Volkswagen Ameo ‘cup car’ is the most powerful compact sedan ever built in India

Volkswagen will soon kickstart the 2018 edition of the one-make car racing championship using the Ameo compact sedan. The German car maker has built a race-spec version of the Ameo that will be used in this championship. The race-spec Ameo will be powered by a 1.8 liter turbocharged TSI petrol engine.

While this is the same engine that is offered on the Skoda Octavia and Superb sedans, on the race-spec Ameo, it has been detuned to produce more power and torque. The Ameo in the race-spec makes 202 BHP of peak power at 6,100 rpm and 320 Nm of peak torque between 3,200-4,600 rpm.

The engine drives the front wheels of the car and is paired with a 6 speed sequential gearbox with paddle shifters for gear shifting. The race-spec Ameo is also fitted with an 8-point roll cage. Other major changes on the car involve the braking and suspension departments.

The car gets KW tuned dampers at the front and rear, which add stiffness for sharper handling around the track. Brake rotors are also much larger – 334 mm ventilated discs at the front and 232 mm discs at the rear. ABS is standard. The car is fitted with taller, 17 inch wheels and shod with 200/605 section MRF tyres. The car tuned thus weighs 1,150 Kg.

The race-spec Ameo is the most powerful compact sedan ever built in India. However, it is not legal for road use and has been built exclusively for track use. While you can’t buy one, you surely can race in one. Volkswagen has opened registrations for the 2018 Ameo Cup. Those interested can register at this website. In the Indian market, the Ameo is available with 2 engines – a 1.2 liter MPI petrol with 74 Bhp-110 Nm, and a 1.5 liter TDI turbocharged diesel with 109 Bhp-250 Nm. Both engines get 5 speed manual gearboxes as standard while the diesel also gets a 7 speed twin clutch automatic option. Prices of the Ameo start from Rs. 5.5 lakhs.