[MacBa]

Excellent review Aditya. The way the rear integrates into the boot reminds of Xcent (at least from the side profile 3Q angle). That said, the quality does look better than the segment rivals and yes, that puny 1.2L 3 cyl motor looks nothing good than for short daily runs. I was never a big fan of the Polo with the initial set of engines and this one too may disappoint some prospective buyers.

I have heard people saying that a 1.5L diesel will be introduced later. VW has hold its plans till the time it introduces its updated range of diesel engines. So the launch should not be very far.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Say hello to VW's first India-spec car, a result of our unique policies.

Excellent review Aditya and as always, worth each of the 5*s

I am still unsure as to why VW even planned this product, let alone launch it by spending over 700 crores!!

IMO they could have probably used all that money to better their service network, customer experience and inventory of their so called 'Premium' mainstream cars.

ORVMs get integrated blinkers (Polo has them on the fender):

If I remember correctly, the Polo Highline & GTs have the ORVMs with turn indicators integrated. This was part of the latest updates on the Polo.

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

I wonder why they did not work off the Vento instead of the Polo, the longer wheelbase could have ensured decent rear seat space.

+1 to your thought Rajeevraj.

When I bought the GT in exchange for my Getz, my family really wondered why I was downgrading my car, with respect to the interior space. I could never really justify the reason I had bought this German Diesel rocket back then.

But even I fail to understand why VW used the Polo to develop Ameo. Vento is not the most spacious in its segment, but surely must have been the better option.

[Asish_VK]

Brilliant Review

Hard to digest it costed 720 crores for development, for integrating a boot without much advantages, Making a 4 meter sedan from a 3.97 meter hatch back ?

I feel Ameo is a half hearted attempt by VW, just for the sake of it . Always loved the proportionate design of their cars, and there comes Ameo

If VW wanted a mass market car and had 720 crores at their disposal, why not something fresh , may be a compact SUV or a small hatch ( they already have the cute looking UP!). I feel its time and money wasted .

[extreme_torque]

With a 1.5 diesel this and of course reasonable pricing this could be the pick of the segment given the quality and equipment on offer. Honestly I am actually surprised by how loaded this car is.

[MacBa]

Apparently, VW has also announced some exclusive packages for Ameo.

Link to the article:
http://auto.ndtv.com/news/volkswagen...unched-1403135

Looks neat. Not so with the current set of engines.

[Santoshbhat]

Wonderful review as always. Thanks!

Government of India must be very proud. They can claim the honours for the birth a new segment that gives affordable sedans to the masses! But honestly I wish VW had not got into the compact sedan rat race. This is not their game. The Ameo looks horribly disproportionate in the light of the Polo and Vento which are so pleasing to look at.

That boot is just 36 litres more than the Polo. The smaller opening could negate this advantage. So if the boot hardly offers an advantage over the hatch and the wheelbase and rear legroom remains same as well, what's the USP here? The 'status symbol' of the boot?

[DriveOnceMore]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

what's the USP here? The 'status symbol' of the boot?

That is the whole crux of 'Compact Sedan' story my friend!
I see Compact SUVs offering more value than these Compact Sedans!

[nsbhagwat]

As usual a fantastic review with great attention to detail.

The 720 crores figure to me appears to be the euro equivalent since the vehicle was designed in Germany (very expensive resources).

Agree with all about the commuter engines and a missed opportunity with the diesel engine.

Regards
Nikhil

[SPARKled]

Definitely not a car that a lot of people must be waiting to get reviewed. Any little interest that must have been generated must have fizzled away with the engine choice. A very half hearted attempt by VW to begin with to get a share of the small sedan pie. Better engines will surely come but till then lets get on to the next car please.

[vw19d]

Despite the lack of practicality offered by the Ameo, I still feel that the car would do reasonable sales, thanks to the features it is loaded with and no compromise on safety and quality. Fingers crossed! For sure, this is VW's die-hard attempt to get into the compact sedan segment, although they could have developed something better with a 720 crore investment.

[ventoman]

Excellent 5-Star review!

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

...
Honestly, it is a mystery to me as to what VW has attempted with the Ameo. ...

+1 to that.
I could only recollect this meme meant to tease IE. I feel VW is very very late to join the CS party.

[hybridpetrol]

A Car with a great build quality was not within reach for those who wanted to own a sedan with limited budget. Ameo has come as a boon for those who want a good build quality, and nice interiors.
There is a large fan base for Polo in India for just its classic looks and the solid build. Every Polo Owner did not want a DSG and the car owners are pretty happy with their 3 cylinder motors. So, VW has made a good attempt in trying to sell a India specific car.
It is actually nice to see the manufacturers putting some efforts in making India specific cars - Ford Aspire, Renault Kwid and now VW Ameo.
IMHO, Ameo would score just for the build quality, price and the Ventoish looks!

[tbppjpr]

Thanks for the detailed review

Originally Posted by Aditya

What you won't:
...
• The Polo & Vento's long-term reliability hasn't been as strong as the Japanese / Korean cars
...

Would like to understand whats the definition of 'long term reliability'? What actually makes Japanese or Koreans more reliable than Germans? How many engine failures we have seen in Polo-Vento compared to Japanese or Koreans? Or anything else which makes Polo-Vento lesser reliable?

Which other car manufacture pays so much efforts in R&D and experiments and offers such wide range of engines in just couple of models like VW? If they are really unreliable then owners of VWs must be more careful than others and shouldn't mess up with the stock vehicle but what I see on Team-BHP is that the DIY section here is filled with mostly Polo and Vento modification threads, talking about serious modifications, not the cosmetics.

Just curious to know and looking for definition of reliable and unreliable car here. It will be beneficial for future buyers to make informed decision who rely on Team-BHP reviews while making car buying decisions.

[sidzzone]

Brilliant review as usual, rating it 5 stars.

Volkswagen is the new Tata. Identical front fascia for all their cars. Even Tata has departed from this design practice VW, when are you going to roll out the next generation of Polo?! Wonder how much money they're going to invest on the next gen Ameo if that happens!

The only thing going for this car is it's features - it is loaded. But otherwise, the boot is small, rear legroom is less and it looks plain weird from many angles. But credit where it is due, the car looks like VFM with all the features.

Assuming that VW are telling us the truth about the investment of 720 crores into this car, you would expect something that would take the industry by storm. Instead, we only see a weird looking, spatially challenged car loaded with features.

[McLaren Rulez]

Driver's seat is height-adjustable. The adjustment has a healthy range and the lever feels long-lasting. Crank the lever 17 times to put the seat in its highest position (from the lowest). Crank it 25 times to take it from the highest to lowest:

Precisely the kind of hard hitting journalism that you simply don't get with the regular auto magazines!

I'm just kidding, amazing review and very well written.