[satish_appasani]

Check whether there is a proper service for Palio D in Bangalore. Check with Tata After Sales on supporting Palio D. If there is no support, don't go for this car.

I am owning a Palio D since 2004 and i love the car. My car has covered 38000 KMS and except for few hiccups no major problems. Treat it sensibly and it will give you back lot of fun.

I had few problem with AC and engine cooling system. My AC cooling coil had to be replaced at around 28000 KMS. It costed me 10,000 for the whole replacement. Since the past 5000 KMS, my car is showing signs of overheating. The temp guage goes past 1/2 mark after driving around 10 KMS in stop go traffic with AC switched off. When AC is switched on or driving with a steady pace, the temp ramains just above 1/4th mark. The After sales say this is normal but i am not satisfied.

Though the engine is 1.9 liters, the torque is not so great. You will have to get in to 1st gear once in a while in city. The in gear pickup is decent. You may not win races at traffic signals. The power starts building up at 2000 RPM. On the highways, the driveability is something else. It can beat most of the cars in it's category. The car comfortable reaches till 120 KMS but slows down from there. The top speed i have done is 150. The mileage i get is 12 KMPL in city and 16 on highway.

The one thing that makes this car so special is it's handling. It gives immense fun pushing the car in to corners. Car comes stock with steel wheels. I had OEM 14" alloys from day one with stock tyres (Goodyear 175/65). The handling was good but ride was of a big concern to me. Last week i upgraded to Michelin Energy XM1 185/65. So far the ride seems to be good with no loss in handling. The earlier tyres used to make lot of noise in fast corners though that never let the drivers confidense down. The new tyres don't make any sound. But i am yet to punish them the way i did to my earlier tyres. Rains are not helping.

The car is built like tank and it remains solid even at high speeds.

Braking is decent. Though the feedback to the driver when braking in emergencies leaves you scary but it stops the car. Even the steering feedback is absent.

Though people complain about Palio interiors, they are very functional and the quality of plastics are much better than any car in it's class. Every control and switch is at the right place. 90% of time i will be driving with my left hand on the gear lever. My car has grey interiors and the later cars have beige. The center console and AC have wooden finish. Driver seat is decent enough for long drives even for a 6' 1" tall driver like me. The longest i drove in a stretch was 400 KMS and i never felt uncomfortable. In the back seat, the roof touches my head when sitting in the corners.

I got a decent service though i wouldn't say it is very good from Anuroop in Hyd. To me spares were affordable but the labor charges were on the expensive side. There were instance of non availability of parts for me but those were not blockers for me.

Since the end of 2004, few Palio Ds were sold in formula red. I am lucky to have one of those.

Let me know if you require more information. Happy car buying.