VW Vento “entry level premium sedan” launched in India

VW Vento “entry level premium sedan” launched in India

Volkswagen has launched the Vento in India, which is the sedan version of the current generation Polo. Billed as an “entry level premium sedan” the Vento is certainly priced quite “premium” from Rs 6.99 lakhs. For perspective, one can buy a base Maruti Swift for just over Rs 4 lakhs (ex showroom Delhi). The Vento range tops out at Rs 9.24 lakhs for the 1.6L TDI Highline.

The Vento is built at VW’s Chakan plant in Pune, which has an an annual capacity of 110,000 cars. There are two engines available – a 1.6-litre petrol with 104 bhp/153 Nm and a 1.6 TDI, also with 104 bhp but with 250 Nm of torque. The petrol unit can be paired to a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed auto with Tiptronic, while the diesel can only be had with the manual ‘box.

VW Vento “entry level premium sedan” launched in India

No TSI/DSG combo for India, but both powertrains are well proven units that should be very robust. Remember the cute VW Cross Polo that was sold here? That’s the same engine and gearbox VW is using for the Indian Vento. VW quotes 15.83 km/l and 14.4 km/l for the petrol manual and auto respectively, while the TDI is capable of 20.54 km/l. As with all new cars in India, the engines are Bharat Stage IV (their version of Euro 4) compliant.

Two trim levels are available – Trendline and Highline. Trendline is very basic and can be recognised by its non-body coloured door handles and only two solid colour options – white and red. Highline gets goodies like ABS, dual airbags, front passenger seat that can be adjusted from the rear, CD/MP3 stereo with 4 speakers, electric wing mirrors, Climatronic with rear AC vents and remote control central locking. The Vento’s steering is reach and rake adjustable, which is nice.

For more details on the Vento/Polo sedan, click here. More hi-res images after the jump.

[zenphotopress number=999 album=1172]

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • india are more advance in environment awareness….they are currently at euro4 level hence they can have those torquey diesels

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    • but only at 13 big cities with the price E4 grade= bharat IV diesel rm2.70, bharat IV petrol rm4.60

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      • my mistake…bharat IV petrol RM3.60

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        • I dun mind paying more for euro4 diesel as long as the stupid tax on cars are abolish. Fuel subsidy konon, we already repaidy back the subsidy thru the strato high tax when we paid for our cars!

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  • umno juara tipu rakyat on Aug 12, 2010 at 3:01 pm

    nice!!!..no awkward looks that normally associated to hatchback cars that trying to be sedan :D

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    • paragon on Aug 16, 2010 at 11:40 pm

      well put. couldn’t agree more.

      – VW definitely did much much better job than Peugeot (as in 206 sedan – super ugly).
      – VW definitely did much better job than Toyota (as in Dugong Vios – very ugly).
      – VW definitely did much better job than Mazda (as in Mazda 2 sedan – very ugly).
      – VW definitely did better job than Nissan (as in Latio sedan – quite ugly).

      surprisingly Proton managed to pull it off quite well with Gen2-covert to-Persona. and not simply convert, but also improve on the poorly designed Gen2!

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  • I am so going to cancel my ford fiesta booking if the vw polo sedan is available here.

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    • Jaybond on Aug 12, 2010 at 3:35 pm

      Which is why kudos to VW designers, as they managed to transform the hatchback Polo, into sedan-shaped Vento, without looking weirdo, like Fiesta sedan & Co.

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    • Johnny on Aug 12, 2010 at 3:38 pm

      the polo hatch is already here bro.. with 20k in price difference.

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      • agreed…polo 1.2 turbo..damn nice with frugal but powerful torquey engine

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  • Jaybond on Aug 12, 2010 at 3:12 pm

    This could be the potential car for VW’s CKD operation in Malaysia/ASEAN.

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  • akupunya on Aug 12, 2010 at 3:33 pm

    ahhh….please come to malaysia ..please…
    and hope the price should be around <rm80K for the highline…
    I love this car…
    malaysian are very stereotype in car product…
    u turn ur head to left, you wil see persona, vios, city; turh right,u can see vios, persona city….sudah mau termuntah..
    come vento, pleaseeeee…..

