[akash_v12]

This is my 100th post and an owner's point of view of our 4.5-year-old Volkswagen Vento TSI.

Here she is! 'The Beast'

[akash_v12]

Hello everyone! This is my first ownership review on Team-BHP. I've tried to avoid any grammatical errors in this review. Please excuse me if there are any errors in the review (I'm just 15).

Alright, so after prolonged delays and multiple days of brainstorming
'Should I write it or should I not?', Presenting my 2016 Volkswagen Vento 1.2 TSi Highline.

This review is being written when the beast is 4.5 Years old and has crossed 70400 KMs.

Starting off with the T-BHP ritual of listing out all the likes and dislikes.

Prologue

September 2009
The search for a car began the very next year after Dad bought the Spark. Back in ‘09, there weren’t many options available and so we checked out the only ones that made any sense for us - The Punto & the then newly-launched Indigo Manza. However, Dad was not very excited about them and the reliability of the Fiats and Tata’s of those days (rather the lack of it) closed that chapter of the search for a new car.

July 2014

Ford EcoSport
The 3 of us - My mom, dad and myself were out for a short spin around town in Lucknow when my mom said, “Let’s go check out the new EcoSport!”. I was Shocked. My mom had never taken a fancy to any car except the cutie - Our Spark, let alone an SUV (She still loves the EcoSport). We paid a visit to MGS Ford, Lucknow. The staff was friendly and polite, but who cared about that? I was in awe of how good the EcoSport looked in it's Kinetic Blue shade ( correct me if I am wrong). I still remember 9-year-old me standing in front of that display car and just thinking “If we’re gonna get an EcoSport, we’re gonna get it in this shade”. Pricing was discussed and a TD was requested for the 1.0L EcoBoost variant. TD car was not available and we were told that the car would be brought home (barely 5 minutes away) for a TD.
That never happened.

Q. So what broke my heart?
A. An 11 month waiting period for the EcoBoost engine. (Well, you could call that a blessing in disguise! :lol

Here is a picture of the exact spec of the EcoSport I wanted:-
Source - autoindustria.com

Maruti Ertiga
Next up, my mom also had an eye on the Maruti Ertiga. So again from the Ford dealership, we made our way over to the Maruti dealer near HAL, Lucknow. We checked out the Ertiga and it made a strong proposition. We'd have an extension in our family from 3 people to 6 people every 6 months or so and the extra row of seats made sense for us. The car was equipped quite decently too and was pretty much the most VFM one at that time.

Image source - Cardekho.com

So, now you may ask - what happened here?
It was that strong resemblance to a Swift and the sound of a 1.4L engine producing a puny 91hp combined with a high waiting period wasn't helping its case either.

So that ended this chapter of the search for a new car.

7 Months later, we moved to Pune.

This time the search for a car grew very serious & there were only a couple of criteria's the new car had to match.

• Space for comfortably sitting 4 (sometimes even 5).
• Powerful engine.
• No particular segment in our minds (as you'll read in the review)
• Value for money.
• Petrol

At this point, we never knew that we'd end up with an AT. A Volkswagen? even more so (those were the emission scandal days).

July 2015
A car expo was hosted in a mall here and we went ahead to check out the expo, but this time with a particular segment in mind - The Mid-Size Sedans.

Maruti Ciaz

Pros
- Feature-packed
- The rear seat has legroom for days (I mean literally )
- Efficient Petrol & Diesel
- The true advantage of it being a Maruti - Great aftersales with service
centers at the most remote places in the country.

Cons
- Build quality was still a question
- 91hp from a 1.4L? What was wrong with Maruti?
- High Waiting Period

We test drove the Ciaz from Sai Service, Deccan Gymkhana whos staff were
very polite and always responsive to any & all queries. Dad said that he couldn't test drive it at a higher pace (courtesy - rush hour traffic), so when the plan for a short visit to Ganpatipule came up, he decided that he'll get a Ciaz on rent from Zoomcar. We got the car, it was an AT (Yes, the same old 4-speed TC 'box which Maruti has used on numerous cars).

