Ameo - A True Indian European Delight

Exterior

Nicest, sober looks which surely provide a feeling  of toughness.. However, those looking for funky impressive looks, will not like it.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

Many features packed in. Space is good. Climate control works well. Yet to experience the rain sensing vipers. Phone and music bluetooth connectivity is good. Ingress and egress is little dififcult for heavy and tall builds. 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

Engine noise is diesel like, even in Petrol and takes time to get used to. But, with that, comes good power distribution characteristics. At high speeds above 30 though, this goes away and the cabin silence is comparable to any petrol car that you can talk of. Engine perfomance is one of the best and I have attained speeds of 110 kmph at times, with full load- 5 grown ups + boot full of luggage. However, when it comes to racing with biggies, it sure looses steam above 110 kmph. But, that is good for a safe ride. Fuel economy nears what is claimed by VW. Gearbox is smooth enough. 

Ride Quality & Handling

Suscpension performance over bad roads is one of the best that you can experience on India roads. Huge speed breakers suddenly mean nothing and it is relieving to get rid of the dilemmas- Whether to cross the speed breaker or not!! Stability at high speeds also is very good, although stability on sharp turns at speeds above 100 are a concern. Overtaking and cutting corners is very easy.  At times, on few pot holes though, the thud of the suscpension is frightening. You feel like the suscpension broke, but it does not. 

 Biggest VFM feature of the Ameo is the "Cruise Control". You should experience it to understand what is stated here. Its a Big relief on long drives. And you get it only on +15 lacs vehicles other wise. Smartest move by VW, which unfortunately is way ahead of time. 

Final Words

 Good value for money for those, who want to migrate to their first mini-sedan. Especially, the safety features that VW have packed in. You really feel safe in this car. 

Areas of improvement  

1) Mirrorlink is a feature which is almost not usable and is a waste of money by VW. After IOS and Android, people do not want nore dependencies. They could have tried provding something better which could cast screens of your cell phone to the touchscreen. With the premium paid, one would expect at least to be able to see the GPS Navigation from cell phone, even without any touch screen feature supported. Or watching videos. This would have been a USP had VW taken little more inputs. (Given that Ameo is designed for India)

2) The blowers provided ( For rear seat passengers lack switch on/switch off functions. Take up too much space compared to the comfort provided. Absence of flat floor makes it difficult for the rear middle passenger to feel comfortable.

 

Value for Money with all the features packed inMirrorlink Limitations, Engine Power