First drive review: Volkswagen Ameo Diesel

Made in India for India sounds like a recipe that can barely go wrong doesnt it Nevertheless the Ameo has been off to a slow and steady start and hasnt set the cash registers ringing wildly The biggest and most obvious chink in the armour has now be plugged with the updated 15litre TDi diesel engine sitting happily in the engine bay Volkswagen has gone the whole hog and offered the 7speed dualclutch automatic as well Looks like a foolproof plan on paper then Is itWell it is Weve spoken indepth about how the Ameo looks and whats it like on the inside before so I will skip the details Im not a huge fan of the way the Ameo looks and spending a lot of time with it hasnt changed my opinion either I still feel the boot is a tad too flat and would look in place on a Skoda rather than a VWThere are also thoughtful features that make life easier behind the wheel that include auto updown on all four power windows and tilt and telescopic adjust for the steering For the brochure geeks among us the feature list includes a touchscreen infotainment system with MirrorLink automatic climate control with rear AC vents autodimming internal mirror and rainsensing wipers It isnt too spacious though My knees are buried into the backrest of the front seat if I sit behind my own driving position which is why I always gun for the drivers seatSo other than the TDI badge on the boot theres no telling a petrolpowered Ameo apart from a diesel one Heres a quick trivia the colour of the I in the badge tells you what VW themselves think of the engine For instance if its blue its supposed to be the more efficient variety and if it is red it means business This one is red Get the hintThe fourcylinder engine EA189 was among the few under the dieselgate scanner Volkswagen has updated the powerplant since and it is slightly more careful about the ice caps in the Atlantic and thankfully more powerful as well Rated at 110PS and 250Nm the Volkswagen is the most powerful diesel compact sedan around Whats more the claimed efficiency is a healthy 2166kmpl for the manual and 2178kmpl for the automatic Best of both worlds thenTurn the key theres no startstop button business here like the DzireXcent and it comes to life sounding particularly gruff and clattery before settling into a thrummy idle Noise levels are on par with the Polo and the Vento which means those outside the car will know that the engine is running But occupants sitting inside with the climate control and the music system switched on will barely hear the trademark TDI clatterLets talk about the automatic first The 7speed DSG is known for lightning quick shifts and this is no different Compared to its other automatic rivals such as the Dzire and the Zest that feature AMTs the Ameos gearbox feels centuries ahead in terms of refinement and response Keep the weight of the right foot in check and it will upshift at a smidge over 2000rpm and chug along in seventh gear at speeds as low as 75kmph You now see why the claimed ARAI figure is possible dont youTheres also a delicious flipside to the gearbox Slot it into S and it pokes all the 110 horses at once It will hold on to revs right up to where the punchy midrange ends and hurl itself towards the horizon questionably quickly The Ameo is easily among the fastest compact sedans weve driven with the Ford Figo Aspire coming in a close second At the risk of stating the obvious efficiency will take a beating in Sports mode so dont get too carried away at the streetlight dragsSpeaking of which the manual feels outright bonkers too Once you get past the initial turbo lag that lasts upto 1500rpm the revs quickly climb You can also get away with being lazy and not downshifting whilst slowing down Theres ample torque in reserve for it to not stutter and cough for a lower gear Just like the Polo the gear throws are short and the action is positive and sureslotting It is oddly pleasing to wring the daylights out of the manual but the heavy clutch will take a toll on your left knee It is definitely the heaviest in its class which is likely to make incity commutes a tad troublesome Theres also a slight clicky feeling on the clutch pedal that takes some getting used to But wed happily trade our left leg for some usable performance and the Ameo seems to be happy accepting sacrifices tooWhen you just want to sit back and relax the potent engine lets you do that as well It can carry speeds well in excess of 100kmph easily and all day long at that Ring in the services of the cruise control and you are left with the reins of the steering and the brakes The little Volkswagen can be a worthy option for anyone looking for a compact sedan to go touring with the familyAs is the case with most Volkswagens the suspension is set up to be stiff In fact it felt a tad stiffer than my GT TSi too possibly to compensate for the heavier engine up front As a result lowspeed ride quality isnt as pliant as you would hope While the cabin isnt put off by potholes it will crash and thud over every single undulation you come across The upside of course is that you are rewarded when you chuck it into a corner Roll is minimal and it dives in obediently Wed have loved a little response from the steering but it is nearly as good as electric power steerings can get so I guess well just have to make peace with thisThose used to a Maruti or a Hyundai will find the steering to be quite heavy at low speeds As the speeds climb you will appreciate the steady steering a lot It feels no different than the bigger Vento riding flat with a composure only German cars manage to pull off The stock tyres do a decent job harnessing the power but wed recommend an upgrade in case you plan on doing a lot of highway trips purely because of how noisy they getBeing front heavy theres significant nosediving under heavy braking That said the Ameo doesnt stray out of line one bit Safety is kept in check too with antilock brakes and airbags being standard across the range Good move VWLike we said at the outset the only perceptible gap in the Ameo lineup has been plugged The German accountants mustve miscalculated something because they seemed to have priced the compact sedan to be cheaper than the Polo hatchback it is based on Were told theres a significant amount of localisation thats gone into achieving the lower price and we have to admit it is brilliant no matter how briefly the pricing stays put Is it THE compact sedan to buy Wed have to revisit it with its rivals once more just to be sure But on the face of it that does seem like the casePhotography Eshan ShettyRead full article on cardekhocom