Mr. Michael Mayer, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India with the New Vento
It was only in the later part of 2014 that the Volkswagen Vento got refreshed. That hasn’t stopped ze German carmaker from rolling out an all-new 2015 model of their popular saloon car in India. That said, changes to this new Vento are far more noticeable, even to those who aren’t very pedantic about German car styling. With better armed rivals such the Honda City and Hyundai’s Verna 4S (among others), Volkswagen has been feeling the pressure for quite a while. So let’s see what this new 2015 Vento brings to the table.
The alterations made to the 2015 Volkswagen Vento are mostly cosmetic. That’s not a bad thing as the outgoing one’s mechanicals are pretty much bullet-proof. Let’s start with exterior changes and the front fascia, first.
- New and more mature-looking front grille with 3 slats, like the one on the Passat.
- Newer front bumper that’s more aerodynamic. There’s rectangular fog lights with built-in cornering lights.
- There’s a pronounced chrome strip running across the lower part of the air dam.
The changes to the side of the 2015 Vento aren’t much, save for the integrated turn indicators in the ORVMs. You’ll also notice a newer design for the 15-inch alloy wheels. These are identical to the ones found on the new Polo hatchback. Otherwise, majority of the design here remains unaltered.
The rear of the 2015 Volkswagen Vento look a bit more upmarket now.
Just like the front fascia, there have been some changes at the rear too. Also, we must add, there’s chrome galore all over this saloon.
- A revised bumper has a thick strip of chrome at the bottom and gets reflectors.
- The boot can now be opened externally, thanks to a boot release button.
- The tailpipe and door handles now get dashings of chrome too.
- The chrome strip on the boot has moved up, now located just below the ‘VW’ logo.
- Taillight cluster is now refreshed and looks more premium.
The interior of the new Vento gets some updates that are subtle, and some that are more visible.
All’s in the details for the most part. Build quality and fit & finish are top drawer stuff.
The cabin retains the overall look and finish of the 2014 Vento. The fantastic flat-bottom steering wheel remains and so do the audio controls on it. There’s the well executed silver detailing that is to be found on the wheel, AC vents and around the infotainment rig. The new additions include:
- Cruise control functionality.
- Lighter beige interior than before.
- Dead pedal for your left foot is a definite boon on long highway stints.
- There’s now an auto-folding feature for the electronically operated ORVMs.
- VW has also added a cooled glovebox for added convenience.
Mechanically, the 2015 Volkswagen Vento remains unaltered and that isn’t bad. The engines remain the same too and you can opt for a 1.2-litre petrol mill and there’s the 1.5-litre TDI motor too. As before, you get the choice of a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 7-speed dual-clutch DSG unit. We love the latter quite a bit at Motoroids. With the revisions and additions made to the new Vento, expect VW to up the prices but that’s hardly a surprise.
Click here for our review of the VW Vento Konekt 1.2 TSI.
