Ambassador is a unique car. There is no comparison. It’s over 50 years old model and it still sells.
I agree that for 30 years there were almost no competitors of Ambassadors but it still a good car. Well, before you start shouting on me, let me explain why I think it is a good car.
I don’t like to own this car for personal driving. But if chauffeur driven, I have no problem :-)
Robust
The taxis are the most used cars in the country. Most taxis in India are inherently Ambys (in Western India most taxis are Premier Padminis though). There must be a reason why these cars are used as taxis - because they are robust and fairly reliable. Nearly all taxis in Calcutta are Ambys. The Calcutta roads are the worst among Indian cities. The diameter of potholes there are measured in feets and not in inches. If you want to travel from extreme north to extreme south of the city in any car, chances are Amby will win the highest average speed. Cabbies in Calcutta don’t care about their cars because Ambys simply absorbs all the bumps and potholes without problem. Because of high ground clearance, Ambys can travel in waterlogged roads pretty easily.
Maintenance
Do you know the Russian car Lada? It is said that it has only 19 moving parts. So, it never failed. Well, it may be joke but the construction of Amby remained similar to ever since motor car was invented. It has no electrical gadgets, everything purely mechanical. Things are heavy - lasts long under heavy wear and tear. Parts are cheap, available at anywhere in the country. Any road side mechanic can fix the car. There’s no onboard-computer in the car, everything is human controlled :-)
Fuel economy
If proper care is taken, you are guaranteed to get 7-8 km/L for petrol Ambys. New Amby’s can achieve 10 km/L.
Comfort
No other cars come nearly in Amby’s back seat comfort. It’s quite common for Amby’s to carry 7-8 people if not more. It’s still the car of choice for our VIPs.
Driving
This is Amby’s biggest let down. Earlier Amby’s had a steering column which was not even straight! So, drivers had to sit in slightly tilted position. Gearshift was through wires rather than levers. And that was often prone to failures. However, later models with floor gear shift had solved that problem and steering column was also made straight. Still manoeuvring an Amby is like wrestling with a mini truck (a good muscle builder though). Because of Amby’s wavy bonnet, moderate height drivers can’t see the left top of front headlamps which keeps them guessing clearence on left . Amby is not a car for amateur drivers. If you drive this car infrequently, you’ll be put off driving it because of its bulky size. However, those who drive it everyday, have no problem controlling it. A good driver can drive Amby comfortably at 100-km/h speed without risking anyone.
Practicality
3 generations of family + their luggage <= Amby’s boot
Safety
It’s robustness is its safety. Several of my friends/relatives have been involved in crashes involving Ambys and they all remained unhurt (except minor cuts and bruises). It’s quite a safe car in highway (especially if you’re on back seat).
When we say Amby is good or bad - we must remember the context. Ambassadors was introduced in UK market. But it failed miserably. Simply because it doesn’t fit to that culture. But in India, where roads are so poor and mass transportation is still priority, Amby is definitely a car of masses.
So, to sum up, if you like a moderate priced chauffer driven cars for bad roads, go for Amby, but for self driving steer cleer of it. It’s definitely not good for personal driving. It’s now mainly a taxi or commercial car. Only other car which can compete with it directly is Sumo. However, riding in Amby is more comfortable than that of in Sumo.