Spec Comparo: VW Ameo vs Swift DZire vs Amaze vs Xcent vs Figo Aspire

The compact sedan space in India has been on the boil ever since the sub-4 metre ‘tax concession’ came into play. The Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire has been the undisputed leader of this segment and the Indian carmaker has sold more than a million units of the same.

Volkswagen might have joined the party late but it has come all guns blazing. The Ameo is priced very competitively at Rs 5.24 lakh and has the most feature-rich cabin as well. Let’s see how it fares against its chief rivals- Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire, Hyundai Xcent, Honda Amaze and Ford Figo Aspire in the compact sedan segment.

Design and Dimensions

All the cars in this comparison are based on their hatchback iterations. The Swift DZire is based on the Swift hatchback, Figo Aspire on the Figo, Honda Amaze on the Brio and the Hyundai Xcent on the Grand i10. So these cars look identical to their respective hatchbacks from the front end till the B-pillar.

Talking about dimensions, all these cars are very identical, being less than 4 metre in length. In fact, the Ameo, Swift DZire, Figo Aspire and the Xcent are all 3,995mm in length. The Amaze is shorter by 5mm at 3990mm. The Swift DZire and the Figo Aspire are the widest with a width of 1,695mm whereas the Hyundai Xcent is the narrowest at 1,660mm. The Dzire is the tallest with a height of 1,555mm whereas the new kid on the block- Ameo is the shortest at 1,483mm.

Engine

The Figo Aspire’s diesel variant comes with a 1.5-litre engine which produces 100PS of power and 215Nm of torque, which makes it the most powerful car in this comparo. The Amaze stands next with a similar capacity engine which churns out 100PS of power along with 200Nm of torque. However, Volkswagen is currently updating their 1.5-litre diesel engine which will make its way in the Ameo as well. It is expected to have around 108PS of power along with a class-leading 230Nm of torque. The Swift DZire uses the tried and tested 1.3-litre Multijet engine which has been tuned to produce 75PS of power along with 190Nm of torque. The Hyundai Xcent is the most relaxed out of the lot with just 71PS of power along with 180Nm of torque which it draws from a 1.1-litre diesel engine.

Talking about their petrol variants, the Honda Amaze and the Figo Aspire have 1.2-litre four cylinder engines which produce an identical power output of 88PS. All the other cars in comparison here use a 1.2-litre three cylinder motor.

Transmission

The Swift DZire is the only car here which comes with both manual and automatic transmissions with both petrol and diesel engine options. The Figo Aspire, Honda Amaze, Hyundai Xcent only have the option of an automatic variant with their respective petrol engines.

The VW Ameo has only been launched with a petrol engine as of now. However, once the German carmaker rolls out the diesel engine, it is expected that it will be paired with a dual-clutch DSG gearbox.

Equipment

The Volkswagen Ameo has the most feature-rich cabin with a 7-inch touchscreen unit which supports navigation and has Bluetooth, AUX and USB connectivity. It also comes with first-in-class features like a rain sensing wipers, cruise control, static cornering lights, all four anti-pinch power windows and a front center armrest. 

The Figo Aspire comes next in line with features like My Dock, My Key and the top-spec variant comes with 6 airbags. All the other cars have dual airbags, ABS and an infotainment system with Bluetooth, AUX and USB connectivity.

Price

The VW Ameo has been priced very aggressively and starts at Rs 5.24lLakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The Figo Aspire is the most affordable at Rs 5.21 lakh followed by the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire which is priced at Rs 5.23 lakh whereas prices for the Honda Amaze start from Rs 5.41 lakh (all prices are ex-showroom Delhi).