[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by 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.

Thanks a lot for the PM.
Yes, the OEM carpet is too light for Indian conditions. I had asked the dealer the reason for choosing the light shade. VW conducted a survey and found that Indians loved Chrome and beige interiors, so VW decided to go with the Full beige interiors.

Yes, the owner's manual is really bad. They just borrowed the manual from the German dealers I guess. Most of the cars in them are LHD's. Even, some of the features are not there in the Indian models. Guess they should do something about this.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

Thanks a lot for the PM.
Yes, the OEM carpet is too light for Indian conditions. I had asked the dealer the reason for choosing the light shade. VW conducted a survey and found that Indians loved Chrome and beige interiors, so VW decided to go with the Full beige interiors.

Yes, the owner's manual is really bad. They just borrowed the manual from the German dealers I guess. Most of the cars in them are LHD's. Even, some of the features are not there in the Indian models. Guess they should do something about this.

Yup they better do something about this soon. Vento is a really nice car, one of the best proportioned & featured compact cars on our roads right now. And showing features of foreign versions that aren't available here may unnecessarily create a sour taste. All it would take is a team of 2-3 technical writers and a photographer...

[noopster]

Hey naveen, congrats again. I thought I'd already posted on this thread but apparently not! White looks lovely.

Am planning a trip along the length of NH17 once my new baby arrives, then maybe we can do a Vento shoot in Kerala

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by noopster

Hey naveen, congrats again. I thought I'd already posted on this thread but apparently not! White looks lovely.

Am planning a trip along the length of NH17 once my new baby arrives, then maybe we can do a Vento shoot in Kerala

Hey. thanks a lot..
Definitely, come down. We can get an awesome shoot.
BTW, which color and model u going for?

[imjimmy]

Originally Posted by cuteavaya

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...

ANHC's petrol engine is great, and I would rate it one level above that of Swift's. As with all Honda engines, you really need to revup the car and the real action starts after 3.5K rpm. The problem is one can't revup as much in the traffic conditions of India - especially for those who drive sensibly and defensively.

The GC problem is common for Honda; I drive a (few yrs old) Civic in the US and if one doesn't slow down, it scrapes breakers, even with one person in the car.

Originally Posted by cuteavaya

Vento Higline TDI:-
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.

True, the diesel engines feel slightly sluggish compared to petrol when pulling off from rest. This could be because of the turbo lag. In the case of Vento, the turbo-lag is very less, but still there. However, it is nowhere near as bad as you describe. I actually think it's a very easy car to drive in the city (thanks to the low end torque) as it can putter around in the 3rd gear and you don't need to upshift for slow traffic.

Anyway, the strength of the engine is it's tractability. The Vento is a revelation on the highway. It closes the gaps VERY quickly while overtaking or accelerating (4th gear at 40+ kmph or 5th gear after 80 kmph). I would say it's faster than most C segment, and even some D segment cars in this aspect (you can also see this from the best-in-class ingear acceleration times). It's surely fun to drive on long routes.

Originally Posted by cuteavaya

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

No one knows about the resale. I guess it should be in line with the industry average, unless VW sales tumble (which I don't expect). I do know that the VW TDi engines last for a loong time. I've personally seen a few old Jetta TDi's, in the US, with 200K+ miles and going strong.

FWIW - Our decision to buy a Vento over ANHC was because of the VFM i.e better build, ride, handling and quality, excellent diesel engine, superior economy at roughly similar cost to the ANHC petrol.

Good luck with your choice; both are great cars - you won't go wrong with either!

[vcx]

Congrats Naveen, very good observatiosn that ANHC (Hona) needs revup. But how do you feel Vento Diesel in day to day city traffic conditions?

To add to that on ANHC, I feel car's metal body isn't that long lasting in feel( may its too thin ) to ensure the overall weight is kept down for FE?

[cuteavaya]

Thanks a lot everyone for your replies.

Okay so the update is I drove a owner's Vento TDi that had done 8000 kms and it had no issues at all. the car just took off even in 1st and 2nd gear, the owner seemed pretty happy as well.

So I guess I have decided to go with my heart and not my mind and will buy my first diesel car. Although my monthly running isnt much, but i am simply in love with Vento TDI and hence the diesel.

Will book the Silver car on Monday and the cruel waiting period starts, will keep u guys posted.

[naveen.raju]

3000 km/1 Month Update

After exactly one month, I managed to clock 3000 Kms.

Here are my observations:

1. Managed to squeeze 16 kmpl in city and 19.8 in Highway (30% city and 70% Highway)

2. Seats too light for Indian conditions. After just two days of removing the plastic cover, seats are all dirty now.

3. Vinyl flooring proving to be a must for the Vento.

4. Started to feel that the OEM stereo sounds better nowdays. But will miss the AUX/USB port.

5. Interior Surveillance sensor - Major headache.

6. Rock stable at high speeds. Managed to touch 140 and stayed glued to the road. Think, Accelere is not while cornering.

