Palio 1.2 after Palio 1.1 (Stile). Review on Palio - Petrol

Palio Stile is launched and the 1.2nv is stopped. The only way 1.2nv/1.2 can be bought is as a second hand car. This review will interest more to the people who are looking for a decent second hand car. So here I go…

Palio 1.2 nv, ELX, 2004 is what I posses today. This is a second hand car and iam owning it for the last 9 months. I wanted to write a review long time back but then it would not have been justified to the readers before having much hands on experience. I have now completed around 5000kms covering highways and city roads.

For my second hand purchase I was looking for a car which comes in upper B segment category, stylish, spacious, reasonable and low resale value for second hand buyers. Fiat Palio fits in to all and that’s why I could afford 1.2 with top end version, very less run at a price with which one cant even think of buying a second hand santro that too older than Palio. Second hand sales are market driven and nowhere reflects the true value of the product. Thanks also to poor sales and service from Fiat which made it affordable for a person like me. Now with introduction of Palio Stile I expect the market price to go down further. I coudn't think of Swift or Getz as their resale value is very high. The fact remains that Palio has a unique look and has nothing to share with Getz, Swift or Indica and was generation ahead when it was introduced.

The only other cars which I had looked before zeroing down was Ford Ikon, Palio D and Accent CRDi. The last one I thought out of my ignorance about its price. Thumb rule for the cost of Palio D is that it comes a lakh costlier than its brother petrol and Ford Ikon somehow lost the race, I dint realize when.

This is the best buy a person, who is opting for second hand car, can have. He can satisfy himself more than he is expecting of a second hand car. Believe me!

I am going to support this claim with technical advantages as well:-

Build Quality- Palio has very few sales and therefore many of its parts are not localized. For example the windshield, Instrument Cluster to name a few. The advantage- the quality is good by default since these parts come from Brazil, birth place of Palio. Remember the Maruti 800 Japanese model and later localised Maruti 800 model. There could be here and there some poor finish due to lack of skill of the workmen in the assembly lines but then you don’t have to worry much as they are of small significance for a second hand buyer.

Body & Design- Heavily built due to usage of a thick gauge makes it very strong in terms of safety. This also contributes to its stability to be discussed later. This car has a perfect aspect ratio in terms of Length, breadth, height making it look neither too tall nor too cramped but just perfect and this makes it look stylish. The front, middle section and the tail end forms a perfect ratio as well. Try for yourself to close the palio door along with any other car door and you will know how strong palio is in terms of build and quality. Its just “posh”. No comparison. The broad rectangular shaped double chamber  headlights with a slim grill in between and a Fiat badge adds elegance to the car.

Ride & Handling- Suspension is a bit stiff and uncomfortable at low speeds. Ground clearance good. Turning circle not good and you will have to do reverse once or twice in crowded places.

Gear shifting is the best and if you have driven this car once then gear shifting in all other cars will look inferior. Gear shifting is silk smooth. Try for yourself again with your neighbor car or your colleague’s.

Clutch travel is more as compared to other cars which can be irritating while crawling in traffic jams.

Steering is of correct diameter and come in to grip of your hands perfectly. Drive your Palio above 100kmphr and you will know what stability is.

The brakes of palio are something which I have worries as the braking effect is “sudden” rather gradual. Need to be careful while in traffic.

A/C- It works good on a sunny afternoon but takes a little time to cool if your car has become owen due to "no shades" at the parking lot. Its obvious and you cant expect Blue star effects. Other part of the day you need to regulate the blower to a low speed due to its good cooling effects.

Maintenance- None till date except normal wear and tear.

Mileage - 12kmpl without A/C and 10.5kmpl with A/c under worst case criteria which means rough city driving and with 4 people.

Last but not the least

Engine performance- The fact remains that the 1.2 NV engine is sluggish and not responsive at low rpm and condition worsens under A/C. But if you don’t have driving habit of accelerating the car in second and third gear then you will not realize this problem.