Replacement For 2012 VW Vento TDI

[kkn13]

Yeah,S-Cross is a good option but only in 1.6 version.This is the perfect upgrade from our Vento TDI who are looking for performance.

Even Honda City is also a good option.

But,City V MT and Ameo Highline TDI DSG are priced almost same in our city.It is difficult to choose a Diesel AT or Petrol MT in that price.

Very tough call
On one hand AT is a boon in bumper to bumper traffic
on the other DSG doesnt play well with bumper to bumper traffic

Honda MT clutch's usually last very long and are fairly light even after alot of km
But its purely preference to drive MT in traffic depending on which city etc

Ameo/Vento clutch in MT is fairly hard for diesel variants even for a diesel

Though Ameo and City are good cars and probably better than buying other ATs from a segment lower

 

[Music_Swift]

Very tough call
On one hand AT is a boon in bumper to bumper traffic
on the other DSG doesnt play well with bumper to bumper traffic

Honda MT clutch's usually last very long and are fairly light even after alot of km
But its purely preference to drive MT in traffic depending on which city etc

Ameo/Vento clutch in MT is fairly hard for diesel variants even for a diesel

Though Ameo and City are good cars and probably better than buying other ATs from a segment lower

As per my dad's friend,who uses Skoda Superb TDI DSG 2011 version,said that DSG is boon to drive in city traffic and he just prefers his Superb over his BMW 530D in city traffic.Now,he gave his superb to his son and he bought himself a Crysta ZX AT and said,Superb is better than Crysta in terms of gearbox.Remember,his superb has run 1,15,000 Kms and still runs like a dream.Recently,he spent around ₹1.5L for refurbishing the Superb by giving fresh coat of paint and got new suspension for it.For suspension itself,the cost was ₹1.03L.

As per many DSG users,there are no issues with DSG gearbox in city as VW had fixed the issues of DSG in newer vehicles.

 

[furious_driver]

^^ That's an oddball theory! And good that for your dad's friend, DSG serves him well.

It is quite risky proposition when it comes to DSG's! Not everyone gets lucky like your family friend.

I'd put my trust and money in CVT/TC instead of DSG/DCT! And DSG's are notorious for having jerky performance in City B2B traffic. I drive my Uncle's Cruze and trust me, it felt a lot better than my friend's Vento! Where DSG shines is in it's outright performance when it comes to pedal to metal feel, and lo and behold, TC's aren't bad either. Maybe DSG's are tuned/fixed etc. But do you want to risk your money and time, in hope that they server you for long or you wanna pick tested, simple TC's? This is the question you should ask!

 

[Volksjäger]

If you are looking for not more than 5 years of ownership and can take the depreciation costs and get things done without much of a haze in service centre, then I would suggest an AMEO Diesel DSG. It's a very good car to drive in the city as well as on the highway. Traffic will keep increasing in coming years. So going for automatic is a better option. If you want a reliable option then no doubt CVT or Torque converter would be the best option.

BTW, I have driven BMW 520d extensively and it comes with a ZF transmission, which is way superior than Jetta or Passat DSG's. And I have driven both the cars on highway as well as in traffic. I like both of them, they are equally good in traffic. But the only thing is, you will be a bit scared while driving a BMW in traffic compared to my Vento, Jetta DSGs. That's the only difference IMO.

Even CVT and Torque converter is a boon to drive in traffic buddy. When there is no traffic or minor traffic you will find DSG a boon, I need not tell this. It just shifts faster and more enthusiastic to drive.

 

[F4frewin]

As per my dad's friend,who uses Skoda Superb TDI DSG 2011 version,said that DSG is boon to drive in city traffic and he just prefers his Superb over his BMW 530D in city traffic.Now,he gave his superb to his son and he bought himself a Crysta ZX AT and said,Superb is better than Crysta in terms of gearbox.Remember,his superb has run 1,15,000 Kms and still runs like a dream.Recently,he spent around ₹1.5L for refurbishing the Superb by giving fresh coat of paint and got new suspension for it.For suspension itself,the cost was ₹1.03L.

As per many DSG users,there are no issues with DSG gearbox in city as VW had fixed the issues of DSG in newer vehicles.

