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2020 Volkswagen Vento 1.0 TSI Review
Performance 4.0 of 5.0
Comfort 4.0 of 5.0
Interior 3.0 of 5.0
Exterior 4.0 of 5.0
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2020 Volkswagen Vento 1.0 TSI Review


        Volkswagen India has always been a brand that manufactures High quality, premium cars at a slight premium over other brands. Volkswagen may have entered India after Skoda, but they soon established themselves as a premium player with a significant amount of fan following due to their initial launches, the Passat and the Jetta.

      Then by mid 2010, Volkswagen entered the budget segment with the Polo premium hatchback. It garnered a lot of attention and sales due to its solid build quality, looks and engineering. Surprisingly the people loved the Polo over its more spacious cousin, the Skoda Fabia. That is why VW decided to do a Sedan version. By late 2010 they launched the VW Vento C segment Sedan to rival the Honda City and the Hyundai Verna by carrying forward the exact same solid build quality and premium feel along with a powerful set of petrol and diesel engines. It was a huge hit and brought in big numbers combining with the Polo’s. In the mean time, both the Polo and the Vento received upgrades and facelifts with a new 1.2L TSI engine with a 7 speed DSG Automatic gearbox and a 1.5L Diesel engine too, improving it’s appeal.

         Now in 2020, with the new BS6 norms kicking in, Volkswagen India has launched the new BS6 compliant Vento TSI with a 1.0L Turbo petrol engine, replacing the 1.6L MPI, 1.2L TSI and the 1.5L TDI. This new engine is claimed to be both frugal and fun to drive at the same time.

    All these features and characteristics make up the strengths of the Volkswagen Vento which are as follows:

POSITIVES

  1. The Looks: The VW Vento has always been a good and neutral looking Sedan. Despite being almost 10 years old, it is still handsome and satisfying to look at. The no nonsense look has aged well and remain timeless. The top spec Highline plus variant gets classic silver 16” alloys and Chrome highlights with LED Headlamps and DRLs. The Highline and Comfortline variants sit below that and provide front and rear fog lamps and 15” Alloy wheels. However, since the launch of the Skoda Rapid Rider Variant, the VW Vento's Trendline variant is no longer being considered in any way. But it still would look good with 15” Steel wheel covers.
  2. Interior quality & ergonomics: The cabin of the VW Vento is a very familiar place. However, the general quality and ambience is still good with near perfect ergonomics. Only the most basic Trendline variant lack a driver seat height adjust lever. A tilt/telescopic adjustable steering is standard on all variants.
  3. Space & Comfort: The VW Vento can still give tough competition to some new rivals such as the Hyundai Verna for sheer interior space and comfort. The VW is also one among the rare cars in India to provide rear seat adjustable headrests, front and rear armrests and AC vents from the entry level variant itself. The Vento also somehow gets a more spacious 494L boot over the Skoda Rapid along with other in-cabin storage options for Knick knacks.
  4. Infotainment: All the variants of the VW Vento offer some sort of an infotainment system as standard with decent audio quality. The base Comfortline variant offer a non-touchscreen 2DIN Audio system while the higher spec Highline and Highline Plus variants offer a 6.5” touchscreen unit with Android auto and Apple carplay. However a reverse camera is available only on the Highline plus variant.
  5. Safety & build quality: The Volkswagen Vento had been awarded with a 4-star ASEAN NCAP rating for the 2 airbags equipped variants in 2014. Moreover the solid German build quality can ensure passenger safety even at higher intensity crashes. The Highline Plus variant offers additional 2 airbags on the sides in addition to the standard front airbags, ABS and EBD. Front pre-tensioner equipped seatbelts along with Engine immobilizer and Remote central locking are standard across all variants.
  6. Ride & Handling: The VW Vento is impressive in the Ride & handling department. The Suspension at the rear is very pliant and absorbent at low speeds while also being planted with good stability at higher speeds. Noticeably the suspension is setup softer than that of the Skoda Rapid and the VW Polo for comfort. The Electronic Power steering system is easy to twirl at city speeds, while being direct and confidence-inspiring at higher speeds.
  7. Powertrain: This is the major talking point of the new VW Vento. The BS6 Vento comes with a powerful Turbo-petrol engine. The 3 cylinder 1.0L TSI petrol produces a Maximum power of 110PS with a Maximum torque of 175NM and is incredibly smooth and enjoyable. The Vento TSI has been tuned with focus on smoother drivability compared to the Rapid and the Polo and the midrange acceleration is really strong & linear with a wide powerband. This ARAI claimed efficiency of this engine is also very good at around 18kmpl! The 6-speed manual gearbox is slick while customers are also provided with the option of a 6 speed torque converter Automatic gearbox.

 

While the Rapid has its strong list of positives, it also has a few weaknesses, just like any other car.

NEGATIVES:

  1. Dated design: Although the overall build quality is solid, the design and layout of the dashboard itself is a couple generations older. The design is rather plain and uninteresting with no stand-out element. VW/Skoda could have put in more effort to improve the design match the new set of rivals.
  2. Missing features: The VW Vento misses out on a few features which are expected to be available on all premium cars in today’s age. Features like a color MID display, Sunroof, Ventilated seats and push button start are missing even on the top variants.
  3. Lack of a Diesel option: With the dawn of the BS6 norms, VW and Skoda decided to pull the plug on all it’s diesel engines in India including the punchy 1.5L TDI powering the Polo, Vento and the Rapid. With only a turbo petrol option, Volkswagen India is forcing even long distance drivers to opt for the 1.0 TSI.
  4. Middle seat comfort: Though the rear seat is wide enough to easily accommodate 3 passengers, the middle seat passenger needs to adjust to the massive floor hump at the center. The middle seat passenger also doesn't get any sort of headrest either.
  5. Service & Maintenance: Like any brand, Volkswagen India also have their fair share of good customer-friendly dealers and not-so-good ones. There is also the general maintenance costs which are claimed to be on the higher side for the European brands. We expect Skoda and Volkswagen to really tighten up their sleeves when it comes to service and maintenance costs.

Conclusion: While Skoda India is clearly aiming to play the Value for money card in the C segment Sedan category, Volkswagen still wants to play premium. The pricing of the Volkswagen Vento TSI says it all. The Trendline Manual Variant is priced at Rs8.7L and the top spec Highline plus Manual variant costs Rs11.9L. For Value for money, the mid spec Highline MT variant is available at Rs9.99L. The Automatic range starts from Rs12.1L for the Highline and goes upto Rs13.2L for the Highline plus (all prices ex-showroom). These prices make the Vento easily around Rs1L more expensive than the Skoda Rapid on even the top spec variants.

         For the additional price, the VW Vento TSI offers smoother performance, more premium feel, good space and comfort; which is purely a personal preference.

When it comes to service, you can see more than a few dealerships improving drastically with stricter norms, but on the whole, Volkswagen India needs to work harder to improve the customer experience. Find a good dealer with good customer reviews and experienced personnel and you will be happy for years. As for the Vento, it is a good all-rounder sedan that is purely for the emotional premium quality buyer.




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Sedan

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