There will a time when automatic vehicles will rule Indian roads and then Volkswagen DSG Vento will be the king of tarmac. What makes this car special is not the fact that it is for the first time that a seven-speed automatic gearbox is mated to a diesel engine in a mid-segment car, but it is the best diesel car in the segment.
The Vento, which underwent a lot of changes in the recent past, is now out with Volkswagen’s latest gearbox. The engine, which had undergone a tweak sometime back, when mated to the latest automatic gearbox, makes driving ten times more comfortable. Further, with a fuel average of 21. 9 kilometres per litre, the Vento DSG is a gem of a car.
The test drive report
Design
The changes that were incorporated last time are carried over into the latest version. The new double barrel headlamp and the design of the alloy wheels look good. The latest Vento comes only in two versions – Comfort line and highline. The basic model comes with facilities including air conditioning, power windows and other creature comforts. The highline model comes with 15 –inch alloy wheels, looks great and is in great trim.
Dual-tone finish and fabric seats which have support are also of good quality. The seats are comfortable with arm rests provided for both the front and rear row seats. There are certain facilities provided exclusively for rear seat passengers. Wider seats with support, dedicated rear air conditioning vents and reading lamps for both right and left side passengers are also provided. Further, the rear seat passengers have the option of adjusting the front row seats to create the required legroom.
Though there are no changes to the dashboard, the Vento comes with sporty steering wheels which are found only in costly Volkswagen vehicles. The highline model comes with climate control and dash -integrated stereos. Electronic wing mirror controls are provided and the steering is adjustable too. The glove box has got ample of space.
Behind the Wheel
Driving is effortless. One just needs to choose the drive mode once behind the wheel and press the pedal to experience the brilliance of the DSG technology. The vehicle does not feel underpowered at all. It will never make you feel that a manual gear box would have been better. Moreover, it is so easy that you would not even feel that you are driving a vehicle.
The automatic Vento churns out 105 bhp and 25.4 kgm of torque. Within the first few kilometers of the test drive itself the engine made it clear it was powerful enough. Turbo lag is almost non-existent and it is as quick as petrol cars. Both the models come with hill descent control and ABS. The highline model has ESP also. The DSG variant has been available in the petrol version for some time now.
On road price
Comfort line- 12.88 lakh
High line- 13.43 lakh