Journey from Korea (Fluidic Verna) To Germany (Vento)

[karlover]

It all started in April 2012, when my sister crossed that 18yr mark and she needed a four wheeler.
Being new to driving, I convinced her to take my i10 so that we can bring 3rd car and 1st sedan in the family which was getting delayed due to something or other.
Finally when she said yes, the Search Begins.
I have running of over 60kms a day, so petrol engine was never an option and also due to petrol price hikes in recent times i was never interested in petrol.
For any guy who is in market for a c-segment sedan, it is impossible to ignore verna, so begin my series of test drives with this beauty.
Hyundai VERNA- everything about the car was marvelous (first impression),gadgets, looks, feel, royalty.
I heard lots of issues regarding handling and fe, but couldn’t check all those things at TD, because the showroom guys have turned off the odo, due to which cant check fe and speedo as well, to check out the performance at high speeds. So put it on hold.

Honda CITY Vat- Cant ignore it though being a petrol engine. The i-vtec engine is a gem, you drive it more you want it more. I put the car in s mode and she goes to 100kmph mark without much effort. Loved this car, but was not convinced with an old look though some changes were made to it but were not much appealing. And at the price tag of 11L+ I wasn’t getting all gadgets which I deserve after paying such a price.

Took TD of RAPID- There was nothing wrong with the car, apart from reputation stories regarding A.S.S. of Skoda. Handling, Ride, Road Grip everything was just perfect. Top it all was the build quality.

Fiesta - If you are a driving enthusiast, this must be your car. TD the auto dual clutch model because showroom did not have the diesel variant, this car just move the way you want it too. And with all the gadgets it is worth buying. But the tail lamps, rear space and all black interiors turned it off for me.


So finally after lots of ups and downs at home, as my dad was insisting me to go for city VAT or VENTO(of which I dint even took the test drive) and with lots of discussions with TAI members booked Hyundai verna white 1.6crdi sx, and got the delivery in a week’s time.

Positives:
1.Royal feeling shifting from hatchback to sedan.
2.Very silent and refined diesel engine
3.Light clutch and steering, making me easy to drive it in city
4.Lots of gadgets are fun to play with and gives a royal treatment.

Negatives:
1.Nothing for first few days apart from the built quality.
2.I filled vernas boot with some luggage when i went to airport to pick up some relatives, and at every bump it was making some noice at rear left suspension. Next day i went to service guys and told them about same, they told me to not to load your boot with heavy luggage. That made me think why have i bought a sedan.

Fe I was getting was 17kmpl. And then the real twist and turns started. Got to know from lots of members of TAI and friends regarding the long term reliability of this car and the way fes getting dropped from 20 odd to 10 odd(no offence to any other verna owner). And in some time I was also facing same from 17 to 14 to 11, and I was biting my nails for what going to happen next. Went to service station, they people told me to drive it for some more kms and check then. And surely it took my heart away from this Hyundai machine.

And one day my phone rang, it was my dad, he told me that one of his friend wants to buy verna for his son and is not getting it due to delivery issues, so if we can sell it and get something more reliable. I told my dad’s friend regarding all those things me and other people are facing, but his son a college going wanted this only, thanks to him I sealed the deal for 10.5L.

Search Begins Again
Dint thought of anything, just blindly went to Skoda n booked RAPID, keeping a stone on my heart about A.S.S. and when I was going to showroom to pay the final amount to get delivery the next day, I saw many Skoda cars standing outside showroom, I asked SA

ME: why all these cars are standing here..?
SA: sir these cars are here for servicing.
ME: so how many days you take to service a car..?
SA: usually it takes just a day’s time.
ME: u mean to say all these cars came today for servicing..?
SA: there are some problems in these cars which we will sort out soon.

Guys believe me their were lots of lauras and superbs standing eating dust. Tried to get some more information regarding the same from SA and his tone changed as if he is doing me a favor by selling his car. So, cancelled Skoda and just side to Skoda it was VW showroom, went inside was treated well, and some pretty good discounts were going on as well. Test drove it, dint found much difference from Rapid apart from sudden turbo feel in rapid, and linear acceleration in vento and overall it was good with more luxurious, simple and elegant from inside then rapid. When calculated the on-road cost of both, Skoda and VW were coming just equal, with VW offering steering mounted control, parking sensors with display in music system and leather upholstery. Gave booking amount to VW SA on Monday for VENTO HIGHLINE TDI TERRA BIEGE, and paid total amount by cheque the next day and delivery was promised on Wednesday at 4.

