[coolboy007]

I dont know how to start this thread, i have been such a confused soul myself that if i start explaining in detail on how i ended up buying the Vento, it would be a bizzare thread but i will still give a small prologue on how i ended up buying something i never though i would.

Back to July 2011
We have 2 cars in our house, a 2006 Mahindra Scorpio for dad and a 2009 1.4 Fiat Linea. I am more of a biker kind so i was satisfied with my humble Linea which is doing its duty as it should, 3 years old and 35k kms down, it has never let me down and going strong as ever.

It was time for a new car all thanks to rising petrol prices and i was asked which hatchback do i prefer while i was still in US, TD many cars after coming back and finally settled on Ford Figo, seemed to me the apt choice as it was VFM, the new Swift hadnt been launched then and the old one had no airbags.

Call me mad or twist of fate but i ended up buying a sportsbike - yeah i ended up purchasing Hyosung GT650R as that was my dream at that point and Figo had to move out for the bike though both would have costed the same, i preffered bike then - ownership thread here : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superb...ng-gt650r.html

March 2012
The rising petrol prices started pinching hard, with a FE of 11-12, Linea started pinching pocket and it was converted to CNG in may, it has done 5k kms on cng but all the driving fun is lost out - it has just become a commuter to take you from place A to B.

We again started searching for cars, we already had a SUV, a Sedan so the logical decision was to go for a hatch, Swift was the preffered car now since the top end had all bells n whistles in addition to airbags which were a priority.

Last i checked the Swift ZDI touched 7.7 L on road Delhi and at this price point the Swift seemed expensive, very expensive. In addition if we did buy Swift, we had no highway car. Scorpio is too old and bone jarring, Linea's boot is finished, Swift has a non existent boot and some how spending 8 L on a hatch was not to our liking.

In the meanwhile a close friend of mine bought Skoda Rapid, even i drove it and fell in love. That much power in a c segment sedan was new to me,i instantly fell in love with it, the ride, handling all were good, barring the Skoda image and a little cheesy interiors with that old style green illumination, it had all going for it. My father too liked it and we thought over the dinner - why not get Rapid, has a brilliant engine, good fuel efficiency and will serve our highway drives well.

Fast forward to June, 2012
I had almost lost all hopes but my dad was particularly interested in Rapid, we shortlisted Rapid Ambition TDI, it was around 9.7 on road but my father didnt like the fact that it had only 1 airbag. He was ready to shell out for the top model only for that 1 passenger airbag, he gives a damn to acc, features but safety is a first and i respect his decision.

The Rapid elegance was 10.93 in July and a weird idea stuck us. Why not buy a used Laura/Jetta for 13-14 L? I even made a thread about it - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/sedans...oda-laura.html

After again banging my head, it was decided that a used Skoda might not be a good idea and on 7th july we set out to Fahrenheit Auto, moti Nagar to book the Rapid. You may ask did i consider any other cars - :

Hyundai Verna - Can i have a test drive is all i had asked at the hyundai dealership, but the SA gave me a look as if i had jumped into a Lamborghini dealership and asked for Aventador test drive.

"Hamaari gaadi bina test drive ke bikti hai, dekh lo aap, kahin nahin milegi"

english translation - Our cars sell without test drive, you see yourself, you wont get a test drive anywhere.
That was enough for me to come out fuming but thanks to a friend who had recently got his Verna delivered and after a 6-7 kms trip - this car was out.

I drive a Linea which is known for its best steering and superb handling, the Verna is right opposite - vague steering and unexplainable handling. It was out straightaway.

Nissan sunny - Read team bhp reviews, saw it in person and drove it. It has a lot of space but then i couldnt digest the interiors, the engine wasnt very sprightly either and me and my father drive so we wanted a driver's car and sunny didnt fit in.

Didnt need any test drive of Rapid as i had driven it extensively - back to July, 2012.

Didnt test drive Vento as i had read its 60-70k more expensive to Rapid, is very noisy and Rapid has a better suspension set up.

We went into the Skoda showroom and the least interested SA asked us to see the car and blah blah, we didnt like his attitude so after 10-15 mins we came out and decided we will buy the car from somewhere else.

Right besides was the VW showroom, now finally Vento comes into picture. Dad casually asked me to see the Vento and least interested i tagged along.