Source - www.nexapune.com

We had even put down the deposit on a Ciaz (Brown with RS Package), but my dad wanted Glistening Grey if we were going to get a Ciaz which wasn't available. Another reason was that even though he liked the feel of the engine but it just wasn't enough for making quick progress in the city (even with an MT). So, that was the end of the road for the Ciaz.

Honda City

Pros
- Fantastic Legroom.
- 1.5L Petrol producing 117hp.
- The only car with a Sunroof in this segment at that time.
- Decent Feature List (V MT)

Cons
- Build quality (the lightness of the door)
- No Sunroof
- Fit & Finish was a hit or miss on the few cars that we saw.
- Expensive

Source - www.auto.ndtv.com

Dad did TD the City. However, the lack of a Sunroof on the V Trim (considering its price) was the deal-breaker.

Hyundai Verna

Pros
- 1.6L producing 126hp.
- Being a Hyundai, it was feature-packed (except for the Touchscreen, it had everything).
- Loved the styling of the Verna 4S.
- Aftersales

Cons
- Price
- The rear seat even though spacious felt cramped, due to the low window line.
We asked for a TD, the SA said that he would bring the car home in 2 days. 2 weeks passed and there was still no car.

Source - www.overdrive.com

At this point, we were not looking at Skoda and Volkswagen due to the VAG emission scandals (even though it was for Diesel). The Rapid, however, was excluded earlier due to lack of legroom in the rear seats (somehow, I feel the Vento has more space at the back than the Rapid). The Scala & Sunny were excluded due to not being a VFM Package, whereas the Linea was excluded for rumors of Fiat exiting India & the Fiesta due to the lack of the space in the rear seat and the quirky styling (no offense to Fiesta owners, it's a great car otherwise!).

[akash_v12]

January 2016

Dad, in the last week of 2015 decided that he wanted a 2016 Manufactured car. So, the wait extended even more.

9th January 2016
I & Dad were out to get some groceries when I see him staring at a Vento. This is how the conversation went.

Me: Dad, what are you looking at?
Dad: I'm looking at that color on the Vento.
Me: Do you like it?
Dad: Yes!

That same evening, we were at a mall that housed a sub-dealership of B.U Bhandari Volkswagen. So, I told him, "let's go see the Vento if you liked that colour so much".

Dealership, Booking & Delivery
As the dealership was quite compact and customers were aplenty, we were asked to wait by the receptionist. 10 minutes later, SA Prabhakar comes and introduces himself to us, asked which model, fuel type & variant we were looking for. Answered him by saying that we were looking for a Vento in a top-spec petrol guise.

Dad looked over the variants and asked about the 1.6 MPI. Mr. Prabhakar said that the MPI was available but asked us to take a look at the TSi which was only available with the DSG too.
Dad asked for a TD and within 5 minutes, we were out on the backroads of Magarpatta City for the Test Drive in an older (pre-facelift) 2014 1.2 TSI.

This was a love at first sight moment for Dad .
He loved the engine and gearbox and we were discussing our requirements with Mr. Prabhakar even after closing hours. Dad zeroed in on the 1.2 TSi Highline and asked very specifically for a 2016 manufactured one in Titanium Beige Metallic.

Me: Did you like it?
Mom: Yes, you had a big smile on your face. Did you like it?
Dad: Like it? I loved it! Who thought an Automatic would make me smile so hard?

3 Days later, Mr. Prabhakar came to our house and collected the booking amount from us and promised delivery by 24th January 2016. A few calls and very impatient nights later, he called us on 19th January to tell us that the car has reached the stockyard and that it would be ready for delivery by the 23rd. B.U Bhandari was very transparent on all procedures throughout the purchase.

Price Breakup
Ex-Showroom - ₹10,75,000
Registration & Taxes - ₹1,20,000
Insurance (3rd Party) - ₹35,000 (approx.)
Discounts - ₹35,000 (Corporate + Promotional)
OTR - ₹11,95,000
Freebies Offered - Keyring with 1 key, Mudflaps, Floor Mats, 20L fuel voucher, Tea and Coffee.

