Volkswagen Ameo Highline vs Honda Amaze VX vs Hyundai Xcent SX (O)

With the latest entrant in the sub-four metre compact saloons category, Volkswagen’s Ameo marks the company’s endeavour to venture into a lucrative segment of the Indian market. Our buyers are attracted to saloons as it carries along a feeling of premium status. And what makes compact saloons even more appealing is the price they sport thanks to the sub-four metre excise benefit. As this segment is increasingly getting crowded, we decided to pit this impressive German with our current sub-four metre sedan champion, the Honda Amaze iVTEC VX and the still impressive Hyundai Xcent SX (O).

These cars are very competent, so in this review we shall put them through the grind to give you a clear winner.

You will agree that the restrictions in achieving the sub-four metre excise benefits have had the contenders in this segment scratching their heads for a truly attractive design. While the Xcent manages to look proportionate, it is only due to the rear overhang which was possible with the compact dimensions of the bonnet. Honda’s Amaze just borderlines on this proportionate balance of exterior lines, without looking awkward.

As much as the VW Ameo impresses with the near identical Polo fascia, it manages to look disproportionate in profile. A seemingly large section of the boot was chopped off to get the Ameo under four metres. In a bid to balance the looks, the roof has been tapered, and the quarter glass from the Polo was shoehorned into the design.

Since external looks is not enough reason to plonk in for a buy in this segment, the interiors play an important role to satisfy the comfort of buyers. VW’s Ameo borrows the dual tone dash from the Polo, and in the process manages to keep the graceful looks. What adds to the premium feel is the flat bottom steering and the silver and chrome inserts splashed around the cabin. However, the dashboard and door plastic could have been better made to reflect the superior quality seen in the other bits within this cabin. Visibility from the driver seat through all the corners is best experienced in the Amaze followed by the Xcent, and the Ameo trailing not far behind.

Honda’s recently updated Amaze carries a dual tone dashboard with silver accents and piano black finishes. The instrument console has a nice 3D effect and it looks sophisticated. Move on to the Hyundai Xcent’s cabin, and you will appreciate the consistency in quality in the interior bits. The overall design layout, though too simple, is pleasing to the eye, and all the buttons to the various functions of the car have a solid heft to them.

After taking turns in each of the cars front seat, we found that the Ameo’s offered the best knee room, thigh support and back support. It is followed closely by the Xcent and the Amaze which has slim seats that are a bit too soft. However, if one is tall, then the Amaze’s extra 5cm headroom over the Ameo should be of help. If more shoulder room is required, the Xcent leads the pack by offering 2cm more than the Amaze and 3cm more than the Ameo.

Now we move on to the rear section of the cars. While the Xcent has superior back and thigh support, it is followed closely by the Amaze and the Ameo. While the Amaze has the best knee room, the Xcent is best for taller passengers (3cm more). The Ameo, on the other hand, feels too cramped and the small windows and big front seats make it claustrophobic. On a brighter note, the Ameo offers an extra 2cm shoulder room over the other two cars and also boasts of the best ingress, both ends. The Xcent's 511-litre boot will swallow the most luggage, compared to the 491 and 426litres of the Amaze and Ameo (boot capacity is manually measured by us).

On the features front, a glance at the Amaze VX, Hyundai Xcent SX (O) and Ameo Highline’s catalogue revealed that all the three cars have the following features. There’s two airbags, ABS, auto air-con, tilt steering, driver seat height adjust, electrically retractable door mirrors, Bluetooth, Aux and USB, a rear defogger, power windows (four windows) and indicators on door mirrors. Hyundai has equipped the Xcent with an engine start-stop button, rear parking sensors with camera, auto dimming internal mirror and rear ac vents over the Amaze. Meanwhile, the Ameo adds telescopic steering adjustment, cruise control, driver armrest, rain-sensing wipers and a touch screen infotainment system over the Xcent.

VW’s latest offering, the Ameo gets the Polo’s three cylinder 1198cc petrol engine that makes 74bhp at 5400rpm and 110Nm at 3750rpm. As it is in the company of four cylinder engines, it clearly shows in the performance and refinement. You need to gas the accelerator pedal a little more to get this car rolling. When driven in a relaxed manner, the motor’s low end grunt, light clutch and the five-speed gearbox’s positive action makes the drive effortless. However, ask anything more of the engine and it gets noisy and the weak mid-range becomes apparent. This also means that you will have to keep working the slick gearbox to get the best out of this engine. The Vbox figures reflected what we felt, and the Ameo was by far the slowest car in this test and this is partly due to the extra 70kg it ferries. 0-100kmph takes a leisurely 17.53sec while the 20-80kmph run in third gear took 15.01sec. Fuel efficiency figures for the Ameo stand at 11.6kpl in the city and 16.1kpl on the highway.

