[blackwasp]

Ever since their launch a decade ago, the Vento & Rapid haven't witnessed any dramatic changes cosmetically. Improvements have mainly been under the hood and in the feature list - otherwise, it's the same car on sale in the showroom. Some changes have been good, some not so (e.g. discontinuation of that punchy 1.6L diesel). Being one of the oldest designs in the segment, it's starting to show its age for sure, but VAG has cleverly been spicing things up - the latest is the sweet 1.0L turbo-petrol. No other car in the Indian market has been offered with such a large variety of engine & transmission options. There is something for everyone.

Positives

• A well-built, robust, European sedan
• The Polo (same car) got 4 stars in the NCAP. Some variants get ESP too
• Still looks great. Old, but timeless, clean & classy
• Cabin has sufficient space & a practical boot
• Massive spread of engines. The 1.6L TDI & 1.2L TSI are fast & fun
• Wide range of ATs also available, including a 1.5L Diesel DSG
• Still the segment-best ride & handling package. A lot of fun on the open road
• Feature list includes a telescopic steering, projector headlamps, cruise control...
• Even if you buy an early example, it's still "current" (i.e. same car sold new in the showroom)
• Something for everyone; cheap petrol Ventos for ~2 lakhs to newer Rapid diesels @ 10 lakhs

Negatives

• Shows its age. Interiors, especially, are quite outdated
• Patchy long-term reliability. Some owners have had frustrating experiences
• Beware of diesel's injectors & DSG gremlins! Both have a high failure rate
• 1.6L diesel is loud. And gets louder with age! Many call it a "mini tractor"
• Spare parts can be stupidly expensive
• Unusually tall rear floor hump makes things tricky for the 5th occupant
• 1.6L MPI Petrol engine is quite lacklustre. Feels boring by current standards
• The newer diesels are pricey; holding onto their value well, as no more available new
• VW's after-sales service quality is a hit or miss. Skoda's is atrocious!
• New Rapid 1.0 TSI starts at 7.49 lakhs. Why buy used?

Related Threads

• Vento: Official Review, 2015 Facelift, Rapid: Official Review, 1.5 Diesel DSG Review, 2020 1.0 TSi Review

• Rapid & Vento: Faulty Injectors? Repair instead of replacing

• ninjatalli's Shadow Blue Vento TDI

• Rajeevraj's Vento TSI

• noopster's Fräulein - 1.6 Petrol AT

• ventoman's White Vento TDI Highline

• el lobo 606's Dark Knight - Vento TDI

• charansuki's Rapid 1.5L DSG

• Pferdestarke's Candy white 2014 Skoda Rapid Elegance TDI

• laddz1121's 2017 Skoda Rapid TDI DSG

• xtremeshock's Skoda Rapid diesel

Mod Potential:

Excellent mod potential including remaps, suspension upgrades and more. In terms of cosmetics too, there's a plethora of options in the after-market. This was a popular car among enthusiasts, hence there is lots of support.


Source


Source

Availability:

Superb availability because the cars have been on sale for ~10 years & enjoyed reasonable success in the early years. Check out some of the examples on sale here and here.

[GTO]

Voted No. While I love driving them, I know of too many owners who have had either below-average or outright poor long-term reliability. I like to keep my cars long & have a tough work schedule. Absolutely no time for a car that could be a headache. Some spare parts are expensive, and I have seen VW / Skoda dealers struggling to solve complex issues (or misdiagnosing them).

Would prefer to buy a used City Petrol or Verna Diesel AT instead and enjoy a fuss-free ownership.

If my budget for a used car was higher, I'd simply buy the Rapid TSI for 7.49 lakhs ex-showroom, get the extended warranty and close it.

[BZ25]

Unfortunately, it's a no for me. The Vento/Rapid are too old and outdated today, plus I need that peace of mind, something that VW/Skoda have a long way to go, if they want to achieve that like the Japanese & Koreans, though nothing in this segment can match the solidity of the European siblings.