Sat inside the car and the first reaction - the interiors are a notch above Rapid, both in feel and color combination but alas the price difference between the two. Told my dilemma to the salesguy and that helpful chapped brought the price difference down between Rapid & Vento to 20k after some negotiations.

For that 20k - you get VW badge (their reputation is still a wee bit better than Skoda), better interiors, better music system with park assist, steering wheels and gear knob wrapped in leather - not a bad deal at all.

Requested for a test drive as i had never driven a Vento before and wanted to check for the engine noise etc.

He turned up the very next afternoon and my first impressions - the cabin noise was exactly same, no the vento wasnt any noisier, suspension i couldnt check, rest of the stuff was same. I had requested for a TD only to check NVH levels compared to Rapid after reading team bhp's review on Rapid which stated that both had a huge difference in noise levels.

Booked the car on 8th, VW Vento 1.6 TDI highline Terra Beige with a waiting period of 3 weeks. Got a call on 16th that they had recieved a Terra beige vento and for whom it was supposed couldnt arrange the loan on time, we had the papers and stuff ready and after getting the VIN and decoding it, transferred the said amount via RTGS on 17th morning and got the car delivered the same day.

Finally that day had come after a long long time and we bought Vento which was never ever in our shortlist.
Here is a picture from delivery day with my beauty. First impressions will follow soon.

[coolboy007]

I have by now done 1100 kms on the odo and each km has been enjoyable so far. Would go on with the positives and negatives as even this car isnt perfect, it has its fair share of flaws, i will go in with my ownership and dealership experience, comparison with Rapid and then comparison with Linea.





I will segregate the review in parts.

Engine and gearbox - A lot has been said about it and it deserves those praises. Just the fact that this car has a better power to weight ratio than Laura is a thing in itself. There is absolutely nil turbo lag, in gear times are blazingly fast and past 2000 rpm, it pulls like a train. Yes it is fun to drive.

The gearbox is good and slick. Better than expectations for a diesel car, the 5th gear is a little notchy but overall its good.

Now for the negative aspect - the same brilliant 1.6 TDI is a little noisy, its not even close to Hyundai's 1.6 diesel mill. The clatter on a cold start is very prominent and add to that you get a free massage from the clutch with pulsations, the clutch isnt light too to make matters worse.

Interiors and build quality - A true german at that, especially build quality. We have an interesting thread running on european cars and the prime reason people buy a Skoda/VW is that the kind of cocooned feeling you get inside the car is missing in its japanese counterparts. Its a feeling of being safe, that reassuring thud from doors, strong body panels all reek of quality. VW may have cut on features a little but it hasnt lost or compromised on its build quality.

The interiors are simple, clean laid out dash, easy to use functions and a small MID which throws out data like other cars albeit a little less comprehensive than that of Linea which shows song names, warnings and door open indications too.




I havent heard pre refreshed Ventos but the sound system is good. I have a good set up in my Linea and wasnt disappointed with the sound, its very good for a OEM head unit and the RCD310 looks classy at night.

The faux leather seat covers look a class apart, too light and would be difficult to maintain but worth the effort. Brings good ambience to the cabin.

Ride, handling and brakes - The ride is good though Linea is much better in both the aspects. The suspension is set up well and those complaints of soft suspension have been addressed, didnt find it nervous on undulations or anything of that sort, it does its job with a "THUD".

Read on the forum that both Rapid and Vento now sport a L54 suspension set up which was previously L40 for Vento.

The thud sound from rear suspension is highly irritating, scared the hell out of me the first time it happened, otherwise like other europeans or germans, the handling is good and would be fun on twisties. The brakes are excellent, they are better than Verna's 4 disc set up.

The fly in the ointment is the electric steering, it robs the feel away. Yes its easy and light in city and maybe am crying because am used to Linea's HPS but i feel disconnected while driving the car, should be a little heavier at higher speeds, i hate light steerings, wish the Vento had a HPS.

To the plus, this steering is by far the best calibrated and sorted EPS i have driven and not like Hyundai's.



Fuel efficiency - Wonder how this engine extracts so much fe from a car this size, its almost equal to Swift and other small cars. Had a small highway dash and got 22 km/l and in city for last 2 tankfuls it returned a brilliant 17+ km/l with AC on. Always brings a smile on my face.