Under the hood of the Amaze is a four cylinder 1198cc petrol motor which produces 87bhp at 6000rpm and 109Nm at 4500rpm. This Honda engine loves to rev and delivers its power in a very linear manner. With a reasonable amount of performance on tap to get you smoothly through the city, there’s more than enough for any highway driving too. Its five speed ‘box is even better than the Ameo’s. It does a decidedly quicker 0-100kmph in 13.17sec while recording 13.98sec for the 20-80kmph run. The lighter weight contributes to these impressive times, and is also the reason behind the best fuel efficiency figures of 12.3kpl in the city and 17kpl on the highway.

This now brings us to the Hyundai Xcent which is equipped with a four cylinder, 1197cc engine that whips up 81bhp at 6000rpm and a markedly higher 114Nm at a lower 4000rpm. This engine may not be as rev-happy as the Honda’s but it sure has a lot more usable power that are smoothly put out by this motor. It feels the least stressed here, and thanks to the sound insulation it is the most refined of the three. The five speed gearbox has the lightest action amongst the contenders here but it lacks the mechanical feel which the other two offers. What helps is the clutch action on both the Honda and the Hyundai is linear and the short pedal travel reduces fatigue even further. It managed to do the 0-100kmph run in 14.19sec, just behind the Amaze. Thanks to the responsive nature of the engine, it recorded the best 13.64sec time for the 20-80kmph run in third gear. In the city, the Xcent returned 11.7kpl while it managed 16.6kpl on the highway run.

With the VW Ameo, buyers will get a supple low speed ride, but you also hear the suspension working while tackling a rough road. However, pick up the pace and the suspension does a good job of soaking up road unevenness but over undulating surfaces, you experience vertical motion which requires you to drive with a bit more caution. The Ameo gets the best steering in terms of weight, accuracy and eagerness to change direction, closely followed by the Amaze and the Xcent. We also noticed that the brakes bite sufficiently with just about the right feedback, second only to the Xcent.

Honda’s Amaze has the softest suspension setup in this comparison and it will happily absorb everything at slow speeds. Up the velocity and the ride tends to get choppy over sharp bumps at the limit, in the rear. Honda has done a decent job of imparting a nice balance of ride and handling, keeping in mind drivers need not carry speed over harsh undulations. All said, the suspension can be heard over sharper bumps, unlike the Ameo. The overall steering feel is just behind the Ameo only due to some slack around the dead centre where it feels slightly vague. Though the brakes have good bite, the slim 175 section tyres run out of grip too easily.

Which brings us to the Hyundai’s Xcent whose suspension setup is the stiffest in this group. Thanks to this, the Xcent has a flat ride over most surfaces regardless of the speed. However, it does tend to get noisy over sharper bumps but not as much as the Amaze due to the superior insulation. Though the steering on the Xcent is the least impressive, it is light and accurate for city use. Another value addition here is that the braking is markedly better than both cars and exhibits good feedback too.

3rd

VW Ameo

Final score: 362/600

Price: Rs 8.28 lakh, On-road Mumbai

VW’s Ameo trails behind the Xcent and the Amaze in this comparison test. The Ameo benefits from more comfort features, a premium German brand, great interior ambience and best in-class front seat comfort. That it’s the cheapest car here (Rs 5,000 cheaper than the Xcent) just adds to its appeal. However, the mediocre performance from the engine, inadequate rear seat space and comfort did not chisel it as well a rounded package the other two cars are.

2nd

Hyundai Xcent

Final score: 367/600

Price: Rs 8.33 lakh, On-road Mumbai

Hyundai’s Xcent finds a second place in this comparison. Interior quality is the most consistent, it has the most comfortable back bench, has the biggest boot, has the most responsive engine and is the easiest to drive in the urban environments. It loses out to the Amaze by a slim margin as it has a stiff low speed ride, handling is not a match for the other two and the suspension feels harsh over our ever potholed roads.

1st

Honda Amaze

Final score: 375/600

Price: Rs 8.73 lakh, On-road Mumbai

Honda’s Amaze is ahead of this bunch simply because it does everything reasonably well without any single big flaw. The dash design looks modern, it has the best visibility from the driver’s seat and is the most spacious at the rear. It also has an engine that is thrilling thanks to a rev-happy nature, well sorted dynamics and a large well shaped boot which makes it practical. Even though it has the worst sound deadening, interior quality that leaves a lot to be desired and is also the most expensive, the Honda Amaze breaks all odds and takes away the honours in this comparison.

Pictures: Kapil Angane

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