[RavenAvi]

The Ameo's chief designer, Tilo Klumpp, answers some questions on the all-new Volkswagen product during a live session.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHdG1xS_SZs

[RavenAvi]

Motorbeam's review is out, and they are very critical about the Ameo 1.2L MPI's performance.

Excerpts:

Talking about the MPI engine, it comes across as a major disappointment because it has a very poor low-end and mid-range. In fact, the engine doesn’t impress even at the higher spectrum of the RPM range. City drivability is just about average and this mill is just not meant for highway driving. Redline comes in early at 6000 RPM. To keep the car moving, you always need to keep the engine on the boil. The engine also gets very vocal and at higher RPMs, a lot of noise filters inside the cabin. 100 km/hr comes up in 3rd gear while in top gear, the Ameo touches the ton at 2900 RPM.

If you’re looking for performance, you better stay away from the Ameo because the engine feels the most inferior in its segment. Gear shifts are pretty slick though but the MPI mill doesn’t impress even in terms of fuel efficiency. The ARAI-rating of 17.83 km/l is also the lowest in its segment.

Volkswagen cars have always had good dynamics and the Ameo is no different. The steering has good feel but could do with some more feedback. Handling is sharp and predictable too. The car remains planted always and maintains its composure even at high speeds. The suspension is nicely set-up and ride quality on the Ameo is simply fab. The suspension soaks up whatever is thrown at it with ease. Body movement is also very well controlled while the brakes also offer good performance and pedal bite is also quite positive. Our test car had MRF ZVTV tyres which offer decent levels of grip and performance.

[ajaypjayaraj]

In that Ameo & Polo head to head pic, Polo looks like the bigger car. Guess its because of the thicker C pillar of Polo.

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by ajaypjayaraj

In that Ameo & Polo head to head pic, Polo looks like the bigger car. Guess its because of the thicker C pillar of Polo.

Polo looks like a car and Ameo looks like a mistake.

Polo looks like German Engineering and Ameo looks like Indian Jugaad.

I could go on

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by kiku007

Polo looks like a car and Ameo looks like a mistake.

it really does kiku007 .

in fact the caption under that picture from Motorbeam states:

We will still pick the Polo over the Ameo as it feels more VW


As they say,

German Car Designs are Time Less.

But this German iteration may garner the phrase:

German Car Design with Less-Time on hand !!

[ajaypjayaraj]

Originally Posted by kiku007

Polo looks like German Engineering and Ameo looks like Indian Jugaad.

The Indian Jugaad is the sad part. Market demand is the culprit though. Its a very strange market, especially for an automobile enthusiast.

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by kiku007

Polo looks like a car and Ameo looks like a mistake.

Originally Posted by Vik0728

it really does

While I get that this car will not win any beauty contests, I think it will be worth considering the Diesel DSG once it is released.

I think a car with all the bells and whistles of the Vento at a couple of lakhs less (presumably) is value for money if rear seat space is not top priority. If that were a priority the Polo would be out of contention as well.

It is not as if this is a poorly built car or has terrible ride/handling - it is still a VW.

[RavenAvi]

How the Ameo petrol is placed against it's competition, price-wise:

The Tata Zest is still the most VFM petrol option in this segment, while the DZire is well, still pretty DZire-able for the Indian customer (pun intended, design quirks notwithstanding).

ACI

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by VeluM

I think a car with all the bells and whistles of the Vento at a couple of lakhs less (presumably) is value for money if rear seat space is not top priority. If that were a priority the Polo would be out of contention as well.

See that is exactly my point dude. Ameo is a good car with great pricing, and there are not 2 ways about that. But it is not a "Necessary" car the way I see it.

Polo is one of the hottest premium hatchbacks in the country today. The GT variants offer the best in technology and power, and in all ernest is one of the most important reasons for other manufacturers to offer performance variants. But all said, Polo in itself is not a VFM product. Despite all the recent updates and upgrades on the Polo, we have better cars in Petrol and Diesel variants today, sans for the TSI, which still is not cheap to own.

