Have zeroed in on a Palio 1.2- Now bought

[himanshugoswami]

Hi Friends,

In my eternal quest for the "perfect small car", I came to one conclusion- It would be easier to solve the mystery about the origin of the universe rather than identify the perfect small car in India.

After a lot of deliberations, soul searchin, test drives (ad-infinitum) and discussions- both on the net and with my colleagues/friends/family (in no particular order!), I have zeroed in on the Palio 1.2 ELX.

My main crieteria was solid build (read safety since my 1 year old baby will be traveling in the car), reasonable FE and performance, reliability and good A.S.S.- in that order.

Since the car will primarily be driven in Bangalore, performance was not too much of a concern- hence the 1.6 was out.

I actively considered the following:

Swift VXi- ruled out due to flimsy build and worrying reports of faults in the car-rattling, clutch failure/burning (at least 2 bhpians have reported this) etc. (incidentally my heart is still on the swift)

Xeta GLX- great VFM and smooth drive. Ruled out due to Tata's inconsistent quality and my recent nightmare with the indica Turbo.

Getz GLS- have recently bought one in Delhi, so didnt want another one. Also, IMO, the Getz is way overpriced. (the one in delhi was bought by my mum, so she was paying, not me!)

So I realised that the car that came close to achieving all that I am looking for is the Palio. Initially this car was not on my list but going through the experience of the members here, it appears that you really cant go wrong with the palio.

I am still a bit concerned about the A.S.S. since tata is not exactly a paragon of customer friendliness. Could Bangalore members shed some light on their experiences with the tata dealers, esp. with regard to fiat cars?

Please advise if my choice is right or am I potentially landing myself in trouble on account of lack of spares/serivce. Or should I just go in for the swift and have relatively higher peace of mind. Also, any news on when the new palio is going to be launched?

As u can see, I am really torn between teh palio and the swift.

Just to queer the pitch, my wife's take on this is- "All these cars have some problems or the other. So just buy the cheapest one available among these-i.e. the Xeta GLX"

cheers

Himanshu

[Abhay]

Palio is of course a nice car and definitely has what you are looking for.
But if you like the Swift so much, why is there still a doubt?

I don't think its an unsafe car or flimsy as you put it (I am not a Maruti fan but I do like the Swift). As you said yourself no car is perfect but Swift has a lot going for it.

ps: As for Tata's customer service maybe the dealers in Bangalore are dodgy but here I have had good service from them. (till now!)

[deepakhon]

Hi Himanshu,

My car (Palio 1.2 NV) was bought during the Sundaram era. I have no experience with Tata dealers at Bangalore. However, the take in paliousersgroup is that it will take around 6 months-1 year for them to get hold on the mechanicals of Palio. People are happy there that Tatas at Bangalore are showing interest in selling and servicing Fiat cars. For instance, there was a free service camp some two weeks back. I was travelling that week and hence could not attend that camp. Concorde had called me up to inform about that.

Regarding the reliability of the car, it has been 2.5 years for me with the car and apart from the regular servicing items like oil changes, filter changes, wheel alignments, etc, I have had no issues at all (touchwood). Ofcourse, I have not used my car too much (around 15k km in 2.5 years), but it has recieved a good amount of thrashing for this period. So, I can vouch for the car's build. It has seen an odd rattle here and there, but the service has managed to silence all of them.

I have no idea about Swift as I have neither sat in that car nor driven it.

All the best with your choices.

[finneyp]

Himanshu, Congrats for your choice of Palio 1.2!
It is the indeed the best Car in the segment!
Here in Bangalore, we have now 5 Fiat Authorized Centers (3 Tata Service centers & 2 Fiat service centers), so no issues of Service now!
Since Tata Motors have recently started servicing Fiat cars, we need to give them sometime to get the hang of Palio.

The New Palio (slight changes to exterior & interior) is slated to be launched in September.

[speedbuster]

But I have one querry, why are only intrested in small cars?
You can have a sneak peak at entry level sedans like
Ikon flair, Esteem..
There service would be anyday better than palio.

[adya33]

Out of the given choice I would choose Swift over Palio as it is much newer and in my opinion better looking car.

My main crieteria was solid build (read safety since my 1 year old baby will be traveling in the car),

In that case I would suggest you to take a look at "Car Seat" for kids thread ("Car seat" for kids)

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by speedbuster

But I have one querry, why are only intrested in small cars?
You can have a sneak peak at entry level sedans like
Ikon flair, Esteem..
There service would be anyday better than palio.

Hatchback easier to drive inside city; that too by a lady. He drives a Fiesta 1.6 here at Tvm.

Congrats Himanshu; good choice. Get the Sport one.

[karthik247]

Yea Palio NV Sports in Yellow looks so cool.

[neoonwheels]

Hey good choice... I am sure you will never regret... I own 1.2 NV sports and everytime I get into car, I feel im in a castle...

[roms]

Swift is somewehere in between Palio 1.2 and Palio 1.6 in terms of performance.Swift and Palio 1.2 may give similar FE.I personally did not find Swift all that appealing,be it looks,space,comfort,a/c or even performance.Palio 1.2 NV is definitely much more car for your money.That said,it is pretty sluggish.I hope you have extensively driven it,especially fully loaded and a/c.But good enough for the city and a good,safe cruiser on the highway.
If possible,give the Palio 1.6 a shot.buy one and you would'nt need anything else,not even a Skoda!!

[jyobeb]

I've had a Sienna for a while now and let me tell you that its just a Palio with a boot. The doors, windshields suspension components, dashboard are all the same. Suspension components could be differenr for diesel, however! My car has not seen the inside of TVS after the free services and warranty got over. I have a really good mechanic and a really good spares dealer. My car, though a 99 model is in remarkable shape. People usually express their surprise at the fact that its 7 years old. Find a good mechanic(ask Sienna/Palio owners in your locality) and your car will probably run for ever!

[himanshugoswami]

HI Guys,

Thanks for your responses.

as JK mentioned, the car will be driven extensively by my wife, and that too on bangalore roads. So a sedan was ruled out.

Also, I have driven a 1.2 with AC and 2 people on board and though the car felt a little strained in 1st and 2nd gear, it was not exactly sluggish. It is something we can live with.

Also, budget wise, there is not too much constraint to prevent me from considering the 1.6. I was just wondering that whether that amazing engine would be an overkill for bangalore roads.

I have extensively driven a 1.6 S10 in Delhi. it belonged to a cousing and memories of that car still bring a smile to my face, esp. one occassion when we beat the **** out of an Ikon 1.6 between delhi and ambala.....but thats a different story!

[himanshugoswami]

Hi Folks,

Finally purchased the Palio yesterday!

1.2 ELX frosty silver.

OTR Bangalore 4.72
Discount 16K cash
finance -ICICI 3 Lakhs for 5 years @10.25% reducing.
EMI- Rs. 2130/lakh
delivery date- Sunday 4th June.

Will keep you guys posted

[spdfreak]

Congrats on your new Palio. Good choice.

[neoonwheels]

Hey man welcome to Palio owners family... I believe you have already joined us at "PalioUsersIndia".