Mar 18, 2008 09:18 AM
3979 Views
I consider myself qualified to review Palio Stile 1.1 in spite of the fact that I'm yet to own it.Why? B'coz I've test driven the car and have done enough R&D on it. If things go as planned, I would lay my hands on her by mid April.
My dad and I were looking at Santro, Wagon R and Alto as the likely prospects. We later dropped Alto as we felt we needed more power than what 800cc engine could deliver, as this would be our third car. My dad narrowed down to Santro coz he felt Wagon R was a bit overpriced and not so elegant looking when compared to the sunshine car.He even chose a color and booked it. But all the while, in the back of my mind, I had a car which I always dreamt of driving.Fiat Palio.I hadn't discussed it with dad coz, being the jerk that I was, was unaware of its price.I thought Palio would atleast cost 5 lakhs. Something made me check its price online and wow, my dream car was affordable. And I started liking its new version, Stile 1.1 even more.I suggested the car to my dad. He ignored the idea which was expected as it wasn't among one of the established cars in India.Nevertheless, I test drove Palio 1.1 the next day.Story telling ends here.
I engaged first gear, released the clutch, the car didn't flinch. Any Suzuki would've zoomed ahead with half a clutch released. But she asked me to push the gas pedal to make her move.Second gear wasn't thrilling either. But third gear onwards, u start to smile. The car handles great, absorbing uneven surfaces like they didn't even exist. Gear shifts are silken smooth. The car feels so planted on the road that u feel the urge to drift along the turns.
The seating position is the best that I've experienced among Fiat Padmini, Maruti Zen, Alto and Swift. Swift places you high on the seat but I felt Palio's positioning was more comfortable. There are other handy features like anti cranking lock, digital ignition keys and reverse gear lock.Quite frankly, I wasn't impressed with the power that the car delivered, but I wasn't complaining coz something else was making up for it.
The car was GOOD LOOKING and HOW!!! The looks alone would make it a worth buy. The lines and the curves on it are so very well crafted out.But again, these are my views and looks are subjective to individuals.
We, Indians, always ignore one factor when deciding on a car, Safety. Palio Stile 1.1 gives out a power of 57 bhp and weighs 990 kilos. Thats a bad ratio. Agreed. But spare a thought on what causes it to be that heavy. Its the solid body which is the sturdiest in its segment. Fiat could've easily wrapped a tin around its skeleton and claimed for the best fuel deficiency in the segment.
But Fiat is Fiat. Their cars are engineered to ensure safety. You would find enough videos on youtube on how Fiat crash test their vehicles which would illustrate my point.
There's another not so good feature in Palio.Its 2 valve per cylinder SOHC engine. Santro has 3 valves per cylinder and most modern cars now have 4. Palio 1.1's engine has been lifted from Fiat Panda which is a decade old in technology. They did it to cut costs. Thats how we get to drive home a Palio for under 4 Lakhs. Not that, they are short of engineers who can design revolutionary engines. They can do it and are doing it and raking in 'the moolah' in Europe. But good things come at a price. Fiat Grande Punto is an exciting prospect and is a tribute to Fiat's passion for cars.
Palio, all these years, has been a victim of Fiat's marketing blunders.That's one area where they seem to lag.Fiat can't go wrong technically.But thier marketing decisions have made some great cars(Uno and Palio) look ordinary, which is a pity, really. I hope things would turn around in future.I also hope that they end their alliance with Tata and independently market their products.
I feel that looking at things like resale value, service network, while deciding on a car, is in a way, doing injustice to the car. I very well know that these are important factors to consider, but one can always lessen his/her expectations on these factors if the car is technically good and well built.
The sound produced when u slam the doors gives Palio, a luxury car feeling. The double barreled head lamps add to the luxury and are not found elsewhere except on BMWs and Mercs as far as I know.
My dad also liked the car and we're going for it. Hurray.