23rd January 2016

We arrived at the showroom by 5 PM and the car was right there shining in all its glory. Checked out the VIN before Dad arrived and Voila! It was a January 2016 built car (not that any other month of the year had passed by ). 2 Hours later, All papers were signed, 2 keys handed over and gifts exchanged, the car with 37KMs was being pulled out through the Pavement (since it was parked at showroom level which is 8-10 stairs up), and finally, FINALLY the car was ours. We took it for the traditional Puja to Khadki and since it was Netaji's birthday, we finished off the day with a very traditional Bengali meal.

The car was not handed over with its permanent registration. However, the Temporary registration was stuck 1 day later with the permanent one being fitted a week later at our house itself.

This is the only picture I have of the delivery day. (Please excuse the quality of the picture)

And yes, that is 10-year-old me having a super excited face for the new car.

Volkswagen After Sales
For us, V.A.S.S has been always a charm to deal with (which is quite contrary to popular opinion ). The only problem - B.U Bhandari's Service is a good 40KMs from where we live. Otherwise, the team there has been very proactive with free pickup & drop services and super-quick turnaround times. We have tried Volkswagen Mumbai's Sewri SC too and levels were equally good there too.

Only once did Dad ever face a problem & that too of a faulty check-engine light which did not have any problem. The SA promptly came down to our house 40KMs away from the SC and did an onboard diagnosis.

[akash_v12]

Exterior & Styling

As everybody else says, The Europeans do know a thing or two about making timeless designs. When our car was bought, the Vento was in its 6th year with very minor facelifts. Even now, the car has the looks to match its competition. The side profile does not in any way resemble a 'Polo with a boot', It's integrated very well and looks like a proper C-Segment Sedan.





From the front, the addition of chrome & smoked headlamps on the 2015 facelift made it look a bit more modern with a certain elegance & premium feel that no other car in the segment showed. However, the light throw of the car without fogs is pretty bad, especially at night. I’m planning to get the bulbs upgraded next year to brighter Halogens. The ORVMs are decently-sized, wide and have a subtle LED indicator on the inside apart from the strip showing the turn direction without distracting the driver.

The back of the car was updated with LED-ish tail-lamps and a chrome strip across the back. I feel this combined with the white number plate light makes it look like a proper premium mid-size sedan. The only badges present there are the VW logo, Vento, and TSi badge keeping it neat and clean. Along with this, the rear bumper houses 4 parking sensors which only beep but do not have any display. The boot has decent space (490L) which is enough to carry 3 hard suitcases (medium size) and a few duffels along with them. The toolkit and spare tire are positioned under the boot carpet in a very nicely packaged setup.

Here's a picture of the right rear side in daylight.

And here it is with the lights on.

A picture of an empty boot.

The Spare wheel along with the toolkit.

The car comes equipped with the 15-inch Zirkonia Alloys which, I personally feel that these look fabulous on the Vento especially in Beige. From the factory, the car came with Apollo Alnacs with a smaller size spare (175/60 R14) with a maximum speed rating of 80kph instead of the normal 185/60 R15. The stock tires lasted around 50k after which they were changed to Yokohama Blu-Earth's of the same size.

The 15-inch 'Zirkonia' alloys with 185/60 R15 Yokohama BluEarth A's.

[akash_v12]

The Interiors

The quality of materials present in the interior is top-notch. Though the plastics are hard and not a soft-touch material, it feels like it'll last for an eternity .
The interiors, just like the exteriors have an understated elegance to themselves with the brushed aluminum trim contrasting very well with the Black & Beige theme of the interior.

The layout is clean and very uncluttered. Proper hard buttons for every single function on the system & steering (because it's not a touchscreen.)

Steering Wheel & Instrument Cluster

The steering wheel on Highline cars comes wrapped in leather, making it very nice to hold. It also comes equipped with audio controls & voice commands for a phone connected via Bluetooth. The instrument panel has a 3.5 inch MID which displays a host of information (Clock, Temperatures, Gear Position, Average FE & Speed, Real-time FE & Speed, Time that the car has been running, Odometer, Tripmeter, Fuel, etc.). It is controlled via the buttons on the wheel and in front of the glass cover of the panel itself. The Speedometer and tachometer look great when they are lit up with the White Backlight and the digits are crisp to read even in the day.

