Jan 22, 2003 12:03 PM
39305 Views
(Updated Jan 22, 2003 12:15 PM)
The Tata Indica LSI (new) V2 (petrol) is an awesome car. My opinion is based a 30 minute test drive in Bangalore. I drove it in the city and on the highway. I have also test-driven a Palio 1.2 EL PS, and I hope my opinions will help you decide between a Indica and a Palio - appropriately.
Concorde Motors, Banaglore actually first gave me a noisy (old) V2 LSI for a test drive. When I commented on the noisy engine, the sales guy told me that the new Indica v2 has a smoother drive. The I insisted on a new V2, they brought out a new V2. What a difference. The new V2 is a different animal than the old V2 (made before Aug/Sept 2002).
The Indica can accomodate 3 full-sized adults (5.7 ft+ and 65 kg+) in the back, and 2 adults in the front. It is very very spacy. The Palio offers similar space.
The boot space is decent, although Palio has a little bigger/deeper boot space. The Palio can actually fit 2 medium sized suitcases on one over the other, I doubt whether the Indica's boot space will allow that. This is with keeping the rear seats unfolded. I think Palio's boot is 12 inches deepr than Indica's.
The raw power of Indica's engine is awesome and I was humbled by it. The 1.2 Litre Palio cannot match the performance of the engine. I think the 1.6 Palio will have a better performance - but then the 1.6 Litre Palio is more expensive. The Indica lugs ahead like a sports car - amazing !! The gear shift was smoother, although I noticed some jerks on the gear-shift as the car jumped between 1st and second gears. Minor detail, I guess.
The average of Indica with A/C on is 10 km/litre. This is the worst it can do - so I am told. The Diesel gives more than 15Km/litre - with A/C on. The Palio petrol also gives 10 km/litre with A/C on. About fuel performance - I have been told that the average of most cars does not matter - if you are driving in city. Because of the start and stop pattern of the traffic - most petrol cars (except Maruti 800, Alto) will give you around 10 km/litre.
The ride in Indica is smooth. The suspension seems good, the cabin is silent but you can still hear noises from the road. The Palio beats the Indica - hands down - here. The ride in a Palio is very very smooth (almost silky). No noises in the cabin. The suspension is better than Indica's. Also, the Indica seems to have some residual engine noise at lower speeds - like around 25-35 Km/hr.
The A/C in a LSI Indica is ok.If you want a better A/C, you should seriously consider moving to the LXi, because the LXi has a HVAC which is more powerful than the one in LSI. The A/c in the Palio 1.2 EL PS is far better than the one in LSI.
Based on my test drives, I think the Palio is a better car than the Indica - mostly because of the smoother ride, bigger boot space, better interiors and overall looks. The average is comparable for both cars. One small point, the Palio allows for 6 built-in speakers, whereas the Indica allows for 4 speakers.
Now this is very interesting. Most car mechanics, financiers (ICICI car finance sales guys) and even dealers are very clear about one thing. They always recommend the Indica Diesel over the Indica Petrol !! They feel that the Diesel version is a better car than the Petrol version - even if the Diesel version is a little noisy ! I don't know why. Car finance guys also tell me that the re-sale price of an Indica Diesel is mre than that of the Petrol - and they have better finance rates for the Diesel.
The other thing to consider is the stability of the Fiat company. I suspect that it might be in financial trouble (like Daewoo). If you consider the risk of Fiat going bankrupt - you might find it better to stick with Telco and Indica. Personally I think Fiat (unlike DAewoo) will not go down - because it is a big/powerful company in Italy. It is like the Telco/Maruti of Italy !
Finally a sentimental reason - if you are Indian and prefer buying Indian things - go for Indica !!
In the final analysis, both the Indica and the Palio are very similar in terms of quality of ride, suspension and average. You will get your money's worth in both the cars. The Fiat company seems to be having financial troubles (remember Daewoo and Ceilo) and that is something that can tilt the balance in favor of the Indica.
