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Originally Posted by prabhuferrari But then wanted to check few things with an owner from Bangalore. Hope you can help. Apologies if you have addressed this already. Some questions might be outright silly. Please feel free to ignore. |
Hey, no problem, Prabhu. I have been in your place once so no question is silly ever. I'll try my best to answer!
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1. How is the ground clearance, especially over Bangalore speedbreakers?
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In the 4700+ kms I have driven in Karnataka, Maharashtra & Tamilnadu, not seen a speed breaker big enough to scrap the bottom of the Vento. In fact, even the OEM mud flaps have rarely scrapped in potholes or speed breakers, unlike what others have reported. And to think, I have really taken any special care when crossing bumps. I can safely say that Vento's ground clearance, though looks less on paper, is pretty much among the best.
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2. How is the performance in bumper to bumper traffic?
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The FE is just like any other car in B2B traffic. Bad. I have gone to as low as 8kmpl in the peak hours of commute. But this is one of my worst figures and has been rare. In a mix of B2B and ring road trips, I extract a mileage of about 12kmpl. This is a little lower than what other Vento owners are seeing (around 14kmpl). I still have the habit of riding the clutch (from my previous car) and I am trying to break it slowly. The Vento TDI is the happiest on the highways, though. Consistently gives me an FE of around 20, touching 22kmpl at times!
As for the clutch, it has a long play and is a little hard. There have been a couple of instances when I had pressed it 3/4th way through and it has slipped a little from under my shoes because it tends to bounce back. So I had to let go and press it again properly. Sometimes it gets a little irritating in bumper-to-bumper traffic. My old Zen's clutch was so light that I never knew this would be an issue.
On the other hand, the brake and accelerator are just perfect. They are not over-sensitive, like I have felt in other C segment cars. So they are not a botheration in a city commute.
If you travel a lot in the city, I would recommend the Petrol AT for you. Should be a dream to ride in the city. Checkout Noopster's detailed thread on the AT.
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3. If I change the HU to CASKA will it void the warranty?
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Till the time you don't cut any wires, the warranty should be intact. I haven't changed my HU yet. But from what I hear from people who have changed, the connections are modular and you can easily replace the music system without snipping any wire.
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4. How is the performance over bad roads, potholes in high speed and low speed?
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Vento handles bad roads with aplomb. It stays solid and stable at high speeds. At low speeds, the tyre pressure dictates the comfort levels. The factory setting for the tyres is too high (F-36psi, R-41psi) and you will have a bumpy ride from the showroom to home on delivery day. I keep the pressure at 33psi within the city and 36psi for highway trips. Allows me to balance FE and comfort levels. With lower pressures, the ride becomes silky smooth in the city, even on bad roads. If your commute is largely through bad roads, you can even try reducing to 30/32psi. That would be most comfortable.
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5. In case you went to Garuda Mall or JC Road multistory parking how did you find the ramp?
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I have not been to either of them. But have been to multilevel parkings at Bagmane Tech Park and the steep ramp at Forum Value mall in Whitefield. And a few other malls. No issues at all. No scraping whatsoever.
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6. Is it necessary to go for a seat cover?
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Yes, the beige fabric gets dirty pretty quickly. I am going for a seat cover soon. Unless you prefer the fabric, I would recommend you put a seat cover.
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7. What all features can I expect to miss from what GTO test drove and what you got?
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Hmm, that would be the leather wrapping and chrome insert on the steering wheel and a chrome highlight on the main light switch. Nothing else. All the other issues you must have heard (auto-speedlock mainly) are related to software updates which can be fixed from the service station. I have to get mine done as well.
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8. Is the service interval once a year or 15000 kms?
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It is 15000 kms or 1 year, whichever is earlier.
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9. Is there any on road assistance?
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Yes, VW has road assistance throughout India. They have a toll-free number to call if assistance is needed. Though, I have also taken road assistance from the insurance company, as a backup!
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Looking forward to your replies. I stay in North Bangalore and commute in the signal free corridor all the way till Raj Bhavan and then crawl till Manipal Centre in Dickenson road. Once in 2 month a long drive is what I do regularly. Palace Cross is on the way for me.
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I liked VW Palace Cross more than VW Downtown in terms of professionalism. So went with them finally!