[cuteavaya]

Guys i am in desperate need of help !!! I have to decide between ANHC and Vento Highline TDI and am not able to do so for 15 days now...I hope some ppl here can help me out....we all know most + and - between the 2...my concerns are:-

ANHC:-
1) Horrible GC (i am 100kg myself plus 2-3 more ppl sitting)
2) expensive spares/parts (fog lights pair costs 18K)

Vento:-
1) Cost of spares/maintenance ?????
2) the service network, customer exp is very poor

Do any of the Vento owners have any idea on the long term cost of ownership? PLS PLS help

[Abhi_Automobile]

@cuteavaya

Vento TDI: Both ANHC and Vento are good cars but Vento scores in the economy dept. You get diesel economy at ANHC prices. Interiors are better than ANHC too. If you were considering to petrol variant, I would have stuck to ANHC.

[evilshantanu]

Originally Posted by cuteavaya

Guys i am in desperate need of help !!! I have to decide between ANHC and Vento Highline TDI and am not able to do so for 15 days now...I hope some ppl here can help me out....we all know most + and - between the 2...my concerns are:-

ANHC:-
1) Horrible GC (i am 100kg myself plus 2-3 more ppl sitting)
2) expensive spares/parts (fog lights pair costs 18K)

Vento:-
1) Cost of spares/maintenance ?????
2) the service network, customer exp is very poor

Do any of the Vento owners have any idea on the long term cost of ownership? PLS PLS help

I don't think that anybody would have an idea about the long term ownership costs, as most of the owners on this forum got their cars in the last one month, and the first service is due at 15,000 KM. But my guess is, it shouldn't be bad, as they are competing with a giant like Honda. Moreover they have invested a lot of money in their Pune Chakan plant, and they are here to stay

VW is here to stay, and for staying in India, they would need a good after sales service and good customer support. I am sure that these are initial glitches, which should be rectified soon.

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by imjimmy

Thanks for the update Naveen. Glad you're enjoying your car! We've also got our white Tdi last week. The only difference (from your car) is that the stock tyres are JK Vectra's, unfortunately.

Anyway, the car definitely is a beast. It begs to be revved on the highways and the tractable engine is just delightful! Interestingly, during the TD phase, we had driven several cars and finally narrowed down to the ANHC and the Vento. My observation was, that for REAL world driving conditions, Vento Tdi seemed more agile and responsive than the ANHC ( despite the slightly slower 0-100 timing). I'm glad that the car does not disappoint. Just love the surge while overtaking on the highways.

Two quick questions for you: 1) what is the air pressure that you've maintained so far 2) Where did you get the Vinyl padding done? Does the VW dealer do this? ( Are you planning for any upgrades to the music system/HU etc?)

Thanks again for your observations. Keep revving her and put on the miles. VW Tdi engines last forever, if maintained properly

First of all, congrats on your new car. Glad to hear that you are enjoying it as well. To answer your questions.

1) Currently I run with pressure of 32.
2) I got the padding installed from an accessories shop. VW Cochin dont provide any free accessories. Paid 4k for the mud flaps, transparent floor mats and 4 door sills.

No plans of upgrading the HU since it sounds fine. Also, I regularly use Swift for city commutes. So investing cash for Swift mods.

You have any plans for upgrades?

Originally Posted by cuteavaya

Guys i am in desperate need of help !!! I have to decide between ANHC and Vento Highline TDI and am not able to do so for 15 days now...I hope some ppl here can help me out....we all know most + and - between the 2...my concerns are:-

ANHC:-
1) Horrible GC (i am 100kg myself plus 2-3 more ppl sitting)
2) expensive spares/parts (fog lights pair costs 18K)

Vento:-
1) Cost of spares/maintenance ?????
2) the service network, customer exp is very poor

Do any of the Vento owners have any idea on the long term cost of ownership? PLS PLS help

The most difficult decision to come up to infact. Both cars are really good.

For Vento, kindly note that the GC isnt all that great too. Suspension is also soft making the ride a bit bumpy. But that's really not a worry, since if you drive carefully you can easily avoid scratching the cars bottom. I took it yesterday fully loaded and managed to drive easily.

As for the Vento's service report, it's too early to comment on that since the 1st service is at 15000km/1yr. As far as I know, it's been only 1 month since the tbhp members got their cars.
But it shouldnt be a worry. I checked out the dealer here and everything is happening just right. No serious issues.

I would recommend Vento since I feel the interiors are far better than ANHC's. Also, with the FE. I managed to get 18.4kmpl even while revving her hard at times to check the car's acceleration.

