2011 model Vento. Final OTR was 11.53 lakhs.

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Congratulations, although a rare color the blue looks good on Vento. I am also surprised that there were only two in two hundred ventos. Wish you many fun miles with it.

VW make solid feeling cars, and it shows up in all their lineup. I too like the clean and straight lines in Vento

Thanks mayankjha1806. Yes even I was a bit surprised that such a rich colour are so less in numbers. Anyway its good to be in a special group.

[khoj]

From one Blue coloured car owner to another, Congratulations.

As for the upgrade to the headlight. I would suggest that you get Osram NightBreakers in 55/60 W rating. This will be a plug and play replacement without the need for any additional relays etc. I replaced my Cedia's OE 'made in Germany' Phillips 'Night vision' bulbs (which in any case were much better than most other cars) with the Night breakers and the result is atleast another 50% jump in the beam's intensity and brightness. At approx. Rs. 1000/- for the pair it is money well spent.

I do not think that VW is going to take very kindly to car owners playing around with the car's electrical circuits, especially after the Poona fiasco.

Originally Posted by anantu2001

Upgrades planned:
1. Headlights – This is my top priority. Have heard a lot about Philips 90/100 bulbs. Can somebody tell me where I can get these done without voiding the warranty?

[raviacc2825]

Congratulations!!!

I agree, Vento looks best in Blue. You have written a very nice review, i can totally relate it with my decision of buying a Blue Beat. I believe you have got tints on the windows, if Yes, its the perfect tint percentage. Makes the car look really good.

Wish you many happy miles ahead.

Regards
Ravi

[thenomad]

Congratulations on your new car. The color looks great.

What tints do you have on your car? I will be taking possession of my vehicle this month.

[nileshch]

Congratulations, Anantu on your fab decision! And welcome to the Shadow Blue club!

I was going through Team-BHP and chanced upon to see a thread titled – “Bringing home the blue Teutonic beauty”, by Nileshch. The moment I saw the first picture of a shadow blue Vento, I was stunned. I was wondering where this colour was all these days!!! Thanks nileshch for that wonderful write-up and those amazing pictures.

Thanks. Really happy to know my photos influenced your decision in some way. But the true credit should go to VW for bringing this gorgeous colour to India! You know, when I saw the blue Vento for the first time, I was blown away too. I started collecting all photos I could find on the Internet that had a shadow blue VW car in them! Just like a child compiling a scrap book!

Selection of the car:
This section may sound really stupid after writing so much about my love for the Vento.

Originally Posted by souravc

I own a silver Vento , unfortunately the blue shade was not on offer when I did the booking ( 6th Sept 2011 , the day Vento was launched ) else it would have blue all the way.

True. The shadow blue Vento went into production only in Feb 2011!

Originally Posted by khoj

From one Blue coloured car owner to another, Congratulations.

As for the upgrade to the headlight. I would suggest that you get Osram NightBreakers in 55/60 W rating. This will be a plug and play replacement without the need for any additional relays etc.

I heard the OEM headlights are Osram 55/60W too. Not sure if they are "NightBreakers". Would this really be an upgrade?

[mjumrani]

Looks brilliant mate. Congrats!

Is it me or has VW been coming out with brilliant colours of late?

[souravc]

Originally Posted by nileshch

True. The shadow blue Vento went into production only in Feb 2011!

I realised that I had written Sept 2011 by mistake , its actually Sept 2010 ! Time flies ! You are right , blue was launched in Feb 2011 . In fact I got my car in March 2011 after 6 months of waiting , the dealer had said that if I want to book a blue I would need to wait 3-4 months more ( which would have stretched to 6 months for sure ! ) and I didn't want to spend a full year waiting for the car