Specification comparison: sub-4 metre sedans

The sub-4 metre or the compact sedan segment in the country is crowded, which makes it one of the most fiercely competitive segments in the Indian auto market. Every carmaker is making efforts to surpass its competitors in one way or another. But everything finally boils down to what the buyer experiences. Last week, Volkswagen brought the diesel variant of the Ameo. Let's see where the Ameo stands against its rivals--the Honda Amaze, Ford Figo Aspire, Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire, Hyundai Xcent and the Tata Zest.

Dimensions:

The new entrant from Volkswagen sits comfortably in the mix of its rivals. However, it does fall down on a couple of fronts. First is the ground clearance, which is the least amongst all the contenders. Roads in our country aren’t the best in the world and the Ameo is bound to scrape its belly on the move. The other issue is the boot space which is only slightly better than the DZire. We know the DZire isn’t the most spacious car in this segment but it is a Maruti Suzuki product, which is why it sells in India regardless of anything else. VW, on the other hand, doesn’t have that hold in the country. On the space front then, the Ameo isn’t going to win any battles.

Engine And Transmission:

This is where the Ameo just annihilates its competition. With 110PS of power and 250Nm of torque at its disposal, it is the most powerful sedan in this category. Moreover, the German car is the only one that has a 7-speed automatic box on offer which is lifted straight from the GT TSI variant of the Polo hatchback. The only figure that doesn’t work in its favour is the fuel-efficiency which sits second from bottom, only beating the 90PS diesel mill powering the Tata Zest.

Features and Comfort:

All the cars offer features like ABS+EDB, airbags and music system. But every car tries to outshine the others with its own unique features. For instance, the Ford Figo Aspire offers six airbags and MyKey functionality, which helps in limiting the top speed of the car and the max. volume the audio system can reach, in the top-spec Titanium plus variant. Similarly, the Hyundai Xcent tries to lure customers with its spacious cabin and the biggest boot in the segment, and the homegrown automaker Tata equipped the Zest with an eight-speaker brilliant Harman infotainment system.

The DZire might not have ground-breaking tech in its recipe but it does come with the rock-solid service network of Maruti Suzuki. This itself acts as a feature for peace-of-mind for all its potential customers. Honda has a similar case-in-point; while it doesn’t have the service network to match that of Maruti’s, its cars seldom go wrong and fetch good resale value. VW has its own mantra of gaining some presence in the market and has introduced first-of-its-kind offerings in the segment with the Ameo like, cruise control, automatic rain-sensing wipers, all-four power-windows with one-touch operation and opening/closing of windows with its key remote. At the end of the day, it all boils down to what you can and what you cannot do without in your sub-4 metre sedan.

Price And Warranty:

Volkswagen has done a tremendous job in pricing the Ameo diesel competitively, especially the variants with manual transmission (MT). They fall right in the mix of the price tags that its counterparts has pasted on their offerings. While the top-spec MT variant is priced Rs 8,000 more than the top-spec MT variant of the DZire, the Ameo stands Rs 22,000 less expensive than the top-spec Honda Amaze. The Germans have gone so aggressive on the pricing front that the Ameo even undercuts its hatchback sibling Polo by a noticeable amount.

Volkswagen has mentioned that the current price-list of the Ameo is just an introductory offer. The prices are expected to go up in a few months. If you have set your eyes on the Ameo, it is better that you go and book one right now before the German automaker revises its price-tags.

Source: ZigWheels.com