Vento has gone through a lot of iterations/changes but still can't hold a candle to either Verna or City. Hell, even Rapid with the latest updates comes through as a better product. Sure the German engineering is very much here and the engines are world class, but all this can add to nothing if the company cannot sustain its existing customers.

One thing which is very common between Polo/Vento/Rapid is the after sales support and premium spare parts. Sure, these have been addressed to some extent but the gap they have just to catch up with Japanese and Koreans is massive.

So in my view, Ameo offers nothing new to the market. Sure it is quite cheap to buy, but it still is not very cheap to own like the Maruti/Hyundai/Honda/Toyota.

It surely is a 'Cheapest German Small Sedan' to own in India, but it may not offer a snob value like the Vento/Rapid does.

It is not as if this is a poorly built car or has terrible ride/handling - it is still a VW.

Probably, that is the only saving grace for the Ameo.

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

The Tata Zest is still the most VFM petrol option in this segment...

Still glad we picked it last year. Well built, great features, and no issues yet at all.

Originally Posted by Vik0728

But it is not a "Necessary" car the way I see it.

Quite true, it would most likely be the car for young bachelors or the second car for a family.

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Vento has gone through a lot of iterations/changes but still can't hold a candle to either Verna or City.

Oh, there will be quite a few who disagree with you on that! Had VW service been any better the Vento would have been flying off the shelves. We'll agree to disagree on this one I think.

On a separate note, I wonder when VW will realise that they can double their sales just by improving the quality of their (and Skoda's) service.

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Probably, that is the only saving grace for the Ameo.

Can't take this one strength for granted!
See the dwindling sales of the Ford Figo & Aspire, when they decided to go the "Indian" way by adopting the light built quality and provided a lot of gizmos. The same Figo brand which once was synonymous with solid American build now is seeing build because it has nothing new to offer.

On the other hand, Ameo in my opinion seems to still retain the DNA of the European build which is carried over from Polo & Vento. They seemed to have skimped on the motor, but tried their best to provide a compact sedan that ticks majority of the boxes of the CS buyers - which are:
a) Being a Sedan - for those who want to own a sedan
b) Long feature list, first in the segment - features the buyers can boast about for some days, such as cruise control.
Added to this, is the Solid European build.
Engine characteristics hardly come to the mind of the buyer when they go for a car, mostly the appearance & feature list that sells the product.

It remains to be seen if the car's 3 pot motor has any impact over the sales. If the sales of Ameo exceeds Polo's monthly sales, that itself is an achievement for VW in CS area. Further, if they manage to take the second or third spot, which have been occupied by Xcent or Amaze in the last two years, then it will be termed a huge hit.

[prabhuferrari]

As per the sales executive in VW Chennai, Ameo has received 1000 bookings all over the country . He also mentioned that almost all the parts are made here and spare/service will be, relatively, cheaper.

[Ketan T]

Originally Posted by prabhuferrari

He also mentioned that almost all the parts are made here and spare/service will be, relatively, cheaper.

A bit OT. If this is true, Polo spares too should be cheaper now. I will find out soon, my Polo is due for third year service next week.

[itsashishsharma]

Originally Posted by Ketan T

I will find out soon, my Polo is due for third year service next week.

Originally Posted by prabhuferrari

He also mentioned that almost all the parts are made here and spare/service will be, relatively, cheaper.

Spare parts costs are overhyped I would say. I would care for it probably in the 70's when cars were not this reliable. No modern car keeps failing. So if some parts are imported and hence costlier, it doesn't matter at all.
My father's old Baleno has taken the worst abuse and at 115000 km, its running the original clutch.
So yes, the spares for that car are way costlier than other Marutis, twice or thrice the prices usually, but do I care? No. If it was a Swift, I would have got the clutch replaced twice by now.

[maddyguage]

VW is going Indian way now. In October they will be changing turbocharger in polo/vento and ameo. They are sourcing it from Indian manufacturer and this is the same unit we heard about which has claimed power of 109 HP. My dealer said they're figuring out cheaper way for spares, thus switching to local manufacturers.

I don't know if quality is compromised or not, but definitely going to be cheaper than before.