On Wednesday, dad and me came back early from office, took my family in our I10 to showroom.
Reached their at 3.30pm, and at the entrance two terra beige were standing to be delivered on same day. Finally at 4pm, signed all the documents and SA explained all the features and how about of cars with patience. Some final ceremonies, a family picture with our new car, a sweet box, a bouquet and a VW calendar with some party poppers. Got the keys of my terra beige with VW key ring and started my journey back home. It was really a German, rock solid, acceleration was pretty good though I wasn’t accelerating it much due to Delhi’s traffic.
Now after doing some 200kms here is my verdict

Positives:
Build Quality
Rear ac vents
ACC works very well in this 45 degree heat environment
Handling and ride quality is the best
Upgraded Sound system is good enough
Spacious cabin with beige interiors giving it a royal feel

Negatives:
Knocking of diesel engine, not inside but outside
Some vibrations on clutch pedal while accelerating
No auto folding ORVM

So overall my dad was happy as I ended with what he wanted a CITY or VENTO. And I was also because I owned two cars in past some time and ended up with satisfying myself. love to see this VW German in my parking.

Member comments are most welcome.

 

[polotdicl]

Re: Journey from korea(FLUIDIC VERNA) to Germany(VENTO)

May i be the first to congratulate you for having the great machine. And we all welcome you to the Volkswagen club. wishing you a very happy miles ahead. Waiting for some intial pics and more reviews.

 

[visran]

Congrat's on your vento, that was a nice twist in the tale,please fill up this thread with your beauty.

 

[Surfer]

congrats , yes we need pics a lot of
And also you can give best comparison between these two cars now.

 

[karlover]

thanks a ton for your wishes guys. sure will post some pics by tommorow.

 

[allhyundaicars]

it's good that you sold the verna and got a good amount for the car.

And congrats for the vento

you mentioned "knocking of diesel engine" ? is it the sound\noise of the engine or something else ?

 

[karlover]

ya it is sound of engine only..i dont feel anything inside the car, but the ones standing outside feel it..

 

[codename47]

Your journey sounds interesting . so whats the deal where are the pictures

 

[karlover]

even i am waiting to post pictures but due to lack of time i am not able too. sunday is my day. so will try to decorate this thread with pics.

 

[dharmesh]

Congratulations for Vento dude. It was nice reading your buying experience. Brought a good smile on my face that you dint have to go through the humiliation of low FE on Verna and got a buyer soon. Enjoy your ride and please we require some pics.

 

[TSIVipul]

Congrats for the Vento Karlover.I must say that you took a very wise decision here.
Vento is not only more fun to drive than Verna,in fact it has got a more responsive engine too and better spread of torque.This makes it even more driveable or say easier to drive than the Verna.

BTW,still there is no match to the refinement of the Hyundai 1.6 CRDi.

 

[nickandre]

oops sorry mate found your thread today, congrats on the vento, was pretty surprised when i saw in another thread you mentioned vento i was wondering you had a deal for rapid and even caska.
Ventos a really good car none the less great build quality and lots of hidden features to be discovered, best part is service is once a year/15k km but it would be high.
I had as well done a td of the vento but the engine noise compared to verna was more, i guess looks and features got me sold onto the verna.
How many km has the car done now? whats the fe you're getting. Quality wise how do you find the exteriors? panel gaps if any and interiors.
by the way are they giving any freebies with the car?

 

[jeno_turbo]

Congrats for the Vento Karlover.I must say that you took a very wise decision here.
Vento is not only more fun to drive than Verna,in fact it has got a more responsive engine too and better spread of torque.This makes it even more driveable or say easier to drive than the Verna.

BTW,still there is no match to the refinement of the Hyundai 1.6 CRDi.

Congrats Karlover. Wise decision i would say.

Yeah toally agree. Vento has great drivability and Best in Class Torque (which a diesel engine needs). And yeah, ANHV has a well refined engine, but i was not satisfied with the high speed handling capabilities of the car after driving it for 50 kms on the highway. Power is nothing without control, but the braking was excellent. But again, if it comes to looks, most of them would prefer Verna.

Regards,
Jeno.

 

[TSIVipul]

^^Actually Rapid is the car that drives even better than the Vento too,thanks to the stiffer front suspension.Vento drives or say feels good only until we meet some undulations on the road at high speeds.
Where Verna's rear tries to rebel,Vento's front gets a bit unsettled(not too much,but it feels a lot after driving cars like Linea,Fiesta,City or Rapid).
But yes,Vento looks a lot more upmarket than the Rapid.And has some more features too like steering mounted audio controls etc.

@Jeno:Actually any person who drives any Skoda feels nearly every other car missing one or two dynamic qualities.Why?Because I feel that Skoda gives the perfect driving dynamics in all of its cars.

 

[karlover]

@nick:ya i booked skoda, but that egoistic behavior of SA turned it off for me.

thanx guys for your warm wishes.
till now have done just 300kms. an off Delhi trip awaits next week..current fe is 17.8kmpl.
built quality is top class, drive is super comfort as compared to verna(my opinion),
max speed done till now 140, and i was not even aware of the speed, friend sitting next told me to look at it, i was enjoying my ride..
as compare to verna, missing just auto folding orvms.
rest is there in the car.

@tsivipul: you are absolutely right. Driving dynamics of rapid is excellent, but it feels a segment lower to any other car of its segment and some lack of features and the most important thing, service network & behavior of showroom people.