A bit dull... Review on Fiat Palio Diesel

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST WRITTEN BY ME FOR BUSINESS STANDARD MOTORING, WHERE I WORKED FOR TWO YEARS, AS ROAD TEST EDITOR

Last-generation Fiat diesels - the Uno 1.7D and the old Siena TD60 - weren’t spectacular success stories, but that has not stopped Fiat from bringing in a new diesel mill for the Palio, which has been doing fairly well since it was launched in mid-2001. Since its inception, the Palio has garnered praise from all quarters, and is a competent performer in most areas except one. And an important one at that. The perception is that the Palio twins, the 1.2 and the 1.6, tend to guzzle fuel. And when “gaadi average kitna deti hai?” is the pervasive question, the Palio’s mileage figures just don’t work. That’s because it’s seen as a “small car” and people expect those to be frugal with fuel. Which the petrol Palios certainly aren’t. The solution? A new diesel engine that’ll make sure running costs are kept low...

Except for the badging on the boot, the Palio D looks exactly like its petrol brother, which is fine by me. The Palio’s styling is safe and dependable if nothing more. Inside the car, there is a certain aura of quiet solidity to the car which Japanese/Korean/Indian competition doesn’t have. And though it doesn’t look as handsome as its cousin, the Weekend Adventure (which also gets a diesel variant), the Palio’s proportions manage to work. Two years on, the car’s lines haven’t started looking dated yet.

Inside, we have plastic-wood trim on the front facia (base version gets plain gray plastic), which is as good or as bad as the earlier ‘aluminum effect’ plastic. Fabrics and plastics appeared to be of reasonably good quality, and better than many other cars in this segment. Packaging is a Palio strong point, and the car scores on interior space - for passengers as well as for luggage!

To come to what the Palio D is all about, it is of course, the engine. Fiat claim that this normally-aspirated 1910 CC inline-four diesel powerplant is ‘inspired by aircraft technology’. That is because it uses ‘drive by wire’ technology, which does away with the usual cable link between the throttle pedal and the fuel pump. Instead, an “accelerator pedal potentiometer” is used. Er....,ok, let me explain. This is an electronic device which reads the driver’s inputs at the throttle pedal, converts those to electrical signals and sends them to the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that governs the car’s digital fuel injection system. In addition to throttle position, the ECU also factors in other parameters before deciding precisely how much fuel it needs to squirt into the engine, so as to ensure maximum combustion efficiency at all times. Phew, that was tough! Can’t get away from electronic wizardry these days, can we?! Anyway, what it translates to is 63bhp@4500rpm and 12.2kgm@2500rpm. These figures are roughly at par with the diesel Lancer (2000 CC powerplant) or the diesel Indigo (turbo’d 1400 CC engine) and better than the diesel Zen/Esteem (old 1500 CC Peugeot engine). Then again, the Palio D is blown away in the numbers game by the Accent CRDi, which manages to put out 81 horsepower and 19.1kgm of torque from its small, three-cylinder 1493cc turbodiesel!

The Palio D's engine is quite tractable, and the key to getting the best out of this car is not to over-rev the engine - just use its low-rpm torque to keep the car cruising along briskly. It keeps up with traffic, and overtaking other cars is also not a problem as long as you time it right. Remember, no unnecessary downshifts - just coast by on low-rev torque.

Pitting the Palio D against a stopwatch yielded results which we more or less expected. The car turned in a 7.49 sec 0 - 60 run, and a 17.74 sec 0 - 100. Top speed on a straight and level stretch of tarmac was 142 kph, which came up in fifth. The car rides on 13-inch pressed-steel wheels (the Palio 1.6 GTX gets 14-inch alloys...), and tyres are 165/80 Bridgestone S248s. These, combined with the soft-ish suspension set-up, provided good ride comfort. The independent front suspension - McPherson struts, coil springs and stabiliser bar, combined with the torsion axle (coil springs and stabiliser bar) rear is optimised for occupant comfort rather than all-out handling prowess, which perhaps is how most buyers would want it.

The car's brakes (ventilated discs at front and drums at the back) provide adequate stopping power, but could’ve been sharper - some more ‘bite’ wouldn’t have gone amiss. Maybe it’s time for those rear brake drums to be replaced with discs, or maybe different pad material for the front discs would help? And those who really care about safety (or maybe that should read “those who can afford safety”) can opt for the ELX SP variant of the Palio D, which comes with anti-lock brakes, and electronic brake force distribution.

Does the Palio D make the grade? Well, it seems to be a sturdy, dependable little car which you can probably count on for the long haul. Performance-wise, it’s a bit staid, but fuel economy is not so bad. We only got around 10 kpl, but that was during testing, which included several high-speed runs and acceleration and braking tests. For ‘normal’ driving, I suppose you could expect about 12 kpl with the AC on, but only if you exercise some restraint with your right foot.

Pricing (ex-showroom, Delhi) has been announced at Rs 4,19,500 for the base version, going up to 4,75,000 for the top-end variant which comes with ABS. (The diesel Weekend Adventure has been priced at Rs 6,99,000). This makes the Palio D about fifty-thousand rupees more expensive than a diesel Indica V2, but cheaper than a diesel Indigo or a diesel Esteem.

All things considered, I’d say the Palio diesel is fairly good value, but certainly won’t keep you entertained like an Accent CRDi will. The car will likely be a reliable workhorse for the family, but little else. For those for whom cars are more than just a means of getting from A to B, the Palio D doesn''t cut the mustard...

DISCLAIMER: I WORK FOR BS MOTORING, AND THIS CAR WAS TESTED BY ME FOR THE MAGAZINE