Vento is a car that makes me want to go on long drives. It puts a smile on my face even after driving through the horrible North Karnataka roads.

BHPian travelwriter recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

It is over two years now since I bough my Vento TSI Automatic. I have driven it for over 30,000 kms; more than 70% of this was on highways. I have got two services done and, sadly, have had minor bruises inflicted on the car. I thought this was a good occasion to share my ownership experience with all.

A quick recap on why I chose Vento.

I always wanted a sedan. I consider the SUVs currently being sold as just taller hatchbacks and am not particularly fond of the way they perform. Further, there were other considerations such as (in order of priority)

• Performance and handling
• Safety and vehicle sturdiness
• Looks
• Creature comforts
• Running costs

While I thought I would really care for mileage and re-sale value, somehow that seemed a bit inconsequential to me when I was making the decision regarding the car I would buy. I tested a few cars such as the Verna, i20, Ciaz, Rapid, a used Octavia and Polo. I found the Vento better than all others in almost all aspects. The Octavia lost out because of my doubts regarding the condition of the car and the Rapid lost out only because of the salesperson’s apathy towards me. All the rest seemed to focus more on in-car entertainment and comfort rather than pure driving manners and pleasure.

Two years on….

Let me give the final assessment right away. I am always eager to go on a drive with my Vento. It does well in city traffic (which I hate to get stuck in) and is absolutely brilliant on the highways. It inspires confidence, is stable at all speeds and is very comfortable inside.

The performance.

This is the factor that keeps on reminding me what a good decision I made in choosing the Vento as my car. It is quite hard to believe that this is a three-cylinder, 1-litre engine that does all the work. I can drive at any speed without worry, can manoeuvre easily through tight situations and best of all, am able to use all the 110 BHP at any time I want. Going fast around bends is a pleasurable activity, being first off the block from a traffic signal is thoroughly satisfying and braking is very good. What all this means is that I focus only on the drive and have nothing to worry about while I am on the road.

In the city traffic, I prefer using the Sport mode. The reason is that the TC automatic configuration results in a noticeable turbo lag especially when I want to make a quick overtaking manoeuvre. With the Sport setting, the lag disappears entirely except when the gear shifts down on breaking and I can experience a lurch when that happens. My earlier car was a Passat which had the DSG and I really miss that.

In the highway, all I do is hum my favourite song and drive on. The ‘D’ mode works absolutely flawlessly here. The cruise control helps out really well, too. I have done multiple trips from Hyderabad to places like Bangalore, Pune, Trichy, Mumbai, Indore and Udipi over the last two years and the only feeling I have after such trips is a distinct yearning for the next one. Even on bad roads, I never found ground clearance wanting. It is only near my home in Hyderabad where I found the elements scraping the under-belly. Actually, they are building a flyover and are also widening the roads. All the roads outside my house are dug up, uneven, potholed and a maze to test your response skills while navigating around the craters. For added fun, the road builders keep us guessing on where the new diversion for the day is. On top of this, we have the great public of Hyderabad who do not car about which side they are driving on and at what speed. This is where I have had three small incidents with two-wheeler borne, one-handed Biaggi’s of the world (the other had is busy with a phone while they ride and read messages at the same time). I will stop my rant here; maybe start a different thread to talk about the atrocities these morons commit and also devote a sizeable space to the worst vehicles in the world – the Tata Ace kind of load carriers.

Sorry about that. Back to more pleasant things now.

Fuel consumption

My Vento delivers an average of 10 kmpl in the city in D mode. It goes up to 12kmpl if I drive at slow speeds with as little braking as possible and goes down to 9 kmpl if I drive on S mode. On the highway, maintaining a constant speed of 100 kmph delivers a little over 19 kmpl. Highway drives combined with city drives in the same trip results in an average of around 15 kmpl. I usually use the tank full to tank full method and have also discovered that the MID display regarding consumption is quite accurate.

Creature comfort

I prefer not to be distracted with huge cinemascope screens, 22,354 buttons to operate and such. All I want is that everything I need should be within reach and should be easy to use. And Vento delivers on that front. The AC works really well even on searing hot days and the audio system is really great for my needs.

Running costs

Each of the servicing visits cost me around Rs.9,000 all included. This is a once-a-year expense and am quite okay with it. I am certain this will go up over the years but am equally sure it won’t grow astronomically.

Service experience

The VW centre at Hyderabad staff is quite good. They deliver on time and patiently listen to my feedback and also offer to do any follow up work free of cost. No complaints there thus far.

Things I miss or things that I do not like.

• First and foremost, I miss the DSG. Vento had this in its earlier version (the 1.2 litre, I think) but for the TSI, they preferred giving us the TC. The DSG was better any day.
• I also miss the auto ORVM close function. I have a habit of closing the ORVM after parking and have to remember to do that while still inside the car.
• The armrest for the driver is not placed at the right position which is more evident when driving in the city. It also makes a creaking noise all the time my elbow is resting on it. Just an irritant but still quite intrusive.
• The cup holders could have been a bit easier to access. Not a big bother but worth a mention here.
• I still have not been able to figure out two things. The seating position I should have and the tyre pressure I should maintain. On the latter, the petrol bunk attendants advise 35 while the VW workshop people say 33. I do not any discern any significant change in driving feel but this is something I need to put to rest soon.

Now, for the overall verdict.

Vento is a car that makes me want to go on long drives. It puts a smile on my face even after driving through the horrible North Karnataka roads. Driving through ghats like Agumbe as well as some places in MP made me feel like the Vento was born to do this. It is a sin to drive this car slowly. Sedate driving of the Vento is like buying an iPhone 15 pro max to use as paperweight.

The Vento should be driven aggressively. It cries to be pushed to the limit. The fact that it allows me to use all the available power makes it a thing to look forward to. And it handles like a dream. I recall driving on the ghats on the way to Udipi in July and it raining very heavily. I had to reduce to 70 kmph on the ghats. That is how confident a driver it makes me – a person who calls himself a sedate and careful driver.

After driving this car for two years, all the factors we use while buying a car seem to become irrelevant. All that remains is – how happy are you while driving the car; everything else takes a back seat. There was a moment when I felt I should have waited for the Virtus (which was launched about 7 months after I bought my Vento). I spoke about this to the VW service centre manager and he said, “Saar, your car is better, saar. The new one is lighter and who mazaa nahi hai, saar.”

I do not care whether he is right or not but I know one thing. I am looking forward to the next long trip out of Hyderabad on my Vento.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Source: Read Full Article