I bought my Palio ELX on Oct 2002. Was jittery initially as the Indian subsidiary was in losses and there was very less hope from Fiat parent company. But I took the leap and since then I’vd never repented on it.
Pros: A Rock Steady Car - Weighs more than a Ton, weight helps at high speeds. * A beautiful car, * Spacious for 5 mid-sized people, * Fuel Ecomony in city : 11kmpl with A.C in Hyderabad Traffic conditions. The number may sound low, but this is due to only 9 Kms one-way to office that too in lousy traffic conditions. * Fuel Economy on Highways : Keep the speeds till 90, F.E is around 17kmpl, drive her like crazy the F.E. will drop to 14-15. * Have driven her at 165 on Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The car was steady and in full control. * Car is particulary very comfortable in long drives.
Cons: * Parent Fiat company was not stable earlier. It is much stable now after GM paid 2 billion $$ to it !! * Spares may not be readily available - But till date (after nearly 4 years) I’ve only changed my Horn and Wipers. * After Sales Service in Remote Areas - This should improve after recent Tie-up with TATA.
Updated 06-Jul-06 :
Had gone on 2 long drives in last 6 months .. Did not have any problems..
Hyd - Mum - Hyd - 1500 kms
Hyd - Blore - Hyd - 1200 kms
Problems / Expenses so far :
1) 4750.00 : Silencer Muffler : hit by stone and it developed crack. I did not notice it but the Service guys pointed out instantly.
2) 600.00 : Fibre Knob that needs to be lifted before the gear arm can be put into reverse gear developed crack.
3) 128.00 * 4 : Wipers - I’ve been changing them every year. Enough of Syndicate wipers. Am planning to use Bosch wipers now.
Servicing Costs:
Average Servicing costs Rs.3000.00 once in 6 months.
But after 4 years, I’ve started getting the car serviced every 4 months rather than 6.
Tips on Better Mileage :
1) Keep Palio running between 2000 - 4000 rpm.
2) Do not use cluch un-necessarily. Palio has overdrive in 4 & 5th gears, hence downshifting frequently can be avoided.
3) Don’t try to race against Zens and Swifts, not until you know the power band of this Car. You will end up burning fuel ..
4) Goto https://Fiat-India.com for more tips.
Updated on 27-May-08:
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New Expenses / Issues :
1) 10, 000 : Alternator bushes have weared off - Regular service centre person suggested getting it repaired for 1500 Rs. I’ve changed the alternator completely (costed 9, 000) as I get some fringe benefits from my company.
2) Rear Parcel tray and a door some times make some noise which I find irritating. The showroom guys fix it but it comes back after a while. The root cause is the the heavy speakers installed on the rear parcel tray.
3) The TATA guys don’t care about the FIAT cars as much as the FIAT service guys did !!