Volkswagen Vento [2014-2015] User Reviews

Exterior Looks for blue and grey are simply awesome.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Leather seats are of very high quality, very uncomfortable left leg position for the driver, always touches the dash, driver seat and steering wheel position bound to give neck and back pain by 2000kms of driving, back middle seat is useless due to high bump on the floor. Doors are heavy for safety reasons but take massive efforts to open compared to other cars.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox If you need to feel the power within city limits or on the highway, this is the engine, zero turbo lag, superb responsive engine, fuel efficient and super smooth gear shifts, Engine drinks the engine oil, asks for top up every 6000kms. Very loud noisy engine, without putting on the music , the noise levels are similar to sleeper class compartment in Indian trains. Turbo charger noise is also audible inside the cabin, perfect high performance engine without the smoothness.

Ride Quality & Handling Driver would develop body pains due to the uncomfortable seating positions, clutch pedal is very hard compared Honda/Toyota, hand brake is not easily accessible due to the design of the arm rest, car is very stable while driving both at high and low speeds, feels very safe inside, feet develops pain after driving for 2000 kms or after driving for 3 months or so due to uncomfortable positioning of the pedals.

Inside rearview mirror is useless because of its very small size, high boot position too adds to complete blockage of rearview, while reversing Inside Rearview mirror is completely useless.

Final Words Very high maintenance costs.

Wheel alloy costs 22,000 INR, cant ignore this, this happens very frequently due to the potholes on state highways. Spare wheel is NOT an alloy wheel. No free servcings from VW, each servcing costs a minimum of 9000 INR. Tiny dents on any of the body part costs 6500INR to remove.

Areas of improvement Barring engine performance everything else needs improvement.

Fuel economy city:14kmpl highway:20kmpl,reliable for long drivesBack seat middle one unsuable, effectively 4 seater car,extreme high maintenance costs n wear n tear

My Vento experience after driving 37000 Kilometers:

Exterior Exterior choices are quite individualistic. Some people may find Japanese and Korean cars better looking than European clean designs. For me, I like more of European clean designs rather than so many slashes and creases. For me important is substance than form.

Interior VW/Skoda always gave all usable features which are required in a car rather than over doze of features we do not even use. For example, you get CD/radio player, Bluetooth telephony, auto adjustable mirrors, climate control & air vents for back passengers. Apart from these you get speed sensing door lock and good seats all around. Ergonomically Maruti cars are worst, people do rate Honda/Hyundai good but their seats are so soft that you will experience back and shoulder pain once you use these car for long journeys/commute every day. I am using this car for more than 3 years now and believe me there is no experience of rattling sound, vibrations and other plastics issues which are very common in Maruti, Honda, Hyundai & others. Problem now a days is, people prefer more of form rather than substance.

Engine, performance & Handling This is once place where company like Maruti, Honda, Hyundai & others should take lesson from VW. Most of these companies sacrifices their engines, car performance and handling with over doze of features. I am using diesel engine and it is a gem of an engine. People who loves driving should drive this car to experience what a good car means. Nevertheless, it does not mean it gives lousy mileage. In town like Bangalore I am getting 13-14 with A/C on everyday commute from home-office-home. On highways I get mileage of 24-25kmpl (with A/C). Gearbox is sleek and very precise. Steering is light in city and weighs up very well when you gain speed. There is good feel from steering (at this price point, because you are not paying for supercar). No car can compete on engine, performance and handling at this price point, not even Honda.

Final Words I think VW is making good car and they should feel proud of their flagship car (for India market). Most of the bad remarks I have read for VW on the internet looks exaggerated and does not seem real (this is my opinion). It is more of internet bashing because most of the brands cannot compete with VW/Skoda. From service experience perspective, there is no issues in Bangalore. Service expense is also not high, I am paying on an average of 13K-14K for each year service. Yes, there are some odd repair required because of pathetic roads in Bangalore but the service is prompt and there is no exponential cost associated. If you look at service cost it is as comparable as Maruti or other Japanese/Korean cars whereas you get much better car compared to Japanese/Korean.

