Third report

SIXTH REPORT

Current Odo reading: 8500

Kilometres clocked since last report: 1400

Mileage: 11.5

Expenses: Nil

The Vento is proving to be a real Volkswagen now. The quality of parts is just top notch and the Vento is playing the perfect family car this time around. A couple of birthdays and short outdoor trips have seen the Vento stack up over 8500 kms. Even under normal usage, the seat fabric does tend to pick up stains rather easily and cleaning them is a nightmare. I’ve also grown to miss the presence of a seat height adjuster, as the current driving position isn’t quite upto the mark. It’s comfortable, no doubt, but seated a little higher, I’d have been in a slightly more commanding stance. Another feature I wish was present is the fuel economy calculator, something that works rather well on the Polo TDi and makes life that much easier.

Current Odo reading: 7100

Kilometres clocked since last report: Odometer error. The car has only coverd 900kms on the trip.

Mileage: 11.5

Expenses: Nil

The Vento is proving to be a real Volkswagen now. The quality of parts is just top notch and come what may, the interiors refuse to rattle, squeak or anything of the sort. Even generic things like the wiper/indicator stalks have a soft-touch feel to them and lend that ever-important ‘premium’ feel to the car. Another interesting aspect is the acoustics of the car. Our Kenwood unit (four speakers) produces notes that belong to a higher-end car. Driving, especially in traffic, would be hopeless without music and hence it’s a good feeling to be seated in a car that costs Rs.10 lakh but feels like one that is priced much higher.

That said, I wish VW would make the Vento look a little more distinctive from the Polo. The Polo/Vento are selling in good numbers and hence, finding one in parking lots can be a bit unnerving. Although it is, by no means, a bad looker alright! It has never looked like a hatch with an afterthought of a boot and the security guard of my apartment complex executes a salute just as sharp as the one for the Audis and BMW of our neighbours. The ultra-low chin spoiler looks swank and stands out even more on colours other than grey, however, the overall low ground clearance of the Vento does come in the way of carrying a full-load of passengers. It has bottomed out more than once and repeated incidents as such may prove expensive, apart from giving one a bruised ego.

FOURTH REPORT

Current Odo reading: 5280

Kilometres clocked since last report: 993

Mileage: 11.5

Expenses: Nil

Expecting much from a 1.6 litre petrol may seem unrealistic but Volkswagen’s taught the engine some manners. It’s never felt underpowered (and rightly so) whether on extended periods of fast driving or for those short bursts of acceleration so necessary to overtake the hordes of trucks on my commute to work. Alternatively, the motor is also very relaxed and if attended to with a light foot, returns fuel efficiency in the range of 11.5kpl to 14 kpl.

Positives. One aspect that I haven’t mentioned earlier is the performance of the headlamps. The beam is strong, with a really good range and I’ve missed fog lamps on only some very rare occasions. Driving late nights on the Mumbai-Pune expressway was never this rapid and it really makes light work, pun intended, of quick inter-city jaunts. That and, of course, the precise driving manners of the Vento make it a near-perfect car that you’d really be glad you’d bought. Why near perfect? Well, you see, this week’s seen roughly 350km of driving and that, despite the good fuel efficiency, meant a major portion of my expenses have been petrol related. Now that wouldn’t have been such an issue if petrol prices weren’t increasing at such an alarming rate. Oh, and the noise from the front left still makes an occasional appearance but I’m going to wait for it to get substantial before I report it to the good folks at VW.

Current Odo reading: 4287

Kilometres clocked since last report: 704

Mileage: 11.5

Expenses: Rs 150 (Tyre punture and repair)

Volkswagen returned the Vento in two days deeming it fit as ever. Our service advisor said that there was nothing wrong with the car so there was no need to service it. The car felt okay for the best of the 700 kms but after 650 kms the niggling thudding sound cropped up. It wasn’t much and wasn't present at all times. It didn’t affect the drive quality or handling in any a way, so we let it be. For a major part of the 704kms, the Vento was driven in the city. It has been hassle-free so far and the initial stiffness is gone, the engine now feels more responsive and returns a better mileage.

