About German Cars:
Germans are incredibly good at what they do.Their cars like Audi, BMW and Benz have always been a part of everyone's dream. Cars gain their position on the world market due to quality, The key to the superior performance in German vehicles is the engine design.Some people in India have considerable fears in acquiring one.
The main factor that contributes to this fear is the poor after sales support. That's true when it comes to Volkswagen in India.They build quality cars but failed in providing quality service.Probably it may improve when service network increases.
This is all about German cars, but there are few more reasons to narrow down to Vento.
Why Vento:
I was looking for a decent sedan for my parents in C segment. I had only three options. Verna Fluidic CRDI, Vento and Rapid. Other C segment cars like SX4, Linea, Fiest were not in list due to many factors.Verna was out of focus since we already own it.
Finally, Rapid and Vento were in list. Skoda's offers were very lucrative and it was bit cheaper than Vento, though both cars are same with little difference in headlamps and tail lamps, Rapid wins marginally in all aspects compared to Vento. Good suspension, better handling.Only major drawback is the service.
At Skoda showroom, the salesman approach was not pleasant, On display only while color, no other colors available.when I ask for other colors offered in Rapid, he took us to repair section where some crashed Rapid were parked. I had been to showroom to see the brand new cars, not crashed one. Disappointed.
I didn't drop the ideal of buying the Rapid just because of this experience, also the worst after sales service which I came to know during my visit to the showroom. I got a chance to interact with the customer who came to get their car serviced were treated badly.
Then, only option left was the Vento.
Get into the Car:
Press the unlock button, pull the door handle, it opens in three stage, you feel the heaviness while opening the doors. You can easily get into the car, that means, Ingress/egress is easy for a person like me with 5'6" height. Vento's interiors are not swanky, No curves, no waterfall design. It just plain grey dashboard. looks solid with its superior plastic in typical German way.Gaps between the panels are uniform.Beige interior helps to improve the light inside the car and it is best matched with the gray color dashboard.All the control buttons are easily accessible as the center panel is slightly tilted towards the driver.
I wish that the multi-functional information display should have been little more bigger to display following.
MFD displays the
Travelling Time,
Distance Traveled,
Digital Speed Display,
Average Speed,
Speed Limit Warning,
Fuel Efficiency,
Distance to empty,
Fuel gauge.
Service Interval,
Outside Temperature & Clock.
Gear Indicator.(up-shift/downshift)
It gives bell sound(Warning) When the distance to empty falls below 90KM. it warns every time you switch on the ignition to remind you for the refuel. You can select either distance to empty or fuel efficiency mode for your convenience. But fuel efficiency mode will not work if the DTE falls below 90KM. Gear change recommendations are accurate for the most part either up-shift or downshift.
Telescopic Steering with up and down adjustable.Horn pad is not that sensitive need the wrist support to blow the horn.Rear A/C vent to cool the passenger to some extent, No way to turn it off if there are no passenger at the rear side.Not happy with the positioning of front A/C vents, the air throw is almost upward even they are set at lowest position. I expect this to be at the chest level for the front passenger.
Front Arm rest becomes useless while driving around the city where you need to use the handbrake frequently. I always pull it upward position, but it is very comfortable on long drive. It also have storage compartment to keep the currency or toll receipts. Glove box is big enough to keep your car's documents/cords/charger/PND. Coin holder and little storage within the box is really convenient to keep the currency & coins for Toll and parking places.Storage provision in all 4 doors, front door compartment are big enough to hold 1 litre bottle.
Music system with USB is not great, but does its duty. Within a week, I replaced it with JVC-BT-70. To my surprise, stock speakers are proved to be good for medium bass, if you are enthusiastic about music, go for high performance speakers. Electric ORVM control on driver side door handle, control Knob(joystick) feels very delicate to use, I used Verna's 4-way adjust button was very impressive and accurate. Electric Boot release button is located at lower part of driver side door. Boot can also be opened with Remote control by press and hold for 2 -seconds.
Front seats are not very comfortable, I felt lower part of spine needs little more padding, Rear seats are more comfortable with enough legroom. Raised hump is inconvenient for the 5th passenger in the middle. All four Windows are Anti-pinch protection, safety system prevent the windows from closing in even by the slightest obstruction of the hand. It is very useful safety feature when the kids are on-board.Rear windows can't be rolled down completely.
There is no individual lock/unlock button for doors.Single manual lock button for all doors is available at driver side door. remember, Doors always unlocked from inside, locked from outside. VW claims this is a safety feature allows the passenger to exit from the car in case of accidents.Doors can be opened while running, Be alert if there are kids on-board. I always gives instructions to the parents to take care of their kids avoid playing with door release lever. It is become habit of using the button to close the doors. No doors can be opened from outside even the Fuel lid.Windows can be rolled up using remote button by press and hold the lock button. speed sensing door lock option is available with High-line model.