Dealership experience - The dealer was VW Delhi west, if its some one who tilted the decision in favour of Vento from Rapid, then it has to be my salesguy. Really helpful, very honest, kept updating me on phone and the whole delivery process was extremely smooth. They clicked a photo with my family, framed it then n there and handed over to me after customary pooja. All points to them.

We got first year insurance + corp discount + free underbody anti rust coating and mine is a May, 2012 Vento

Accessories
The highline has almost everything so just added star mats, a stubby antenna and sill plates, there is nothing left to add.

Upsized the tyres to Bridgestone, 195/60 R15. Was planning for Micheline but the kind of places the car would visit, Micheline wont suit it.

Contemplating a Race chip tuning box very soon, after 3000-4000 kms are done.

My father misjudged a cement boulder and the car had a small hit on the running board, not getting it repaired as its small and wont be noticed usually.

[coolboy007]

The negatives which i could find out -

1. The engine is noisy, even after getting the 3W3 noise suppression for 2012 Ventos like Rapid, the engine noise does filter in at idle, past 60-70 its fairly silent and smooth.

2. The clutch is crude, it gives small pulsations at the top most part. Even the Scorpio doesnt have it so amazed VW couldnt do anything about it and passed it on as it was to us, the clutch is on the harder side too.

3. The quality of beadings is bad. Water droplets enter the sides near running board and the side beading are already turning a little whitish, they need a polish every 2 weeks, especially in rains.

4. The steering is light to my taste, would have preferred a pure hydraulic unit here, the engine is brilliant, gearbox is good, perfect gear ratios but the steering spoils a little fun. 5th gear is a little notchy too.

5. Paint quality is a suspect - it shines the most but the paint is really delicate, a few stones flying chipped the paint off so easily. Not good.

6. 1st gear is too short and bouncy, its a self confused gear.






Comparison with Rapid
A very delicate comparison if you ask me, almost 90% of the car is same. Have had a fairly long experience with Rapid and of what i could make out.

The Rapid is still a little less noisy and more refined than Vento, maybe because it has done 3500 kms and mine is 1000 old but the engine noise in Rapid is less. Also the thud sound from rear suspension is more prominent in Vento, if Vento makes it 5 times out of 10, Rapid will do it twice and yeah the alloys of Rapid are sexier than Vento

A fellow bhpian had posted that VW have added the improvements made by Skoda to Vento and now it has 2 things over 2011 Ventos -
1. 3W3 - special noise suppression

2. L54 - suspension set up same as rapid.

On the negative aspect, the interiors feel a notch lower in quality. The brey or what they call it doesnt suit the car, the seat covers are fabric, no leather wrapped steering wheel or gear knobs, no parking sensors, no steering controls etc make it a little bland in comparison. To add to the misery, the 90's style retro green illumination like in Octavia doesnt help out matters.

The Rapid elegance was 10.85 on Road and Vento HL was 11.10 - for that 25k i got, better interiors, a slightly better VW badge, parking system integrated with music system, leatherette covers, steering controls and non green illumination inside. The Vento was purely VFM at that stage.

If the difference between two was 70-80k like before, would i have bought Vento - maybe NO.





Comparison with Linea
When it comes to ride and handling or steering feel, both Rapid/Vento cant hold a candle to it. As GTO stated in his review "Linea at 140 feels like a Tijori on wheels", the handling is class apart and the major part is played by that well sorted out hps steering, you always feel connected to the car and sticks to tarmac like a leech.

When it comes to engine power and gearbox, Linea lags behind by a mile. Mine is a 1.4 petrol but even the 1.3 diesel is very puny for a car this size, the gearshifts are rubbery and the ratios arent well selected. The interior quality is average though its feature laden and the reliability is good so far.

Wish Linea had a 1.6 MJD churning out 110-115 bhp with slightly better interiors.

Thats it for now folks, will keep updating as me and my Vento log miles.

Thanks for reading.

[Rudra Sen]

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

[dZired]

Congratulations for your Vento. The car looks great in that shade of beige. Its good to see that the VW guys served you so well during the delivery process. Honda and Hyundai need to learn something in this area.
And that reply from the Hyundai's SA is really horrible. The swift sells much better than the verna and still it is available for a TD in each and every showroom. This attitude can take away important sales figures in todays scenario where a number of competitors are present to each product.
Anyways, thats a great and highly comprehensive review. Congratulations once again.
Take Care and Drive Safe..!