No offense to any owners, but I can't stand the noise that the VAG 1.5l TDI produces, and the 1.6l MPI is not much fun. But the 1.2l/1.0l TSI engines are excellent.

If I was to buy one of these, I'd spend extra and get myself the Skoda Rapid Rider Plus, which is great value for money, rather than getting a used option.

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by GTO

Voted No. While I love driving them, I know of too many owners who have had either below-average or outright poor long-term reliability.

I was completely anti-VW/Skoda until I got a very good piece of Polo 1.6. The car is a leap ahead of similarly priced Swifts which would have costed me twice for the same vintage.

I am worried about reliability, but I am clear in my head that if I face reliability issues, I will swap this with a new car (my family is bored of adjusting to new cars every 2 years or so.)

I have had the car for one year and it has shown its share of tantrums but nothing which is unexpected from a 9 year old car (things like ABS sensors, suspension noise which I am yet to completely diagnose, one instance of engine gasket leakage, I have spend 40k on all of these put together).

But honestly, at that price I was getting reliable but unsafe cars. I chose a safe but less reliable car.

Between safety and reliability, I choose the former.

I wish I can own this car until EVs become more feasible and I can then get my next car as an EV (so two years more I have on the horizon).

Strong advice - If safety is your top priority and you are on a budget for a used car which can be used for 2 years or so. Thats when the VWs make a strong case for themselves.

[vigsom]

Voted No.

The recent case of a Rapid with a failed injector is enough proof that these cars aren't made for India.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...-autobahn.html (Fuel injector rusted in 2 year old Skoda Rapid within warranty! Astronomical quote from Autobahn)

Yes, if one

1. is passionate about these brands,
2. has loads of time and patience for rectifying issues
3. has the know-how plus maintenance FNG support to keep these cars ship shape

then why not?

I've known them to give issues on all fronts - from DSGs to ACs to electronics to even upholstery.

Although a different car, my bro's 2.0TSi Passat gave him only headaches after the first 3 years of ownership. His maintenance bills needed a box file to file in. After using it as his primary car, he retained the car for a total of 11 years ONLY because he felt it was a safe car for his wife to be driving around

[Reinhard]

I think we need to include the engine option also in the vote.

I'll certainly pick up a TDI Vento. No doubt about it. The very usable boot space, solid build & literally infinite opportunities for DIY modding make this a no-brainer. But a petrol - I won't really. I'm not a fan of European petrol engines.

[deepfusion]

I voted a Yes.

Reason is, if a good used one can be found, with mileage around 50,000 kms, with complete service record, and no adverse repair is noticed, it will be a steal, since the resale prices are low.

[NTO]

Vento is a phenomenal car and especially with the 1.6 TDi. I have one for the past 6 years. While reliability is really great (in my case at least), the service support has been a hit or a miss. I have experienced both extremes. I am now happy with a trusted FNG and car appears to do well for another 4 years at least. The possible injector issue happened early on, in my ownership and the warranty took care of it. Other than that, there is nothing to complain about reliability because, the electronics are very minimal.

The car can be brought to the 20th century relevance by just upgrading the HU to the VWs OEM RCD 340G+ with android auto and apple car play.

I love my car and it is a great mile muncher and super fun on open roads. It also delivers fantastic fuel efficiency when you are in the run to save the last drop of fuel. A well maintained 1.6 TDi can even today deliver 1000 kms range in a single 55 litre full tank. The suspension while soft at low speeds, responds very well at highway speeds, remains flat for most part and recovers well from the undulations. The "Tractory" engine sound also turns sporty once you cross the 3500 rpm mark.

As I progress into the ownership, two things that often pushes me to the verge of thinking about selling the car are the heavy clutch and poor air conditioner performance. Other than these two points, the Vento is a Keeper and with the innumerable mod potential, the car can still look relevant.

[landcruiser123]

Personally it's a non-starter for me due to the so-so reliability + expensive parts. I'd rather buy a used Honda City or an older used Corolla.

For someone who has the time and money for a project car, a used Vento/Rapid (except the 1.6 MPI) can be a great buy.

