Volkswagen Vento Cup
Driving the fire breathing Race Vento on the track was a thrilling experience
Quite often we visit the Buddh International Circuit for launch events and to drive exotic performance cars. However, this time around I got a chance to test the limits of the Volkswagen Vento Cup machines. And let me tell you, it was more adrenaline pumping and fun than some of those exotic machines. I couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel as soon as I got there. The smell of fuel, the loud free flow exhausts and the low slung Race Vento cars with Motorsport livery were quite inviting for a petrolhead like me.
[flickr size=”center” float=”medium”]http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorbeam/33503869152/[/flickr]
The stripped out cabin is driver focused having performance parts only
The Race Vento gets specially designed race seats with 6-point safety harness. The seat is usually custom made for drivers and it was a task for me to fit in with the roll cage hampering the ingress. The interiors are totally stripped down, it only gets the race seats, roll cage, dashboard, race spec steering wheel and the AIM data system on the instrument cluster to measure the performance and record the race data. After sitting snug and buckling up the 6-point harness, I was ready to hit the track.
[flickr size=”center” float=”medium”]http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorbeam/32847286773/[/flickr]
The low slung Race Vento is heavily modified to extract maximum performance on the track
The turbo + supercharged 1.4 TSI engine oozes out crazy horsepower
Before getting into the experience, let us go through the tech specs of this race spec Vento. It is powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged + supercharged TSI petrol engine that produces an insane 180 PS of power at 6200 RPM along with 250 Nm of torque at 2000-4500 RPM. This engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic wet dual clutch transmission with steering mounted paddle shifts. The Race Vento is equipped with a free flow exhaust that improves the performance and sounds epic too!
[flickr size=”center” float=”medium”]http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorbeam/33503861942/[/flickr]
The throttle response is staggering and the redline comes within no time
While exiting the pit lane at 60 km/hr limit, my heart was pumping in excitement to see what happens next. Lights go green, I hit the track, pin the throttle hard and take the first corner. The rapid and cutting edge nature of the Race Vento was immediately noticeable. The throttle response is sharp and the strong acceleration is very satisfying. The healthy torque comes at low RPM which provides immense grunt making the mid-range very strong while the oodles of power made by the turbo and supercharger combined offers terrific performance throughout the rev band.
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