[rangakishen]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

The negatives which i could find out -

3. The quality of beadings is bad. Water droplets enter the sides near running board and the side beading are already turning a little whitish, they need a polish every 2 weeks, especially in rains.


Attachment 968272

Congrats on your new car!! A nice review too!! Wish you many happy miles.

The beading problem is just unacceptable in these times. Water seeping in the fate of old BMTC buses and not 10L odd VW cars!! Shame!

Is that cracking paint I see just below the VW badge? If so paint quality is really sad! May be the paint protection film is in order??

Anyway!! Great car to own. Once again, wish you many happy miles!!

[kaush666]

Congratulations coolboy007! An excellent vehicle and according to me the best color after Teutonic Blue on the Vento. Wishing you many happy miles with the German beauty. Do keep logging on the miles and updating this thread!

OT: Your garage is now complete isn't it? A GT650, a Linea, a Scorp and now a Vento Awesome man!

Cheers,
K

[SDP]

Congratulations Coolboy007! Vento is a very good choice. The Terra Beige was the exact shade that I had in my mind, when I had practically finalized on the Vento.

Your comments about the clutch are spot on. Couldn't digest the pulsating feeling myself. The side by side shots of Vento and Rapid are superb. You doing a quick comparison of the two was the icing on the cake.

Enjoy your ride. Wish you many happy miles in the Vento!

[bluevolt]

Congratulations Rajat on getting the new VW Vento.

It is the best diesel car in C segment IMO.

Is there any difference between the service intervals of Rapid & Vento?

Mileage should be same for both cars as both have same engines. I guess Rapid is more silent because of better dampening and noise insulation?

Are you planning a ICE upgrade? And one final question - Is Linea still home or sold?

Keep the thread updated regularly with service and mileage updates.

Wishing you happy and safe driving!

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Comparison with Rapid

The best part of your thread and ownership is this option of having an immediate comparison/checkup with the Rapid and getting the true facts.

Keep giving updates and a general comparo between both the cars on every milestone/period. One additional aspect you have caught on perfectly is the chipping of paint, this is a serious problem with all colors, especially on the dark colors it is very problematic. Question from my side - does the Rapid too suffer from this issue?

[coolboy007]

The engine oil drinking is not only with TSI but TDI engines too, the Rapid has clocked 3500 kms and the oil level is almost touching the mid way mark on the dipstick, checked mine, oil is full but coolant was low, added plain mineral water.

Originally Posted by dZired

Congratulations for your Vento. The car looks great in that shade of beige. Its good to see that the VW guys served you so well during the delivery process. Honda and Hyundai need to learn something in this area

Thanks mate, i was actually going for teutonic blue but dad doesnt like dark shades as they require high maintenance, we had a white and a silver so settled for terra beige.

Originally Posted by rangakishen

The beading problem is just unacceptable in these times. Water seeping in the fate of old BMTC buses and not 10L odd VW cars!! Shame!

Thanks rangakishen, for the beading even i was amazed that they have used such a low quality part whereas overall the car reeks of quality.

Is that cracking paint I see just below the VW badge? If so paint quality is really sad! May be the paint protection film is in order??

No thats just some left over dust which i failed to notice and was captured by the dslr , the paint is chipping off at places, will add a photo of that very soon.

Originally Posted by kaush666

OT: Your garage is now complete isn't it? A GT650, a Linea, a Scorp and now a Vento Awesome man!

Thanks kaush, well its just missing a good hatchback. When i need the adrenaline rush, GT does the duty, long drives would be done by Vento and city runs would be made by Linea. Just praying that our biker friends spare the Vento for now.

Originally Posted by SDP

Congratulations Coolboy007! Vento is a very good choice. The Terra Beige was the exact shade that I had in my mind, when I had practically finalized on the Vento.
Your comments about the clutch are spot on.

Thanks SDP, yeah the clutch is crude and i dont know the reason why. The gearbox is so good, wonder why couldnt VW make a better clutch, more than hard i hate the pulsations - plain annoying.

