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-   -   Volkswagen Vento : Test Drive & Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/94990-volkswagen-vento-test-drive-review-159.html)

Disappointing thing indeed. I would assume it didnt have the chrome add-on in the steering wheel too? While the steering cover can be added as an accessory, any idea if the chrome insert can be added too?

Yes, the chrome highlight is missing from the steering wheel as well as the light switch on the right hand side. :mad:

It would have been wiser if VW did not to provide any of these from the beginning.
It also shows the utter lack of concern for its customers. Just because the cars are doing fairly well does not mean you can go on increasing the price or reducing the value/features.
This is one aspect where I salute Maruti. To them customer satisfaction is 1st. Then comes the rest including profitability. They will do whatever in their powers to honor the warranty. I have seen numerous incidents where parts are replaced under warranty where they could have avoided it.
Bottom line is "Increasing price is still acceptable, but reducing features is not". It says you are being tricked.

IMHO VW is just trying to exploit the customers:
- No comfortline - VW knows the majority of sales should have been in this variant. So what they did. They removed it and made the trendline featureless so that everyone opts for Highline.
- No free service.
- No polo diesel. Force them to buy the Vento Diesel and get the extra buck. Vento Petrol is not selling. SO get a Polo 1.6 so that atleast you sell some petrol engines.
- IPL edition only in petrol. This is because petrol sales are poor. Provide the features only in Petrol trendline and deny it to the other variant aspirants.

As much as I appreciate the car, and the sales executive we had to deal with, I detest the VW marketing strategy in India. If they continue to be the way they are, they are going to end up in the SKODA territory.

I seriously hope this does not happen.

^^ Did ANYONE get a VW with steering leather-wrapped? I for sure didn't and my delivery was back in Jan.

Is leather-wrapping standard on the Vento?

Edit: just checked GTO's pics from the initial TD and it looks as if the steering wheel is leather wraped- an spot some stitches. Damn I got gypped!

Thanks for voicing your concerns mate, being a Vento owner you have experienced it first hand. This is indeed absolutely shoddy marketing by VW. My eyes have been wide opened by this enlightenment. Vento was in my short list & more so owing to the facelifted Vento expected in October this year with the smoked headlamps, steering mounted audio controls etc. At times we get completely blinded by the product & miss on the finer points (like no free service, no comfortline etc). Thanks once again for highligting these, I have now pushed VW to the bottom of my list

I have already warned the dealer of any hanky panky at time of delivery in couple of days. I will take brocher with me , if any thing like the leather on the steering is missing I will make sure he installs the leather wrapped steering in front of me for free .

Else the power of media is enough to give him sleepless nights :)

This is insane! First it was the missing chrome on the light button and now the leather grip on the steering wheel. What next, are they trying to make highline to trendline?

Since I got the car during the first week of Dec, all goodies are intact. See pic



It's high time that they make a mid range model (Comfortline) since the much awaited Fiesta is coming next month.

I just went down to check the steering wheel. Here is how it looks.

Pretty bare. But like oxyzen said, it would have been ok if VW didn't include the chrome highlight and leather covers in the first place. Feel cheated at this point.

VW is getting more and more cheap and arrogant. How can they pull these type of tricks on customers by eliminating standard trims? Customers are also paying back by migrating to other options. Stagnated sales of Polo/Vento is the proof. The headlight control switch will look too bland without the chrome.Does latest Ventos come with windows roll up/down control on remote?

Although I am not sure but I think there isn't going to be any facelifted Vento in this current year atleast.
The biggest "?" regarding Vento is the A.S.S. I have heard of rumors about VW to be using MASS for service but I highly doubt its materialization. It is for sure VW has come to India to stay. Big advertisements, series of launches with extremely capable cars says it all. But with their current attitude & marketing strategy it is absolutely impossible. It is not easy to fool an Indian customer. They are very learned.

You need not put Vento at the bottom of the list. If you are not in a hurry you can always wait & watch.


I had the leather wrapped steering wheel and the chrome. The chrome on light button is missing. God knows what will happen to the Vento after a year if they continue doing what they are doing.
You are absolutely right. Convert Highline to trendline.
Then introduce a new variant Highline+ and price it more.

Just dropped a mail to VW customer care in India and Germany about the missing features. Hope to get a sensible reply explaining the reason for these cost cutting measures.

I hope it is not a :deadhorse

It may or may not be a cost-cutting measure. Sometime it does happen that minor parts like these cause delay in assembling and delivering a car. Hope it's one of those things. But whatever the case may be, VW should not be slipping in these kind of changes quietly. When you spend 11L on a product, you deserve better treatment than this.

Well , thats an interesting point - never thought of it . I doubt that these can be cost cutting measures , when buying in bulk the missing chromes and the covers would cost nothing as compared to the overall cost . Its creepy that VW is sneaking in these changes. First was the missing chrome on the light knob and now the missing chrome on the steering wheel and leathers.

On a separate point , I find it amusing that people still lament the lack of free services in Vento - how about attaching some premium on 1 year / 15K of driving without visiting a service centre with a couple of summer / monsoon free check-ups thrown in between ? Is it too difficult to work out which is the better option :Frustrati

How is any of the above exploiting?

1. No comfortline. Agree with you that due to it everyone buys highline. To me it makes perfect business sense. The 4-6 months waiting proves that they got it right. VW is here to earn money!

2. No free service - They should give that. But then again as another member just pointed out, the service intervals are long and in the end it all evens out.

3. Polo Diesel is there in the line up! the difference between polo diesel highline and Vento highline is around 2.5L in delhi which does make a lot of buyers upgrade to the latter. Again a customer decision.

4. Ipl edition for the Vento Petrol as thats the model thats not selling. Doesn't a company have a right to promote a particular model which is not doing well. Whats wrong in that?

Having said that the omission of the Steering leather cover and gear knob is ridiculous. That too when they are increasing the price. ANHV is breathing down there neck and I believe Fiesta will add to it too. The ANHV is selling more thanks to the higher equipment level it offers. I really can't understand VW's strategy here.

First of all, we don't really know why VW is doing it. It may or may not be a cost-cutting feature. Second, a car has to be a good car first; everything else is just bonus. Some people get off on the word "fully loaded" and that's totally fine. But some don't and I am one among them. I'd choose Vento over Verna any day. And the difference in equipment is not as drastic as it is made out to be. Equipment can be added later too but you can't do anything about the engine/handling/steering feel etc.