Team-BHP - My Terra Beige VW Vento 1.6 TDI HL (Nov 2012)

@ ~ 1300 kms on the Odometer in 6 weeks. Limited to office-to-home usage & a little 'ring-road' highway use.

Likes :-

The TDI Engine - A fine balance between Power and Fuel Efficiency.
- Wonderful Fuel Efficiency for a Sedan.
- Sufficient Power for enthusiastic driving.
- Supports laid back driving at just above 1000 RPM. (No dip in Fuel Efficiency)
Excellent Highway Manners (Good and Bad roads).
Loaded with the right Features. (Elaborated later in my review)
Engaging gears gives a precise and definite experience, inspiring confidence on the underpinnings.
All features are integrated tightly to the vehicle. Nothing looks like a patch job, in-spite of the numerous upgrades.

Dislikes :-

Low speed behavior over speed humps/road imperfections & the 'thud' effect.
Headlights are poor for highways. (Need to see what I can do without risking warranty)
Under-thigh Support could have been better.
Poor Rear Visibility (or I need to get accustomed)
The most 'refreshed' model. (The next version is already out before my ownership thread)
Personally the steering could have been better.
Could have had the 'trapezoidal' VW Passat type foglamps.

About Me :- So that you know why I could not buy a real BMW.

Non-Regular IT Joe (not a good coder, just business analysis), with a few entrepreneurship interests (family/otherwise).
Reside in Hyderabad currently. Otherwise, have been across half the reachable world talking to every type of client.

My earlier car :-

A faithful companion for almost 10 yrs. Oceana Blue Tata Indica V2 DLS, Feb 2003 (Sold Jan'13 - after the Vento came home)
Most trust worthy when in need. Can limp back home without stranding oneself in a remote location (if you know what I mean).
Would rate it as the best Naturally Aspirated Diesel I have seen. (Survived Coorg & 10 days of its surrounding SUV'ish terrain)
My only issue was with the Air Conditioning. Sometimes had to switch off the AC before an overtaking maneuver.

Why I 'needed' a New Car :- (read - How I convinced the home/fund minister)

Boot Space.
Peace of mind during long runs.

What I 'wanted' in the New Car :- (condensed version - when I started my hunt 2 years ago.)

Good Fuel Efficiency. (at-least on highway runs. I criss-cross states often)
Stability/Safety at high(er) speeds. (ABS/EBD/Airbags & all the good stuff)
AC that does not 'load' the car performance.
Ground Clearance - Higher the better.
Electronics - Lesser the better. (Essentials - excused )
Should handle rough roads with ease.
Decent Space (a compromise since 50 % time I would be alone to/from the office)

However, the super-ceding checks & balances :- (in that order)

Handling/Safety
Within reach of my 10 L ex-showroom budget.
Comfort/Space/Underthigh support: Drive an Indica for 10 yrs and you will know why this figures in the list.
Maintenance Costs
Resale: Yes & No. But left this out of the equation eventually.

The Contenders :- My perception (No brickbats please, but do correct me).
Enough has been said already. So am being as crisp as I can.

SX4 :(0) Neither here nor there. For some reason did not go for even a test drive.
Linea :(1) A little costly for what is offered. Did not want to get pampered yet.
Fiesta :(2) Took two test drives to confirm the lack of space.
Sunny :(1) Would have gone for the Japanese reliability if 'anyone' had a good opinion on the braking.
Verna :(2) I was able to take my mind of this beauty only after personally experiencing the highway manners during 2 test drives.
Manza :(6) I did not yet 'Ta-Ta' the Manza yet (Close friends who own the recent Tata cars have vouched that the Quality/*** has been getting better by the day). But, hmm.. there are other better options at almost the same price.
Rapid :(6) Undiluted quality/power. Skoda Hyderabad allowed only shortish test drives. Could not convince them for my usual 30 min ride to get convinced.
Vento :(11) From what I heard - Vento had lesser highway manners though. But a test ride of the re-refresh nullified my fears. And the technical specifications of the suspension/NVH were same. Should I go for the comfort of VW *** over Skoda *** ? Why not ?
Ertiga :(1) Very realistic vehicle. Dealer's attitude put me away personally. Wifey/Kiddo were impressed. Somehow not good to my taste. Felt like a van driver.
XUV 500 :(3) Too many complaints on electronics. And the top-end 'safer(with ESP)' model is loaded with non-essential gizmos.
Cruze :(1) One heck of a car. Wifey took 2 mins to reject. Should have asked her to occupy the passenger seat. Big mistake. However was out of my budget anyways.
Laura :(2) Out of my budget today. But may be my next car. Could not help extending the test drive as much as I could.
Duster :(5) Yummy. Only if they had better interiors. Wifey rejected outright. The top-end (only one with dual airbags) was out of my budget. & No ESP. hmm.. When the 4x4 comes with ESP, Will be back in contention.

