10 things you may NOT know about the Volkswagen Ameo compact sedan

Soon, the Volkswagen Ameo will be India’s latest compact sedan, a car that will sit in between the Polo and Vento in terms of price and positioning. The Ameo has already been unveiled, along with a bunch of details. Here are 10 things that you may NOT know about Volkswagen’s latest sedan.

The Ameo is Volkswagen’s first ever sub-4 meter sedan. Yes, this car is built specifically for the Indian market, where the German automaker is yet to make a big dent. With the Ameo, Volkswagen wants to target best selling cars such as the Maruti Dzire and the Honda Amaze.

The car will be launched in July, which is also when prices will be announced. The Ameo will be available in 8 variants, 3 (Trendline, Comfortline and Highline) in petrol, 3 in diesel (Trendline, Comfortline and Highline) and 2 in diesel-automatic (Comfortline and Highline).  But diesel-lovers, wait. Don’t get too excited about the Ameo Diesel.

When Volkswagen gets around to launching this car in July, the diesel variant isn’t likely to be available. The German automaker wants to make sure that the 1.5 liter EA288 turbo diesel (89 Bhp-230 Nm) engine meets all emission norms, and this is the reason for the delay in the diesel variant’s launch. What you’ll instead be able to buy is the 1.2 liter MPI petrol motor (74 Bhp-110 Nm) paired with the 5 speed manual gearbox.

 

The car will be the first in its segment to get a diesel-DSG option. The diesel engine will be paired with a 7 speed, twin clutch automatic gearbox, offering razor quick gearshifts. The DQ200 gearbox is the same unit found on the Polo GT TSI, and the Vento TSI and TDI.

A touchscreen infotainment system with Mirrorlink interface is a first-in-segment feature. The Mirrorlink essentially mirrors your mobile phone onto your car’s touchscreen infotainment system.

While the Ameo will be slotted between the Polo and the Vento, the wheelbase is the same as that of the Polo, at 2,469 mm. So, if you’re looking for a sedan that offers good leg-room and a comfortable seat for well built adults, look elsewhere. The Ameo is expected to be cramped, just like the Polo, and initial reviews indicate just this.

But versatility is something that the Ameo is blessed with. It can carry a four big airport suitcases, and then some more. The Ameo gets a single folding rear back seat, which can fold down into a flat floor, liberating a massive boot.

 

Cruise control and rain sensing wipers are two features that the Ameo will offer, and no other compact sedan in India offers these features.

Another segment leading feature offered by the Ameo are: Power assist for both front and rear windows, anti-pinch function and one-touch operation for all windows, and opening and closing of windows using the key.

Safety is standard on the Ameo, which offers both ABS and twin airbags on all variants. The top-end Diesel DSG variant gets ESP and hill hold assist.This makes the Ameo one of the best equipped compact sedans in terms of passenger safety, both active (ABS) and passive (Airbags).