Originally Posted by evilshantanu

I don't think that anybody would have an idea about the long term ownership costs, as most of the owners on this forum got their cars in the last one month, and the first service is due at 15,000 KM. But my guess is, it shouldn't be bad, as they are competing with a giant like Honda. Moreover they have invested a lot of money in their Pune Chakan plant, and they are here to stay

VW is here to stay, and for staying in India, they would need a good after sales service and good customer support. I am sure that these are initial glitches, which should be rectified soon.

True. Too early to comment on this. Might actually come out in 6 months. Let's see, I managed to clock 1000km in 10 days..

[pradipk]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

New accessories

Full Vinyl floor padding - 1200/-

I liked the padding. But a question: does it stick properly on the curves? I mean in pictures, it looks as if it's not properly layed down at some of the places.

Also, where it's available?

[prince_pervez]

Congratulations on the car man! Albeit a little late. She looks good. Have a thing for whites do you ? Drive safe!

[imjimmy]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

First of all, congrats on your new car. Glad to hear that you are enjoying it as well. To answer your questions.
1) Currently I run with pressure of 32.

Naveen - The tyre pressure guidelines on Vento say 35 and 38 Psi depending on the load. We did fill 35 Psi, but need to experiment more.
Isn't 32 Psi too low for Stock tyres? (impacts performance, F.E etc).

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

2) Paid 4k for the mud flaps, transparent floor mats and 4 door sills.

Did the flaps and mats on our car. What are the door sills? What function do they serve?

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

You have any plans for upgrades?

I ordered a 55/60 Philips Xrtreme from Powerbulbs. Also, in process of getting an aftermarket parking sensor.

Other than this, we are looking at getting the 3M sunfilm soon. I dunno how you managed to get it for 2k, but it seems much more expensive and it's not available in our area. So will need to go to Delhi for that - sometime later this year.

I've been tempted to change the HU; however that will do nothing to improve the sound quality. And I don't want to change the speakers since it will involve hammering (and other mess) during installation.

Originally Posted by cuteavaya

Guys i am in desperate need of help !!! I have to decide between ANHC and Vento Highline TDI and am not able to do so for 15 days now.. Do any of the Vento owners have any idea on the long term cost of ownership? PLS PLS help

The long terms ownership costs of VW are unknown. However, I expect they wouldn't be as bad since labor is not expensive in India (variance between prices on parts is minimal) unlike the US, for ex.

W.r.t the 2 cars, I'd say both are excellent in their own way, and you cannot go wrong with either. I would advise you to TD both, extensively, and then make a decision. For me it was an easy choice. I thought Vento had better build quality and a more responsive engine (The IVtec unit is excellent, but it needs to be revved, while the Vento offers superior low end torque, useful in real life driving. SO I would say the Vento has a more tractable engine).

Another grouse I had against the ANHC was the road noise inside the cabin. This, and the low G.C, are inveterate in the entire Honda lineup, it seems. I've driven a Civic in the US for a long time, and used to hate the road noise at high speed + scraping the car several times.

Personally, I prefer the simplistic design of the VW. What clinched the deal for me was that the exshowroom price of a Vento Highline Tdi is ACTUALLY CHEAPER than the ANHC VMT. To me that's tremendous VFM; to get the excellent VW Tdi (which lasts forever if maintained well) with the money of a petrol car.

As they say in the Jetta '11 commercial: "Great" for the price of good (or "niiiiiice" for the price of "nice")

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by pradipk

I liked the padding. But a question: does it stick properly on the curves? I mean in pictures, it looks as if it's not properly layed down at some of the places.

Also, where it's available?

True, they kinda stick out on curves but does the job really well. I basically didnt go for the looks, but practicality. Since we do a lot of outstation trips and as the roads are pretty bad here, I didnt want all the mud to accumulate on the floor carpet. Also, the carpet is beige in color so went for this. We had some hard time with the fiesta even though it had grey carpets.
The only disadvantage is that ordinary mats will slip.You will need rubber mats on top of this vinyl pads.

I got this from a local shop in Cochin. This mite be available in Blore too.

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

Congratulations on the car man! Albeit a little late. She looks good. Have a thing for whites do you ? Drive safe!

Thanks a lot.
Yes, all are cars are white. We had plans of getting the Vento black, but due to the long waiting period we had to stick with White.

Originally Posted by imjimmy

Naveen - The tyre pressure guidelines on Vento say 35 and 38 Psi depending on the load. We did fill 35 Psi, but need to experiment more.
Isn't 32 Psi too low for Stock tyres? (impacts performance, F.E etc).


Did the flaps and mats on our car. What are the door sills? What function do they serve?


I ordered a 55/60 Philips Xrtreme from Powerbulbs. Also, in process of getting an aftermarket parking sensor.

