Volkswagen Vento Highline Ownership Review & Buying Experience


Thread Starter #1
Joined
Aug 9, 2012
Messages
91
Likes
5
Location
Bangalore
This is Volkswagen Vento ownership review. Covering buying, ownership and maintenance experiences.

Hi everyone,

This is my second thread in the forum. It's weekend and let me make use of the free time to come up with my VW Vento ownership and car buying experience.

Let me see how interesting and excited I could keep all my fellow TAI members through my post.

Well the search started almost a year back during end of May. It's been close to two years since our Tata Indica Xeta has been with us. I liked my Xeta and it's a true value for money. We absolutely had no problem with the car and the after sales service from Tata is really to be appreciated. I had taken an AMC from Tata and had not paid a single rupee for all my services, spare parts replacement, labour. Tata/Fiat car owners - if you need to know more about AMC you can reach out to me.

Now coming to where I started. Well the Petrol price has almost increased by 1/3rd since we bought the Xeta car. Also we needed a more luxury/comfortable drive for our long rides.

Unlike our first purchase where we kind of rushed, me & wifey were much focused now.

Preparation:
Me & Wifey listed on what we need in the new car.
1. DIESEL & only Diesel car [even if there is a free car no more petrol car]
2. Comfortness/Luxury for long drive
3. No customizations to the car. No more Autocop accessories. All accessories should be standard & inbuilt.
4. Airbags [both driver & front co-passenger]
5. ABS
6. Alloy Wheels
7. Decent boot space
8. Atleast 50% down payment - means car loan for not more than 50%

Then came the major question – how do we fund & budget constraints. So budget came to about not more than 8L on-road price.

Then started the showroom visits, test drive.

We shortlisted
1. Swift Desire
2. Fiat Linea
3. Ford Fiesta – One of my friends has this. So ruled out.
4. Chevi Optra - very old model. So ruled out

Yes Vento was not in the initial list

We were excited on our car hunt.

Swift Desire: Surprisingly we had a decent reception and service @Maruti showroom. Only ZDI comes with ABS, Airbags alloy wheels and no optional features in VDI. ZDI on road comes to around 9L+.
Pro: Maruti tag, service
Cons: Somehow I am not a big fan of Swift & Desire
Also you get a feel of a hatchback and not that of a sedan
Waiting period 6 months
Also the resale value they quoted for my Xeta was peanuts. They never got the test drive vehicle. So ruled out.

Fiat Linea: With ABS, airbags the onroad came to about 9.5L+ There was an offer going on and if we are lucky winner Fiat will offer 1L discount. We are taken aback and this will be well within our budget.
Pro: WOW, Linea is a fun to drive.
Smooth ride and better handling even at higher speeds.
Complete package – ABS, airbags, alloy wheels, Bluetooth, Steering Controls, USB
Moreover Fiat gave us a very good deal for my Xeta.
Cons: Very discouraging sales figure of Linea
Fiat brand value

But we zeroed on in Linea. Yes we had.

Wifey insisted on visiting another Fiat showroom and the hunt began on the next weekend. I missed the route and entered into Hosur road [from Silk Board]. Wifey spotted the Volkwagen showroom and she was happy to visit another car showroom. I was hesitant and told Wifey that Vento is way beyond the budget. She was insisting on to visit.

Well I have to stop at VW now [;)]. Hesitantly I entered the showroom. My craze on German cars came out and Wifey spotted a glow on my face. I should thank her now.

Volkswagen-Vento-Highline-Front-View.JPG

The sales guy was very interested and did good justice for his job.

Now we headed to another Fiat dealer in Bannerghatta Road. Almost here also they offered the same deal.

I said a strict no to VW and we zeroed in for Linea and planned to do the booking in July end. We happily visited our native place in August and things got a complete U-turn over there.

My father-in-laws friend suggested – why Linea? Why don’t you add 10% more and go for Vento. We don’t have plans to sell this new car and not bothered about resale value.

Well we were puzzled and now back to square one! We relooked at the options and decided to check for
1. Vento
2. Verna
3. Scorpio
4. Xylo

Booked test drive for Vento & Verna. Luckily both got their test drive vehicles to my place the same day. I was able to take back to back test drive. This helped a lot in deciding.

Verna: New model and has almost all loaded features.
Pro: Has almost all features
Disk brakes on all 4 wheels, ABS, Airbags, Bluetooth, Steering Controls, Reverse camera
Cons: Ride handling. I was taken aback by it ride handling abilities.
I could literally feel the Steering wheel vibrating [like hell] even @ 90KM.
My Xeta is better when compared to Verna.
This defeats all other pro’s.
Waiting period 6-8 months.
And moreover the dealer was behaving as if he is giving the car for free.

Scorpio, Xylo: I was bit concerned about the mileage factor and hence ruled out.

