Our Chevy Aveo had starting aging, not by the performance, but by lack of spares and pathetic service!. to be honest, many won’t agree, but it was an amazing car, comfortable, spacious reliable and hydraulic steering was oh-so-good
So our search started, way back in November- 2012.
the contenders were:
Ford Ecosport TDCi(Initial Choice)
Pros: Awesome to look at, awesome to drive, a compact SUV, what more do you want?
Cons: Rear seat is small, no boot space either, Cost cutting is crazily evident, Too Over-hyped.
Toyota Altis Diesel
Pros: Toyota, Design is good to look at
Cons: Underpowered and Underfeatured, it’s better off chauffer driven, not at all sporty!
Skoda Rapid TDI
Pros: Understated; Smart
Cons: Calculator like backligting, Stereo system and Aircon,
Showroom was a one room affair, as if it will shut shop the next day and one would hardly even notice!
Honda Amaze i-DTEC
Pros: Honda reliability; Engine
Cons: Looks, both inside and out, can’t really compare the Vento with it, segment apart. Fixed headrests, problem for turbaned drivers!
Honda City i-VTEC
Pros: Refined engine; costs less; drives good though engine isn’t exactly a ’hoot’!
Cons: Petrol; too many on the road; I am not a fan of the rear design; Funny-moody suspension setup!
New Ford Fiesta TDCi
Pros: Features; drive and suspension.
Cons: overpriced(but was offered a 2lakh discount on a 2012 model); stupid rear
Nissan Sunny Diesel / Renault Scala
Pros: Space and nothing else
Cons: Poor quality; diesel engine ‘OK’; ‘Pregnant’ Look, The dealership is owned by the worst business men of my city(Nissan, do your homework first)
Renault Duster Diesel
Pros: Presence and Image, nice ride quality
Cons: Side bulges hit everywhere, engine isn’t powerful enough, not a true SUV, I’ve had the experience of scraping it’s bottom on a speed breaker once
Hyundai Verna 1.6 CRDi
Pros: Fluidic; Silent engine; loads of features on offer.
Cons: boat like ride quality; crazy dynamics, a video-game controller has more feedback on the steering wheel!
Toyota Etios 1.4 D4D
Pros: Reliable, and Toyota
Cons: Interiors, and Exteriors, engine isn’t that great either
Fiat Linea
Pros: Fiat has always been my dad’s favorite(we had a Palio once, he loved it), Looks good, drives well
Cons: We did not know where to get one! TATA guys were hesitant and wanted to sell us a Manza or Indica D90 instead .C’mon!
So it starts like this:
Dad and Me have been planning to buy a car since November 2012 .
The delay of the car purchase was largely due to me waiting for the Ecosport launch and felt it will be wise for us to wait till June .
Then the Ecosport is shown at various malls and people are asked to drive it and stuff.
So finally Ecosport seems like a wait that will finally get over!
Then we see fellow member posting pictures of Ecosport from Infinity Mall, Mumbai .
I call my brother, ask him to see the car in flesh and report back.
He calls me the next day and says “brother, this may dishearten you, but this car is not for you!” .and goes on to explain the cost cutting level and the dull interiors .
Now, the Ecosport is out of equation!
Then in around mid-march, temperatures rising in our city, we needed the Aircon!
Aircon of our Aveo had always been a weak spot, numerous visits to the service centers could not solve the problem either .
So as usual the GM quotes me around 5k to repair the zircon .
My hunt begins for a new car!
We decide on the budget of 10-15lakhs, 10 being the most comfortable and 15 being a bit of a stretch .
Test drive each and every car and ask my friends to bring their own cars as well!
Call the previous car owners and ask them their experiences with the product and service .
Read ownership reviews, long term reviews…from almost everywhere on the internet .
Finally zero in on the Altis, Vento, Rapid
Go one day again, test drove the three cars again!
Rapid is nice but absolutely loathed the displays and suspension was a bit stiff for my liking as the roads here are not very welcoming to a stiff setup
Then the Vento, it was like a love at first site, the blacked out headlamps, the red Audi-like back lighting in the interior, the build quality was amazing.
Toyota was a major contender, but dad sternly asked me not to compare Japanese and Germans, and he was right, after the Vento I did not like altis even 1%, the ride though plush was not as involving as the Vento.
Finally, Volkswagen Vento was narrowed down
PROS:
Power, power and more power .very enthusiastic engine turbo kicks in after around 1.5k-ish rpm and then it’s speedometer needle rises like crazy!
Handling, though my Aveo had a Hydraulic Power Steering, the Jeep I ride have great feedback as well.this EPS is not at all bad, rather it’s better than the Aveo on low speeds .effortless and direct, I’ve done a 160kmph in straightline found the steering to be good as the best I’ve driven in cars of 2013
Design: Flawless and Understated, clean-crisp lines, silver colour and a layer of collinite make it even more better!
Interior Quality is the best I’ve seen in the sub-20lakh territory, I have driven many cars.though the dashboard may seem a little vanilla to some, but for me plain designs will look fresh for years whereas trendy and funky(read:Hyundai) may feel old after a certain period
Parking sensors in the rear are a big plus, very responsive and accurate(no display on the MID/HU though.!)
Everything inside the car feels built to last .rubber dampeners and good plastic quality that only germans can provide!
OVRM have sufficient range and easily adjustable
Seat Adjustments are great as well .especially the height adjustment, I am 5’4" and still can achieve a commanding view of the road
Head Unit is great .has all the features I need, the sound has been improved(VW introduced new speakers in Feb’13 as far as I have been told) .overall an 8/10
Turning Radius is small and perfect for the City. Blacked out headlamps look terrific and demand attention! Interior lighting(red) is very uniform and gives a premium feel to the whole car
Climatronic is super intelligent, aircon an absolute chiller too!
15000 km service, though I will get the car checked at 5000 and 10000 kms, but still.
CONS:
Diesel Clatter is audible, though music completely nullifies it.but coming from a petrol, I am just over expecting!
The engine isn’t as linear as I want it to be, turbo is amazing, ecu may need a remap to make the engine more linear
Rear View Mirror has insufficient range.I can barely see anything out of it, combine it with the headrests and the high rear, it makes matters even worse. Headlight intensity could have been better, no complains in the city(but do feel weak), I need to see how they perform on the highway. Wiper design is funny, while washing you cannot lift the driver side wiper up, you need to get into the service mode to do that!
No dead pedal
MYTHS BUSTED
Vento Does have Bluetooth and the call button is not a dummy but is used to pair, and receive calls . One can also play music via Bluetooth so it does have A2DP as well
The HU is RCD320 and speakers are excellent as well(SA said VW replaced the speakers in feb’13) and now finally no booming(my friend who owns a 2011 Vento says there is definitely a major improvement in this area)!
Braking is good and boosts confidence and by no means feels that it lacks bite Vento now has the same damping as its cousin Rapid since Sep’12 .(9wwc-something) so now the NVH is nearly 99% the same!
UPDATE: It has been 2.5 years with the ownership of the car, there have been absolutely no problems with the car at all.
Have upgraded my stereo / head unit with Blaupunkt Philadelphia 835
The car has clocked 22200 kms, and total cost of maintenance for 2.5 years( inclusive of dent and painting one side) is 18700