Palio or Swift?

[nandab]

Hello Team-BHPians,

Warm greetings.

I am planning to go in for a car shortly. This being my first car (no prior driving experience in the family) - I had opted to go for a reliable hatchback with good ride/handling qualities. Primarily, it will be a city car for now; but, there will be longer trips 3-4 months from now.

I was not impressed by Getz. With the Palio's A.S.S reportedly being poor, I had almost zeroed in on Swift Zxi. Now with Tata-Fiat alliance coming through seemingly well, Palio is right back into consideration.

So, it's almost a shoot-out between Swift Zxi and Palio 1.2 ELX. Both my head (Palio ~1L less than Swift) and heart (first choice) says Palio, but I would love to get some opinions/thoughts from this forum:

1. Off the top of your head, what would you choose?
2. How would you rate the performance of these two cars?
3. How do the ride qualities of Swift fare in comparison with Palio? How about handling capabilities?
4. I get the feeling that rear room in Swift is less than that of Palio? Or is it due to the slightly claustrophobic interiors of Swift?
5. Is the 1L price difference between Swift and Palio justified, in your opinion?
6. Safety aspects - Swift has airbags and ABS. Are these available as add-on options in Palio? Without these, will you still consider Palio as being as safe as Swift?

FE is not a major concern.

There are 3 Tata Motors dealers in Bangalore - Prerana, Manipal and Concorde. Would you have any feedback on the three - positive or negative? The best Tata motors dealer in Bangalore?

Thanks in advance.

Best Regards,
Anand

ps:
1. Oh yes, it seems I am all set to go for a Palio. Still wanted to cover all my bases by seriously considering Swift
2. Palio 1.6 was out of the list as that machine might be too much to handle for a novice.

[50paise]

I personally think you should be going for Maruti Suzuki Swift.. it's a great car.. i own one too.. it wasn't mt 1st car.. but i knw how your feeling about it.. but as i said.. my advise would be a swift than a Palio

[cooldude1988765]

IMO for a first car swift is a better buy than the palio.The zxi model is safer than almost all hatches in India.Overall a great car but the rear view is poor (due to the small rear windscreen) which could make it difficult to reverse the car.

[Mpower]

Swift -> handling, interiors, looks (but will shortly become too common on our roads)
Palio -> ride, looks, room, exclusivity.

Airbags only on Petras I believe.

[muni]

Swift it is if 1.2L engine of the palio is being considered and the price difference of 1 lakh is justified.

Swift has better interiors than the Palio IMHO.

[revharder]

Originally Posted by nandab

1. Off the top of your head, what would you choose?
2. How would you rate the performance of these two cars?
3. How do the ride qualities of Swift fare in comparison with Palio? How about handling capabilities?
4. I get the feeling that rear room in Swift is less than that of Palio? Or is it due to the slightly claustrophobic interiors of Swift?
5. Is the 1L price difference between Swift and Palio justified, in your opinion?
6. Safety aspects - Swift has airbags and ABS. Are these available as add-on options in Palio? Without these, will you still consider Palio as being as safe as Swift?
FE is not a major concern.

Reply to 1. - Swift ZXi.
Reply to 2. - In performance, handling, fun-to-drive, spaciousness, ride-quality Palio1.6 is a winner. no arguement over that.
Reply to 3. - Swift's ride and handling qualities are also superb, but not in league of Palio1.6. if u compares swift to wagon-r, santro, zen, etc. then it is sure a winner, but certainly not in comparison to Palio1.6
Reply to 4. - Yes, the interior space is too less in Swift. Palios are more spacious and less cramped in both front and rear seats.
Reply to 5. - No, the Swift is very much overpriced by MUL. Palio is enjoying really good price cuts! haggle a bit and you can get some additional discount.
Reply to 6. - In this area, Swift is superior. coz Palio has ABS option, but not the airbags.

Reply regarding FE - Swift shall give you better fuel consumption coz of engine difference. Palio1.6'll give you lesser FE, but if you wants FE only, then donot go for Palio1.6, else, as per its nature (!!), it also gives decent FE!

