When I started my hunt for a perfect Car around 2.5 years back, my budget was 3 - 3.5 lacs, that time I could get only Maruti Alto for that price. Went to a Maruti showroom, saw the Alto, felt like it was a ok car. Then I checked with couple of colleagues who owned a Alto. They said it is a good small Car but if you switch on the A/C, the car grasps for power. So Alto 800cc was out of consideration. What about Alto 1100 CC? It was costing 4 lacs+. In that range, I had other options like Santro Xing, Zen and Wagon-R. Zen no doubt a good, peppy Car, but with the cramped interior space, was out of contention. Wagon-R - My wife didn’t like the mini-van shaped car, so it was ruled out. Then we checked out Santro Xing. Took a test drive a couple of times. It had good pick-up, interiors was better, ideal car for city driving. I had almost finalized to book one.
But then, a thought came to my mind, why not check-out the Fiat Palio. So, I went to a Fiat Showroom, saw a Palio, it looked great, was quite spacious inside, build quality was excellent. Went for a Test drive. The moment I drove the Car, I decided this will be my Car!!!
In Jan’2004, I bought my Palio 1.2 NV ELPS Silver Frost, and from then, I am enjoying every bit of driving this Italian beauty.
And I have just completed 11000+ kms on the odo, so I thought I will share my ownership experience with you all.
Mileage
Palio was (and still) bad-mouthed for it perceived low mileage. The new Palio NV had the engine and exhaust tweaked and mileage had significantly improved. I am getting a steady mileage of 12 - 13 kmpl in City driving with 25% AC. On highways, I get a mileage of 15 - 17 kmpl. Man, you can’t ask for more!
Performance
Palio 1.2 is not a performance-oriented Car, it is meant for daily City driving and occasional long drives. If you need performance, you need to buy a Palio 1.6.
Palio 1.2 is bit sluggish on the lower gears, but it once it takes off, it just glides over the road and takes on even the big Cars with ease. It is real fun the drive it on the highways, where you can easliy hover between 80 - 120 kmph. The stability and control it offers on high speeds is just amazing.
Comfort
Palio indeed is a Sedan minus boot. It has ample leg room both in the front as well as rear. It can easily accomodate 3 adults in the rear. And the boot is good enough for a small family.
Even when you drive a Palio, it gives you a Sedan feeling. The sturdiness and control it offers is simply great. The suspension is also quite good, it glides over rough roads and small potholes without any grouse.
Safety
The Build quality of Palio is undoubtly the best in its segment, even comparable to the C segment cars. To have a feel of the same, just open & shut any of the doors or just lift the bonnet & try holding it for few moments. Kudos to Fiat for having value for a life.
Servicing
I had bought my Palio from Sundaram Motors in Bangalore. That time, they were the sole dealers for Fiat cars in Bangalore. The purchase experience was very pleasant. After I booked the Car, I got the delivery in 2 weeks time. But the dealer was very stingy to give any freebies or cash discount. Whereas Maruti & Hyundai dealers were offering Free Insurance and Stereo system respectively. Basically, Sundaram is known for their ’Don’t care’ attitude. I could just avail the Corporate discount of 10k. Though, there were 2 Service Centers that time - Sundaram Motors & Hariprasad Automobiles. I had serviced only with Sundaram. Though, they had only Service center in Rajajinagar, it was not a problem, since it was once in 6 months affair and they had Pickup & Drop facility. Sundaram did a good job in Servicing. Didn’t face any issues with them. Since I bought the Car, I visited the Service Center only for the routine service. In other words, my Palio was trouble-free.
Post Fiat-Tata tie-up, in Bangalore we have 3 Tata Service centers to cater to Fiat cars, in addition to the 2 Fiat Service centers. So, poor Fiat Service is a old story now!
Looks
I love the looks of the Palio. Kudos to the Italians for such an beautiful design. The clear-lens rectangular Headlamp adds to the uniqueness of Palio. And, if you can afford Alloy Wheels and Rear Spoiler, it looks all the more deadlier!. The interiors are good enough, has a dual-tone dashboard. All the keys and buttons are perfectly placed for easy access by the driver.
Overall, a perfect Car under 5 lakhs!!!