[flickr size=”center” float=”medium”]http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorbeam/49064114992/[/flickr]
Despite being longer than the Polo, the Ameo is not that spacious
The seats are comfy, I appreciate the fact VW hasn’t cut corners on stupid things which more popular brands have been doing like an auto-dimming inside rearview mirror and great fit-finish levels. However, compared to the Polo, the advantage in terms of boot space is negligible and the difference in rear-seat space to the car it’s based on, is kinda nil, that’s where the game is won or lost, the Ameo isn’t much more practical than the Polo. The fact that the boot seems like an afterthought doesn’t help matters either.
[flickr size=”center” float=”medium”]http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorbeam/49063390633/[/flickr]
The Ameo’s DSG box is the best automatic gearbox in the segment today
Performance, dynamics and build quality really show the difference between European and other cars
What does help though is the fantastic powertrain, ours is the diesel-automatic and no car, and I repeat, no car in the segment comes even close to offering the smooth and quick shifts of the DSG box. Talking about the lacklustre AMTs in the same breath is an insult to the engineering excellence achieved by VW in developing this fantastic dual-clutch box. It’s plain and simple stupendous in the way it shifts, both up and down, in fact in Sport mode, it’s super aggressive with downshifts which can feel a bit jerky.
[flickr size=”center” float=”medium”]http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorbeam/49063390543/[/flickr]
The diesel engine is frugal and offers linear performance
Now to counter that jerk to a certain extent, there is some lag in the box lower down, in fact it barely wants to rev which hinders outright acceleration while there is a sudden shove at 2000 RPM and post that the pull towards the 5000 RPM redline is immediate, this diesel mill loves to rev but gets vocal at certain parts of the rev range, more so in the top-end but it has the grunt there too. The 110 PS and 245 Nm is delivered in such a way that the Ameo feels fast on the highway and drivable in the city, while returning good fuel economy of 14-17 km/l.
