Toyota Yaris vs Volkswagen Vento: Specifications Comparison

Which of these two cars is the better package? Let’s find out

With the launch of the Yaris, Toyota has finally entered the midsize sedan space in the country. In doing so, it has taken on a host of cars in this category including the Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Maruti Ciaz, Volkswagen Vento and the Skoda Rapid. While we have already compared the Yaris to two of the most well-packaged cars of the segment, the City and Verna, this time around, we will be pitting it against one of its European rivals, the Vento.

Dimensions:

The Yaris is longer, wider and taller than the Vento and there’s not much difference in wheelbase either, with the Yaris being shorter by just 3mm. So, interior space in both the cars should not differ much, at least that’s what the on-paper figures suggest. The Vento has a bigger boot out of the two so it should be able to pack more luggage. Overall, based on dimensions alone, there’s no clear winner here.

Performance:

Since the Yaris is available with a petrol engine only, we won’t be considering the diesel Vento.

• Volkswagen offers the Vento with two petrol engine options: a 1.6-litre engine and a 1.2-litre turbocharged engine. The Vento with the 1.2-litre petrol engine is available with automatic transmission only while the 1.6-litre engine is paired with a manual only. The Yaris, on the other hand, is available with one 1.5-litre petrol engine available with the option of a manual as well as an automatic transmission

• The Yaris’ 1.5-litre engine is more powerful than both the Vento’s engines. It makes 108PS compared to the identical 105PS power output of both the Vento engines

• However, when it comes to torque, the Vento’s 1.2-litre turbo-petrol takes the lead, making 175Nm compared to the Yaris’ 140Nm

• In terms of fuel economy, the Yaris manual beats the Vento manual by a narrow margin of 1kmpl. However, when it comes to automatic ‘boxes, the Vento is the more economical one

• There’s not much difference when you compare the Yaris and the Vento’s performance with the manual transmission. For the automatic, the Yaris gets a CVT, which means no gearshift jerks and smooth overall drive. The Vento’s DSG, on the other hand, should also offer jerk-free shifts. The Vento, however, gets a turbo-petrol, so ideally it should be the peppier one to drive. The Yaris’ petrol engine, on the other hand, should be more at home when driven leisurely.

Related: Toyota Yaris CVT vs Hyundai Verna Automatic vs Honda City CVT – Real-World Performance Compared

Features

Standard:

Yaris:

• 7 airbags

• ABS with EBD and brake assist

• Tilt-adjustable steering

• 60:40 split rear seat

• Audio system with CD, MP3, Bluetooth and Aux-in

• Height-adjustable driver’s seat

• Cooled glovebox

• Electrically adjustable ORVMs

Vento

• Dual front airbags

• ABS

• Rear parking sensors

• Height-adjustable driver’s seat

• Tilt-telescopic adjustable steering

• Lane change indicator

When it comes to standard features, the Yaris is clearly the car that offers more. Toyota’s decision to offer 7 airbags and disc brakes on all wheels right from the base variant makes the Yaris an attractive option even for those who don’t want to spend too much beyond the Rs 10 lakh mark. However, despite being loaded fairly well, the Yaris misses out on rear parking sensors in the base variant, a feature that’s standard now even on some sub-4m sedans.

In the top-spec variant, the Yaris is loaded with a 6-way adjustable powered driver seat, front parking sensors, roof-mounted rear air circulation vents, vehicle stability control, hill launch assist, and tyre pressure monitoring system. Other features include a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with gesture control (misses out on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), LED DRLs, reverse parking camera with sensors, automatic headlamps, push-button start, automatic climate control, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control and paddle shifters (in the automatic variant).

The Vento, on the other hand, doesn’t get as many features. It comes with a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic climate control, cruise control, LED headlamps with DRLs, auto-dimming IRVM rain-sensing wipers and reverse parking camera with sensors. It also gets hill hold control and electronic stability program; however, they are available on the automatic variants only.

Also Read: Toyota Yaris Vs Hyundai Verna – Spec Comparison

Price

The Yaris is the more expensive car here. It is priced between Rs 8.75 lakh and Rs 14.07 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The Vento (petrol) on the other hand is priced between Rs 8.42 and Rs 12.54 lakh (ex-showroom pan-India).

Clearly, it’s the Yaris that is more feature-rich in its entry-level variants. Availability of automatic transmission in all variants further makes the package attractive as even the lower variants are relatively well loaded. Top it up with Toyota’s unmatched after-sales service and the Yaris becomes a good pick for those who’re just entering the big sedan league.

The Vento’s top variants are less expensive than the Yaris’ and are competitive on the features list as well. Its turbo-petrol motor should be the more exciting one to drive with the DSG. If you’re going to keep the car for a period that doesn’t extend beyond the manufacturer’s warranty cycle, the Vento can deliver great value, even keeping in mind that it could be the more expensive vehicle to maintain in the long run.

Here are detailed prices of the two sedan:

Manual Transmission:

Automatic Transmission:

Also Read: Toyota Yaris Vs Honda City – Spec Comparison

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