Storage & Practicality

Each door has a 1-Litre Bottle Holder, but the ones on the rear seat are too narrow to fit them. So, either you’ve to carry 500ml bottles or one with a squarish base. The centre armrest opens up to reveal a space to keep your phones or toll receipts. There is a space to keep coins and receipts under the handbrake, but it makes the car very messy. There is also place under the centre console with 2 proper cupholders which flip in when not required. Along with that, there is a huge glovebox that is cooled & the single sunglass holder in the entire vehicle. Under the AC vents, there is a flip-out cupholder which can hold drinks (due to the huge transmission tunnel’s hump). What I don’t like is the fact that there is only 1 USB Port & 1 12V Socket in the entire car, both at the front.

Features

Our car was produced before March 2016, hence it came with the RCD320 from the factory. The sound quality though, if tuned properly is extremely good. It also is equipped with Rear AC Vents, a Cooled Glovebox, Power Folding Mirrors, ACC, One-touch Up & Down with an Anti-Pinch, Cruise Control & a host of other creature comforts.
Although decently equipped, it did miss out on some features of its competition. It lacks a sunroof, a touchscreen, Sunshades, rear seat 12V charging ports, LED Headlamps, An Auto-Dimming IRVM & Rain Sensing Wipers (the original ones were changed with Coozo Frameless blades a year ago).

HVAC

The Air Conditioning cools the car very well, specially on hot days. It takes a maximum of 2 minutes with the windows open to reduce the temperature from around 35C to 23C. The ClimaTronic unit works well in auto once the correct temperature has been set. The AC vents have a manual air flow adjuster which can reduce or increase the flow of air on demand. However, the tabs to change the direction of flow has come out twice under 1 year now.

Audio & Entertainment

Being a Pre-March production vehicle, the car came with the RCD320 system. There is a 4 speaker system, which puts out good sound. But, when the volumes are increased, the speakers do start cracking. Otherwise, it’s quite good. The RCD320 gets SD, CD, USB, AUX, Bluetooth & Radio Connectivity. Here is what I sorely miss - a touchscreen & android auto/apple carplay. I am planning to upgrade the system to the RCD340G with a reverse camera.

Interior Space

The passenger cabin is huge and therefore, space inside is great (although not up to Ciaz Levels). The rear, however, has the huge transmission tunnel which restricts the usability of the 5th seat. The Vento has a very wide armrest with Rear AC Vents & A single flip-out cupholder under the AC Vent (clever thinking?) with bottle holders on each side which makes it a great long-distance 4-seater. The legroom is great for two persons of 6 feet+ sitting one behind the other. However, the rear seat does lack under-thigh support for taller passengers. There is also a little lever behind the passenger seat that can be used to slide the front seats forward incase you are chauffeur driven.

For reference, I’m 5’9.

The front seats are also a great place to be in. There is enough legroom to stretch your legs and then some more. Along with that, you're also treated to a cooled glovebox, dual cupholders, height-adjustable seatbelts, and a very useful storage area under the stereo.

Quirks & Easter Eggs!

This is a unique section that I'm adding to my review. It'll include all the unique features I've come to notice in these 4 years.

1. Cornering Lights - The fog lamps double up as cornering lamps to aid while cornering into tight spaces.
2. The Cupholders in the center console - They will flip out to become cupholders or flip back in to increase speed. (Picture attached earlier)
3. European Headlight Switch - It's a boon to have a rotary switch especially with so many other controls on the stalks.

4. DSG engraving on the gearbox knob just gives it that premium touch.

5. Rear Fog-Lights - Increase visibility during the nighttime especially so in foggy conditions.
6. This is more personal. I love the little painted (body color) panel on the rear doors clap.
7. The key has the function to roll all windows up or down upon pressing the lock and unlock buttons respectively. This is quite useful whenever the windows are left open by mistake.

8. Backlit everything Switches - Makes window, mirror & door operations at night super-easy. Also, pressing the window switch with a bit of force activates the auto up/down feature in any window.

9. The Unit of the Climatronic system can be changed to Fahrenheit by holding the AC and 'Auto' button for a while.

[akash_v12]

Engine & Transmission

Note:- This section is written on behalf of my dad (I'm only 15).

