What makes us so passionate about the Palio / Baleno?

[kutlee]

Can anyone explain love? I think thats the main thingy.

[carfreak]

i feel both are cars which at the time of their launch,were one of the best in their respective classes(though the palio actually did not have any competition!!),but did not win the hearts of consumers so that they did not set the sales charts on fire!!the ikon 1.6 was a great car too and it did not sell like hot cakes either but the situation was much better than the palio or the baleno.baleno sales improved only after the price revisions.
the ohc was a true performance car which sold really well.hence the 'underdog' factor cannot be associated with it.it is this factor which makes the 1.6 palio and the baleno special.

[RacingForIndia]

Its clear that they are under dogs, yet brilliant cars to drive. I simply loved the Baleno when I drove it, and had almost booked it had it not been for the Fiesta.
As for the Palio, its probably the most solid small car ever to have been built in India, period. Not to mention the looks which is timeless.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Hellcat

Are they so stunningly good looking that all else is forgotten?

Well.... why Baleno? "Charging BULL with unmatched TORQUE"

Originally Posted by rahulvilas

Even though the baleno is a plane jane in looks department there is something I like about the car....

Guys, think before making such statements. Baleno is quite a beauty if you really look, see this.

[Nikhilb2008]

no offence Samurai, but the Baleno looks quite bland. Even with a rear spoiler and nice alloys, it does not look spectacular. But at least, it doesnt look bad.

[shazikon]

Baleno 1.6
Palio 1.6
City VTEC
Ikon 1.6
these are the cars that meant performance since the last 5 years.. The precedence they set was for more sportier and performance oriented cars for future.. Now almost a decade later what do we see??
a undertuned baleno.. who knows what the new baleno is going to put forth..
Palio.. Fiat is struggling to re-establish and a new body comming up any performance increase??
City VTEC i hate the new one..Honda could have done better to push the 120BHPs with this model
the Fiesta as a replacement for ikon 1.6 ...i expected a lot more from the fiesta to continue the sporty lineage..
when do these auto manufacturers stop thinking we indians are stupid to accept remodelled packages calling em "made for india"..
My ikon is 5.6 yrs old... and never have i been unsatisfied except with the FORD service. I am still waiting for a more roadworthy and sportier car to come into the market to replace my ride.

[rahul_intlad]

A list of the more popular cars[according to me] at team-bhp

Pre-owned cars:
OHC[especially vtec]

Hatchbacks[economy]:
Alto/Wagonr

Hatchbacks[premium]:
Palio 1.6/Maruti swift

Sedan[economy]:
Maruti Baleno LXi

Sedan :
Ford Fiesta/Hyundai verna CRDi[latest entrant]

Sedan [premium]:
Honda Civic

SUV:
Tata Safari/Mahindra scorpio

MUV:
Toyota Innova

Premium brand:
Mercedes-Benz

Ps: This is based purely on statistics and in no way does team-bhp or any bhpian endorse the above cars nor does it point out that the other cars are bad.

[supremeBaleno]

The Corolla is one of the fastest/quickest cars that we have here. Still, it does not enjoy much popularity here. Any special reasons ? Only con I saw was the bland looks.

[yeis]

Since this thread is supposed to have praises for Palio and Baleno and my question here can be an OT one, but still I want to ask something to Baleno owners or at least admirers. Apart from a great-performance engine, do Baleno have anything special? Please don't talk about economy thingie, I know that. I have talked to a few Baleno owners and none of them seemed very much enthu about his car. Seating and comfort were the major complaint areas. Is Baleno's seating/comfort bad? You can take OHC as benchmark.

[Samurai]

Guys, please stick to the topic, let's not drag in other cars.

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

The Corolla is one of the fastest/quickest cars that we have here. Still, it does not enjoy much popularity here. Any special reasons ? Only con I saw was the bland looks.

The Corolla handles really bad. The steering is very light at high speeds and not confidence inspiring.

The handling also is no where near the cars like Civic, Octy, Fiesta, Palio, etc....

@yeis --- The Baleno is very popular because it is very easy to mod. It is a very light car and the engine has a lot of potential for modding. Hence it is a popular car for guys who want to experiment

[sreenivass]

There is another car owners are passionate about, Fiat Petra petrol 1.6. Its an excellent drivers car with a few combined qualities of: power, ride and handling.

As far as I am concerned its a powerful tank with a quiet engine delivering good torque and BHP. I was amazed at the stability on highways up to 140 KMPH, it does not feel like 140 KMPH.

I am sure there are a lot other guys on Team BHP who are passionate about Petras they own.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by yeis

Apart from a great-performance engine, do Baleno have anything special? Please don't talk about economy thingie, I know that.

I have found the following to be its special points (apart from the engine and FE) :

1. City driveability. Minimal gear changes - you could go as low as 25kmph in 5th without the engine complaining. The 3rd/4th gears are the most fun - slow down in traffic, speed up when it clears. No hassles.

2. Super fast cooling a/c. Really helpful in a place like Chennai.

3. Front seat comfort. The seat sort of hugs you. Have driven 16 hours continous (break every 2-3 hours) and no backpain etc.

4. I have not been driven around in the rear seat - so can't give a personal opinion. But my wife says it is very comfy.

5. The price. At 5.5L, you get a 1.6L, 91bhp sedan with ample space and an FE that is better than most of its peers.

Originally Posted by yeis

I have talked to a few Baleno owners and none of them seemed very much enthu about his car. Seating and comfort were the major complaint areas. Is Baleno's seating/comfort bad?

I found the seating to be very good, actually. Ofcourse, the Baleno like the OHC, Lancer etc is pretty low slung and hence ingress/egress is harder compared to the newer crop of tallboy/cab-forward cars.

[RX135]

Originally Posted by sreenivass

There is another car owners are passionate about, Fiat Petra petrol 1.6. Its an excellent drivers car with a few combined qualities of: power, ride and handling.

Errrm....When one talks about Palio, in general, it applies to all of Palio 1.6, Petra and Adventure.

[typeOnegative]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

The Corolla is one of the fastest/quickest cars that we have here. Still, it does not enjoy much popularity here. Any special reasons ? Only con I saw was the bland looks.

The price mate. The price. Compare a Baleno/Palio with the Corolla in terms of price ....