When it comes to sub-RM100,000 cars, Malaysians don’t really have a lot of options. No matter which car you go for, you’ll have to give up either comfort, space, performance or even safety. In fact, if these 4 criteria are important to you, you might want to consider the new Volkswagen Vento.
For RM93,888 you could drive away with the Vento Highline – only turbocharged sedan in its class. Despite displacing only 1.2 litres, this TSI engine produces 105PS and 175Nm of torque. That’s as much power as your typical 1.8-litre engine! To put that into perspective, that’s RM225 cheaper in road tax alone. And because it’s such a small displacement motor, it also consumes a lot less on daily drives.
The Vento Highline also comes with best-in-class safety features. Even though the Vento is a subcompact sedan, it comes with 4 airbags and has ISOFIX child seat mounting points on both sides of the rear bench. One of the rarer safety features in this class is Electronic Stability Control. It isn’t even featured on some compact executive cars sold in Malaysia. Yet ESC has still proven to be extremely vital in preventing accidents and has perhaps saved even more lives than the airbag. Studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety state that even 10 years ago, ESC reduced the likelihood of fatal crashes by 43%, fatal single-vehicle crashes by 56% and fatal single-vehicle rollovers by 80%.
Of course, if you own this car, you’ll be more interested to know how practical the Vento is as a daily driver. In this department, it gets highest praise too. A family of 4 will have no issue travelling long distance, but as a city slicker, you can comfortably fit 5. A large 454-litre trunk is one of this sedan’s biggest trump cards. That’s more than enough room for the family’s luggage. Drivability is also second to none in its class. Volkswagen had us drive the Vento and its competitors back-to-back and we found none of the Japanese makes had the kind of precision and driver feedback that this German-engineered sedan could offer.
With amenities like a chilled glovebox, cruise control, and a head unit that’s ready for SD Cards, Bluetooth, USB, iPod, or even AUX-in playback, the Vento certainly packs a punch for its reasonable price. If you’re sold on the practicality of its size and handling characteristics alone, there are more affordable alternatives with less power and equipment.
If you decide on a Vento, be sure to take advantage of Volkswagen Malaysia’s great Raya promotion where you have no installments to pay for the rest of 2016, Volkswagen Malaysia will make the installment payments until December 2016. Visit a Volkswagen dealer quickly to enjoy the VW Vento with your loved ones.