The beast, she’s powered by the 1.2 TSi Motor which produces 105hp and 175NM of torque and is paired with the infamous 7-Speed DQ200 DSG ‘box. Performance in D mode is pretty plain jane. Enough to potter around the city at higher gears (which the DSG is tuned for) and more than enough to make good time on the fast-moving highways. However, the DSG in the interest of fuel efficiency shifts up at 2500-2700 RPM itself and the engine doesn’t rev very freely in D. But, speed buildup is quite good in spite of a huge lag in the gear changes (I’m talking a second or a couple here).

The battery was changed after 3.5 years & 65k KMs when it went kaput on the Vashi connector.

Manual mode makes the car feel a bit livelier only because the car does hold gear when speed increases and allows the engine to rev until the redline (6500 RPM). But, it is only in ‘S’ or ‘Sport’ mode that you can really feel that wave of torque. There is a sudden surge of power (hence the name ‘beast’) which propels the car in a lot more energetic manner. Very useful for mountains and super-quick overtakes. Apart from the performance, the exhaust note is quite diesel-like at startup but changes to a sportier tone once speed builds up.

The mid-range is where the TSi motor shines! Once you cross that 1800 RPM mark it's quick on its feet all the way up till around 5500 RPM, where it upshifts.

The footwell is quite wide and being a 2 pedal, the dead pedal is quite useful for my dad.

Ride & Handling

The details of ride & handling have been covered more thoroughly in the 2 sections below, so I'll say it briefly - Comfortable over highways and even lightly damage roads, but moves around quite a lot on bad patches.

Complete Experience in the city.

The Vento is a C segment sedan after all and therefore, a bit cumbersome to use definitely. However, in cities like Pune & Mumbai, the light steering makes and instant power above 1800 RPM makes it rather usable otherwise. The motor is very refined and only sounds a bit loud on startup and that too, only from the outside. The AC is effective and the DSG ‘box ensures that the car creeps whenever needed and gives the highest FE possible.

The throttle is responsive to the smallest of inputs. However, the brakes do feel a bit lacking to make a quick stop in case of an emergency.
The audio system works decently well and the AC is decent except on really hot days. Apart from that, seating for 4 is extremely comfortable and the cabin feels bright & airy.

Overall experience on highways

In one word - MILEMUNCHER! Yes, that’s what the beast is. Once you get onto the highway (read expressway), the car moves effortlessly throughout and quick overtakes are easy in S mode. But, drive it in D mode and the gearbox does take its own sweet time before the power comes in. Cruise Control is an added benefit that works well and can be set from as low as 70KPH. Additionally, there was a bit of vertical movement earlier with the Apollo's which have now reduced after fitting her with the Yoko BluEarth's. A lot of tire noise also filters in, but only on concrete roads.

FE is also decent on the highways with around 15-17KPL. The MID does have a bit of a discrepancy between the actual efficiency of +/- 2Km/L. There is a low-fuel warning light that comes up with around 60Kms of fuel in the car. The Vento comes with a 55L fuel tank which translates to an average real-world range of around 700-750Kms.

Safety

All Ventos come standard with 2 Airbags, ABS & Adjustable Headrests all around. The DSG equipped cars get more features in the form of ESP, Traction Control (which can be turned off ), and a creep mode. Build quality is commendable as mentioned earlier.



Final Verdict

Reliable, Comfortable & Great to drive is what describes the beast best. It's quite good at other factors including features and ride quality too. Yes, there are a few things which just don't work here, but these are definitely not deal-breakers for us.

I hope I've covered everything in this review and that it makes for an enjoyable read.

Thank you for reading,
Akashdeep

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[JojyKerala]

Originally Posted by akash_v12

And yes, that is 10-year-old me having a super excited face for the new car.

Hello young Akash! You have compiled a neat review on behalf of your dad. I like the colour as well and prefer this grill design compared to the recent one in the Vento facelift.

Can see that your dad is an automobile enthusiast based on the attention-to-detail in this review.

Wish you and your family many more miles with the Vento beauty!

