2016 Volkswagen Ameo petrol review, test drive

What’s it like on the inside?

It is, as expected, exactly the same as the Polo on the inside, and that’s a very good thing indeed. Material quality is just miles ahead of everything else in the segment, and though the design has been around for quite a while now, it’s restrained, and so it’s aged well, just like the exterior. Big, clear dials, a sporty flat-bottom steering wheel and well-crafted switchgear are the highlights here. The front seats are really nice and supportive, and though there’s no leather upholstery like you get on some rivals, the fabric quality is good enough to have come from a few segments up.

The rear seat is unchanged from the Polo, and that was never the hatchback’s strong point to begin with. Headroom and thigh support in the Ameo are not too bad, but legroom is a fair way short of what you get in most of the competition, and it's not too wide either.  You also don't get a rear armrest, but what you do get instead is a rear AC vent, something that was exclusive to the Hyundai Xcent until now.

While on the topic of equipment, again, this is not something VW has been traditionally known for. In the Ameo, however, the carmaker has gone all out, to the point that it is just about the best equipped car in the class. Things like auto climate control, an electronic day-night rear view mirror, that rear AC vent, wing mirror indicators, a reversing camera and sensors are things we've seen before in the segment, but VW has thrown in some unique and really cool features for the Ameo. Automatic wipers, one touch, anti-pinch windows at all four doors, cruise control and window operation from the key fob are all great touches. And though the infotainment screen is a bit small, it is a touchscreen and features the likes of Bluetooth, USB, SD card reader and Mirror Link. And, as with all VW cars, two airbags and ABS are standard.

The 330-litre boot is 77 litres short of the segment best, but with the Polo as a starting point, that's as good as could have been expected. It's well shaped and the loading aperture is wide but it's interesting to see how VW has finally resorted to cost cutting - there's no cladding on the inside of the boot lid like in the Vento.