The number within brackets is the number of test drives over 2 years

Originally, I wanted to pick the new car after the new addition to the family (We are expecting our second child in the last week of Feb). Besides my beloved Tata Indica would have completed a decade with me. Sense prevailed and I realized how busy I would get later. And, an almost 10 yr old car doing the duty - Not reliable enough.

Finally, it boiled down to the Rapid, the Vento or the Ertiga. I would have been happy with any of them.
Eliminated Ertiga after having a final chat with the Sales guy on my wife's insistence. Even my wife was irritated with the wait times.

Eventually :- The VW Vento 1.6 TDI HL was chosen, with the following cementing the decision against the Rapid.

There were two VW Dealers (with service centers) as against the lone Skoda Dealer in Hyderabad.
My company's corporate lease does not allow dealer insurance (which meant no extended warranty with Skoda). Cannot get lamer than this Eh ?
Wife was really impressed with the interior quality. VW got this easy, since we are graduating from the Indica.

Compromises made :- (with respect to my list above)

Electronics : The Vento has a little more electronics that I would have expected. But in the last month, I was able to realize the importance of them. A willing compromise.
Under-thigh support : Knew beforehand that the under-thigh is not as good as elsewhere. But since the only hefty guy(me) would be driving, the family is more than happy with the backseat ergonomics. If you put me in the backseat, the story is going to change.

Booking & Delivery Experience :-

Pre-Sales : Simply Excellent. The Sales Advisor (Mr Purna Chandra - VW Hyd) had supreme patience with me and very customer centric. I was stalking him from the day the Vento was introduced (way back in 2011). Through every refresh, he supported my queries for test drives, details of the upgrade, etc. On the record, I took 11 test drives of the Vento(over 2 yrs).
Booking : Was a little messy, since it was a Corporate Lease.
PDI : Could not have been smoother. Of course, I did my research & was ready. TBHP Checklist in hand, I marched into the yard undeclared, on a holiday. Did a PDI when the car (before the allotment). Thanks to VW Hyd who facilitated this special request from me.
Car Delivery : Butter Smooth. After a few calls got a guarantee that the car would be ready at my expected time. I went to the showroom on the afternoon of 26-Dec-2013 armed with the initial-pooja items. Took the car home & in the evening performed full-pooja with family.

Final Financials :- Quote Particulars

Ex-Showroom : Rs 9,99,072
Less: Discount : Rs 27,000 (am not good at bargaining I guess)
Special Ex-Showroom : Rs 9,72,072
Incidental Charges : Rs 14,950 - I know. Please do not boo me. Did not have the patience to argue beyond a point.
Extended Warranty : Rs 11,634
Freebies : Bluetooth enabled Garmin Nuvi GPS 2565LM with Reverse Camera(wireless)

The SA presented me a lovely VW Key Chain !

A picture from Delivery Day :

Extras Added :-

3D Kagu Floor Mats. Not that happy with the fit. Maybe I did not do it right.
Fabric finish Seat Covers (Elegant Brand) - over the leatherette seats since leather smell unsettles wifey.

Key Observations :

The TDI Engine :-

The engine offers a fine balance between Power and Fuel Efficiency that makes the drive pleasurable at low/high speeds.
The fuel efficiency figures are @ 15.5 kmpl (first tank-to-tank) & 18.6 kmpl on the MID (probably am not reading this right).
A gentle push on the accelerator & you vroom past the slow(er) moving traffic.

The Drive, The Ride & The Steering :-

Had to be on top of my wits when driving enthusiastically. Need to get used to the engine behaviour. Pulls really hard.
Since this was my first Turbo, I did all my research to understand how to drive better.
So no revving hard till 1500 kms. Have been maintaining < 2250 rpm all along. Planned for a top limit of 2000 rpm, but could not resist on the highway.
The drive & ride on the highway is one of the best I have experienced on good & bad roads (Only The Cruze was better - atleast on good roads).
However the low speed behavior over speed breakers & road imperfections are far from perfect. But bearable.
Initially the 'thud' effect startled me (even though I knew it all along). Am now slowing appropriately & taking it nice.
It may be just me, but the steering is not as responsive as I would have expected. In one of my 70 kmph turns, I had to steer harder. As of now I am limiting myself to <50 kmph in turns.

