50,000 km journey with my 2016 Volkswagen Ameo TDI

Overtime, these out of the ordinary repairs have costed me a total of around Rs. 40,000.

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Welcome to my brief long-term ownership review. Having completed over 50,000 kms, and over 4 years with my 2016 VW Ameo TDi 1.5 Trendline (hereinafter "Foxhound"), it is about time for me to share my journey with this wonderful machine thus far.

Enter, Foxhound:

Pros

• Best in class performance (for a car that costed 8 lakhs OTR) - 108 BHP and 250 NM of torque (after all, this forum is called Team-BHP and not Team-KMPL for a reason).
• On-paper specifications translate well onto the road under real world conditions - the car is super quick and punches above its weight on this aspect.
• On a good day, 0-100 can be achieved under/around the 10-second mark.
• Conventional and timeless design.
• Looks are always subjective. Speaking for myself, I can safely say that my heart starts racing every single time that I look at Foxhound. Even after parking, I can't help but looking back multiple times.
• Great steering - inspires confidence and weighs up/down well with speed. P.S. The flat-bottom is an ergonomic marvel.
• Best in class safety - Back in 2016, 2 Airbags and ABS at this price was a steal deal. P.S. This car has already saved my life once and I walked away scratch free. So I can vouch from personal experience.
• Decent mileage - Have gotten around 15-17 kmpl.
• Great overall driving dynamics.
• All black interiors of the Trendline Variant.
• Value For Money proposition.

Cons

• It is indisputable that the service costs are slightly on the higher side.
• Service interval is 15,000 kms or 1 year whichever is earlier. Every 6 months, there is an inspection service. Annual service usually costs around Rs. 14,000-18,000 and the inspection service is free (usually). P.S. Since I use the brakes a lot, I usually have to get my brake pads replaced frequently. However, VW experience has been more or less good thus far. Have even gotten a '0' bill once when I went to get the suspension checked after a pothole hit.
• Missing features in the Trendline variant - Rear windows are a manual 'roll down' type, no remote locking (only with key), no rear A/C, no fog lamps, no steering mounted controls and no full MID (i.e., Distance to Empty, digital speed, mileage, etc). However, this did not affect my decision process even the slightest as I was only looking at the engine.
• Stock wheels were R14 steel rims + Bridgestones on the Trendline. Upgrading these to alloys with Yokohama S-Drives made a major difference.
• NVH - Many people have told me that I drive a tractor.

All of the above, I peacefully live with except for full MID, steering mounted controls, missing remote and roll-down windows.

Out of the ordinary repairs:

• Few months into my ownership, the coolant expansion tank conked off randomly. Had to pay for this myself as VW refused to cover plastic parts under warranty.
• A/C vents - have noticed that this is a common issue with many owners.
• Battery replaced after 4 years of ownership.
• Front strut mounts replaced at 50,000 kms mark/4 year service.

Overtime, these out of the ordinary repairs have costed me a total of around Rs. 40,000.

Overall, my experience with this car has been excellent. Mostly, I've driven Foxhound on city commutes with one road trip across Rajasthan. Initially, when I was still studying law, my college was a daily 70 kms commute. Since the last 3 years, I've started practising law in New Delhi as an electricity regulatory litigation lawyer. Office is a daily 110 kms commute. Not a single day has gone by where I haven't smiled driving this car. In fact, I've had some of the best moments of my life behind the wheel.

I'll end this brief review by leaving you with some of my favorite Foxhound pictures.

I've driven Foxhound almost everyday.

On rainy days:

Warm summer days:

Initial days of law practice:

Through unannounced fog:

Parting shot:

Thank you for reading through. I have tried to keep this review as short as possible considering that this is a discontinued model. Hopefully, this will help someone make a good decision on a used car.

I would also be happy to answer any specific/pointed questions one may have regarding this car.

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