The most annoying thing you might experience after purchasing PAlio is the service. Can't say what changes TATA will bring to it!
But MUL's service is best, everyone knows that.

So, as a first car, i'll suggest you to go for Swift, coz you won't like running from pillar to post just to get some better service.
Moreover, Palios are looked as an outdated, phased out car whereas, Swift is having a novelty tag attached to it. Being a new enterant in market it has created tension in in minds of other small car manufaturers, including MUL!

[goldie_malhotra]

in you first car, you wouldnt want to face pathetic *** and loads of maintenance issues. also, you would want a car thats easy to drive around the city.

swift wins by miles over the palio in both aspects.

palio was a great car when the competition was santro and wagon-r - but now, with the swift and getz in the frey, it falls far behind and is rather outdated - but there will still be palio fans around.

[himanshugoswami]

Another car u can consider is the Xeta...Better than teh Palio in the engine department. Palio scores in terms of build. But spares of the xeta would definitely be cheaper. and for a first time buyer, these things shoul dbe taken into consideration.

However, if you dont wanna consider the xeta, then go in for the swift. The Palio is too much of a risk . Personally I would wait or at least 6 months and see how the tata fiat alliance goes on, since TATA is also not exactly the best in terms of ***. htey are only marginally better than Fiat and GM.

[Zappo]

Welllllll... I would say the Palio-1.2 is not such a great choice after all. Definitely not as your 1st car. As a first car you would like it to be not only great in terms of performance but also reliable with good service backup. Now although Tata is going to provide the *** I would say anything about that can only be commented after at least 1 year. Also, 1.2 engine in my opinion is a bit underpowered to lug that weight around (it is a bulky car).

However, swift although a great car in various terms is also a little bit costly (as you yourself pointed out). It also has had some issues with its build quality (search for these on this forum). Now if you are really hankering for the ABS and airbags I would say there are not many choices available. However you said that the car will be primarily a city car. Now if for every 20000 kms driven it actually rides the highways for a mere 500-1000 kms I do not think spending a bomb on such features should really be the very first decisive factor. In cities most of these features (primarily meant for high speed freeway driving) are not of much use. In such a case you may be better off looking at other options as well.

And if you do decide to have a look at other options maybe you should give a look at the Xeta. Of late I have already heard a few stories of immediate converts. The car is supposedly a dream for the money you spend. Its cavernous, has a peppy engine, has a beige interior (better than black plastic everywhere), gives good FE and yet costs very less. At least check it out.

[caroholic1]

Since its going to be your first car. Go for the Swift.

[BUSA]

I guess out should consider the Swift ZXi. You get more features, buttt since you considering the 1.2 i am saying so. If you were in a dilemma between a Swift vs Palio 1.6 then it would have been handsdown for the Palio 1.6 be it thinking with head or the heart it wins both sides.

[nitrous]

S-W-I-F-T!!

Its a european build with a japanese engine. What more can a man ask for??

[solly]

SWIFT it is... by the way if you opt for the 1.6 then palio it is!! In case you decide to go for Palio better wait for couple of months and go for the new Palio...

[ego4evr]

hi there ...


i have a plio 1.2 its is my first car ..i have not had any problem till date with servcie....moreover with servce centers like Bosch there is no problem .

And yes i did visit the Manipal motors showroom along with my group (palio Users Group/Fiat Club of India )members....they have assured us they will be servicing all the variants of Palio.

yes!! palio 1.6 scores over 1.2 ,and yeah with 1.6 nv sports on sale FE also should not be of much of a problem!!!

[extreme_torque]

Well for me a Palio is still the best looking hatch in the country... its roomier than the swift too and sturdier too. Just hear the doors shut "thunk". I love the palio, everytime i drive my friend's 1.6, i have this feeling inside that i cant explain in words, this is one car with a heart and soul... i juzzz love it but still i wud say go for swift... its too uncertain going for a new palio.
By the way why dont u got for a less used 1.6.... its a wonderful car for the price u'll get it for.