[Annibaddh]

Voted yes. My 1.6TDi has given me nightmares mostly because the service support is abysmal. But. In it's over 1L km mileage, it has never let me down. This include the following solo drives:

1. Mumbai - Harda (MP)
2. Mumbai - Lucknow
3. Mumbai - Delhi
4. Mumbai - Bangalore
5. Mumbai - Goa (too many)
6. Delhi - Manali

and multiple other drives. The car feels brilliant to drive even today. Planted ride. Safe as a house. Comfortable. Excellent seats. Mile muncher par excellence. A suspension upgrade and RCD 340 swap have made the car contemporary in most ways. You need a capable FNG. Absolutely need one. And a willingness to spend to keep the car in shape. But I think the cost is absolutely worth it.

[Turbohead]

So hard to say whether I'd buy a second hand one! Plenty of stuff to check. A bit extra amount should be budgeted for a superior experience.

I own a 2014 vintage 1.6 TDI Vento with 1 lakh on the odometer.

1)Maintenance is pricey for sure. The last 2 services were 33k and 45k respectively ( honestly this includes replacement of suspension components, timing belt and tensioners, water pump, alternator bearing and tensioner, steering rack, Engine mount, radiator lock carrier and the respective oil change service) that too at an FNG. Spares are pricey. Ensure the correct specification of engine oils and coolant are used when it's done from an FNG. A VAG specialist FNG is a must once the warranty is over. Far easier to deal with than the VW service centres.

2)You'll have to go an extra mile to fill from a reputable pump ( which becomes a habit) and it's far cheaper than getting stranded and changing those injectors. If possible avoid even a reputable pump when they're refilling the tanks from the lorries. Any deposits in the bottom may get mixed, something any car owner should remember. So far, we had zero issues with the injectors.

3) A well maintained Vento/Rapid ages very slowly. Many people are still surprised when they see the odometer of our car at 1 lakh. Change the wear and tear parts on time and you'll have car that runs as good as new. This also means you have to verify the odometer reading of any car you shortlist.

4) Shock absorber failure is seen in some cars as early as 20k kms. Honestly, we're still on the stock Indian made Gabriel shocks. They haven't leaked yet but are on the last legs. We used the stock tire size till 92k kms. That can be the only possible explanation as most T- BHPians upgrade right after buying or when the original set wears out. Oh, and we really corner our car hard, not exactly gentle drivers.

5) Ensure the basics are checked regularly- engine oil level, coolant level and it's condition. You can do this once in 2 weeks. It's important to attend to things at the earliest stage. Makes a huge difference.

6) Ensure the part replacement schedule is followed religiously! VW may update the schedule regularly. The original schedule for timing belt replacement was 105,000 km service. They updated it to 90,000 km. This is because the water pump is prone to failure and is usually replaced with the timing belt. Fortunately for us, the water pump gave way while we just rolled into our FNG at 100,000 kms as we wanted to do the service a bit earlier than schedule.

7) About the noisy engine, Shell V-Power once in a bluemoon during long trips make a big difference. Also remember, the 1.6 TDI LOVES Italian tune-ups. The car becomes very smooth after an aggressive highway trip. We tried LiquiMoly Diesel Purge at the 5 year mark. Made some difference although I feel it should be used during a highway trip for it be effective.

8) The car is stable at high speeds and feels very solid. We went over a log of wood which fell from a truck. This cause the wheel to break circumferentially into two pieces. The Apollo Alnacs just held on and my dad was telling how composed the car was although this happened at around 110 kmph. The car is engineered well for sure but not necessarily for outright reliability.

The car just grows on you and it's absolutely classy. Can't find a suitable replacement. The Jetta is rare and the parts will cost a bomb.

[katsumoto]

Being spent entire childhood in Coimbatore, seen unusually high number of Octavias and inspired by their design, the urge to own a Skoda comes every now and then and then the fear of ownership experience seen around all over the places creeps in.

I think I will have live with this dilemma for-ever

May be as an exception, only for this poll, we can add one more option, "Do you just want to satisfy urge of owning/driving Skoda rapid (Or any other Skoda) just by renting it out?". Skoda India gives unique ownership experience and deserves this kind of unique poll option.