On a certain wedding trip, the Vento comfortably seated six adults with enough leg and headroom. The rear space and the head and shoulder room are indeed worthy of a special mention. The armrest however isn’t adjustable and that is of some discomfort while changing gears. It has to be pulled up (thus losing the very point of an armrest) and the driver’s seat could do with seat height adjust.

The design and styling always make a few heads turns, the style and design make the Vento look like a car more expensive than it actually is. Unlike a few of its competitors, it still isn’t perceived as a common car and that adds to car’s class.

Second Report

Current Odo reading: 3583
Kms driven since last report: 1185
Overall economy: 10.3kpl

Before I could call her mine for a while, the Vento had changed many a hands at work. The first time, she didn’t feel confident enough. After 120kph she would stop being friends with me, do a jiggle with every gear shift and laze around when I really needed a good pick up in traffic. So for the first few days I simply tiptoed around the car, until one fine day I woke up at 10.30am for a 9.30am meeting. Then, as is expected, all hell broke loose.

Through traffic and the mess our roads can be, the car absolutely had to fly me to work and to my surprise – she indeed did. The brakes cut in just fine, hardly needing any effort. However the engine did feel a little sluggish at a lower rpm. But nudge the tachometer’s needle the wrong way and right at the top she will take you. Over time you realise it isn’t the car that lacks confidence but you.

The Vento is a car to read a newspaper while sipping takeaway coffee. The interiors feel smart and welcoming and a few people, who were ferried in the car, were happy to have met her. The seating position is low and comfortable and the overall experience is generally pleasant. The gearshift doesn’t do what it shouldn’t to your wrist and the steering though a little light, feels in-control and steady.

But the same cannot be said of the suspension. Pebbles and potholes make themselves felt and a strange sound thumps away all along. So we decide to the let the Vento have a check-up. The car they say will have to stay at the service centre for a few days. With much difficulty, we return the car, hoping she returns fit and healthy. The car has covered 3583 kilometers and I am told she will hang around with us until March. Can’t wait to find out what a long drive with her will be like.

FIRST REPORT - Rachit Hirani

The farewell of our beloved MacroPolo didn’t hurt as much as Volkswagen upgraded us with to the Vento. So we headed to the KSM Volkswagen workshop in Navi Mumbai to pick the Vento, our new long termer. We get the petrol variant of the Vento, but to our dismay it’s the base variant – Trendline.

So, after finishing all the formalities I got the Vento key. Disappointed I must say, it wasn’t a folding key like the Polo— the top-of-the-line Polo and Vento get keyless entry folding key. We got into the car, and realised that the Trendline didn’t have seat height adjust, no defogger for the rear glass and no fog lamps either. On cranking the engine, we did feel something was missing. It was the diesel clatter of our Polo. The Vento was a petrol and was quiet and highly refined just like any other modern petrol engine.

The odometer said that the Vento had previously clocked 2398kms – which isn’t a bad number. The 1.6-litre petrol engine feels more powerful than our diesel Polo, which had some amount of turbo lag. This is a 1.6-litre petrol engine that produces 104bhp of power and 153Nm of maximum torque meshed with a five-speed manual transmission. We have already seen this engine powering the Volkswagen Polo and even the Skoda Fabia. Volkswagen has tuned this engine for better fuel economy, but the engine pulls the car cleanly if not strongly.

On the inside, there are some add-ons like it has the centre armrest and dark brown & beige interiors rather than black & beige that were there on the Polo. The Vento’s wheelbase (2552mm) is longer than the Polo (2456mm) which increases the comfort for passengers sitting at the rear. The Vento boot can swallow upto 480 litres of luggage, good enough for long trips.

Volkswagen loaded our Vento with a Volkswagen recommended Kenwood mp3 system which has USB and aux-input, Vento floor mats, alloy wheels and 15-inch tyres. All these features aren’t available on the Vento Trendline and one has to buy them as extra accessories if you want them. These accessories are available at any Volkswagen dealership and the pricing of these added frills is given below.