I have been a regular visitor to this site and found that every review is helpful.This review will let you know why I choose the Palio over many other products.
Our family needed a small car urgently. The obvious choice was the Swift (waiting time of 3 months-but we could only wait for a month), the Ritz or the UVA. But with budget constraints below 4lacs all that went out of question.
I took test drives of Indica (D), Spark, WagonR, Zen, A-Star, i10 (1.1 L) and the Palio1.1.
LOOKS - Only the Palio and the Spark were pleasing to the eye. WagonR & Zen looked too boxy. The A-star looked good up front but its rear reminded me of the Alto, which I personally didnt like. Nothing wrong with the Indica’s & i10 styling except that both are too common on the the road. The Palio with its low slung and sporty stance looks very attractive too. Its double barrel headlamps look awesome!!
BUILD QUALITY - The Palio is built to last. The body has tightly shut lines and each part feels reassuring. Palio is a heavy car too, which says a lot about its strong body. The doors close with a nice "thud". Interior plastics of the Palio felt second only to the i10. But the body of the i10, Spark, WagonR/Zen felt very light and fragile compared to the Palio. In fact only the Palio’s & Indica’s body felt safer than other cars mentioned here. The new cars of Indica’s range (including Vista & CS) have shockingly cheap looking plastics.
SPACE - Except the A-Star all the above cars had decent space. The A-Star’s rear legroom and bootspace are really disappointing. The Palio has more than ample space.
RIDE - Palio has an exceptional ride quality. The car felt stable at higher speeds and it did’nt wobble in lower gears. The ride of other cars came in this descending order - i10 - A-Star - Indica - Spark - Zen - WagonR.
The Palio 1.1 felt a bit heavy in the 1st gear. After that it drove very well with no problems and it clearly has a planted stance and its ride is surprisingly better than the other cars mentioned here even over bad and bumpy roads.
Overall the Palio felt like a much bigger car than it actually is and it stands out from the crowd. The Palio is a cult car in India and has a loyal fan following. Bravo FIAT !!
P.S. I will keep updating about the ownership and service experience.