Getting consent from my parents to buy palio was just like forcing them to accept an orphan daughter in law.
I really had a hard time convincing them.
My affair with Palio was not a simple love at first sight.
I have been observing the automobile market for almost 6 months after selling off our faithful Amby(HM Ambassador).
The requirements of our new machine were.
It should be solid and strong like Amby.
Should be unique (unlike de maruthis)
Should have comforts like AC, PS, central locking etc...
Maximum budget including tax and insurance should not exceed 5 lakhs.
should have decent power.
Above all the car should have maximum safety( wish of the Safety engineer in me)
The zeroed down choices were..
Indica V2(D), Wagon R, Hyundai Xing, hyundai Getz, Palio NV,
Wagon R and Xing were rejected by my mom. Reason them being light vehicles..
I rejected Indica as it was underpowered.
on test ride, both Getz and Palio scored. almost equal for my dad.
Finally, dad left the decision with me, and ofcourse I went for Palio as my heart said so.
I got my formula red beauty by January end after a lot of struggle with the dealer.
specifications..
NV sport
Power steering,
AC,
Alloys
Rear spoiler
Power windows
Central locking
leather touch steering&gear knob
Sporty aluminium pedals etc..
Some interesting features available in Palio are double cranking prevention mechanism, Automatic fuel cutoff switch (in case of an accident), cabin light with delayed switch off.
now she is 9000 km old and gives an average of 13.7km/l in my town use.(50% highway , 50% city.)
Only problem is poor service back up from TVS. This includes spare part scarcity with the dealer. The clutch pedal feels a bit hard(compared to other cars but my old amby)
The car is a marvel machine.
An uniform torque at all rpm levels makes palio different in the lot.
It is not Peppy as de maruthis or santros.
But in terms of safety and stability, its much ahead of others.
Maintaining her in 000-3000rpm zone gives good economy.
Also we can unleash her above 3500.
In highways, you can be consistent performer as the car got superior cornering and braking capabilities.
Overtaking needs proper downshifting.
Changing gears is fun in palio with its precise gearbox and meaty gear lever.
The car got superior passenger comfort in its class. You can virtually glide over potholes. But suspension is a bit noisy
Out of all, de greatest plus point is tat my beauty is a real Head turner. a real center of attraction.
Weak points of palio are its plastic.
Palio(1.2) can also be said as a beast with a weak heart as the body which was designed for 1.6l engine is carrying 1.2l engine.
To sum up. Palio makes a good family car with its space and comforts as well as a bachelor’s mobile with its unique styling.
Sree