[gasinveins]

I was so keen on Vento from when I was in 8th grade, Bought a Rapid Petrol after I got my first job. Everything described in your review apart from engine and gearbox is spot on. I have driven many cars, but nothing came close to my german Silver Dart. Hopefully, You get you driving license in 3 more years and munch many more miles with your beast. A new-gen Vento will be out when you get your license, watch out for it as well.

[MUJ]

Great write up young man. I liked the way you listed out every detail you remembered which had happened over a course of 4.5 years. Many more happy miles to you.

[w8763]

Enthusiast lineage clearly shows in your writing. Great review and attention to detail . Your father will be all smiles on reading the review similar to driving his vento. Keep up the good work and enjoy the German engineering.

[LithiumSunset]

Great review young friend. It forced me to out of hibernation to congratulate you on your effort.

As a happy owner of the Polo TSI, I'm surprised that you are 'disappointed' by the D mode. I rarely engage the S mode, even on highways. Quite clearly the lower weight of the hatch helps a lot.

By the way I'm curious about this one feature: "The Cupholders in the center console - They will flip out to become cupholders or flip back in to increase speed."

(Since you are far younger than me, may I say that I thought all those emojis in your post are distracting from an otherwise good piece of writing. Some are infact not even appropriate.)

[akash_v12]

Originally Posted by gasinveins

I was so keen on Vento from when I was in 8th grade, Bought a Rapid Petrol after I got my first job.

Thanks gasinveins! Glad to hear that you bought a Rapid Petrol as you got your first job. You must be enjoying it a lot.

Hopefully, You get you driving license in 3 more years and munch many more miles with your beast.

You are absolutely correct! Can't wait to get my hands on the license and any vehicle. I don't know about the new Vento though. That 4-pot, I will miss it a lot.

Originally Posted by MUJ

Great write up young man. I liked the way you listed out every detail you remembered which had happened over a course of 4.5 years. Many more happy miles to you.

Thank you MUJ! Definitely looking forward to get driving as soon as I get my license.

Originally Posted by w8763

Keep up the good work and enjoy the German engineering.

Thank you W8763! I'm glad you liked the review. Those 3 days of hard work finally paid off . Interestingly enough while everyone here has mentioned it, my dad is not a very big car enthusiast. It's my brothers and I who are all about automobiles.

Originally Posted by LithiumSunset

As a happy owner of the Polo TSI, I'm surprised that you are 'disappointed' by the D mode. I rarely engage the S mode, even on highways. Quite clearly the lower weight of the hatch helps a lot.

Thank you LithiumSunset! The D mode is adequate for the city and highways. However, making a quick overtake on ghat sections does call for the S mode to be engaged.

(Since you are far younger than me, may I say that I thought all those emojis in your post are distracting from an otherwise good piece of writing. Some are infact not even appropriate.)

Will surely take that into account when writing my next report about the cutie Spark.

Originally Posted by JojyKerala

Hello young Akash! You have compiled a neat review on behalf of your dad. I like the colour as well and prefer this grill design compared to the recent one in the Vento facelift.

Hi JojyKerela! Thank you for your comments. Even I prefer having this grill to the newer one since it makes it look too Polo-like IMO. As mentioned earlier, this review has been written by me & only the driving & handling sections have been added on by my dad .

[akash_v12]

Update: Our Vento has travelled around quite a bit after the easing up of the lockdown with a round-trip to Mumbai recently which got the odometer over 71,000KM. She's due for her 4 Year/75000KM servicing soon. Will update the thread then, if nothing else pops up .

[Aish_4761]

Great writeup man!!
Glad to see this level of automotive exposure coupled with excellent writing skills at such an early age.

As you are based out of Pune, which also happens to be the automotive review hub of the country, it makes me believe that the auto review industry is definitely going into the right hands!!

Coming back to the car;
A close friend of mine also owns one of these machines. The power feels more than adequate for city usage. However, a couple of instances made a weak highway performance perception for this car, in my mind when driven spiritedly (within speed limits of course).

I believe this has to be the most unique colors as I dont even remember seeing one...!! Toffee brown white and grey are the amongst the most common ones, as far as I believe!