[phani]

This is the upgrade from Santro to Vento TDI Highline.
I have driven my Santro, a 2002 LP with great care and it served me reliably all these years.
The itch to buy a new car started nearly 3 years back, because of various other commitments it never got the priority.
Meanwhile friend of mine introduced me to team-bhp, which resulted in an addiction to spend long hours on the site and browse numerous ownership reports and posts on various topics.
Especially i was glued to all the posts related to Safari , I wanted to own one . In any conversation with friends and colleagues sure discussions on safari takes a place, people around me started to associate me with safari.
With the theoretical knowledge (team-bhp) i have taken my first safari test drive nearly 2 years back. It was a good experience to me but the interior finish failed to impress my wife .From there on i have tried slowly and steadily to convince her and to develop a positive impression on safari .With my budget (~12 OTR) i could afford safari EX , meanwhile i have taken couple more test drives and numerous visits to KHT motors, to check the display vehicle ( i stay adjacent to KHT motors). As the time pass by ,we had the launch of XUV , news and first pics of safari Merlin (strome).
The Pricing, looks and features tempted us to consider XUV ,but the time we took to decide resulted in closed bookings during first lot and unsuccessful draw in second lot.Strome is taking endlessly long time for launch and somehow we didn’t like the exterior as we like the current safari.

The Selection

Simultaneously we were considering C-segment diesel cars and the search become intensified from November 2011.
The criteria for our selection is simple: If it is not an SUV ,it should be a fun to drive, fast and safe sedan.
Though my current monthly running is around 1500km ,but I’m convinced that I need a diesel mill for next 3 to 4 years, as i plan to do lot of road trips.
Hence in my budget i shortlisted these cars ,serious contenders : 1. Vento 2. Verna 3.Optra 4.sunny 5. Rapid
Did looked and test driven these as well : 1.Linea T-jet 2. Cedia 3.City 4. Fiesta Classic

Though Verna Fluidic is best & contemporary looking out of all, but the test drive followed by our team-bhp wisdom voted against it .
The problem for me is the lack of outright mid-range acceleration and the back seat.

Sunny looks big out of all and elegant in design but somehow didn’t like the interiors, especially the interior colour choice and the missing sturdy feel caused this to give a miss.

Optra vetoed by wife, as it looks dated.

Rapid though has slightly better performance and drivability again we felt , Vento has overall better fit and quality cabin inside.
But it could be either of these two, Rapid or Vento and finally we decided to go with Vento TDI HL.

Booking & Delivery
We decided to book the car in March and wanted to pick either shadow blue or Black Vento. When contacted with different showrooms, come across a 2011 November back Vento TDI HL with VW Bangalore (hosur road ) showroom .
He was offered 67k discount (27k corporate + 40k as 2011 stock) on 2011 Vento pricing, which appealed good and proceed with the booking.
I have taken the deliver on March 14 th and couple of days before did the PDI at the stock yard. Religiously went with team-bhp checklist and verified as far as possible.
Mud flaps (Vento hard ones) are only freebies offered by the showroom.SE (Sharat) explained most of the controls , features and completed the paper work before handed over the keys. They have given 19L fuel coupon free to get the car fuelled in nearby petrol bunk.I didn’t buy any other accessories at the dealer.
The overall experience with VW Bangalore is very good. SE, Sharat is a very prompt and dedicated in dealing and closing without any issues.

Accessories
Then afterwards ,driven Cautiously to HSR 3M car care and tinted the car . I went with their suggestion and it is for front wind shield CR 70 and rest of the windows, rear with CS 35 coasted me around ~13k.
Did the customary Pooja and driven back home. Next day visited Hot tracks near lifestyle to buy the 3D-kagu floor mats, these coasted me 5k.
So all in all these are the accessories added .
1. Mud flaps ->free from showroom
2. 3D matts
3.3M sunfilms
4. child seats

Planning to add :
1. Car seats : could go for Stanley or pu leather from Carlson
2. GPS Navigation
3. Lcd screen with dvd for kids at the rear
4.Light upgrade

so howz the experience.

The immediate weekend ,after taking the delivery i did short trips to kolar and nearby coffee joints with friends couple of times.
My plan is to cover the initial run-in ,which i think is 2k km in one long trip. So planned a trip to Tirupati and then from there to Vijayawada during 23 th March long weekend. I did this trip and now the odo is at 2100km .
I kept the rpm to below 2500 and speeds below 120 for the first 1800km or so but for later part, couple of times touched 3k rmp and 140 speeds. I set a speed limit beep warning for 100km. It is very difficult to contain especially on NH5.
A lot already said about this car and engine , But to experience that magic acceleration is some thing .
I found the grear shift indicator displaying prety acurate shift information and it is always asking me to shift down,meaning i have this tendency to up shift early.


