Fiat had a tough journey so far in India. So is the case for the Fiat worldwide. Its market share across Europe has been in decline for some time, even in its home market, Italy. Their cars in recent years had lots of niggling problems. Quality was a problem, the result being heavy costs in warranty claims. All its mainstream car divisions worldwide being under pressure with Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo getting stiff competition from the rivals. Surprisingly, Ferrari and Maserati have been consistently doing extremely well in the supercar category despite of being premium-end products.The Siena Petrol which was launched in India initially was underpowered, while the Siena Diesel too being slightly underpowered used to have overheating and other niggling problems. Siena looks too was not to everyone’s taste. Finally, Fiat came up with a brand new engine as well as better looking Siena. Unfortunately, the damage to the ’’Siena’’ badge was already done. Still, not too many people know that the new Siena has been redesigned from the groundworks, literally so as they have managed to raise up the ground clearance to 170 mm (necessary to tackle our speed mountains). So Petra is simply a rebadged Siena. But make no mistake, the Petra is the NEW Siena and not the old one.To begin with, Fiat had priced the Petra exceptionally well. A mouth-watering pricetag of 5.22 lakh, on road Pune confirms that Petra is the best bang for the buck that you can get in C-segment cars of India. I was looking for a C-segment car. I had shortlisted Petra 1.6, Baleno VXi and the Ikon 1.6 ZXi. A test drive of Petra 1.6 Petrol and I came back very impressed. For now, let’s see more about the Petra:Looks and Interiors:The Petra front end has been redesigned from the old Siena. It resembles more with the Palio with clearlens headlamps. With Palio already being the most good looking small car, I need not say that Petra looks cool from the front. Rear too has been redesigned with a boot that does not look added on (like Indigo). Alloy wheels are sorely missing, which will require 25000-35000 Rs. depending upon manufacturer. Unfortunately, Interiors have not changed as much in years and look dated when compared to the Ikon 1.6 ZXi and the new Honda City. For a C-class car, CD changer is missing (which these days comes as a standard fitment in most). Fortunately, white dials, a tachometer and a sporty A/C knob are its saving grace. Central locking and Power windows are a standard fitment. A huge 500 litre boot is more than adequate and is big enough to swallow a mini elephant ;-)Engine and Performance:Petra hides its trump card under the good-looking well sculpted bonnet. It is the Petra’s 1.6 litre engine where the Fiat’s genes as the Parent Company of the Ferrari shine. The 1.6 litre twin-cam (DOHC) engine is straight from the Palio 1.6 GTX. I don’t think many cars in the C-segment category in India have a twin-cam engine (Accent GTX Tornado being one of the few - Thanks to Rohit Mathew for the correction). Interestingly, Petra’s 1.6 litre engine produces a glorious note when idle or revved hard (just like Ferraris and Lamborghinis). The musical sound of the engine and exhaust is easily a proof that these are the same guys who build engines of a Ferrari :-). The engine is silky smooth and generates a hefty 100 bhp. The 100 bhp powerplant though quick, is a notch relaxed in the low-end when compared to Ikon’s 1.6 ROCAM Engine. Petra’s engine thrives a highway use. Go on the highway, and Petra shows the other C-segment cars (and even many D-segment ones) who is the boss ! She will lift her skirts in no time! 0-60 dash comes in hurried 4.6 seconds, while dials cross 100 km/hr mark in less than 11.5 seconds. The engine keeps churning out power even beyond 175 km/hr and a claimed top speed of 189+ km/hr should be easily achievable on Pune-Mumbai expressway. Those figures puts Petra above most C-segment cars and in the territory of many D-segment cars as well!Chassis and Handling:Generally manufacturers tune their cars either for sporty performance (stiffer suspension) or better ride quality (softer suspension). Surprisingly, Petra seems to have achieved just the right balance. The suspension is taut enough to encourage a sporty driver to go around zippy corners with confidence. Still ride quality over potholed roads is pretty decent for a stretched out Palio. Power assisted steering too is excellent with the right feedback. Just a rotation is required for a full wheel lock, a great setup for twisty mountains and ghats. The car is equally enjoyable from behind the wheel as well as being chauffer driven. The car has a solid build and does not squeak or rattle even when going at high speeds on speed mountains. Rugged build quality ensures that Petra is built to last.Fuel Economy:Petra is one of the heaviest and most powerful cars in the C-segment. Still the engine is frugal enough to do wonders to its fuel efficiency. Surprisingly, the car manages a 9 km/litre in city which is excellent for a 100 bhp engine. On the highway, it will return a decent 13-14 km/litre, again excellent for a car weighing over a tonne and with a 1.6 litre engine ! Switching the air con still will return a decent 12-13 km/litre on the highway.Ownership Experience:This is one place where people still feel a bit scared when buying a Fiat. Fortunately, Fiat’s service network has improved tremendously. Spare parts prices too have been slashed by nearly 40% as Fiat has started to manufacture most of them in India.Verdict:Fiat has priced the petra exceptionally well. There are merits of 1.6 litre DOHC engine which gives enough oomph for it to be called a performance sedan! Solid build, superb ride quality and very good handling are some of the others. Dated interior and missing standard fitments like alloys, tubeless radials, CD-changer are some of its drawbacks. Only four colours are currently available. However, at a knockout price tag of 5.22 lakh (1.6 Petrol) on road Pune, the Petra is an absolute steal !Note:Grab the Fiat Petra 1.6 immediately if you are interested as dealers are currently giving a Rs. 20000 cash discount. The reason being 1.9 diesel is getting too many people interested. You definitely do not need a diesel car if you travel 1000 km (or less) a month :-).