To be honest, there are really not many options to find a German four-door RV with a price of less than RM100,000 in our country. Looking at the entire market, only Volkswagen’s Polo and Vento that launched by Volkswagen Malaysia can meet such price requirements.
The original factory has added a new engine and gearbox configuration to the slightly modified Volkswagen Vento, so that this entry-level four-door touring car can also enjoy the newer Volkswagen family power configuration, which is the 1.2-liter TSI turbocharged engine , And a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission.
The following mentioned are the prices on the West Malaysia Peninsula without insurance:
Volkswagen Vento 1.6 Trendline: RM80,646
Volkswagen Vento 1.6 Comfortline: MYR 87,646
Volkswagen Vento 1.2 TSI Highline: MYR 94,461
Exterior design, interior equipment and space
The appearance and interior of the Vento 1.2 TSI are basically the same as the previous Polo Sedan. The more obvious difference is that the front radiator cover has been changed from the original double-barrier design to the three-barrier, and the front bumper fog lights It also changed from a round to a square design. The side of the car also maintained the same square design, but the rim was upgraded to a 16-inch two-tone design, and the tire size was 215/45R16.
In the rear of the car, the shape of the Vento’s taillights now has a completely new look. There are some LED-like light bar shapes on the taillight shell, but the actual built-in is still a traditional halogen bulb. In terms of interior decoration, the biggest change is that this time the steering wheel has been replaced with a non-circular design, and there are more shiny black piano panels in the direction of six o'clock, and the air-conditioning system has also been replaced with a round shape. Knob, and a monochrome electronic display screen.
In terms of other equipment, the slightly modified Vento is still equipped with a monochrome trip computer information screen in the middle of the dashboard, leather-covered steering wheel, and three o'clock on the steering wheel. There are more buttons to control the trip computer information screen and headlight control buttons. It is still very German-style integrated on the right-hand center console of the steering wheel, and is also equipped with a constant speed system and air-conditioning vents for the rear seats.
The interior of the Vento 1.2 TSI is almost entirely black hard plastic. The original factory did not cover it with higher-grade soft plastic or leather (except for the steering wheel), and the front and rear seats are also covered with flannel. Electric adjustment, but this is completely acceptable for a car price of less than RM100,000.
Sitting in this driver’s seat of Vento, although it is a German model, its support is somewhat insufficient, especially the length of the seat cushion and the support of the seat back.
In terms of space performance, Vento looks like a good space in terms of appearance, but actually sitting in the car is not as ideal as originally imagined. After the front seat is adjusted to the driving sitting position, there is only about one knee space for the rear passenger. Fist, but the head space is due to the Founder’s model design, so there is still a good head space.
The original factory claims that the luggage space of the Vento is 454 liters, but in actual use, its spaciousness and space convenience are only average, and the data is not as good as some Japanese competitors of the same level. In any case, for a B-Segment entry RV, such a space performance is still acceptable.
Engine and gearbox configuration
In order to increase the attractiveness of Vento, the original factory has added a new engine option for Vento this time. This engine is the 1.2-liter TSI turbocharged engine on the Polo. This engine can output 103hp at 5,000rpm. , And output 175Nm of torque at 1,550rpm. Although this data is not very prominent on the book, don’t forget that it is just a 1.2-liter small displacement engine that can squeeze out the equivalent of a 1.6-liter natural The power data of the intake engine is really good.
In addition to the addition of a 1.2-liter turbo engine in the slightly modified Vento, the original factory also matched this engine with a seven-speed DSG dry dual-clutch gearbox. The advantage of the dual-clutch is that the power transmission is more efficient than the original traditional six-speed With better self-draining and less power loss, it can create better fuel consumption and power performance, but I believe everyone will also think of its shortcoming, which is its durability.
It is undeniable that Volkswagen’s DSG gearbox adopts a dry design without oil cooling due to cost, weight and volume factors. The negative effect of this is that the clutch is easy to be used for a long time. When the car is in the engaged state, it is easy to overheat and quickly wear out, and the car is prone to clutch jams when starting, and other joint problems such as abnormal noise will also occur.
According to the data provided by the original factory, the comprehensive fuel consumption data of Vento 1.2 TSI Highline is 5.5L/100km, and the acceleration data of 0-100km/h is not provided, but according to the actual experience results I got during the test drive for several days, Although this car is equipped with a turbo engine and a dual-clutch gearbox, the actual acceleration is not fast, and the acceleration result is estimated to be no faster than 8 seconds.
It must be emphasized that this 1.2-liter turbo engine and dual-clutch gearbox are only equipped in the highest grade, and the other two cheaper grades are equipped with the original engine before the minor facelift, that is, the 1.6-liter naturally aspirated engine. The engine and the traditional six-speed automatic transmission, although the six-speed automatic transmission is technically mature and reliable, the transmission efficiency and fuel consumption performance are not as good as the dual clutch.
