Volkswagen Ameo Review- feature rich but looks ugly

The Volkswagen Ameo is the newest compact sedan in the automobile market of India from the German car manufacturer Volkswagen. This sub 4-meter car is based on the company’s own Polo hatchback, which is a popular car in India. Currently, the Volkswagen Ameo is only available with petrol engine.

The sedan comes in three versions with one transmission, one engine and one fuel options. The ex-showroom price of the Volkswagen Ameo ranges from Rs 5.24 lakh to Rs 7.18 lakh. The Volkswagen Ameo competes directly with the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire, Tata Zest, Honda Amaze, Ford Figo Aspire and Hyundai Xcent.

ENGINE AND SPECIFICATIOS

VW Ameo has been launched with a 3 cylinder 1198 cc MPI petrol engine

The Volkswagen Ameo is powered by a 1.2 litre, three cylinder, 1198 cc MPI petrol engine which produces a maximum power of 74 bhp at 5,400 rpm along with a peak torque of 110 Nm at 3,750 rpm. The engine comes mated to a five speed manual transmission gearbox. Besides, the Volkswagen Ameo features a minimum turning radius of 4.97 metre.

In terms of fuel efficiency, the Volkswagen Ameo returns an ARAI certified mileage of 17.83 kmpl and the fuel tank capacity of this compact sedan is 45 litres.

EXTERIOR

Ameo has a ground clearence 165 mm with front grille resembling its Polo model

The Volkswagen Ameo is a nice looking sedan and its front fascia resembles the Polo hatchback. Although, the black finished halogen headlamps, heat insulating glass windshield, alloy wheels, body coloured ORVMs and bumpers provide the Volkswagen Ameo an elegant look. At the same time, the rear profile of the sedan gets L-shaped taillight that also looks good. 

Other features of this compact sedan include signature style grille, dual beam headlamps, door mirrors with turn indicators, chrome applique on door handles, air dam detailing in chrome and steel spare wheel.

In terms of the size, the Volkswagen Ameo stands as 3995 mm in length, 1682 mm in width and 1483 mm in height along with a wheel base of 2470 mm and a ground clearance of 165 mm. Moreover, the compact sedan comes in five glittering colours – namely, Toffee Brown, Candy White, Reflex Silver, Blue Silk and Carbon Steel.

INTERIOR

The 5 seated VW Ameo has a huge cargo volume with 330 litres of boot Space

On the inside, the Volkswagen Ameo comes with dual tone chrome interior accents. The cabin is roomy and the high quality dashboard is scratch resistant and looks decent. Besides, the leather wrapped steering wheel with chrome accents and piano black finish enhances the beauty of this compact sedan.

In addition to these, the Volkswagen Ameo comes loaded with a number of comfort and connectivity features such as cruise control, leather wrapped gearshift knob, Monochrome multi-function display (MFD) which includes digital speed display, travelling time, average speed, distance travelled and fuel efficiency, instrument cluster which includes speedometer, odometer, tachometer and trip meter, cooled glove box, power windows with one touch operation, speed sensitive electronic power steering, push to open fuel lid, automatic AC with pollen and dust filter, vanity mirror in left side sun visor, rear AC vents and front windshield wiper with intermittent control.

Other attractive feature of the car includes touchscreen infotainment system along with MP3 player, CD, radio, 4-speakers, voice control, Phonebook / SMS viewer, SD card reader, USB, AUX-in and Bluetooth connectivity.

The car has a seating capacity of five passengers. It offers driver seat adjustment, front centre armrest and folding rear seats. Furthermore, the Volkswagen Ameo is endowed with 330 litres of boot Space.

PERFORMANCE

VW Ameo petrol has 17.83 kmpl mileage with 45 litre fuel tank

The front wheels of the Volkswagen Ameo are fitted with disc brakes and the rear wheels are fitted with drum brakes. At the same time, suspension of this compact sedan is well equipped by integrating McPherson Strut to its front axle whereas its rear axle is fitted with semi-independent trailing arm.

On the safety front, the Volkswagen Ameo is packed with plenty of safety features such as ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), driver and passenger airbags, front fog lamps with static cornering lights, 3-point front seat belts, 3-point rear outer seat belts, hill hold control, Electronic Stabilization Programme (ESP) and Speed-sensing auto door locks.

Other safety features of the car include central locking and remote controlled central locking, height-adjustable head restraints, lane change indicator, auto dimming interior rear view mirror, electronic engine immobilizer with floating code and rear de-fogger. 

ADVANTAGES

The biggest advantage of the Volkswagen Ameo is its several first in segment features such as opening and closing of windows with key remote, flat bottom steering wheel and cruise control. In addition to these features, the compact sedan offers ABS, rear view camera with parking sensor and dual front airbags as standard across all variants. Furthermore, the mileage figure of the Volkswagen Ameo is impressive.           

DRAWBACKS

The main drawback of the Volkswagen Ameo is its rear seats which are cramped. Besides, the sedan does not look decent from the rear angle.           

VERDICT

The Volkswagen Ameo is an excellent sedan which comes equipped with several segment-first features. Undoubtedly, the Volkswagen Ameo is absolutely perfect for those who want to buy a comfortable and stylish sedan.