Vento: Now comes our best pal VW Vento – Highline Diesel
Pro: VW brand value
German Engineering
Wonderful ride handling.
Vento is a sheet beauty to drive.
2 months waiting period
Cons: No steering control
No Bluetooth
No USB support
I was promised though that I would be a one of first customers to get the new model with USB, Steering control mounted Vento.

Well I din’t believe the sales guy, but still decided to book Vento.

My Wifey was in favour of Verna. But she let me decide as I would be the one driving the car [mostly].

Hurreeyy!!! Booked our "Vento Highline Diesel" mid-September & we asked for delivery during December.

Now coming to the more reasons on why I chose Vento.

  • German car
  • Tilt & Telescopic adjustable steering
  • You won’t feel a difference whether you are driving at 20KM or 130KM speed.
  • At 1500KM the car literally flies. You will just love and enjoy the engine power on a highway.
  • Brand Value.

Well now I can happily say a big thank you to my Wifey and my uncle’s friend.

During November second week the sales guy called and informed that my car is allocated. Wow a pleasant surprise. Well, the immediate weekend we headed to see our car. Did a thorough pre-check of the car and went ahead with the other pre-delivery formalities.

To our pleasant surprise, the car was with Steering mounted audio control, USB support as promised by sales guy. In addition it also has reverse parking sensor with a digital display. We were in cloud nine!

Had gone with a checklist
1. VIN number
2. Odometer reading
3. Check for scratches
4. Apart from these they dint allow to check the interiors.

Completed the formalities and we were ready to take our Vento during last week of November. We had been preparing for this day for a long time.

Arrived at the showroom well ahead of time. Inspected the car again.
1. Checked the exteriors again.
2. Checked all the features of the car
3. Asked for a thorough demo of the car.
The sales guy was surprised to see me come with a checklist.

The puja for the car done and I started the car. Asked the sales guy to get the car out of the garage. Another puja done and we headed straight to temple.

It’s been close to a year now. Wifey is now just enjoying the Vento. Better road handling. She read few -ve reviews on Verna. The brand value and wow factor when someone asks “Oh you have a VW! & that too Vento”.

VW-Vento-Highline-Front-View.JPG

Now we need not worry about whether uphill or downhill, with AC or without AC, @50KM or @120KM the car behaves the same.

Just Loving the Vento experience! 9000KM+ and counting

If you need more specifics, you can let me know. All other standard car features are available everywhere. I have shared my experience here.
 
Joined
Jun 17, 2012
Messages
555
Likes
21
Location
Bangalore
Re: VW Vento Highline- Ownership review and buying experience

Parthi nicely done buddy
after 9k done on vento
what kind of mileage are you getting with the same
with A/c and non a/c
and how much did you pay for onroad ??
 
Thread Starter #3
Joined
Aug 9, 2012
Messages
91
Likes
5
Location
Bangalore
Re: VW Vento Highline- Ownership review and buying experience

Parthi nicely done buddy
after 9k done on vento
what kind of mileage are you getting with the same
with A/c and non a/c
and how much did you pay for onroad ??
I always drive with AC both within city(90%) and highways(100%)
within city limits - 12-14 KM/L
Highways - 17-18KM/L. because my average speed is always 110+ with Vento

On road - with accessories sun film, body cover & seat cover it came to 12.5L. Well that's more than 50% of budget what we initially thought for [:D] Since I opted for Highline no other accessories were required.

Ride handling and body build of Vento is the best in the segment.
 
Joined
Feb 3, 2012
Messages
1,436
Likes
100
Location
Ghaziabad
Re: VW Vento Highline- Ownership review and buying experience

hey mari.parthi (what should I call you- is Parthi ok?)

Congrats for Vento. Ownership review is very well written.
Hope you have a good time with your Vento and on this forum. Check other Vento ownership threads too for features etc. and add more pictures.

Congrats again
 
Joined
Feb 2, 2012
Messages
2,650
Likes
461
Location
Gurgaon
Re: VW Vento Highline- Ownership review and buying experience

Congratulations on the Vento Mari and that's a nice detailed review.

That's a good FE you getting at those speeds. And yes Vento has very good stability at high speeds better than the Verna though.

Do post more pics of your Vento.
 
Joined
Jun 17, 2012
Messages
555
Likes
21
Location
Bangalore
Re: VW Vento Highline - Ownership Review and Buying Experience

hey parthi
thanks for the comments and FE review
sounds like deal since your driving it at 110+
anyone driving it within sane RPM should get a good FE of 20+ then
 
Joined
Apr 16, 2012
Messages
22
Likes
0
Location
Bangalore
Re: VW Vento Highline - Ownership Review and Buying Experience

Hi Parthi : Congrats...My suggestion if you havent done is to get a 3M Kagu Mats for Vento...The first thing i did after i bought car was the kagu mats. The OeM mat is not something i would suggest...

Happy Vento'ing...
 
