Best Car in this Segment

Exterior

 Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some may feel that the design is a bit out dated. But for me its a timelss design that will age slowly than jazzy designs. The paint quality is excellent and once gravel from a truck ahead of me fell on the bonnet. Except for just one spot where there was a slight scratch my whole bonnet had not even one single scratch. Gravel even hit my windscreen and luckily nothing happened.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

 I bought an highline version and hence it has almost all the features that you'll require in a car. However it is not as much as that offered in Honda City or Suzuki Ciaz or Hyundai Verna. Vento's interiors are inviting, symmetric functional and looks premium. However, I like the interiors of Honda City than that of Vento, though the former is a bit asymmetric. Ciaz too has a good interior. However I do not like the interiors of Verna that much. 

From a space perspective, except for the hump in the back seat, which is a deterrent for the third passenger, it is quite spacious. The seats are comfortable for long rides as it is a bit hard. People may intitially feel that they are not as soft as their competitors. But these are the seats that are ergonomic and would say is best in class with good thigh support, good leg room and very good support to the back as well. Rear seats too have adjustable head rests and they can adjust the front seat for better leg room without having to have somebody in front to do that.

AC is adequate and is not as good as the Ford Fiesta or Verna in speed of cooling. Climate control works well and is easy to operate. The rear vents offer very good comfort to the back seat passengers. Windows have a safety feature of not closing if somebody accidently puts their finger in between. Front bottle holders are comfortable for even large bottles. Storages spaces are adequate but can have more cubby holes. Interior plastics have a hard feeling though they are very good and looks like made to last.

NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) are minimal and isolates the passengers from all the hustle bustle outside. Doors can be opened from inside anytime by all passengers unless child lock is activated. Anti-theft alarm makes sure the car is safe. It has an intelligent feature to ensure accidental touchs or pushes on the car are not considered as theft, avoiding that unnecessary false alarms.

From a driver perspective, all the controls are within reach and get a decent road view. However the rear view is a bit limited and has at least couple of blind spots. Lights are adequate and I use the fog lights as well in night for better visibility. Steering is almost precise though a bit hard. Steering has both rake and reach, meaning you can pull it towards you as well as move it up and down. Steering mounted controls work very well. All pedals are placed at the right spots, though there is no dead pedal. Driver seat has height adjust and with a bit of effort one can find the best driving position. The Speedo console and MID are very good and provide a lot of info like distance to empty, current speed/avg speed, current/avg mileage, trip meters, gear indicator (which gear you are currently driving in) with suggestions, outside temperature etc. There is no seat belt warning though.

The in car entertainment has Radio, CD and USB inputs. It is adequate enough for average music lovers. For audiophiles, they have to gave for some third party provider.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

 This is where the car excels. It has 105 PS with 250 Nm of torque. Those are very good numbers for this segment. With such amount of torques hill climbing and heavy loads are cake walks. Pick up very good and 2nd gear torque will make you fly from signals ahead of anybody. Its a highway scorcher. Speeds of 150+ is quite a normal thing to do ina  Vento. I have touched speeds upto 170kmph. One gripe is that the engine is a bit noisy, but not as noisy as the Honda City Diesel.

I get a city mileage of 14-16 kmpl depending on traffic and a highway mileage between 19 to 23 depending on the speeds that you touch.

Gearbox is slick and comfortable to use, without any false on incorrect gear slotting. Gear indicator helps to get the right gear in place.

Ride Quality & Handling

 Vento's USP is Ride Quality and Handling. It is surefooted and planted very well on the tarmac even at 170 kph. I made a risky maneuver while overtaking a duster at 160+ speeds, when a 4-way road suddenly merged into a 2-lane road. The car safely moved in the right lane without any body roll or uneasiness to the passengers. I had excellent control in doing this maneuver, which you only have in Vento in this segment.

Final Words

 People who look for a real car and not cosmetic features should look no further. Vento is an obvious choice. Certainly the sibling Rapid is also a good choice, except for Skoda's After Sales Service woes. Vento has the punch in terms of performance, very good ride and handling, pretty decent mileage and all the essential features.

Areas of improvement  

 The car can be kitted well for the competition. NVH levels and Steering can be matched to that of Rapid.

 

Ride & Handling, Performance, Tank like build qualityCenter hump in backseat, Featrures less compared to competition