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    • I’m sure that the price wont be <rm80K for the highline as you said. Hell lots of Tax will make the price fly up high until rm100k. Last, I hope the price wont more than rm100k.

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  • orgbiasa on Aug 12, 2010 at 3:33 pm

    If proton + VW within this 3 yrs, this could be Persona replacement model. HHAHA. neat n tidy car.

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  • hewyk on Aug 12, 2010 at 3:39 pm

    6.99 lakhs rupees from my calculation is about RM47K! Even with our crazy protectionist duties, we could well see this little baby being priced under RM100k if it eventually comes in! Bring it in baby and let’s see the bloodbath begin!

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  • Johnny on Aug 12, 2010 at 3:41 pm

    how much is 6.99 lakh in RM? btw, what is lakh? i tot indian use rupees

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  • cekgu skolah on Aug 12, 2010 at 3:45 pm

    If sold here need to have same bussiness model as Mits to break T/H monopoly. lower the profit margin then you’ll see it flooding our road

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  • lancer on Aug 12, 2010 at 3:52 pm

    vw…please bring Vento to malaysia and price it below RM90k. I am replacing my old car & this vento look so nice and hopefully it could be available in our shore really soon.

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  • paultan fan on Aug 12, 2010 at 3:55 pm

    i want this car here in m’sia :-)

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  • libralcl on Aug 12, 2010 at 4:12 pm

    This Polo needs to be with TSI or TDI and DSG gearbox if launch here since it won’t be price competitive with others Japs or Korean marks. You need to pack up with tech package for Malaysian market VW. =)

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  • sheikomatic on Aug 12, 2010 at 4:34 pm

    62k for the top range? bring it here

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    • normal_user on Aug 13, 2010 at 8:55 am

      I think you have to top up RM60-80K if it arrives here based on our tax structure.

      1 lakh (100,000 rupees) in India is worth approximately around $2130 in U.S. dollars. So its USD14,910 for the basic & USD19,680 for the high-end, convert to Malaysian ringgit (RM3.19/USD), RM47,563 and RM62,779 respectively. That can easily kill of Vios/City sales.

      Even Indian government doesn’t tax their citizens that much… Why most people can’t see this issue and keep crossing the blue ‘dacing’ during GE?

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      • Blood Sucking Goverment, only filling their own pocket and tose cronies of theirs.

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      • Tiadaid on Aug 13, 2010 at 4:23 pm

        Because the “Semibrief” and the “Rocket” are more of the same thing…

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        • malaysia memang boleh on Aug 14, 2010 at 1:30 pm

          Even worst,that “Rocket” seriously can’t fly high above the sky.

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  • Tiadaid on Aug 12, 2010 at 4:40 pm

    Their low-spec cars don’t come with ABS? Hmm…

    But will they bring it here? Malaysia’s always been a premium market for VW. But if they do bring it here, damn I have to delay buyinig a new car for a while.

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  • rexis on Aug 12, 2010 at 4:48 pm

    This oil burner is more powerful then Hilux, oh my.

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    • Japs are way behind in diesel tech…

      For example..Honda which is your typical Jap, fantastic build quality but gutless engine. When will the Honda engineers figure people don’t give a toss about F1 inspired, rev happy engines. For everyday use people want torque, at low revs. Turbo petrol or diesel, get with the current program Honda and most Japs or u’ll be left behind.

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  • I really hope that VW will bring diesel engines to malaysia..we need torquey & efficient car badly..

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  • Jaybond on Aug 12, 2010 at 5:32 pm

    If VW going to bring it to Malaysia as CBU, it means it could be Indian made. Then the price might just be competitive with City, Vios, Latio, Mazda 2…

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    • ahmad loy on Jun 19, 2012 at 9:48 pm

      ..yours are right..see now VW Vento comes to Malaysia as Polo Sedan CBU.. made in India..below RM100K..because of stupid tax!..poor Malaysian!

