[thoma]

Originally Posted by stringbh

The FE is probably around 3 kmpl. (calculated roughly, not the tank full method) less than what you nicely managed, with all through city driving (not B2B) and 100% AC on.

That is actually not bad FE with all city driving. B2B cannot be taken as a yardstick to measure FE as it highly depends on the time you are stuck in B2B. BBS is Bubaneshwar? Where is your Vento at present, BBS or TVM?

btw, do you follow the gear recommend-er ? as it always asks you to downshift at around 2k rpm.

Till now, I have been shifting her at a wee bit higher RPM than what is recommended by the MID. Not that I always check the MID and shift later, but I listen to the RPM. I love to hear a diesel engine all day. Why I up-shift a bit late is that I didn't want any instance of lugging in the initial period. From now, though I want to check out going by the recommend-er, taking my eyes off the road is a bit dangerous in Kerala traffic.

[BigBrad]

Hey thoma, Congrats on your car. Looks like you are thoroughly enjoying the time with her. And, nice pictures too. Have you planned any mods?

Your observations regarding driving conditions in Kerala roads is very accurate. I completely agree with you.

Wishing you many more happy miles!

[stringbh]

Originally Posted by thoma

Where is your Vento at present, BBS or TVM?

Till now, I have been shifting her at a wee bit higher RPM than what is recommended by the MID.

yep, it is right now in Bhubaneswar (BBS) and i try my best to leave early and avoid the traffic. I do plan to bring it to Trivandrum some day. That'll be some drive . I am waiting for a reason to take it on high way soon.

thanks. Taking a leaf out of your rpm-book then .

[thoma]

The beast has run 1700 kms within the initial month and thought will share some more of my boring dialogues and snaps, which were not included initially.



Alongside her main competitor, should I say? March 2013 saw 4500 Vernas rolling out of its' plant whereas Chakan shipped 3000. Add to it the 1500 Rapid sister. The Sunny and the Scala together did 2300. And in the coming months, the diesel Honda is going to munch into their pie; the petrol only Honda's City alone did 3400 in the C2 segment for March.



The dealership at my place - EVM Volkswagen collated. You can see the Baleno waiting outside in one of the pieces; we did not sell her to Das WeltAuto, instead got 30k more than what they quoted (not including 20k exchange bonus).



No, you are not in a Sunny or Scala, yet you've got oodles of leg space. I never thought the Vento had so much leg space at the rear when the front seat is pulled maximum to the front. But I should say that the hump in the middle is a dampener for the occasional third passenger.



See what I said earlier, the seat fabrics are not that thick as in the Verna of the picture above. Moreover, the color is a dirt magnet. However, I should say that the hugging provided by the seats are great.



Why does the rear headrests not go down perfectly full?



The map lamps(?) at the rear.



The cup holder and the A/C vents for the rear passenger.



Coat hooks - 4 of them in total at the rear! Surprised, may be because I don't have much use with a coat, leave alone coat hooks.



Nice thought. The child lock is activated using the car key; just a small part of the key goes into the plastic slot. Now, that is what is called child-proof child lock.



The under-body is covered at most places - for reducing drag? I really don't like those wires on either sticking out like a sore thumb; they are visible from the sides, standing.



The cabin mat. I loved the thread work running around them.



Big O? No, one of the reverse parking sensor up close.



The quarter glass at the rear. Reminds me of the porthole window from a ship, shapes differ.



The boss gets to rest his arm and maybe his laptop; it's wide and opens with a click.



A view of the dash, steering and controls from the rear bench.



Another one of the above. The glovebox is large; a shot of the insides coming up soon.



This is how you adjust the seat belts for height; the whole rectangular piece moves up and down.



Gazole is French? Anyway, that's Greek to me. Good thought providing a distinctive Diesel writing on top of the fuel cap.



The roof upholstery. Another wonderful thought. This is not the usual fluffy one. There is lot less fluff on this and is hard to touch.



The doors open wide. The three stage opening is a boon at tight parking spaces; does not hit the car by the side. The doors are real heavy - but the most satisfying door thud I've experienced was in the old Octavia.



This is not the passenger seat but the driver's seat. Snap taken as a reflection from the vanity mirror on the passenger side. So the mirrors are good.



To be frank, I never expected to get a USB support in the Comfortline hearing lot of people complaining of not getting USB in many newly produced cars. This is the RCD 220. Gets a song / file selector too.



The glovebox is huge and runs deep. I get my car documents a bit cooled when placed in it. Maybe the A/C duct runs nearby.



This was what I was complaining of the dead pedal or the absence of it. My flip flop does not go between the console plastic and the clutch pedal that easily.



The underbody is thoroughly and thickly coated. The small depression made on the running board is to identify where to place the jack, I assume.



Oh, the door sills get real dirty. Bad design there.



A collage of the illumination. Plastics quality is premium; the fit too.