7. Front windshield - a big disappointment. The width of the windshield from the roofline and the dashboard is very small (according to me when I compare with the Fiesta). Also, the seating position is high which makes things harder.

8. The chrome strip on the boot isnt well installed. The edges have started to peel. This entire strip is stuck with double sided tape. (No idea what VW was thinking - Cost effective 'BLING' factor).

9. The black plastic covering where the OVRMs are fitted lacks quality. The black color started to fade making it stand out.

10. Horn sounds great but finds it difficult to use them especially in a place where it's required every 10 secs.

This is what I have noted till now. Will update the thread with pics soon.

Cheers.!

[nandans2005]

First of all, Congrats to you for your Vento!! Great Buy!

Managed to squeeze 16 kmpl in city and 19.8 in Highway

This is a pretty good economy given the narrow roads in cochin, where in you need to brake very often and accelerate.

Seats too light for Indian conditions. After just two days of removing the plastic cover, seats are all dirty now.

Very Right, though care can be taken to keep it clean. Are you planning for seat covers?

Vinyl flooring proving to be a must for the Vento.

why do you say this? I think its pretty much the same for all the cars.

Started to feel that the OEM stereo sounds better nowdays. But will miss the AUX/USB port

.

How is the sound quality when the volumes are on the higher side?

Interior Surveillance sensor - Major headache.

Can i know more on this ? why do you say this?

The chrome strip on the boot isnt well installed. The edges have started to peel. This entire strip is stuck with double sided tape. (No idea what VW was thinking - Cost effective 'BLING' factor).

I suggest be done with it, before it becomes a big mess of sticking it and it coming off often.

The black plastic covering where the OVRMs are fitted lacks quality. The black color started to fade making it stand out.

This is the same with my ANhc too. Planning to get it replaced under warranty.

Horn sounds great but finds it difficult to use them especially in a place where it's required every 10 secs.

Do you horn so much?

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by nandans2005

First of all, Congrats to you for your Vento!! Great Buy!



This is a pretty good economy given the narrow roads in cochin, where in you need to brake very often and accelerate.



Very Right, though care can be taken to keep it clean. Are you planning for seat covers?



why do you say this? I think its pretty much the same for all the cars.


.

How is the sound quality when the volumes are on the higher side?



Can i know more on this ? why do you say this?



I suggest be done with it, before it becomes a big mess of sticking it and it coming off often.



This is the same with my ANhc too. Planning to get it replaced under warranty.



Do you horn so much?

I was planning to go for Stanley Leathers but decided to wait.

I had installed extra Vinyl padding on the floor on top of the OEM carpet. This is not an OEM fitment. You can check the pics of it.

Sound quality is good. Cant say great. I manages to keep the volume at 6-8.

The interior surveillance is actually one useful feature, but any small movement inside the car after locking can sound the alarm. One night, a fly managed to squeeze inside my car and late at night, when the fly crossed this sensor, it sounded the alarm. This can be irritating at times.

Not much, but this is required here where people tends to bug you by honking.

[ventoman]

3000 km/1 Month Update

After exactly one month, I managed to clock 3000 Kms.

Congratulations!!

1. Managed to squeeze 16 kmpl in city and 19.8 in Highway (30% city and 70% Highway)

Thats very good.

2. Seats too light for Indian conditions. After just two days of removing the plastic cover, seats are all dirty now.

Well, I too am tired of seeing the seats all dirty and contemplating leather now.

6. Rock stable at high speeds. Managed to touch 140 and stayed glued to the road.

Fully agree with you. The car is so well planted that it gives you a lot of confidence to stretch more.

[jesal]

Originally Posted by ventoman

Congratulations!!


Thats very good.


Well, I too am tired of seeing the seats all dirty and contemplating leather now.


Fully agree with you. The car is so well planted that it gives you a lot of confidence to stretch more.

i got velvet seats the same week. did not remove the plastic at all since i knew this was gonna happen. leather is just not for india in the heat. you need to have ac on full time which in my case is not possible at all times as im a sunroof person i like open things in night

[vcx]

Originally Posted by jesal

i got velvet seats the same week. did not remove the plastic at all since i knew this was gonna happen. leather is just not for india in the heat. you need to have ac on full time which in my case is not possible at all times as im a sunroof person i like open things in night

Jesal, do post your velvet seats pics.

The seating is totally individual choice be it fabric or leather... while many go by luxury feel, few opt things for comfort.

On the other note a well maintain leather evn after many years gives any car that plush feel, which I feel fabric may not( depends on th choice, color/theme).

[naveen.raju]

My Fiesta's got OEM leather seats and works really well in our climate. As far as I know, these are Stanley leather. Am planning to go for them if few months since the fabric of the Vento is too light for our conditions.

[srishiva]

The reach of the horn is a problem, you have to move your hands a little inwards and is not easily accessible like other cars from the rim of the steering wheel.

Also, I find not being able to switch the indicator when the left hand is on gear a little annoying. Why cant they change the position to suit the Indian market?