What I like
- Torque, coming from a 1.1 Petrol hatch back, this is something new and the experience of this pulling power is awesome. Over taking is very simple & confidence inspiring
- Breaking & Handling , I am not an expert but during the short drive i had especially from tirupati to Bangalore which is a curvy single lane road ,where it handles superb.
- High speed stability
- Interior fit ,finish and quality : it looks and feels superior
- Mileage despite of its performance
- Horn
- sound insulation inside
- rear seat occupants complimenting comfort at the back
- decent audio quality,ok to me
- driver arm rest
- there are lot of small details, touches for convenience.
- steering behaves completely different between city and highway. It feels connects on highway speeds where as very light at city speeds

What I didn’t like
- Clutch has long play? Or some kind of jerk some times when releasing, i have to get used to it.
- It sounds very loud from outside (engine sound)
- rear visibility, though it has sensors at the back, still not used to it
- i have to use child lock even though i lock centrally all the doors ,to prevent Childs to open the doors accidentally.
-Reverse gear, dis-engaging the reverse is tricky to me ,i have to get used to .
- Tyre noise at high speeds
- Lights needs be changed immediate, very inadequate lighting .
- Rear ac vents can’t be switched off

Other observations
- 2 nd Grear has certain automatic acceleration & speed to it ,this gives a feeling that car is tad pulling itself with out throtle input and bit uncomfortable .so i have to always ride the clutch during stop and go traffic etc.
- This is my second car and first diesle ,but this car gives and feels almost like diesle with zero lag except the engine clatter (audible outside)
- after 1500 rmp and from 3 rd grear onwards, the sound when accelerating (trubo sound) is interesting now,may be will annoyed after a while .
- i have put 33 psi as tyre pressure not sure where this is the idel presure or not
- ACC is good , but in auto mode i can't set air recirculation in side the cabin. If i choose this then auto changes to a/c mode.
- I was obsreved very mild hissing sound from front left suspenssion before my long trip, but now it is dissaperad.
- FE is from the MID during last trip is 19.2kmpl ( which include 80% highway,5% hill and rest city driving)
- SE strictly told not to use nitrogen , don't know why , so only filling air now.
- great nob is wonderful to hold, but shift is not the best.
- reverse sensors are pretty accurate,even if the sensor shows the object touching the car with lot of beeps ,there left still half foot distance form the object.

Next steps :
- As said earlier i have to invest on some lcd screen dvd system for rear ocupents,espically to engage my daughter when she is in
her child seat. At the moment i don't want to change the stock Music system,so a in-built dvd screen would be my target.
- Ideally i want to have bluetooth,reverse parking cam and GPS capabilities along with the above rear passenger screens.
May be this demands a change of ICE or i could find independent add-ons don't know.

Cleaning and Maintaining :
I have taken 3M paint sealent treatment ,which costed me around 2.9k ,though it is a new car.
I have brought these cleaning accessories thanks for the wealth of information here in our forum Japasu car duster , MF cleaning towels
ONR solution, Amway car wash shampoo .
As suggested by the Gurus , i am currently dusting every day with duster and quick detail may be twice in a week. Car had gone to its first wash after my trip, i can see the initial shine has come down with some water strains after the wash. I have to be careful on future washes. So i will only wash the car after a trip or may be once in a month,but i am damm confused on how i have to maintain and gathering info from the forum.

Questions :
1 .Now car is driven and at 2k km ,is the run in period over?
2. I read in one thread, after 1k km i have to visit the service centre for oil check/top up ? i wasn’t notified on this by SE

Pictures :

[joslicx]

Congrats Phani. Let me be the first one to wish you lots of happy moments and safe miles on your Night Fury. Ain't it a beauty!!!

By the way there is another Night Fury on this forum, a Honda Civic!

Interesting list of accessories, especially headlamps. Are you planning to upgrade to projectors or 90/100 lamps or just to some superior 55W lamps. Are stock lamps really very bad?

Again enjoy your new car and keep this thread updated. I have also booked Vento (Petrol AT in Shadow Blue). As per the initial promise it should have been delivered last week but as of now the status is uncertain! Some of us are less lucky it seems

[ghodlur]

@phani

Congratulations on the Night fury. Just curious to know what prompted to go for the black colour in the months of extreme heat.

The Vento is the most popular choice for the diesel sedans as it offers a lot. for the money. Again curious to know what ticked off the Fiesta. You mentioned you wanted a FTD car and its a known fact that Fiesta is the most popular choice for this reqmt in BHP forum.