Other than this, we are looking at getting the 3M sunfilm soon. I dunno how you managed to get it for 2k, but it seems much more expensive and it's not available in our area. So will need to go to Delhi for that - sometime later this year.

I've been tempted to change the HU; however that will do nothing to improve the sound quality. And I don't want to change the speakers since it will involve hammering (and other mess) during installation.


The long terms ownership costs of VW are unknown. However, I expect they wouldn't be as bad since labor is not expensive in India (variance between prices on parts is minimal) unlike the US, for ex.

W.r.t the 2 cars, I'd say both are excellent in their own way, and you cannot go wrong with either. I would advise you to TD both, extensively, and then make a decision. For me it was an easy choice. I thought Vento had better build quality and a more responsive engine (The IVtec unit is excellent, but it needs to be revved, while the Vento offers superior low end torque, useful in real life driving. SO I would say the Vento has a more tractable engine).

Another grouse I had against the ANHC was the road noise inside the cabin. This, and the low G.C, are inveterate in the entire Honda lineup, it seems. I've driven a Civic in the US for a long time, and used to hate the road noise at high speed + scraping the car several times.

Personally, I prefer the simplistic design of the VW. What clinched the deal for me was that the exshowroom price of a Vento Highline Tdi is ACTUALLY CHEAPER than the ANHC VMT. To me that's tremendous VFM; to get the excellent VW Tdi (which lasts forever if maintained well) with the money of a petrol car.

As they say in the Jetta '11 commercial: "Great" for the price of good (or "niiiiiice" for the price of "nice")

True, the recommended tyre pressure is somewhere around 35-38psi, but the dealer said 32 would be just fine.

Door sills are to prevent the scratches while entering inside the car. Check out the pic.

Let me know when you have installed the bulbs and sensors.

Also, expecting a report from you too.

Happy Driving.

[shk 8896]

Naveen ,
Those sill guards look classy and also protects from scratches .But style wise i love Polo better than Vento. How is the rear room when compared to polos?
How is the performance from 1.6?
Waiting for more updates and more Pictures .
Cheers
SHK

[cuteavaya]

hi guys,

thx a lot everyone for your replies...much appreciated....So this is what i did...I went for back to back TD for Vento TDI and ANHC today....

ANHC:-

Found the suspension to be too soft for my liking , rear passengers will have a very bumpy ride and also the engine is abt as responsive/peppy in the city as my current swift Vxi...was kind of expecting a little more...also the GC is really really bad...

Vento Higline TDI:-

I have always owned and driven petrol cars so I am not used to diesel engines....Found the car to be really poor in 1st and 2nd gear, also because the TD vehicle was in really bad shape. But may be some experts and people who drive Vento can help....is the diesel engine supposed to be tat ways...I mean performance on highway and after the 3rd gear was simply incredible....but the 1st and 2nd were really sluggish...i pushed the accelerator all the way down and the car didn't push on as i expected it to...also the clutch paddle rattled a lot.

Please understand i accept i am a novice on diesel engines and no offense to anyone....so seeking advice from all of you...

Lastly how do you guys think would the Vento diesel resale be in India in lets say 3-4 yrs???

Thanks in advance

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by shk 8896

Naveen ,
Those sill guards look classy and also protects from scratches .But style wise i love Polo better than Vento. How is the rear room when compared to polos?
How is the performance from 1.6?
Waiting for more updates and more Pictures .
Cheers
SHK

Rear room is really good. Seats are in an inclined position making it very comfortable. But the middle occupant will have some trouble because of the big hump.
The performance is simply out of this world. Acceleration is incredible. Having a great time with it.

Will keep the thread updated.

Originally Posted by cuteavaya

hi guys,

thx a lot everyone for your replies...much appreciated....So this is what i did...I went for back to back TD for Vento TDI and ANHC today....

ANHC:-

Found the suspension to be too soft for my liking , rear passengers will have a very bumpy ride and also the engine is abt as responsive/peppy in the city as my current swift Vxi...was kind of expecting a little more...also the GC is really really bad...

Vento Higline TDI:-

I have always owned and driven petrol cars so I am not used to diesel engines....Found the car to be really poor in 1st and 2nd gear, also because the TD vehicle was in really bad shape. But may be some experts and people who drive Vento can help....is the diesel engine supposed to be tat ways...I mean performance on highway and after the 3rd gear was simply incredible....but the 1st and 2nd were really sluggish...i pushed the accelerator all the way down and the car didn't push on as i expected it to...also the clutch paddle rattled a lot.

Please understand i accept i am a novice on diesel engines and no offense to anyone....so seeking advice from all of you...

Lastly how do you guys think would the Vento diesel resale be in India in lets say 3-4 yrs???