The rear windows don't roll down fully.

[thoma]

No more boring dialogues, just few experiments with Picasa editor and some long shots.

[Loud]

@thoma: Wonderful pics, mate, with helpful captions! Rating this thread a well deserved 5 stars.

Few points:
- I agree that the doors are heavy in the Octy. I had a ride in an Octy some time back and, well, they were VERY heavy as compared to our normal Dzires and Citys, etc. You can feel that the doors are locked, even if they are open. The door handles need to be given a terrific pull to open the doors. Same is the case with closing the doors, which I don't like.
- The floor hump in Vento is very large as compared to the Verna, as seen from your pictures. The 5th passenger doesn't feel uncomfortable at all (My personal experience).
- Yup! Beige colours is a dirt magnet. I have Dzire with beige interiors, do I need to say more?
- The OEM HU goes well with the car and the centre console looks like a complete part.
- I think you will have to push the button thingy on the rear head rests to push them fully down, since it locks on 2-3 positions depending on height.
- Can you explain me the mechanism of the child lock? And give a pic to illustrate where the key is inserted. Also, how can you say that it is a nice thought?
- The exteriors need a cleaning, eh?

Nice pictures! Any problems faced?

[thoma]

Originally Posted by Loud

- I think you will have to push the button thingy on the rear head rests to push them fully down, since it locks on 2-3 positions depending on height.

Yeah, even after pushing the stopper, that is only how much the rests go down.

- Can you explain me the mechanism of the child lock? And give a pic to illustrate where the key is inserted. Also, how can you say that it is a nice thought?

Here you go.


This is the latch of the child lock that is used by most cars. Kids tend to learn fast from us how to operate and disengage the latch from the next time they sit at the back.



This is how the child lock on the Vento looks like. You need the key to turn it, or something so similar to the key; and I'm not going to allow my kid to play with the keys.



The key does not go in fully, just a bit. In the unlocked position.



Turn it to lock it. Same for unlocking.



What is this rubber cover with the symbol of a lock doing near to the actual lock? The cover just turns freely.

Any problems faced?

The first 3 points of the dislike section in my ownership experience.

[souravc]

Very nice review and pictures , lovely seeing your Vento in the lush green backdrop ! The small depression on the running board is indeed the place where the jack should be placed - please do take the jack out and practice once whenever you have time. Its a bit different from the ones we use in other cars.
Hope you also went through the Vento Quirks and Features thread - you should find it useful .
Cheers

[thoma]

Originally Posted by souravc

please do take the jack out and practice once whenever you have time. Its a bit different from the ones we use in other cars.

Hope you also went through the Vento Quirks and Features thread - you should find it useful

It is always a point in my mind to get accustomed to the jack of a new car, but always forgets it when I'm spending time with the car. Thanks for pointing out that the jack is a bit different. Now, this is a reminder for me.

The quirks and features thread is a good one started by you but I have to admit that these days many Vento owners are aware of most of the features. May be it is that thread which has spread the knowledge and may be that, much Vento is on the roads. To be frank, I lost way after the initial pages and then the topic diverted a bit on what the big deal was in having features that other cars have. IMO, it is not the quantity of features, but the way the features are provided in the Vento (silently or differently), we tend to miss out on the features. Thanks for that thread too; can the above point considered as a quirk? The child-proof (need the car keys to lock/unlock) child locks?

[souravc]

Originally Posted by thoma

The quirks and features thread is a good one started by you

I was just one of the contributors besides collating it - had to be put from someone's ID and mine was the chosen one

Originally Posted by thoma

IMO, it is not the quantity of features, but the way the features are provided in the Vento (silently or differently), we tend to miss out on the features.

For most of us, its a combination of factors such as :-
1. Understatedness of the features - VW didn't mention these as features
2. The sub-optimal sales experience where we were not explained most of them . Seems like your experience was better.

Its hilarious how many days we spent on the thread debating about the door lock and whats wrong with thee doors never locking from the inside. I think we took sometime to figure out the child lock too.

Originally Posted by thoma

can the above point considered as a quirk? The child-proof (need the car keys to lock/unlock) child locks?

I don't know whether its unique to the Vento but I have not seen it in any other car where the child lock is engaged using the keys . Its a good feature which ensures that the smart kids cannot reset it

[KINI]

Hi Thoma,Congratulations on a wonderful car.Brilliant photography!!
Picked up a Shadow Blue TDI Highline two weeks ago.Any pointers on how to keep the beige carpet clean?I'm considering installing a rubber layer on top of it.The mats provided by my dealer are of awful quality.What's your take on 3M mats/Kagu 3D mats??

[thoma]

Originally Posted by KINI

Hi Thoma,Congratulations on a wonderful car.Brilliant photography!!
Picked up a Shadow Blue TDI Highline two weeks ago.Any pointers on how to keep the beige carpet clean?I'm considering installing a rubber layer on top of it.The mats provided by my dealer are of awful quality.What's your take on 3M mats/Kagu 3D mats??

