Spec comparo: Volkswagen Ameo diesel vs Maruti Suzuki Dzire vs Hyundai Xcent vs Honda Amaze vs Ford Figo Aspire vs Tata Zest
Volkswagen India has just launched the Ameo diesel at Rs 6.33 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Ameo marked Volkswagen's foray into the highly competitive and crowded sub-4m compact sedan segment in India. Volkswagen is also offering the Ameo diesel with the option of a 7-speed DSG gearbox- a first in its segment. Also, the DSG transmission is being offered in the Comfortline and Highline trims which costs Rs 8.50 lakh and Rs 9.31 lakh respectively.
We have already pit the Ameo petrol against in rivals. It's time to find out how the Ameo diesel fares against its rivals on paper.
The Volkswagen Ameo is powered by a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine which makes 110PS of power and 250Nm of torque. It is the most powerful diesel compact sedan on sale in India. The Honda Amaze and the Figo Aspire get powered  by diesel engines with identical cubic capacity and power outputs. Both get 1,498cc engines which make 100PS of power.
In comparison, the Tata Zest XTA and the Maruti Suzuki Dzire ZDi utilise the same Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre diesel engine. However, Tata has tuned the diesel tuned to deliver 90PS in the Zest while Maruti has tuned it to deliver 75PS. The Hyundai Xcent gets the smallest and least powerful diesel engine. Also, it gets only three cylinders instead of the regular four.
DimensionsIn terms of length, all cars measure 3,995mm in length except the Honda Amaze which falls short by 5mm. The Tata Zest is the widest in this bunch with a width of 1,706mm while the Xcent is the narrowest at 1,660mm. The Zest is also the tallest in this bunch with a height of 1570mm.
Price
The Volkswagen Ameo diesel Highline MT is priced at Rs 8.16 lakh while the DSG version costs Rs 9.31 lakh (both prices, ex-showroom, Delhi). The Ford Figo Aspire Titanium Plus is the most affordable diesel compact sedan with a price tag of Rs 7.90 lakh. It costs around Rs 26,000 more than the Ameo diesel Highline MT.
The Maruti Suzuki Dzire, which is the highest selling car in its segment is priced at Rs 8.07 lakh for the ZDi trim. It is costlier than the Ameo Highline diesel MT by around Rs 9,000. In comparison, the Hyundai Xcent SX (O) costs Rs 8.06 lakh and is less expensive compared to the Ameo Highline diesel MT by Rs 10,000.
Only, the Honda Amaze VX i-DTEC and the Tata Zest XTA diesel are more expensive than the Ameo by around Rs 22,000 and Rs 39,000 respectively. Priced at Rs 8.55 lakh, the Tata Zest XTA diesel is the most expensive car in its segment.