Thread Starter #9
Joined
Aug 9, 2012
Messages
91
Likes
5
Location
Bangalore
Re: VW Vento Highline - Ownership Review and Buying Experience

Thank you Baskar. I have out a lamination on the floor of the whole interiors and it's very useful. i can just wipe the floor with a wet cloth & now i need not worry about mud, stain spoiling the car interiors.
 
Joined
Feb 20, 2012
Messages
58
Likes
1
Location
Bangalore
Re: VW Vento Highline - Ownership Review and Buying Experience

Thank you Baskar. I have out a lamination on the floor of the whole interiors and it's very useful. i can just wipe the floor with a wet cloth & now i need not worry about mud, stain spoiling the car interiors.
Congrats parthi. Nice looking car ( I have got the same as well, only in blue[:)] )

Wouldnt the lamination on the floor make it slippery? I could be dangerous if your foot slips while, lets say applying brakes sometime. You should definitely put some non-static mats there. 3D Kagu are the best but you can get cheaper ones as well in the market.
 
Thread Starter #11
Joined
Aug 9, 2012
Messages
91
Likes
5
Location
Bangalore
Re: VW Vento Highline - Ownership Review and Buying Experience

I got the floor mats from the standard VW accessories. In addition to the floor mats i have kind of laminated the floors. yes if not it might be slippery like you suggested.

One question though: the rear mud flop (standard VW accessory) is bit lengthy and it hits bumpers, bad roads most often. Are you also facing this issue? Any alternate? VW dealer informed me that they don't have an alternate to this mud flop.

This is the only problem I have.
 
Joined
Feb 20, 2012
Messages
58
Likes
1
Location
Bangalore
Re: VW Vento Highline - Ownership Review and Buying Experience

I got the floor mats from the standard VW accessories. In addition to the floor mats i have kind of laminated the floors. yes if not it might be slippery like you suggested.

One question though: the rear mud flop (standard VW accessory) is bit lengthy and it hits bumpers, bad roads most often. Are you also facing this issue? Any alternate? VW dealer informed me that they don't have an alternate to this mud flop.

This is the only problem I have.
Well the floor already had a poly cover in my car when it was delivered. I got 3D Kagu mats on top (these are quite snug fit as these are custom for Vento) but still the mats used to slip all the time. I removed the polythene cover then and now there is no issue. The Kagu mats has a velcro lining at the bottom that kind of sticks to the floor carpet and there is no slippage whatsoever.

The mud flaps in my Vento are the shorter ones. Recently VW have modified the design and these are noticably shorter than what used to come earlier (by about 4-5 inches). These still touch undulations if I drive at higher speed (for example if I drive over any sudden craters on the roads at 50-60 type speeds) but 99% of the time everything is ok as I literaly crawl if road is bad or there is a speed breaker.

If you are not getting the new flaps from VW then you can buy rubber flaps from any accessories shop. Those would be flexible (unlike the hard ones provided by VW) and wont make any sound.
 
Thread Starter #14
Joined
Aug 9, 2012
Messages
91
Likes
5
Location
Bangalore
Re: VW Vento Highline - Ownership Review and Buying Experience

can you share the experience of your dealer in Bangalore.
I got it through Elite Motors in Bangalore. Overall the experience is good if not great.

There are 3-4 dealers in Bangalore. Both Elite Motors & Downtown have the same owner/management. So it does not make a difference if one goes to Elite Motors (Hosur road) or Downtown (Near Brigade Road).

Palace cross people did not even bother to answer my sales query nor they were ready to send test drive vehicle.

Customer service in Elite Motors is really good and before vehicle booking they are very prompt in responding to your sales queries, test drive etc. But once booking is confirmed there is a slight lag (which is expected as they have met their sales target and now on the hunt for the next customer).

What I really liked is:
  • Sales guy know's the in & out of the car. You ask him anything about VW or Vento you have the answer immediately.
  • They also accept the keep the -ve aspects of the car upfront.
  • No false promises.
  • No false promise like delivery in 2 weeks and in reality you wait for 2 months. Was promised 2 months waiting and vehicle was ready for delivery in 5 weeks.
What I did not like
  • Downtown is kind of parent org for Elite Motors.
  • So for every additional accessory, they will have to take you for a visit to Downtown (if you prefer to choose the accessory after looking all options).
  • Few sales queries I had asked for post my booking - they took their own sweet time and were not prompt.


Make caution in getting the below done.
  • Get a quotation of the on-road price in their letter head before booking.
  • Get in writing on the tentative delivery date for the car.
  • List down all the accessories with [type, price, quantity] etc & again get a quotation in their letter head.

You should follow this practice for all the dealer. It helped me get Rs 1000/ reimbursement from Elite Motors. To my surprise they were very prompt and they actually asked the sales guy to deliver the cheque in person to me.

I would definitely vote to Elite Motors Bangalore.
 

Top Bottom