Volkswagen recently launched updated versions of the Vento and Polo with additional features. We drove the Vento Highline Diesel to see how it has become better
The festive season in India is a time for splendour and merriment, a time when people dress up and enjoy the good things of life.
Being in India and doing as the Indians do, Volkswagen also participated in the festive spirit by launching the new Vento and Polo with additional goodies. We took the Vento Highline Diesel on a drive to the Gorai Beach in north Mumbai to get a first-hand experience of the new car.
From a distance, you will be hard pressed to notice any difference in the exterior of this car. Step a little closer, though, and you will spot the black-tinted headlamps that lend a distinctive and classy 
touch to the clean design that is the highlight of the Vento. Move around to the sides and you will see the new six-spoke alloy wheels that add a dash of sportiness. There is also a new reverse 
camera mounted just above the rear number-plate, which rids you of any worries that you might scrape your precious metal while finding the right parking slot.
The interior of the car remains the comfortable place that it always was, with the driver’s seat incorporating adjustable lumbar support and a steering wheel adjustable for reach and rake. The 
steering wheel, gear knob and hand-brake lever are all now encased in high-quality leather and feel very good to grip. The new RCD 310 music system, with four speakers, speed-sensitive volume controls and USB connectivity is a boon on long drives. The car also has steering-mounted 
audio controls that make it easy to enjoy the music without taking a hand off the steering wheel and eyes off the road ahead.
The old Mumbai-Pune highway offers beautiful vistas, but the condition of this road is a far cry from the smooth concrete lanes of the neighbouring expressway. The compliant suspension of the Vento filters out most imperfections and the resultant ride quality is superior to cars even in higher categories. The engine is fairly quiet at highway speeds, especially with the windows rolled up and the music system doing its bit.
Mumbai roads can be confusing for visitors – often even for veterans – and this is where the new Garmin navigation system comes in handy. You just need to input your current location and destination and the system plots a course for you and also provides voice guidance that made it a cinch to reach the Gorai Beach, in our case, without once having to stop to ask for directions. The screen also doubles up as a display for the reverse camera.
After the mandatory photo shoot, we headed back to Pune via the expressway this time. The near-perfect road reminded us of the long-standing strengths of the Vento – its handling is excellent with no body-roll even at speeds upwards of 100 km/h and there is very little turbo lag, so that an overtaking manoeuvre is just a dab of the throttle away. The Bluetooth system built into the navigation system proved to be an excellent convenience and safety aid, as the driver can make and answer calls just by tapping the screen of the navigation system and not fumble about for his phone.
At the end of a long day, during which we covered 450 km, I still felt as fresh as when I had started in the morning, which points to the usable and comfortable package that the new Vento is. The icing on the cake was the excellent fuel economy – just about 20 litres of diesel had been used, representing a fantastic figure of 22.5 km per litre. So if you’ve been eyeing this desirable set of German wheels, go out and gift yourself the Vento – you will not be disappointed!
The icing on the cake was the excellent fuel economy – just about 20 litres of diesel had been used, representing a fantastic figure of 22.5 km per litre
Story: Gaurav Nagpal
Photography:
