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Why I want to replace my old VW Vento with an SUV & what are my options

29th October 2022, 11:35 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

My Vento is a 1.6 petrol model with a manual transmission. It is now 8 years old and has clocked 36K km on the odo.

BHPian Auto_guy_101 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi all,

A little intro about me and my car. I'm from Kochi, Kerala, and have a VW Vento 1.6 petrol MT (2014). I work in Bangalore but WFH. This post is about looking for a replacement car.

About my Vento usage

I've largely been the only person driving the car and it had little use previously. It's now 8 yrs, 36K km. I don't have a daily drive and the car is largely for family use (now 3 of us - me, my mom, and grandmom). These kms were mostly from highway runs (Thrissur, Trivandrum, Bangalore).

Why do I want to change the car

Vento petrol is a great car. Fun to drive and has good power. I touched 150 kmph and the car had no problem going further. However, I've had some part failures:

ABS sensor: came to know this is common. I've had mine replaced 6 times. Now using Bosch sensors.
Radiator fan: at 33K kms this year. Got to know it failed due to the speedometer stopping. Cost 15K.
Steering rack: This year. 13K.
Shock absorber bushes / struts: Last year. The showroom guys gave me a 45K estimate. I took it to a place called Pete's and it cost 12K.
Battery / starter motor brushes changed.

I'm seeing good maintenance spending, lower mileage, and not great power (for 2022 comparison) from this car. Hence, looking for a switch.

The options

I want a decent performer with decent mileage and trouble-free maintenance. The budget is around 20L but can be pushed for a good deal. But AT is a must. Preference for SUVs. What I had in mind are:

Kushaq / Taigun
Creta / Seltos
Nexon petrol
XUV700
Hyryder
Thar (2-door is an issue)

Yet to TD most of them. Some cars I love but are above budget / not available are:

T-roc
Compass (my most sought-after car)
S-Cross

Here's what BHPian bijims had to say about the matter:

Considering the options listed, here are my suggestions:
Kushaq/Taigun
Performance from the 1.0 L TSI is satisfactory, but what enthusiasts will love is the 1.5L TSI which is an absolute hoot to drive, mileage of these cars as per ARAI ranges from 17.2 kmpl for the 1.0 L to 17.8 kmpl for the 1.5 L. The higher mileage for the 1.5L is because it came with cylinder deactivation technology which helps in increasing mileage. A good choice to consider due to the impeccable safety and performance on offer. It's now been rated the safest car in India by Global NCAP with a 5-star crash testing rating for both front and rear occupants.
Creta/Seltos
The Korean twins have been the best-sellers in the segment for quite a while now, owing to the complete package offered by them. Although not the safest cars out there, they are offered in a variety of engine and gearbox options to choose from, with 1.5L NA Petrol with IVT, 1.5L Diesel with TC AT, and a 1.4L Turbo-petrol with DCT being the automatic gearboxes available.
Out of these, my suggestion would be to go for the 1.5L Diesel AT which provides a perfect balance of power, performance, and mileage. Moreover, maintenance would not be much of an issue either.
Nexon Petrol
When you are spending over 15 lakhs for an SUV, I would not recommend you go for a 3-cylinder petrol AMT, not only is the AMT jerky, but the engine ain't the most refined either.
XUV700
The best SUV you can get under 25 lakhs, period, loads of space, more than adequate performance, and a truly big car at that. The XUV700 has all you need in a car at this price point, however, mileage won't be the best owing to the thirsty engines on offer.
Hyryder
The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder is the most fuel-efficient car you can get with an ARAI-certified mileage of 27.97 kmpl, the Hybrid system is a boon in traffic and the car is a good choice for sedate drivers with just about adequate performance on tap. Not the most powerful or torquey engine out there, but it gets the job done while providing you with class-leading fuel economy.
Thar
The 3-door Thar isn't the most practical choice out there, if you are insistent on the same, you would be better off waiting for the 5-door whose launch is just around the corner.
Hope it helps!

