Volkswagen Ameo compact sedan unveiled

Volkswagen has launched the Ameo, the first-ever car that the German automaker has developed specifically for the Indian car market. The Ameo is also the first sub-4 meter compact sedan that Volkswagen’s ever built. The compact sedan sits in between the Polo and Vento but with the former’s wheelbase, and will take on the likes of the Maruti Dzire and the Honda Amaze. The car’s built at Chakan, alongside the Polo, Vento and Rapid. Volkswagen says that the Ameo will offer a stronger build, standard safety features and more performance than other compact sedans in the market.

The car comes with a bunch of segment leading features, and Volkswagen hopes that these features will sell the Ameo. ABS and twin airbags are standard right from the base variant. Cruise control, automatic climate control rain sensing wipers, a touch screen infotainment system with Mirrorlink smartphone connectivity, reverse camera with parking sensors, 16 inch alloy wheels, electrically foldable wing mirrors, auto dimming inner rear view mirror, a center arm rest for the front seat with integrated rear AC vents and a soft touch boot opener.

The car offers 2 engines and 2 transmission options. The petrol engine is the 1.2 liter MPI triple cylinder unit while the diesel is a 1.5 liter TDI, 4 cylinder turbo diesel unit. Both engines get a 5 speed manual gearbox as standard while the 7 speed DSG twin clutch automatic gearbox is offered as an option on the diesel motor. The top-end DSG Diesel variant also gets hill hold control and ESP as standard safety features. Prices of the car will be revealed on the day of launch, which will be in the second half of 2016. 

In design terms, the Ameo is probably the best looking compact sedan in the country. It doesn’t look profile-heavy or compressed, as some of the other compact sedans in the segment. The boot integration has a nice flow to it. The Ameo literally looks indistinguishable from the Polo and Vento from the front. The differences become apparent in the car’s profile, mainly because of the smaller length than the Vento. The design of the tail lamps is also different, and the car’s sharper looking from the rear three quarters.