Originally Posted by bluevolt

Congratulations Rajat on getting the new VW Vento.
Is there any difference between the service intervals of Rapid & Vento?
Mileage should be same for both cars as both have same engines. I guess Rapid is more silent because of better dampening and noise insulation?

Thanks a lot Anmol. The only difference is that Rapid has a small service check up at 7500 kms/6 months for top ups etc whereas Vento straight away has its first service at 15,000 kms/1 year. Rest the intervals are same.

Are you planning a ICE upgrade? And one final question - Is Linea still home or sold?

No ICE upgrade, have bought extended warranty and would like to keep the car as simple as possible. Maybe just add good components and co-axials
but wont add any amplifier or woofer like Linea here. Want to keep the warranty intact and after seeing so many fire incidents with VW cars i would prefer being safe.

Linea is still at home, i just love that car and it wont be sold anytime soon, it will do duty in this maddening city traffic.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

The best part of your thread and ownership is this option of having an immediate comparison/checkup with the Rapid and getting the true facts.

Thanks ninjatalli, am glad you liked the comparison. Infact both me and my friend drive each other's cars and the reaction afterwards is "everything is same yaar"

Keep giving updates and a general comparo between both the cars on every milestone/period. One additional aspect you have caught on perfectly is the chipping of paint, this is a serious problem with all colors, especially on the dark colors it is very problematic. Question from my side - does the Rapid too suffer from this issue?

I will go on updating about his experience as well as he isnt a team bhp member. The paint chipping has got me worried, my car isnt even a month old and i have already noticed 3 chip offs, wonder what will happen after 3 years. On my color its not noticeable but on blue and black, it would look terrible.

The Rapid too has it sadly, even in his car, the paint is chipped from the right side fender. Wonder what the VW guys are thinking, there are stones flying around every time on highways and if every single one creates a paint chip off then the car would look ghastly after a while.

[DieselDon]

Excellent write-up ! Loved the comparisons between the most compared/identical cars !

Originally Posted by coolboy007

I will go on updating about his experience as well as he isnt a team bhp member. The paint chipping has got me worried, my car isnt even a month old and i have already noticed 3 chip offs, wonder what will happen after 3 years. On my color its not noticeable but on blue and black, it would look terrible.

The Rapid too has it sadly, even in his car, the paint is chipped from the right side fender. Wonder what the VW guys are thinking, there are stones flying around every time on highways and if every single one creates a paint chip off then the car would look ghastly after a while.

Do post some pictures. Both the Vento & Rapid chips offs would help understand if anything can be done to avoid the same.
Paint chipping off is agreeable for lower end cars. VW Group cars should have been better ! Do your other cars not exhibit this characteristic ?

Do you think this could help your hard clutch issue ? (clutch hose pipe replacement)
- Link 1
- Link 2 & several other references.

Cheers,

[souravc]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

The paint chipping has got me worried, my car isnt even a month old and i have already noticed 3 chip offs, wonder what will happen after 3 years. On my color its not noticeable but on blue and black, it would look terrible.

The Rapid too has it sadly, even in his car, the paint is chipped from the right side fender. Wonder what the VW guys are thinking, there are stones flying around every time on highways and if every single one creates a paint chip off then the car would look ghastly after a while.

Can you please post pictures please ? This is a bit surprising (for me at least ) since I have had a gate dropped on my Vento at a mall and still the paint didn't chip off which made me believe that the paint quality is good. Would be helpful to see the pictures of the paint chip off

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by souravc

Can you please post pictures please ? This is a bit surprising (for me at least ) since I have had a gate dropped on my Vento at a mall and still the paint didn't chip off which made me believe that the paint quality is good. Would be helpful to see the pictures of the paint chip off

If @coolboy007 is referring to what I'm referring to, then he's not talking about the paint coming off due to accidents/scratches/dents - these are small dot-size chips that appear on the car, especially on the hood due to small stones that hit the body while driving (at high speeds).

Surprisingly, with respect to general dents, the paint holds on quite well - as I and @mikon have found out in a recent accident.

[thumpingheart]

Congrats on your new Vento Buddy!! I seriously believe like you said, if the steering would be hydraulic in the Vento, it would become the perfect car.

Typical Indian Response - 22 kmpl / 17 kmpl!!!!!! Kudos! (That is awesome!)

Cheers. Keep us updated!