Areas of improvement VW should move out Apollo Alnac stock tyres and replace it with Bridgestone/Michelin. It doesn’t matter even if this increases little cost to new VW/Skoda owners. Believe me this will increase user experience a notch better. Yes, I agree there are other companies who are using Apollo tyres but believe me VW is an elite brand & you do not make cars for cattle class.

Good style (Style is an individual choice) Superb build quality (No car in this category can match tVW should move from Apollo tyres to Bridgestone/Michelin (even if increases some cost I think “REAL”

Exterior I like the sleek looks which played a role in me buying the car.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox I just can't trust this car with reliability, its been to service centre too often. They claim you need servicing only at 15000 kms once, but it is for those who drive maybe 5000 km an year. For some one who really drives,  this car is a nightmare. Already had to claim warranty on AC, fuel filter and some packing issue in Engine i.e. within less than 2 years. Their staff says being a "new" entrant their ACs aren't still being manufactured to adjust and bear Indian "dusty" conditions.

In regular course too this car has been worst. Its disk break pads run out in less than 15000 kms and they blame the driver for it. It is my 3rd car and I never faced any such disgusting issue with any other car (Hyundai & Honda). No one listens to you in this company. Even if you hope to escalate an issue, its the same dealer who ends up calling you maybe with a free car wash offer. They rarely deliver your car in time as promised. Servicing cost is way too overboard. They charge you for even filling up your windshield water. The Engine noise has increased substantially in just 2 years from when I bought this car even with regular servicing.

There is nothing in this car for which you might say "Value for Money". It is all money and no value.

Ride Quality & Handling It is quite well at par with its competitors.

Final Words After weighing all pros & cons it is a big NOO for buying this car. It is simply "NOT WORTH IT".

Areas of improvement Many... dealership experience, need to reduce cost of servicing and parts heavily, make what you claim, buy ACs from someone who can make them to stand Indian conditions, there is no way a customer can reach company (through website, dealer escalations, anything). Even if someone calls for feedback, you never hear anything regarding that.

And what on earth can make somebody drive for 15000 kms after a service if "car breaks" don't last that distance. Just do something about it. I have driven too much to claim that there is something seriously wrong with this car.

Car is good to drive around, powerful, stable at high speeds. Good space & easy to reach controls.Too many problems, worst servicing staff & dealers, AC has chronic problem, v v high servicing cost

The most worst car of all times. lot of isssues with fuel injectors. company always blames on deisel and not replcing fuel injecors for free of cost. first two years everyone will be happy customers of vento.. after that everyone will face issues with fuel injecotrs. pls dont buy this car. I am writing with my self experience... volkswagen not cares about coustomer after selling products. service people are ridiculous all over... if you want to feeel the heat of volkswagen cars. Buy them and enjoy the heat. Fuel injectors cost you 95000 and the Engine mount in the car is very delicate that costs you 5000, brake pads will lost for only two years this costs you 10000 rupees... so in two years of time you should invest other 2 lakhs on vento. This may not happen to all customers.. but surely many of vento owners are facing these issues in car. Pls think before you buy this car. Thank you.

solid build quality but its really wastefuel injectors, brake pads, door beedings sound

Ride quality of this car is superb, even at High speed there is trouble. Comfort while driving is great., even after 4-5 hrs of continuous driving u will be fresh as if just started. Steering comfort on highways is unbeatable. A True Drivers car. Mileage on highways is 20-22Km/Ltr. depending on road conditions. City mileage varies from 8-16.

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

Buying experience: It is delivered as per the timing(1week)
Riding experience: The ride is excellent. Especially it mask the speed.
Details about looks, performance etc: It is an understated car for sure.
Servicing and maintenance: Servicing is once in a year but the cost is high comparing to the segment
Pros and Cons: Pros is it high speed stability Cons is servicing cost