Headlight are operated from the switch housed on right side of the dash board. Turn right, the first stage switches on the parking light. Second stage for Headlamps, Fog lamps? Yes, it is integrated in the same switch, you need to pull the switch once(only in 1st or 2nd stage), it turns on the fog-lamp, second stage for the rear(right side) fog lamp. There is only one reverse lamp on left side.
Wipers:
You can't pull out the right side wiper, bonnet will obstruct.If you want to pull the wipers to wash the windshield, Turn on and off the ignition switch and press the wiper stalk once, the wipers moves and stop at the center(Service mode), now they can be pulled out.
Let us drive:
Insert the key in slot, and crank-up the engine. 1.6L engine wakes up with certain amount of clutter, but subsides when the engine warm up. During the idle engine settles at 800RMP. press the accelerator, the clutter sound reduces further. Still you can actually hears diesel motor's heart beats within cabin.Gear shifting is bit heavy, but manageable. Release the clutch, it start moving without pressing the accelerator pad. Thanks to the high torque.
I really feel the power when I put it in third gear and accelerate the engine, it just fly.I love the engine response.No complaints about the clutch.Soft tuned suspensions are good at high speed. Rear passengers can hear the suspension doing its work.At lower speed, it makes thud sound while passing over the sharp hump, 168mm ground clearance do not pose any threat for the car. I yet to test this while car is loaded with 5-people. The max speed I tested was 140KM/h. Car was planted on road, taking all uneven road surface. No swinging effect at the rear side. Feel more confident at higher speed.The steering is very light and good for the parking speed, I wish it would have been little stiff while cruising above 100KM/h
Torque:
"Horsepower sells cars, But Torque moves the car". Vento offers amazing torque of 250 Nm from 1500 rpm to 2500 rpm with 105BHP. Technically, the Torque is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, example: If you have a 1-foot-long wrench and you put a force of 10 pounds on other end of it to rotate the nut. Vento's torque helps you to reduce the frequent gear change in city drive.
It delivers the sufficient power as you press the accelerator. Negligible turbo lag, 105 BHP power with 250NM torque keeps the smile on your face. Turbo kicks at about 1600 RPM.At the speed of 100KM/H in 5th gear, the RMP settles at 2000. cabin is almost silent. Tyre and wind noise from "A" pillar is not transmitted to the cabin.(This kind of noise I noticed in my Verna transform.) Just press the accelerator, hidden power is delivered without much strain. No lag is noticed. Gear shift indicator in MFD indicates which gear you are in and advice to up shift or down shift based on the speed.
Mileage: Instant mileage detail is available in MFD, it starts with 11km/L and it increases as you drive. In city For about 5-6 km, it shows 15km/l.Sometimes it touched 16 also. On highway, it touches 23km/l.(My swift being 1.3lt was giving 25km/l). I am currently relying on the MFD stats, I yet to test the full-tank to confirm.
Cons:
1.Logos on front and rear side can be easily removed, I have lost both logos while parking in front of house. These logos are available at ebay half the price. I stick them with feviquick in such a way that there is no room to insert sharp object like knife to remove them.
- Absence of Inside door locking knob.
3.If the cranking fails or engine stops in the middle, one has to turn the key back to OFF position and turn it ON.
4.Spare wheel is a 14 inch size. 175/70 R14 Tyre.Overall diameter matches with the regular 15" Tyre.Only High line comes with set of 4 alloy wheel.
Accessories fitted.
Alloy wheels: Set of 4 wheels(EVO - INR 23000)
Steering wheel grip: Stanley leather hand stitched(INR 2500) Look very premium and comfortable.
Audio system: Replaced stock audio system with JVC BT70. Excellent performance with stock speakers.
Door sill: 4 Doors(INR 800) Technician refused to fit the illuminated door sill(LED) as it voids the warranty also the wiring is not that easy.
Seat cover: Dolphin brand, fabric covers( INR 6800) felt bit expensive but better than PU based covers.
Door mat: Purchased Curly Flooring Matt which is PVC based from home furnishing shop and cut according to required size.It is ideal dirt trapper, easy to
clean and long lasting.(INR 600).
Bottom Line:
Vento is truly'amazing', very practical car and it is value for money. Check the VIN number.(https://myvehicledetails.com) to confirm the manufacture date. Sometime, dealer can allocate display car. Service interval is at every 15000Km. They offer free service at 7000KM, which cost you a liter of engine oil in which they approximately use 700ML for top-up and return remaining oil.
