In a nutshell, Palio is a great car, worth the money
you spend on it. I have the Elx, which is a pleasure to drive! Coming down to details, I shall point out the plus and minus points that I hope will help prospective buyers to evaluate the car:
Pros:
I just love the smooth drive. It has great road
handling. Being a heavy car (which becomes is
disadvantage at times) it stays sturdy on turns at
high speeds. Its quite roomy- u dont feel ur sitting
in a small car. Suspension is great, which filter a
lot of potholes.umm. what else.. yeah looks, its the
best! I love the jewel like lights. It’s the best looking car in it’s class (to date). Also, the gearshift is very smooth.
Cons-:
TO start with, the first thing I noticed was its
turning radius- BADDD.. even ikon and esteem are far
better. One has to think twice before taking U-turns
on narrow roads. Actually bad turning radius is a
characteristic of fiat cars!!Then, comes the issue of
cheap quality interiors. They have really cut
corners.. the dash is made of cheap quality materials,
but one can live with that. I got teflon coating done
and it somewhat improved the look. There are various
issues that come up when u start driving. Most people
have experienced first time problems. My share came
when the brakes became weak suddenly. It happened
twice, but the dealer (sureka motors-hyd) helped me
out.thats pretty much it about the negative aspects.
Oh yes how can I forget- MOST FIAT DEALERS ARE not the nicest people to deal with! I faced several problems from the dealers side, but they were courteous enough to amend them and make me a satisfied customer. (I feel more fault lies with Fiat-India, than with the dealers).
Note: I havent mentioned mileage as a problem because that depends from person to person. I am currently getting 8-9 which isn’t that good. have done 2800 kms till now. People have got averages ranging from 7 -11 kmpl (in city with 100%).
Depending on your priorities and preferences, you must
weigh the pros and cons. Personally, for first time
drivers, I would recommend some other car because I
feel your first experience should be pleasant. Not
running to and fro to your dealer. Do NOT judge a car solely by it’s fuel efficiency, unless that is of prime importance to you!
Good Luck to those who are considering this beauty :)