Clutch, Gearshift, Braking :-

Absolutely no problems with the clutch pedal personally. A little vibration, but have'nt I have been warned.
The gearshift knob & lever are of high quality. The shift action has been giving me all the right confirmation messages & positive feedback.
The braking has exceeded my expectations all along. Need to be careful & factor the rear vehicles braking capacity before pushing the pedal.

Interiors :-

Am really disappointed with the under thigh support. After being used to the Indica's comfort, the rear seat is not a place I want to be in with 2 other passengers.
Other Ergonomics are cool. Even the much complained about hand brake is perfectly ergonomic to me.
A few nice-to-haves. a) Bottle holders on the rear doors as well. b) Glove box lock.
The auto-dimming lights give a nice up-market ambience inside the car.
Ingress/Egress might become an issue later for my parents. But as of now, no complaints.
At the highest tilt position, the top of my thighs occasionally touch the steering. Need to slim down I guess.
The Air conditioner has been good so far. The decibel levels are a tad higher when the fan is up.

Exteriors & Styling :-

I am not a craver of styles/curves/etc. However the exterior has been really appealing to me. Classy Sedan feeling.
Somehow looks considerably longer than my friend's Rapid. On a comparision, is almost the same length though.
Would have loved to see the the 'trapezoidal' VW Passat type foglamps on the Vento. (Yes - Like the Rapid)
Did not do much of highway driving, but I do not think the headlights will help me survive the lights of oncoming traffic in typical Indian highways.
Am not a risk taker. Will delay the upgrades as long as I can. Need to checkout the Nightbreakers. Anyone have these on their Vento's in Hyderabad ?

The OEM Music System :-

The Sound Quality is more than sufficient for a non-audiophile like me.
However, I could tweak the Output far more on my 10 yr old Pioneer system.
Smooth Integration to USB/CD. Continues from earlier location by default.
There are 3 configurable levels for sound 'dimming' which is used during reversing.
The reverse sensors(PDC) & indication are on for a few seconds after disengaging the reverse gear.

The Garmin GPS Unit & Reverse Camera :-

Am I glad, I got this unit. The wireless, bluetooth reverse camera itself is worth the trouble.
And the beloved Nokia E72 with voice guided maps can take a rest & do the duty outside India.
Am yet to figure out how to connect this to my laptop & get updates(if any) done. The unit has a cool app to keep record of the Fuel, etc.
If you frequent a few places, the unit recognizes and shows the expected duration to reach a milestone automatically.
On a lighter note, my daughter thinks she can watch movies on it. Theoretically, it has a video input. Need to figure out though.

The Remote Locking & Auto up/down functions :-

All 4 windows have auto-up/down functions. My daughter is now happy in the backseat as well (something to fiddle with).
The buttons work for a few more seconds even after the key is taken out. Nice.
Even if we do forget, the remote pitches in (Nice reach too). (Long press of lock button pulls up the window glasses)
On locking, the confirmation honk/light blinks do not come up if any of the doors(including boot)/glasses are open. Super Nice.
If you use the key to unlock the driver door, the honk is missing & other doors do not open automatically. Neat.

Miscellanea :-

When reversing
- The Air conditioner Auto mode switches to 're-circulate'
- The volume levels on the music system go down to a preset level.
- The Reverse Camera feeds switches on into the GPS. (In addition to the reverse parking sensors)
If you are ambling along lazily
- The vehicle has a mind of its own & pulls without throttle input if the RPM is lower than 1000. As a result it does not stall that easily.
- The first gear is very strong. As a result have been clutch-driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Any help appreciated.
- The 4th gear is more considerate than the 3rd gear. The gear down indicator does not come up as soon in the 4th gear vs 3rd gear.
If at all the car runs out of fuel, just fill up and start the engine. No need to clear airlocks like in my 2003 Indica. Or so I was told.
The battery is maintenance free. No touching it till it conks. Any downsides ?
The windshield fluid container inlet cap opens up at will. Does not stay closed. They haven't fixed this.
I have not yet felt the 'turbo-lag' / 'turbo-kicking-in' effects yet. Either I tend to stay in the right gears or I have not crossed 2000 rpm much. Is that why ?

This thread would not be complete without mentioning my sincere heartfelt THANKS to team-bhp.
I am indebted to the forum & various members who helped/guided me through my thought process.