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  • sonata yf on Aug 12, 2010 at 7:10 pm

    Only ordinary looks not advance compare to new avante. Engine 5speed 104bhp not attractive. Perdana V6 looks better then old passat. I only admire passat cc the rest ugly. Last but not least no resale value. Takut oo.

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  • armandd on Aug 12, 2010 at 7:29 pm

    i prefer 104bhp & 250Nm of TORQUE than 130bhp & 160Nm..

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  • Emm Persona 1.6 = 110bhp, Vento 1.6 = 104 bhp.. emm why haa??

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    • SquarePetrolHead on Aug 13, 2010 at 2:02 am

      ala olan… what the heck is the bhp important. Nowadays you want performance you look at the torque. The VW powerplant got better torque than the Cam-X-Pro laaa (only 140+ Nm)

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      • Torque is more relevant for daily use…HP is for racing since max HP usually achieve at high rpm…

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  • Anti Proton on Aug 12, 2010 at 10:41 pm

    when in malaysia. giv us the hatchback please

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  • SquarePetrolHead on Aug 13, 2010 at 1:59 am

    Nice… if VW and Proton had tied up, I can see this as the BLM replacement… LOL

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  • fairsyah on Aug 13, 2010 at 6:45 am

    what if we innovate d design of front facia… currently hu+shifter+all button in the middle+use footbrake, we make it right (malaysian is right side drive) + make the driver/front passenger more to the middle. hmmmm

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  • fairsyah on Aug 13, 2010 at 6:46 am

    i mean the dashboard… puasa2 ni…

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  • will-kill-for-exclusivity on Aug 13, 2010 at 7:43 am

    why does it need to look so surgical

    Fiat Linea for me anyday

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  • it looks less appealing than its hatchback brother but nonetheless, it’s still well proportioned in terms of design. No awkward curves and flow lines and that’s always the concept behind VW when designing a car.

    Again, when this car makes its debut in MY, as expected, MY’s very proud-off NAP will ‘kill’ this car especially in pricing. Frankly speaking, any entry level or so-called premium entry level vehicles in MY will easily fetch beyond RM80k. I doubt this car will be priced less than this figure. So, my question is: will you buy if it is priced beyond this figure? If your answer is yes, would like to congratulate you on your wise decision because you are one such a contributor of making MY moving one step further of having more varieties of introducing more vehicles not are not protected under NAP.

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  • JonLing on Aug 13, 2010 at 9:24 am

    This is certainly no bad looking car. It suits its segment very well. I think if VW could bring it here, and market it well, perhaps with comprehensive line up of “base-line”, “medium-line”, “high-line” (with VW’s own names for the variants of course) as well, it could do very well. Because I believe Malaysians won’t mind to pay slightly more if the car looks good, and has some really cool “gadgets” to go with it, just look at Vios and City.

    Though one can argue that VW doesn’t have such strong presence here, as the T & H, in my opinion VW Vento has a much more premium feel to it, especially exterior design. And as an european car, its handling and ride quality should be superior than the japanese cars, not to mention it could feel more solid as well. So I think with the right marketing strategy, VW should be able to at least make people to consider Vento as well, before they made up their minds on which B-Segment sedan they should go to. And for me, that’s a very good start and foundation for VW presence here already.

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  • sranua on Aug 13, 2010 at 10:24 am

    Looks good, safe design which long lasting. Some people prefer modern and looks funky design but for some people prefer a more sedate looking car. A good feeling car afterall.

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  • ah yat on Aug 14, 2010 at 7:19 am

    waaa top speed 240km/hr….I like it….

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  • Jaybond on Aug 14, 2010 at 12:04 pm

    Looks like, probably we don’t have to wait too long for this one, as VW & DRB Hicom had just signed the MoU agreement to assemble VW CKD cars in Pekan. T & H might have kerusi panas once they heard of this news heheh..

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  • nyan46 on Aug 15, 2010 at 10:36 am

    still waiting polo hatchback ckd.by DRB-VW.

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