Tata’s idea to chop the boot off its Indigo sedan and create the Indigo CS may have caught a few scoffs when it happened, mostly because of the car’s awkward proportions, but the Indian company clearly had the last laugh, because look at the compact sedan segment now. Just about everyone has a player in this game – Maruti, Hyundai, Honda, Ford and even Tata, once again, with the Zest. Honestly, Volkswagen isn’t a company we expected to hop onto this bandwagon. That’s because for a global company like VW to make a car for just one market (the compact sedan segment is unique to India) isn’t always a priority. However, to show its commitment to our market, VW has stepped out of its comfort zone and plunged headlong into the value-driven compact sedan segment with the VW Ameo.
It’s VW’s first product developed exclusively for the Indian market and it all came together in just two years. It’s based on the Polo hatchback rather than the Vento sedan because the shorter wheelbase and overall length was a better starting point for a ‘sub-four- metre limousine’ as VW calls it. From the nose right up to the rear doors, the car looks exactly the same and VW has also managed to retain the Polo’s rear quarter glass for a better sense of space. The only difference is that the roof is a little lower to give a better flow to the sedan shape.
However, although VW has done well to give the boot multiple surfaces to break up the vertical mass and a spoiler to make it look longer, it ends a bit abruptly. There is only so much that can be done when you use a Polo and turn it into something it was never originally designed to be.
On the inside, it is, as expected, the same as the Polo, and that’s a good thing. Material quality is miles ahead of everything else in the segment, and the design, though familiar, has aged well. Big, clear dials, a sporty flat-bottom steering wheel and well-crafted switchgear are the highlights here. The front seats are nice and supportive, and the fabric quality is good enough to have come from a few segments up.
The rear seat is unchanged from the Polo, and that was never the hatchback’s strong point to begin with. Headroom and thigh support in the Ameo are not too bad, but legroom and cabin width are short of what you get in most of the competition. You also don’t get a rear armrest, but what you do get is a rear AC vent, something that was exclusive to the Hyundai Xcent until now.
A long equipment list is not something VW is traditionally known for. In the Ameo, however, the carmaker has gone all out, to the point that it is just about the best-equipped car in the class.
While auto climate control, an electronic day-night rear-view mirror, the rear AC vent, a reversing camera and sensors aren’t new to this segment, the Ameo comes loaded with class-first features like rain-sensing wipers, cruise control and window operation from the key fob. The touchscreen infotainment system features Bluetooth, USB, SD card reader, and MirrorLink, which replicates your phone’s interface on the car’s infotainment screen. And, as with all VW cars, two airbags and ABS are standard.
The 330-litre boot is 77 litres short of the segment best, but it’s well-shaped and the loading aperture is wide. However, it’s interesting to see how VW has finally resorted to cost-cutting – there’s no cladding on the inside of the boot lid like in the Vento.
You’ll be able to buy the Ameo with VW’s improved 110hp, 1.5-litre diesel engine by Diwali, with either a manual or a seven-speed DSG automatic, but for now, it’s just the petrol with a manual gearbox. It’s the Polo’s 1.2-litre naturally aspirated three-cylinder motor that makes 74hp and 110Nm, and unfortunately, this is the Ameo’s weakest link. For starters, it’s not refined, and it fires to life with a distinct three-cylinder thrum. It settles down at low revs, but the moment you open it up even slightly, the engine is quite audible. The performance feels just about enough for this 1,069kg car, as the engine isn’t particularly strong anywhere in the rev range and it doesn’t enjoy being revved. The 240kph max-speed reading on the speedometer feels a bit redundant when it runs out of steam at just over 140kph.
It does, however, redeem itself in the ride department, with a suspension setup that feels as solid and sophisticated as it should on a German car. With a good mix of compliance and firmness, the Ameo, on its 15-inch wheels, makes short work of most poor Indian roads, with only the occasional hard thunk coming in if you hit a sharp bump a little too fast.
As with the Polo and Vento, the handling isn’t incredibly rewarding, but it’s safe and predictable. The steering feels a little loose at high expressway speeds, but that’s forgivable considering how flat and securely the Ameo rides.
We have to talk about the price first because Volkswagen has really knocked it out of the park this time. Bucking its own trend of premium pricing, the Ameo costs Rs 5.24-7.06 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), which makes it one of the more affordable cars in the class! And that’s all the more impressive when you see how much has been crammed into it. Then you factor in what has always earned VW its premium positioning – solid German build quality – and that’s still there too. However, where it stumbles is the engine; the 1.2 MPI doesn’t have the performance or refinement of its competitors. The other area is practicality – while the Polo is a self-drive car, the Ameo is meant for families, and the rear seat and boot space should really have been bettered to properly fulfil this role. What it is though, is an incredible and unexpected value proposition that stands out for being solidly built and well equipped. However, it might just be worthwhile waiting for the diesel version that hits showrooms in the holiday season.
