Volkswagen - A brand which has put lots of doubt in the mind of the people who are looking for a car within a range of 7-10 lakhs .The ANHC was the best option available within this price range however VW had this in mind when they had to launch the Vento .They priced the car perfectly between the SX4 and the ANHC and gave us one more option to think about .It was a long time I waited for a test drive as I wanted to check out all the specifications and specifically if it is worth the test drive.
I had read so many reviews about the car and just a wild guess may be only 5% disliked the car however on the other hand may be only 20% were satisfied with the dealers and the way they treated their customers. Luckily I am the one who is categorized under the 20% customers.
Everyone by now knows all the specifications of the Vento however for the people who still are searching below is the link were the car is best explained
https://team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/87150-volkswagen-vento-test-drive-review.html
I went to the Paschim Vihar showroom yesterday in West Delhi and was very curious to know how the agent would behave as I had read so many reviews about bad customer service. To my surprise I was welcomed the moment I entered and the lady at the reception guided me to an agent whose name was Abhinav and he took me to the car and he started telling me about the car however I was not very interested in what he was talking as I knew a lot more than what he telling me about the car.
I went inside and the quality of the interiors were “WOW” .The plastic quality was amazing and I could feel the strength in just one touch .The steering was amazing to grip and didn’t get a chance to switch on the stereo however the seats were very comfy and the most disgusting part was the arm rest in way of the hand brake.
Then I moved on to the rear seat and the space was amazing however made for a couple of people only .The third person would as if he is sitting on a Eiffel tower because of the camel hump in between. Good heavens how could a company like VW do this. Not acceptable at all.
Now I thought let me ask Abhinav for a test drive and let me see the response. He straight away asked me for my license which I gave him happily thinking he would arrange a test drive in a day or 2 but he took me by surprise when he came back after 5 minutes with the keys of the car. I was like is this for real I never expected such a quick response and especially when the time was 2000 hrs the time to close. He asked me to sign a form and I went into the car and he then told me about the reverse which we have to press down and move it forward to the extreme left. The gear box is simply the best and smooth as silk. No HUD SHUD in the gear box. I drove the petrol version and the car was literally Dumb, I couldn’t hear anything sitting inside apart from the moment he switched on the A/C and turned the knob into 3.
The A/C is pretty effective however the rear A/C is not that impressive. I drove the car at speed of 50 km/h in the second gear and when the road was empty Abhinav asked me to put the 3rd gear and accelerate and I did that. Just about 3 seconds from then I saw the speed has rocketed to 95km/hr and without any trouble. I guess if it was the diesel Vento it would have rocketed to 130 km /hr.
The handling and suspension and the ride quality was just perfect. Be it at high speed the suspension is the best amongst its rivals. Anyone planning to take a test drive near West Delhi don’t think twice and go and meet Abhinav. VW need more people like him and if it happens then I guess VW has a great chance to capture the market.
BTW the interiors are much more attractive when you get into the car than the pictures. The ambiance is wonderful when you step in and look around the car.
Do’s for VW:
Take off the arm rest man how would we do the 360 degree spin - it is a deal breaker for me. Reverse parking sensor is a must. Needs a pure Hydraulic Unit for Steering. USB – Provide one. The camel hump at the back – Take it off for Gods sake.
Availability of parts – make all of them easily available - Again a deal breaker for me. I still need to check the automatic version as I would be only buying that one. Hope I love that too.
Cheers
John