Because I can only choose that option.

[Turbo_anup]

Voted - NO

Even though i am a Vento owner (Vento 1.6 TDI Highline) with approx. 1,75,000 kms on ODO and counting in 8.5 years of ownership.

- The hassle of going through their service centers (have seen there service centers across Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Lucknow) even though the servicing interval is 15K kms
- The cost and availability of spares is simply to say BAD
- The after sales staff at these service centers is mediocre to Bad in terms of customer satisfaction. heck - every time my car has been serviced, it has either not been properly cleaned from inside, or there is a smudge somewhere

The POSITIVES are in terms of -

- Engine - no 2 ways about it - it is STONKING! i would rate it even more than S Cross 1.6 Litre engine although people may disagree with me. the drivability, torque, acceleration and frugal nature make it an awesome combination. I have to look for a chnage to my vehicle now given am located in Delhi currently and my vehicle will be 10 years old in March 2022 - but am still to find a vehicle which such an engine
- Build - the build is great (not the best) - everything is well screwed and quality is great. not a single squeak in cabin in over 8.5 years and 175K kms
- Understated and Plain looks - i like this car over the Rapid due to its understated and deft appeal - a true WOLF in SHEEP's clothing

However, in my opinion, the negatives outweigh the positives as at any point of time, one always wants a HASSLE FREE ownership experience without worrying about "when next to deal with the VW service center"

[TheGearBox]

Not really surprised to see that the majority have voted "No".
I voted "Yes", as long as I can find a car not more than 2 years old, with warranty. Cannot digest the idea of buying a thoroughly used (or abused) car with significant age, which can prove pricey in the long term. We have a nearly 9 year old Polo 1.6 MPI. While it is an absolute rocket to drive, it has been plagued with its fair share of issues like the ABS sensor conking off, which seems to be a common issue, and transmission problems.

[Mad Max]

Pepper Potts (our Vento 1.6 TDi) been immensely fun to drive. Sixth year running, the only panic situation I've had so far is the injectors. Mine were cleaned and put back (this happened in 2016, I think) and since then haven't had issues. We use this mostly for our highway drives or to office (<3kms one way). The Figo (now that's a tractor!) does most of city duties. The car has crossed 55k on the odo so far.

Positives

- The pull of the TDi on the highway. I can easily keep up with most cars in this category and maybe one level up. Switched to Michelin and the road noise has come down and handling feels a lot better.

- The rear does get bouncy but overall the ride quality is excellent. I haven't had anyone complain about this so far.

- Service costs remain stable ~10k for the 15k interval service. Not much fuss.

- From a tractor sound in 2nd gear milling at 20kmph, it gets a very different sound when you keep it at higher rpms. I actually have started loving the sound (no, I won't apologise)

- Fantastic mileage - can do the trip home (700kms) and then roam in the town for a few days with a full tank at start. Of course, there are days I am in a "bit of a hurry" and then it's a steep cliff for mileage.

- It feels heavy - doors, panels, hood. Everything has a sense of built-to-last. While I don't equate heavy to safe, it feels a bit better cocooned.

Negatives

- Repair costs can be steep. Had changed the steering rack and then had to do tuning on that further.

- Service centers are a hit and miss. I have some known folks who I call directly to book service. So, that helps, I guess. Still, it's usually something or another they try to sell but I don't think it's only VW

- The loud thud from the rear suspension. Six years later, you'd think I would have gotten used to it. But no. I still skip a beat when it happens. Quite irritating.

- The clutch is aggressive and so that can get a bit tiresome in traffic


Of course there are other options out in the market, but once you sit in this car and "feel it", it's hard to feel the same way about another equivalent. It's well screwed together (after 5 years, I've had one part come off in the interior) and there are no rattles. It is solid on the highways, comfortable to drive and I like the slowly ageing looks.

Parting, I always wonder how a DSG would have felt if mated to this 1.6 TDi. That, for me, would have been the perfect affordable car.