Just yesterday you must have seen in other thread, the clutch pack of a 15000 kms run Polo Tsi was advised to be replaced by VW. I reported last month how the Mechatronics unit in my friend's Rapid TDI DSG failed and Skoda demanded 2.75 lakhs to change it. I have completed close to 40000kms in Vento Tsi and believe me my Fiesta fares far better to drive in twisty crowded roads.
A lot of problems concerned with the DSG has been fixed and the fix mostly was done by software update by which the car holds the gears longer in gears 1,2 and 3. You would have to wait for the RPM to 3000 before you see change of gear in TDI and that's painful in city. My Vento performed really well with occasional violent jerks until the software update I went for. I used to enjoy my city drives earlier and after the update it's a real pain. The update software is in all cars from factory post Jan 2016. Imagine a situation if you need replacement of DSG after 4 years of warranty for any issues whatsoever, the cost of replacement (apps. 5 lakh) would be the equal to the resale value of your car at that point of time.

My recommendation would be to use money wisely as you do have high requirement of running per month.

S Cross 1.3 is a sensible buy at 10.5 for Delta Variant. It's a well built car and reliable and easy to own.

 

[acechip]

Ok, here is a question. My annual usage would be around 11000 km , over 5 years, that's around 55k to 60k km. Would it be a risky proposition to use the Polo TSI?

 

[Akash1886]

Ok, here is a question. My annual usage would be around 11000 km , over 5 years, that's around 55k to 60k km. Would it be a risky proposition to use the Polo TSI?

Per month would be approx 1K Kms so its fine to have a petrol car and anything beyond 1200 kms (i.e 30 days x 40km/day) per month needs a diesel car.

Regards

Akash

 

[acechip]

Actually, my query was more related to reliability longevity of DSG . The driving pattern would be 70 % on open roads with mild-moderate traffic, rest would be in moderate to high traffic. Occasional country /highway trips not considered.

 

[Akash1886]

Actually, my query was more related to reliability longevity of DSG . The driving pattern would be 70 % on open roads with mild-moderate traffic, rest would be in moderate to high traffic. Occasional country /highway trips not considered.

DSG is a enthusiast's delight surely but practically yes, the longevity is a gamble. It might serve you well or might not. To have peace of mind, opt for Ford DCT or AMT of Maruti or Honda's automatics.

Regards

Akash

 

[acechip]

Are you saying that the Ford DCT is more reliable than the VW DSG ? I am not very impressed with the Ford DCT. I got a sense that it was holding the gears at higher rpms than necessary in the city conditions and the engine wasnt exactly smooth for a 1.5 NA petrol. I am told that most of the DSG issues have been rectified of late. Also, this controversy flies flat in the face of the demand for Polo GT TSI .The dealers (in Pune atleast) almost never have them in stock, and zilch discounts available too.

 

[kkn13]

Are you saying that the Ford DCT is more reliable than the VW DSG ? I am not very impressed with the Ford DCT. I got a sense that it was holding the gears at higher rpms than necessary in the city conditions and the engine wasnt exactly smooth for a 1.5 NA petrol. I am told that most of the DSG issues have been rectified of late. Also, this controversy flies flat in the face of the demand for Polo GT TSI .The dealers (in Pune atleast) almost never have them in stock, and zilch discounts available too.

Your points are spot on
I dont think DCT will be much reliable compared to DSG personally
I think torque converter is the best transmission followed by CVT and then by AMT
CVT has rubber band effect but other than that, its got no apparent problems
AMT is jerky and slow and best suited for bumper to bumper or sedate driving, I dont understand why Renault and Maruti are using it on their more expensive offerings like Ignis, upcoming Brezza AMT and Duster/Terrano AMT

So best option is torque converter or manual or CVT depending on car imho

 

[Akash1886]

Are you saying that the Ford DCT is more reliable than the VW DSG ? I am not very impressed with the Ford DCT. I got a sense that it was holding the gears at higher rpms than necessary in the city conditions and the engine wasnt exactly smooth for a 1.5 NA petrol. I am told that most of the DSG issues have been rectified of late. Also, this controversy flies flat in the face of the demand for Polo GT TSI .The dealers (in Pune atleast) almost never have them in stock, and zilch discounts available too.

What I said was that DSG could be good or might be bad as it has had a history of failures. Though still its among the popular transmission choices but knowing the history, if you don't feel convinced then better would be to choose a more reliable option buddy.

I dont understand why Renault and Maruti are using it on their more expensive offerings like Ignis, upcoming Brezza AMT and Duster/Terrano AMT

Duster Petrol will have CVT as far as I know. Though AMT is no match to DSG but for the sake of long term reliability, I feel a bit of compromise on the performance front in transmission is acceptable.