Now that you are over the run in period, Happy mile crunching and drive safely.

[volkman10]

Congratulations on getting a great C segment car! Fit and finish of the interiors is
the marked differentiator to the Rapid!
Nice review and more pictures with attention to detail would be great!

With the other two known dealers having no great buying experiences sared here. how is the Hosur dealer?

Wishing you a great ownership and happy mile crunching!

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

AHA!! Congratulations on the Vento buddy. Welcome to the club.
There is as such no running period for this car as the sevice guys told me that they run the engine for 48 hours before putting it in the car. But I still believe first 1000-1500 Kms should be taken easily. Now that you have done that I guess you can gradually start opening it a bit.

Very nice pictures and log. Keep us posted on the updates of the Night Fury.

CHEERS!!

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by phani

Other observations
- 2 nd Grear has certain automatic acceleration & speed to it ,this gives a feeling that car is tad pulling itself with out throtle input and bit uncomfortable .so i have to always ride the clutch during stop and go traffic etc.

Instead of riding the clutch please downshift to first gear. You will need to get used to the fact that in turbo diesels fuel is pumped in to prevent stalling and as a result the car will literally accelerate without pressing the acc. pedal. You will need to either go to first or manage the speed in second depending on situation. Try not to half clutch or ride the clutch.

[bala80]

Congratulations on your new car, she looks beautiful in black. Please tear off that sticker over the front fender below the side repeaters, sticks out in otherwise spotless car.

vid6639 has clarified on the anti-stall ECU feature, which is true for almost all of the turbo charged diesels out there and is true for all gears, not only the 2nd.

Clutch is heavy and releasing it is a little tricky. You have to practice releasing it a slow and accelerating after completely releasing the pedal, you can avoid this jerk and will get used to it in the course of time.

Though ACC doesnt say "auto" with re-circulation on, it is still semi-automatic. Your blower speed will automatically be controlled by the system. That is good enough, isnt it? And the system remembers your setting everytime you start the car.

No need for any check-up at 1000 kms, do check the fluid level's periodically and if you find it going below the minimum mark, visit the service station to top it up. This is clearly documented in your ownership manual and also on the vento threads here in the forum. Do take a read. Its usually between 6k-8k that most of the members here have gone for this top-up. TDI engine is known to consume some engine oil during the run-in period and hence this inspection service in between.

[oxyzen]

Congratulations. That is a great choice.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Instead of riding the clutch please downshift to first gear. You will need to get used to the fact that in turbo diesels fuel is pumped in to prevent stalling and as a result the car will literally accelerate without pressing the acc. pedal. You will need to either go to first or manage the speed in second depending on situation. Try not to half clutch or ride the clutch.

It is precisely the same problem i face. I think the idle RPM (being a diesel) is very high and even without accelerator input it settles to 15kmph. Whereas in my Palio, that is the idling speed for 3rd gear. I drive the Vento occasionally and still have not got the hang of it.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by oxyzen

Congratulations. That is a great choice. It is precisely the same problem i face. I think the idle RPM (being a diesel) is very high and even without accelerator input it settles to 15kmph. Whereas in my Palio, that is the idling speed for 3rd gear. I drive the Vento occasionally and still have not got the hang of it.

It's not due to idle rpm being higher than petrol engine. The reason is the ECU will inject fuel when it sees the motor is going to stall. As a result the car keeps accelerating.

[Utopian]

Nice snaps. Vento does look good in black. Curious to know about making the choice b/w Rapid and Vento, both being from the same stable and the former being more VFM.

[phani]

Thanks Joslicx.
No projectors for now, but surely change the bulbs to better brand.
I find the stock bulbs are not good at night on GQ driving.

Congratulations on your booking. shadow blue is my first choice and we had really hard time deciding between blue and black.it is just that i have 2011 Black available , it is balck.

Originally Posted by joslicx

Congrats Phani. Let me be the first one to wish you lots of happy moments and safe miles on your Night Fury. Ain't it a beauty!!!

By the way there is another Night Fury on this forum, a Honda Civic!

Interesting list of accessories, especially headlamps. Are you planning to upgrade to projectors or 90/100 lamps or just to some superior 55W lamps. Are stock lamps really very bad?

Again enjoy your new car and keep this thread updated. I have also booked Vento (Petrol AT in Shadow Blue). As per the initial promise it should have been delivered last week but as of now the status is uncertain! Some of us are less lucky it seems

[phani]

thanks ghodlur,
I live in bangalore so the heat here is managable. My first car santro is a light colour ,so we want to have our next to be on darker side , black one.
I did consider the old fiesta (classic) but not the new one.
New fiesta is a good car and i too liked the styling . But the interiors are let down and we find it bit less in quality compared to Vento.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

@phani

Congratulations on the Night fury. Just curious to know what prompted to go for the black colour in the months of extreme heat.