Thanks in advance

Dude, there's seriously something wrong the TD Vento. Diesel cars are not like this. Although the initial acceleration may be a bit less compared to the petrol cars, it wont be anything like you had mentioned. I use three diesel cars and i am completely satisfied with diesel cars. In fact, i personally dont prefer petrol cars now since i cant experience the kind of acceleration of diesel cars in petrol.

Vento performs really well in all gears. Even the acceleration in the 5th gear is amazing. 1st and 2nd gear is only needed in city conditions since in highways, you will never use these gears. I managed to drive well even in 3rd gear when the speeds were low.

SO, in short I would suggest you to get a ride from a customer owned Vento or a new TD car.

You can also check other reviews/reports of TBHP vento owners.

Cheers.!

[nowwhat?]

Originally Posted by cuteavaya

Guys i am in desperate need of help !!! I have to decide between ANHC and Vento Highline TDI and am not able to do so for 15 days now...I hope some ppl here can help me out....we all know most + and - between the 2...my concerns are:-

ANHC:-
1) Horrible GC (i am 100kg myself plus 2-3 more ppl sitting)
2) expensive spares/parts (fog lights pair costs 18K)

Vento:-
1) Cost of spares/maintenance ?????
2) the service network, customer exp is very poor

Do any of the Vento owners have any idea on the long term cost of ownership? PLS PLS help

As a Polo owner for close to 4 months now, I can say that the cost of spares/maintenance for the Polo or Vento would be a BIG question mark.

However we can take solace from the fact that VW seems to be looking at the bigger picture as far as India is concerned and that they are not here for the short-term.

In any case these kind of things will take multiple customer testimonials to corroborate given the relatively long service interval (15K kms or 1 year for first service & later). We will get the lowdown on the Polo only by the middle/end of 2011.

All I can say based on my own experience with previous German cars is: Don't expect the same reliability as the Japanese and expect to shell out more during servicing, but be sure to expect a wide grin in your face every now and then.

[motorhead5]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

4) GC isnt that great. The suspension housing is too low and will occasionally scratch the bottom.
10) Tires a big disappointment. With these OEM tires, speeds above 100 km/hr not recommended at all.! Car managed to slide few times.
Overall, completely satisfied with the car and hope to continue the trouble free run.
Cheers.!

GC - Surprised with your comment on GC. When I TD the car, we had 5 adults and 2 small kids and we specifically checked this with a few speed breakers. We didn't see an issue that time. But with same people, ANHC scrapped the bottom many times!!
Tyre - I want to upgrade the tyres. Would like 205/55/R16. But no one in this forum has gone for 16 so far and no one is suggesting it also, which is a concern!!

Originally Posted by cuteavaya

Guys i am in desperate need of help !!! I have to decide between ANHC and Vento Highline TDI and am not able to do so for 15 days now...I hope some ppl here can help me out....we all know most + and - between the 2...my concerns are:-

ANHC:-
1) Horrible GC (i am 100kg myself plus 2-3 more ppl sitting)
2) expensive spares/parts (fog lights pair costs 18K)

Vento:-
1) Cost of spares/maintenance ?????
2) the service network, customer exp is very poor

Do any of the Vento owners have any idea on the long term cost of ownership? PLS PLS help

Depends on your priorities -

Honda - If you want reliability, petrol engine, resale value.
Vento Diesel - For its performance, better GC, VFM (1.6 diesel for AHNC petrol's price)

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by motorhead5

GC - Surprised with your comment on GC. When I TD the car, we had 5 adults and 2 small kids and we specifically checked this with a few speed breakers. We didn't see an issue that time. But with same people, ANHC scrapped the bottom many times!!
Tyre - I want to upgrade the tyres. Would like 205/55/R16. But no one in this forum has gone for 16 so far and no one is suggesting it also, which is a concern!!

Depends on your priorities -

Honda - If you want reliability, petrol engine, resale value.
Vento Diesel - For its performance, better GC, VFM (1.6 diesel for AHNC petrol's price)

I know.Expected the GC to be good. But it's better than Fiesta. Think it's because of the oil tank which is too low to the ground level.
My next upgrade would be 205/55/R15, but that's when this tyre is fully used.

[msprabhakar]

Congrats, Naveen, on your VENTO TDI Highline. Of all colours, only white and black suit best (in that order). I enjoyed reading your ownership experience since I was out of country for most time after delivery, so could not experience my new car much.

I think the original carpet is too light and "linty" for Indian conditions. Mine is already looking dirty with just a few rides. The owner's manual is a nightmare to understand. Lots of useless stuff, but useful matter is difficult to find. I think the Germans should learn the art of writing clear instruction manuals from Japanese.