Regards

Akash

 

[Volksjäger]

Ok, here is a question. My annual usage would be around 11000 km , over 5 years, that's around 55k to 60k km. Would it be a risky proposition to use the Polo TSI?

I got your point buddy. Yes, it is a risky proposition. I own and as well as live among a family and friends with German cars. According to my experience. 1st 4 years as long as the warranty exists, it is not at all a problem, the real cinema/movie starts as soon as the extended warranty gets over. And 5th year of ownership is really tricky. It's a hit or a miss (purely luck and the amount of care you give to your car). In these 4 years you might encounter an issue with AC compressor which costs anywhere between 20k-75k (based on the model) to replace and it was recently replaced in my friends Jetta in the 3rd year of ownership. After warranty expires you may encounter a failure in one of the injectors. And my cousins Laura TDI DSG worked flawlessly for 5 years, but now it started to give issues with the gearbox during the end of 5th year @ 51k kms. When I asked him, he told me in a sarcastic way, "let it run as long as it runs, I am scared to give this for Service !! I don't know how much they will quote to fix this!". And I very often see Polos and Ventos in service centre with a failed ac compressor or injector issues at 6year or 80k period range. So, definitely it's a risk buy. I am attaching a list of Polo-Vento spare parts list with prices that are covered under warranty. So that you can understand the costs that will incur if any of those fail post warranty.

I am not bashing German cars. They are absolutely great cars to drive and own. But you need to have very deep pockets to maintain them. You must be mentally prepared to spend 2/- or 3/- for a 1/- worth of part or Job due to heavy import taxes and milking cash cow service centres.

 

[kkn13]

I got your point buddy. Yes, it is a risky proposition. I own and as well as live among a family and friends with German cars. According to my experience. 1st 4 years as long as the warranty exists, it is not at all a problem, the real cinema/movie starts as soon as the extended warranty gets over. And 5th year of ownership is really tricky. It's a hit or a miss (purely luck and the amount of care you give to your car). In these 4 years you might encounter an issue with AC compressor which costs anywhere between 20k-75k (based on the model) to replace and it was recently replaced in my friends Jetta in the 3rd year of ownership. After warranty expires you may encounter a failure in one of the injectors. And my cousins Laura TDI DSG worked flawlessly for 5 years, but now it started to give issues with the gearbox during the end of 5th year @ 51k kms. When I asked him, he told me in a sarcastic way, "let it run as long as it runs, I am scared to give this for Service !! I don't know how much they will quote to fix this!". And I very often see Polos and Ventos in service centre with a failed ac compressor or injector issues at 6year or 80k period range. So, definitely it's a risk buy. I am attaching a list of Polo-Vento spare parts list with prices that are covered under warranty. So that you can understand the costs that will incur if any of those fail post warranty.

I am not bashing German cars. They are absolutely great cars to drive and own. But you need to have very deep pockets to maintain them. You must be mentally prepared to spend 2/- or 3/- for a 1/- worth of part or Job due to heavy import taxes and milking cash cow service centres.

I know this is off topic , but how is BMW maintenance after 5 years? Im eyeing a bunch of cars(Used BMW, Audi) before going in for Endeavour or Tucson
Our usage is very less and Im obviously staying as clear as possible from Audis, but BMW seems tempting for me
Was hoping someone could give me an eye opener since I see alot of Love-Hate for BMW

PS- I also owned a Superb 2nd gen until last year, tonnes of issues though we loved the car but unreliability and low usage made us sell it
Most notable issue is the AC like you said and random sensors going kaput within 3 years
Our bills were an easy 50-80k per year later on

 

[Music_Swift]

Saw few used 2015-16 Ventos in car portals.Had shortlisted a 2015 Facelifted version Vento TDI DSG Highline which has run about 12-13000 Kms.Price quoted by him is Rs.11.75L but final offer he is willing to give is Rs.11.5L and the colour is Toffee Brown,which is my favourite one.Gonna check this and decide on it if all goes well and another one is 2015 pre-facelift,which has run 30,000 Kms and price quoted is Rs.8.9L and colour is White.But,I found this vehicle's history to be fishy.

And,finally,VW dealer is offering me a 6000 Kms run Vento TDI Highline MT 2016 one in White colour,which is maintained by VW dealer itself.I'm expecting the discount of around Rs.2-3L on it as current price is Rs.14.4L and he is willing me to give extended warranty along with it and offering me a loan from the dealer itself.

IMO,it is better to buy 2015-16 vintage Vento instead of buying first versions.

Most probably,we would be going for another Vento as my parents are not satisfied with another cars like City and others.