Volkswagen Ameo vs Rivals: Specifications Comparison

Volkswagen Ameo, the German carmaker's much-awaited subcompact sedan now finally has both petrol and diesel trims on offer. The car has been creating quite a buzz for its aggressive pricing and Volkswagen has been able to undercut the prices of all its competitors by a substantial margin. The new diesel model in particular, which was launched last week, is the most powerful in its class and comes with a host of first-in-class features.

The sixth car in the already populated sub-4 metre sedan space, the Ameo diesel and petrol will rival the likes of Ford Figo Aspire, Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Tata Zest, Hyundai Xcent, and Honda Amaze. We enjoyed our time with the Ameo petrol during our first drive review, and will also bring you our first impressions of the Ameo diesel soon. That said with all its features and updated powertrains, is the Ameo equipped enough to surpass the already established players of the segment? Let's find out.

Volkswagen Ameo

Dimensions

First things first, all these cars measure in under 4 metres with the Amaze being the most compact at 3990 mm while rest all are same in length at 3995mm. Now, just because the word compact is in the segment name, it doesn't mean that these cars cannot be spacious. And Tata Zest proves that really well being the widest among all six cars at 1709mm. We have the Figo Aspire and Maruti Swift DZire right below with a width of 1695mm, followed by Volkswagen Ameo at 1682mm, Honda Amaze at 1680mm and finally Hyundai Xcent with the narrowest body 1660mm.

All that said, when it comes to legroom, it is the Figo Aspire that has the longest wheelbase of 2491mm, followed by the Ameo and Zest with 2470 mm each. It is Honda Amaze that comes with the smallest wheelbase of 2405mm with Hyundai Xcent at 2425mm and Swift DZire at 2430mm. But, when it comes to height, the Ameo is the shortest at 1483mm and the Zest the tallest at 1570mm of height. Following the Zest we have the Swift DZire, Figo Aspire, Xcent and Amaze at 1555mm, 1525mm, 1520mm and 1505mm respectively.

Ford Figo Aspire

Features and Equipment

This is the turf where Volkswagen Ameo truly excels compared to its peers, well at least on papers. The car comes with many segment-first features including cruise control, rain sensing wipers, anti-pinch power windows, front arm rest, and static cornering light. But that is not it the car even comes loaded with some exciting features like touchscreen infotainment system with MirrorLink tech, i-pod connectivity, phonebook/SMS viewer, automatic climate control with dust and pollen filter, electronically adjustable ORVMs with LED turn indicators, cooled glovebox, tilt and telescopic steering wheel, and rear AC vents. Even when it comes to safety features, Volkswagen offers the Ameo with dual airbags and ABS as standard across all variants among other optional features.

Tata Zest

Closing in is Ford Figo Aspire that also comes with a range of exciting features like leather seats, touch screen infotainment system, Ford SYNK 2, My For Dock, smart storage spaces. It is also one of the safest cars in its segment, as the Figo Aspire comes with safety features like driver and passenger airbags as standard, ABS with EBD, ESP + TCS + HLA, keyless entry and perimeter alarm among others. At the same time Honda Amaze facelift gets features like new instrument cluster, power windows, keyless entry, driver seat height adjuster, rear seat hand rest with cup holders, green or heat absorbing windscreen, steering mounted controls, piano black finish on centre console, and automatic AC. Safety equipment are pretty standard like ABS with EBD, rear defogger, WAVE key, and dual SRS airbags.

Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire

Next in line we have the Tata Zest, which offers one of the most spacious cabins in the segment with touchscreen infotainment system by Harman, 8 speakers, Automated AC, multi-functional steering wheel, projector headlamps among others. As for safety, the Zest is equipped with dual SRS airbags, parking assist, and ABS with EBD. Then we have the Swift DZire from Maruti Suzuki that more or less has been the most trusted car in this segment, mainly because of its brand name. That said the feature list in the Swift DZire is very standard like - standard 2DIN audio system with Bluetooth and AUX-IN connectivity, engine start/stop button, keyless entry, 3-spoke steering with audio and telephony controls. Safety offerings are pretty standard too like - ABS with EBD, airbags, and reverse parking sensor. The Hyundai Xcent is almost in the same league as the Swift DZire with features like - 6.2 Touch screen AV system or 2Din audio system with Bluetooth and AUX-IN, automatic temperature control, rear AC vents, engine start/stop button and smart key for keyless entry. Safety equipment includes - dual airbags, ABS and rear parking sensor.

Honda Amaze

Engine Specifications

This stand-off truly becomes interesting when we come to the engine department. Among the diesel trims it's the Ameo that takes the lead with its updated 1.5-litre TDI making 108bhp and develops 250Nm of peak torque. The motor comes mated to a 7-speed DSG unit. Right behind are Ford Aspire and Honda Amaze, both of which are powered by a 1.5-litre diesel engine that churns out the same 99bhp in both the cars. That said, the Aspire's engine develops more peak torque of 215Nm compared to the Amaze that only develops 200Nm of peak torque. In fact, both the car come with a 5-speed manual gearbox. At the same time, Maruti Suzuki's DZire and Tata Motors' Zest also come mated to 74bhp, 1.3-litre oil burners and they both develop the same 190Nm of peak torque. The Zest also comes with a more powerful version of the engine that makes 89bhp and 200Nm of peak torque. In fact, both the DZire and the Zest get both a manual transmission and an AMT unit. The lease powerful diesel-power subcompact sedan is Hyundai Xcent that comes with a 1.1-litre diesel engine that develops 71bhp and 180Nm of peak torque, while mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox.

On the other hand, among the petrol trims, it is Ford Figo Aspire's 1.5-litre Ti-VCT petrol motor that stays ahead of everyone, churning out 110bhp and developing 136Nm of peak torque. The motor comes mated to a dual clutch transmission unit, also a segment first like the Ameo's DSG. The car also gets a smaller 1.2-litre petrol unit that makes 87bhp and develops 112Nm of peak torque and comes mated to a 5-speed manual unit. The second to the Ford Aspire's 110bhp engine is Tata Zest that offers a 1.2-litre motor that makes 89bhp and develops 140Nm of peak torque, while mated to a 5-speed manual unit.

Honda Amaze is right behind with a similar 1.2-litre petrol engine that develops 87bhp and 109Nm of peak torque and comes mated to a 5-speed manual unit. Rivals Swift DZire and Xcent both come with 1.2-litre units as well and produce 82bhp each and develop 115Nm and 113Nm of peak torque respectively. These two engines also come mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox.

Hyundai Xcent

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