Spec comparo: Volkswagen Ameo vs Hyundai Xcent vs Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire vs Honda Amaze vs Tata Zest vs Ford Figo Aspire

The Volkswagen Ameo petrol was launched on June 5 in India with prices starting from Rs 5.14 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai). The German automaker's first compact sedan has clogged up an already highly competitive segment. Built especially for the Indian market, the Ameo is late to arrive on the scene, but with its competitive price tag, it surely aims to crash the party. The sub-4m car would be competing with five other cars, which already have established a better stand in the Indian market. Let's see how the latest entrant fares against its competitors on paper.

Engine

The Ameo was launched with a 1,198cc 3-cylinder petrol engine producing 74PS and 110Nm of torque. When compared to its rivals, the Ameo has just three cylinders instead of the regular four and even features the least powerful motor in its segment. The Tata Zest comes out on top with its 1,193cc 4-cylinder engine putting out 90PS along with 140Nm of torque. The Amaze and Figo Aspire come a close second with both cars producing 88PS, while the Dzire and Xcent follow with 84PS and 83PS, respectively.

Dimensions

Comparing the specifications on paper, the length of 3,995mm is standard among all cars except the Amaze, which falls short by 5mm. In terms of width and height, the Tata Zest again emerges on the top, possessing 1,706mm and 1,570mm in width and height. The Dzire and Aspire follow suit with 1,695mm in width and 1,555mm and 1,525mm in height. With 1,660mm in width, the Xcent has the shortest width, which could cramp the rear passengers.

The latest entrant Ameo's width ranges somewhere in between the segment, having 1,682mm while is the shortest amongst its rivals, measuring 1,483mm.

Fuel economy

Volkswagen claims the Ameo petrol would do 17.83kmpl, but we expect it to return around 13-15kmpl in the real world. The Xcent features the highest economy amongst its class with 19.1kmpl but in our road test, we found out the figures to hover around the 15kmpl overall. One of the largest sellers in the market, the Dzire claims to return an impressive 18.5kmpl while the Aspire claims to return the third highest mileage with 18.16kmpl. Tata Zest having the most powerful engine would return the least range in its class, with mileage figures being recorded at 17.57kmpl. However, our road test figures recorded the Zest returning 15.1kmpl, while driving in city conditions.

Price

With the top variant being priced at Rs 6.91 lakh, the Ameo could make a big impact in the Indian market. Sitting just above the Tata Zest, which has been priced at Rs 6.85 lakh, the Ameo is one of the more affordable compact sedans available. Maruti Suzuki's Swift Dzire, priced at Rs 7.24 lakh, sits in between the price range. The Xcent and the Figo Aspire are priced at Rs 7.45 lakh and Rs 7.72 lakh, respectively. The recently facelifted Honda Amaze sits at the top of the price table, with the top variant being priced at Rs 7.78 lakh. All prices are ex-showroom, Mumbai. Read our first drive review of the Volkswagen Ameo here.