VW Vento Diesel Automatic: Unmatched Safety and Performance

It's been while now that VW had introduced Vento in India. Vento has seen many updates since its launch. I'm writing this review after driving this car for more than 16200 KM on various terrain and traffic conditions. I hope the one who is looking for or zeroing for new car would get some real insight from this review. 1. Buying experience: I would further divide this one in to two parts (a) Pre-booking experience and (b) post booking experience. While i was looking for sedans and flipping through the Hondas, Hyundais, fords...suddenly VW vento grabbed my attention when i got to see this beauty closely for the 1st time. The dealership in Surat (Navjeevan Auto) was good as far as describing the car and encouraging for test drive. I also got feeling of trustworthiness while interacting with them regarding the vehicle and their policies. So full marks on pre-booking experience to VW dealership. However, the post booking experience was equally bad as they forced me to take insurance from their own dealership and argued illogically for petty issues, so i would give Average rating there. 2. Looks and features: Vento gives feeling of classiness. As far as exterior is concerned VW could have done much better to match up with the likes of Verna, City or ciaz. Vento is missing on many features as compare to these well established cars e.g. Projected headlamps (2017 model), DRL, Splitting tail lamp, key less entry, Start/stop button, Navigation, sunroof, etc. However, it offers some of the very unique features which others are not yet introduced e.g. DSG gearbox, Tilt & Telescopic steering wheel, excellent built quality, etc. 3. Riding experience: This is the most amazing part of Vento. Driving Vento with DSG gearbox is thrill. The gearshifts are absolutely smooth that i would fail to know how it aptly changes the gear when needed to. The built quality is such that it feels like i'm seating in a bulletproof bunker. The interiors are so much classy and posh. There is no nonsense thing inside the cabin of the vento. I can adjust the seat both horizontally and vertically, adjust the steering wheel for rack and reach. The steering seemed slightly on a heavier side for slow speeds but it is awesomely amazing to grip it on the highways and on high speeds. The most annoying part for me (For others it could be a plus point) is the engine sound when the car is idling or on a relatively slower speeds. The control on the higher speed is very confidence inspiring. Also the suspensions of the Vento is perfectly designed for the Indian road conditions and one can glide over the pot holes and the rumble strips without any problems. 4. Servicing and Maintenance: When i was looking for the best cars, i used to hear from various people that the VW has high maintenance cost as the parts are imported from Germany. Also there are limited service stations across India unlike Maruti or Hyundai for that matter. However, after my detailed inquiry i found that all the parts are now being manufactured in their Chakan plant and i got to see the price list of parts and they are more or less at par with the other brands. Also in VW car the frequency of service is yearly unlike other brands which call for the service every six months. 5. Pros and Cons: Pros 1. Superior built quality 2. Posh interiors 3. Safety features 4. DSG gearbox 5. Riding quality 6. Stability and control 7. Comfortable seats 8. Fuel efficiency with Automatic transmission 9. Road presence 10. Serice Cons: 1. Slightly dated exterior 2. Less features offed compare to rivals 3. Engine noise when idling (Diesel variant) 4. Low ground clearance for Indian conditions 5. Cost 6. Resale value I hope i could give some practical details of VW Vento in my review which may help the buyer while flipping through the options.