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

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    Santosh Nair

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    Introduction

    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.

    Show off

    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.

    Inside out

    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.

    Let's drive them

    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.

    Road manners

    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.

    Verdict

    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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    Specifications

    CAR NAME Volkswagen Ameo Honda Amaze Hyundai Xcent
    Variant Highline 1.2 VX i-VTEC SX 1.2 SX (O)
    ENGINE
    Fuel Petrol Petrol Petrol
    Installation Front, transverse Front, transverse Front, transverse
    Displacement 4 cyls, 1198cc 4 cyls, 1198cc 4 cyls, 1197cc
    Bore/stroke 76.5/86.9mm 73.0/71.6mm 71.0/75.6mm
    Valve gear 4 valves per cyl 4 valves per cyl 4 valves per cyl
    Power 74bhp at 5000rpm 87bhp at 6000rpm 81bhp at 6000rpm
    Torque 110Nm at 3750rpm 109Nm at 4500rpm 114Nm at 4000rpm
    Power to weight 69.16bhp per tonne 91.58bhp per tonne 81bhp per tonne
    Torque to weight 102.8Nm per tonne 114.74Nm per tonne 114Nm per tonne
    Gearbox 5-speed manual 5-speed manual 5-speed manual
    CHASSIS & BODY
    Kerb weight 1070kg 950kg 1000kg
    Tyres 175/65 R14 175/65 R14 175/60 R15
    Spare Full-size Full-size Full-size
    STEERING
    Type Rack and pinion Rack and pinion Rack and pinion
    Type of assist Electric Electric Electric
    Turning circle 9.6m 9.6m NA
    BRAKES
    Front Discs Discs Discs
    Rear Drums Drums Drums
    Anti-lock Yes Yes Yes

    Test Data

    CAR NAME Honda Amaze Volkswagen Ameo Hyundai Xcent
    Variant VX i-VTEC Highline SX SX (O)
    PERFORMANCE & BRAKING
    0-20kph 1.21s 1.50s 1.21s
    0-40kph 2.99s 3.94s 3.07s
    0-60kph 5.59s 7.10s 5.78s
    0-80kph 8.48s 11.52s 9.03s
    0-100kph 13.17s 17.53s 14.19s
    0-120kph 18.93s 27.55s 20.96s
    20-80kph in 3rd gear 13.98s 15.01s 13.64s
    40-100kph in 4th gear 25.67s 26.14s 26.44s
    80-0kph 33.39m 33.39m 33.39m
    FUEL ECONOMY
    City 12.3kpl 11.6kpl 11.7kpl
    Highway 17.0kpl 16.1kpl 16.6kpl
    Tank size 35 litres 35 litres 43 litres
    Range 438km 414km 519km
    INTERIOR MEASUREMENTS
    Front
    Legroom(Max/min) 770/540mm 860/640mm 800/600mm
    Headroom(Max/min) 990mm 940mm 960mm
    Shoulder room 1300mm 1290mm 1320mm
    Backrest height 570mm 590mm 570mm
    Rear
    Legroom(Max/min) 920/680mm 810/570mm 850/640mm
    Ideal legroom 720mm 620mm 690mm
    Headroom 920mm 930mm 960mm
    Shoulder room 1230mm 1250mm 1230mm
    Seat base length 490mm 460mm 490mm
    Backrest height 550mm 560mm 580mm
    Boot 491litres 426litres 511litres
    Length/width/height 790/1020/610mm 780/960/570mm 870/1050/560mm
    Loading lip height 710mm

    670mm

    700mm

    Score Sheet

    Parameters Max points Honda Amaze

    Volkswagen Ameo

    Hyundai Xcent

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