The Vento is the most popular choice for the diesel sedans as it offers a lot. for the money. Again curious to know what ticked off the Fiesta. You mentioned you wanted a FTD car and its a known fact that Fiesta is the most popular choice for this reqmt in BHP forum.

Now that you are over the run in period, Happy mile crunching and drive safely.

Thanks volkman,sure i will load the thread with more pictures.
My experience wiht housr delear is good. All of my interaction is with SE and there weren't any surprises.

Originally Posted by volkman10

Congratulations on getting a great C segment car! Fit and finish of the interiors is
the marked differentiator to the Rapid!
Nice review and more pictures with attention to detail would be great!

With the other two known dealers having no great buying experiences sared here. how is the Hosur dealer?

Wishing you a great ownership and happy mile crunching!

Thanks Rachit.
Happy to be part of the club.
I think i already did some spiritted drives @ 1600km .
All the Vento threads here are big source of inspiration for me and i will try to live up to that .

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

AHA!! Congratulations on the Vento buddy. Welcome to the club.
There is as such no running period for this car as the sevice guys told me that they run the engine for 48 hours before putting it in the car. But I still believe first 1000-1500 Kms should be taken easily. Now that you have done that I guess you can gradually start opening it a bit.

Very nice pictures and log. Keep us posted on the updates of the Night Fury.

CHEERS!!

[phani]

thanks Vid, ok, i think i need to down shift to first.
Especially, in cases where back to back spead breakers , i find it difficult to be in 2 nd gear and release the clutch completely,which is pushing the car so quick to towards the next breaker.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Instead of riding the clutch please downshift to first gear. You will need to get used to the fact that in turbo diesels fuel is pumped in to prevent stalling and as a result the car will literally accelerate without pressing the acc. pedal. You will need to either go to first or manage the speed in second depending on situation. Try not to half clutch or ride the clutch.

I didn't observe the sticker on the fender. yes it is distracting the clean profile. i will remove that.
Clutch relesing and simulations accelerator input should be avoided as you said to escape from the jerk. I have to find a optimal operation here.
Thanks for the inputs on oil check and change.
I still not got the acc and a/c functions. like when to use acc and when to a/c etc.

Originally Posted by bala80

Congratulations on your new car, she looks beautiful in black. Please tear off that sticker over the front fender below the side repeaters, sticks out in otherwise spotless car.

vid6639 has clarified on the anti-stall ECU feature, which is true for almost all of the turbo charged diesels out there and is true for all gears, not only the 2nd.

Clutch is heavy and releasing it is a little tricky. You have to practice releasing it a slow and accelerating after completely releasing the pedal, you can avoid this jerk and will get used to it in the course of time.

Though ACC doesnt say "auto" with re-circulation on, it is still semi-automatic. Your blower speed will automatically be controlled by the system. That is good enough, isnt it? And the system remembers your setting everytime you start the car.

No need for any check-up at 1000 kms, do check the fluid level's periodically and if you find it going below the minimum mark, visit the service station to top it up. This is clearly documented in your ownership manual and also on the vento threads here in the forum. Do take a read. Its usually between 6k-8k that most of the members here have gone for this top-up. TDI engine is known to consume some engine oil during the run-in period and hence this inspection service in between.

Thanks Oxyzen.

Originally Posted by oxyzen

Congratulations. That is a great choice. It is precisely the same problem i face. I think the idle RPM (being a diesel) is very high and even without accelerator input it settles to 15kmph. Whereas in my Palio, that is the idling speed for 3rd gear. I drive the Vento occasionally and still have not got the hang of it.

[anand_hc]

Originally Posted by phani

This is the upgrade from Santro to Vento TDI Highline.
I have driven my Santro, a 2002 LP with great care and it served me reliably all these years.
T...

Pictures :

Nice post & congratulations !! No reference to your neighbour who owns a white vento )

Enjoy Maadi..

[phani]

There are three reasons for me.

Though liked the looks , But what wins Vento over Rapid for me is the interior feel. Even both of them look simillar ,there is bit quality feel associated with vento.

Plus i rate Vento looks tad better than Rapid..

I got discounts offered being it is 2011 so effectively i got my vento for Rapid pricing.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Nice snaps. Vento does look good in black. Curious to know about making the choice b/w Rapid and Vento, both being from the same stable and the former being more VFM.

hey anand.
Thanks man. Your white Vento is one source of inspiration for Night Fury.
Let's meet up this week end for snaps of both black & white.