Volkswagen Vento TDI DSG AT

Value addition

It’s the new mantra that manufacturers have embraced in the spirit of competitiveness, and it looks like there are plenty of offers for the consumers to make their choices from. A common practice in today’s market is to offer ‘benefits’ (extra features and cosmetic upgrades both in the cabin and for the body ) that then make a car stand out in the segment.

But Volkswagen, who is a bit different, has decided to take a different stretch of the Autobahn and is offering something that will make the effort of driving easier and more fun. Playing to their strengths, VW has fitted a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox and mated it to an India specific 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel engine, a first in segment combination for the Indian market. Needless to say, its younger cousin from the Czech Republic, the Skoda Rapid, gets the same.

Given that the Vento is known to be a fun car to drive, it seems that this addition maybe just the right trick to give the Wolfsburg-based automakers C-segment sedan the volumes that it so desperately needs.

The Volkswagen Vento got its last facelift in 2012 and this is a more comprehensive update in terms of looks. The fascia has been carried over from the 2012 update and includes smoked out headlamps, two slat chrome grille and chrome detailing on the bumper as well as the fog lamps.

Volkswagen has not made any major changes to the side profile of the Vento apart from a new design for the alloy wheels (and wheel covers). The older units had a simple six-spoke design while the wheels on the facelifted Vento are rather fancy five-spoke and star-shaped with lines running between the gaps. These wheels work well in bringing attention to the Vento’s flared wheel arches and add some class to the car’s squat stance. The rear remains completely unchanged from the previous model whose only major change, funnily enough, was the addition of a chrome strip below the number plate slot.

The Vento is one of the five main cars in the C-segment. It competes with the Hyundai Verna, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Honda City and the Skoda Rapid. In this battle, the Vento thanks to its subtle styling is a car you won’t miss in a crowd but one that you will not pay much attention to either. The appeal is more of an acquired taste, something that becomes more prominent when compared to the Skoda Rapid. The Verna and City are crowd pullers while the Ciaz carries a subtle design with just enough of the Japanese funkiness.

While the outside has not seen any major changes, Volkswagen has worked on the interior and appears to have included some nice bits of kit to give the Vento a chance to match up to its rivals. The first and most major change is that the cabin is now dressed in beige and brown combination as compared to the earlier models which sported a black and beige combination. Both the shades have a light tone and give the cabin an airy as well as spacious feeling.

We begin with a stand out element, which is the steering wheel. It gets a Golf-esque flat bottom unit which is in a shade of shiny piano black as compared to the beige and brown in the rest of the cabin.

There is chrome embellishment running around the centre while the buttons for the trip computer have been added to the right side of the wheel. We also have to mention that like the Polo, the Vento too now gets a black and white screen in place of the one with a red back light found in the older models.

Despite our test vehicle being the top-spec Highline diesel AT model there was no auto folding OVRMs or cruise control. Oddly enough, the latter is available on the Skoda Rapid. There are moveable headrests for all four seats with front two even getting height adjustable seatbelts.

All the major players have similar levels of basic equipment when it comes to the interior setup. Looking beyond that, we can see that the Ciaz and City have both beaten the previous segment leader, the Verna (which is due for a facelift at the time of this review) while in their own battle the Ciaz has the upper hand. Though the Vento slots in below these cars what it has conceded in terms of features has been more than made up for thanks to the excellent seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

The Volkswagen Vento that we drove is being offered with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel engine that produces 103bhp@4400rpm and 250Nm of torque@1550rpm with the peak coming in at 2000rpm and then a redline of 6000rpm. Power is sent to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. This is the same unit being offered with the Polo GT TSI and for the first time has been mated to a diesel engine of this segment (in India).

This mill is a downsized version of the 1.6-litre unit that powered the previous car and is now the common engine for the new line of diesel Polo hatchbacks as well as the Skoda Rapid. Despite the reduction in cubic capacity, the engine is still quite powerful and thanks to the excellent gearbox is a potent combination.

The seven-speed DSG is available with three modes -fully automatic, manual and sport mode. The gear ratios have been tuned for a majority of the power to be available in the mid-range. The tiptronic mode will let you hold the gears and shift on your whim while the sport mode pushes the revs till the red line and then changes the gears. The Vento is also offered with a five-speed manual gearbox.

There is a lag when you press the throttle but this is something that that will not affect the driving experience at lower speeds thanks to the well thought out gear ratios. The first three gears are extremely short while gears four to seven have been stretched to achieve the mid-range power delivery.

A drive back from Pune on the Expressway with the Vento DSG was one of the better experiences I’ve had on the warped concrete road. So impressive is the box that it switched to seventh gear just above 80kmph and did 100kph at just 2000rpm. The engine does get buzzy, especially after 120kmph but will keep going without any issues.

For a nation obsessed with diesel (for all the wrong reasons) you have to ask yourself, what took VW so long to offer this box for the Indian market? This combination of an old school four-cylinder diesel engine mated to a new gearbox lets you extract fuel efficiency anywhere between 19.1kmpl to 21.2kmpl on the highway and around 13kmpl to 16.5kmpl in real world city driving conditions.

While it does cost a bit more than the rivals, what you do get for the extra moolah is some fantastic German engineering and a proper automatic gearbox. The DSG's most attractive feature is that it allows you to keep both your hands on the wheel and your left leg resting on the floor (no dead pedal sadly). This makes driving the car in city conditions very easy and if you are in the mood, explore your driving skills and impress any ‘important’ passengers who may be in the car with you.

The Volkswagen Vento like the Skoda Rapid has been tuned with a good balance of ride and handling. Most bumps and imperfections are ironed out without much fuss and it is only when you go over really large obstacles that there is an audible thunk from underneath. Though be warned that when this happens the first time, it will scare you a bit and maybe cause you to even invoke the Almighty’s name hoping that nothing is broken due to the bump.

The steering feel is pretty decent and weighs up as you go faster but is not entirely accurate. However, it more than sufficient for the average driver to improve their point, aim and shoot skills when it comes to taking corners in quick succession. I did feel a bit of body roll while doing elevated corners on the Expressway but even this is manageable.

Like most of its rivals, the car has been oriented towards comfort but has a better balance of ride and handling than its competitors making it both comfortable and fun to drive.

At the end of this review, we have managed to arrive at the verdict that the VW has managed to pick a good USP and work correctly to add value to the Vento. It may be down on features as compared to its rivals and also is not the most exciting car to look at due to the flamboyance of its rivals.

The USP then is the fantastic seven-speed DSG. It is an excellent feature that they have added to the Vento’s offerings and on our chaotic roads that are unable to cope with the sudden growth of society; this addition will bring much happiness and ease of journey.

The company has been bringing out some great products like the Vento DSG and Polo GT TSI which will go a long way in cementing its name with regard to quality products. We just hope that they will be able to further improve the VW ownership experience in India.