Thanks and congrats to you too! I absolutely love the Shadow Blue color. I have no idea how to maintain the carpet, but I'm more concerned with my seats. Mine is a Comfortline with fabric seats. But the point is, all at our home like to have the original fittings as far as possible and I love the beige (yeah) mat provided by the dealer. I'm slowly thinking of art-leather covers and 3D mats; you just can't get the better of the monsoon in Kerala.

For the carpet, you will either have to go for vinyl lamination,

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...ml#post2329217
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post3068527

or the 3D mats (searching the forum, I gather that Kagu us better than the rest and worth the money)

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...ml#post2616203
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post3094436
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...ml#post2696752
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2342877

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by thoma

Thanks and congrats to you too! I absolutely love the Shadow Blue color. I have no idea how to maintain the carpet, but I'm more concerned with my seats. Mine is a Comfortline with fabric seats. But the point is, all at our home like to have the original fittings as far as possible and I love the beige (yeah) mat provided by the dealer. I'm slowly thinking of art-leather covers and 3D mats; you just can't get the better of the monsoon in Kerala.

-vento-test-drive-review-138.html#post2342877[/url]

Thoma.
You would do well to get yourself some high quality 'fitted seat covers' in art leather. However, please do not do this if your car has side airbags because they will ot work if you add seat covers over and above whats provided by the factory.
3D mats are a super idea. I find them really helpful...
Don't get into all this vinyl coating etc on carpets. Just ensure they are vaccuumed and cleaned regularly and they will give you long years of use with the 3D mats on top of them.

[rahulsingh007]

Great Pictorial Review !
I have also bought a Vento recently !
I'll suggest you to get Armour All's Carpet and Uphostery cleaning foam for the interior ..keeps the seats and carpet nice and tidy alongwith a once-a-month vacumming.. and buy one get one free scheme at many online retailers make it a VFM buy !

any mods on the car planned ?
I am using kagu 3d mats , treated my car to collinite 845 the first day and
Planning to install transparent bumper protectors and Osram NB+ bulbs soon (ordered online)

[thoma]

Guys, I have to admit that the Vento is slowly growing up on me more. What I really like on the Vento is the refinement (make no mistake; I love the diesel engine noise, but the noise on the K9K is a bit harsh and uneven), solid as well as classy feeling all round, ride quality (the Vento's have increased over the kms!; I really don't know how. No, the tire pressure was kept apt from the delivery).

A bit different from others, I like to drive the Vento sedately all day, than stomping on the turbo to unleash the beast within. It adds to the classy feeling; gliding on good roads is like sitting in your living room sofa.

Since I'm not yet over with the honeymoon period, I'm happy clicking and sharing more snaps. This time, more experiments with macros.



Guess what?



Still no?



You're right. Tread blocks on the JK Vectras.



The bigger picture.



This is one long straight shoulder line. The shoulder line is an important design aspect for any car, in my eyes.



The turn indicator at the side, up close.



The Comfortline came shod with JK Vectras. I don't have much complaints as I am not a high speed handler all day.



The 'O' from the Volkswagen badge at the rear.



Spot the original one contest. The turn indicator in the headlamp cluster and its' reflections.



0313 mark on the tire sidewall indicates that this tire has been manufactured in the 3rd week of the year 2013.



The wheel cap removed. Black rims look good on a white car, I guess.



This is the one that makes all the 'paanmp' 'paanmp' noise.



Symbols from the MID - for the parking brake and the battery.



The spare wheel is a size less! Max speed restricted to 80kmph. And as @souravc advised, I tried out the jack once. A bit different - make sure you rest the jack on a real firm surface or else there can be a tendency of slip - by mistake, while rolling the tire, if you hit the jack handle, I doubt whether it will cave in.



Small bubbles on the inside of the spare rim - paint imperfection or is it the metal beneath? I see a possibility of rust in the long term.



The wheel hub - and this definitely is rust. I'm guessing it is cast iron; tends to form surface rust fast - should not be an issue, right? And as reviews has already mentioned, part sharing with Audi.



The curved helical spring. Any particular advantage? Why did they not put a straight one here? Space constraints or better loading?



Wheel cup all the way from Spain?



My knowledge was limited to associate Continental with tires only. Not exactly. This is a sensor.



I'm surprised. The torx screwdriver comes all the way from Germany! Why are these not localized?

I saw parts in the engine bay made in Mexico / France.

The shock absorbers are made in India though.



The smiling air-dam do not get the silver lining for the Comfortline.



A macro shot attempt of the seat fabric.



Tried hard with the macro, but the focus seems eluding the droplet.



On a rainy evening. I love to be on the road in the rains.



A Picasa edit.



The brand new spare wheel, up close. Some tire gyan on the yellow / white stripes along the tread.