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say about the matter:

I have an absolutely contrary take on this.
Yes, indeed I am with you that you have suddenly started seeing maintenance spends. What needs to be kept in mind, is despite this being a ‘single owner/ single hand driven’ car, it is 8+ years old.
That's why some parts are likely to fail probably due to age and fatigue and need replacing. Our country and its climatic conditions and driving conditions and roads etc are NOT kind to vehicles. So the likely wear down of parts is going to be higher here than in Europe or the USA, irrespective of whether the car is used or not. Even if the car just sits there, it is slowly experiencing parts deterioration. More so in climates with high humidity, salt content in the air, heavy monsoons and harsh sunshine.
My point here is that you've spent a good deal on the vehicle and its maintenance. You like this car and are happy with its driving experience. And your usage isn't much. You should therefore extract the best value you can from your investment already made.
The Vento is a lovely car. That generation of Vento will be hard to replace in terms of finish, quality, weight and handling etc. If you want more power you can chip it and upgrade your suspension and tyres. And use XP 95 petrol for a cleaner combustion / burn.
Honestly, NONE of the newer vehicles will excite you much. They are all built to meet a price and this shows. They ‘ain’t got no soul’.
Let me give you two examples from my personal experience.
My Skoda Yeti
It was 8 years old when I sold it. It had hardly been driven 50000 odd kms and I had just spent big money in preventive maintenance like timing chain and water pump and Haldex fluid and all that. I sold it because I had broken my foot and that triggered the need for an automatic. So the new buyer became lucky. But had I been patient, maybe I would have just kept that car because it was in such good condition. Basically, I did not extract the value from my investment in the case of that car.
My Mini Cooper
It was 7.5 years old when I bought it. It had hit 33700 genuine kms. But around a month after I bought it the maintenance issues started showing up. Coolant pump, all brake rotors, steering ball joint, brake pads, some hoses, the breather valves, the entire ATF Fluid drain and change, the PCV system membranes and sensors and leads, then the bigger ones, fuel filter, ignition coils, spark plugs and then the really big one the entire suspension and dampers and all. All the tyres needed changing and so on. And on the way quite a few cosmetic parts and rubber parts needed to be replaced because of rubber and plastic deterioration, hood cowl, bumper air vents for the brakes, rear hood release, bonnet bowden cables. Etc. The list is huge. And I have the entire history.
This car also tends to eat up brake pads and the brake sensors as well keep needing change. But that's the nature of the beast. And if you love the beast, as I do, then you’ll also keep feeding it, as I do.
And the journey still continues, I will say!
So, I’d like to state here that, irrespective of whether the car is used much or not, it will require these jobs done on it. I can only say that since I got the car about 3 years ago, I have driven about 23000 Kms in it - the odo is at about 56700 now. I have tried to use it as much as possible. Any reason to jump in and drive, and I grab it.
For this vehicle, though I have scoured the globe for parts and spent countless hours researching multiple Cooper forums, DIY techniques on Youtube and weeks in the garage with it and of course invested a great deal of money as well in parts, import, freight, customs duties, on sourcing high priced items locally at BMW India etc, I am decidedly NOT regretting it.
I can safely say that I am in the process of trying hard to extract the best value that I can, from it because it is also a ‘modern classic’ in a sense.
And before anyone ’profiles’ me. Do note that I am not a ‘rich’ dude in that sense, sitting pretty in an ivory tower, awash with stacks of lucre, either inherited cash or real estate or some other wealth. I am just a normal service industry person who earns a salary, but I love cars and would not wish to compromise on properly looking after the ones that I own.
In my view, you should hang on to your car till it reaches the ten-year mark and by then you will be better spoilt for choice when it comes to a change / upgrade.
That's my 75 bits of contribution towards addressing your dilemma (Or maybe towards contributing further to your confusion).