10000 kms on Fiat Petra

[madhusudan13]

I am revisiting this site after 8 months. Last time I was here I was deciding to buy my first car. I could have gone for a smaller car but I thought I would not be selling/retiring my first car so easily, so why not go for a fully loaded sedan. Petra offered excellent engine, build quality & unmatchable value for money(5.1 L on road for a fully loaded one with 6 speakers & a stereo). Now I am back with 8 months of happy experience with my petra.

Experience

I have just completed 10000 kms on my Petra(Silver) and when I look back I only have good memories. I use my car generally to drive to office but Delhi roads give you enough chances to use your horses.

I also went to some outstation trips on my car (One to jaipur, Another to Sikar and third to Ambala). I love the way my car behaves and I use it more like an SUV.

Lets come to the specifics

• Mileage

I have realised by now that Mileage is the biggest issue in most minds while buying a car. This was the biggest perceived fear about Petra. But I coerced myself into buying this car thinking that every buyable product has 3-4 positives and 1-2 negatives. But guess what ! Having built a negative expectation while buying the car it has only given me upsides. It has never given me a mileage of less than 10 with or without AC. Delhi roads might be a reason for good mileage. But I could not extract more than 12-13 on Highways(May be because of very high speeds ).

• Performance

Now comes the best part. This car can virtually rule the road and you cant ask for a better performance from it. Apart from Octavia rider & Honda Accord this car can beat any other vehicle normally seen on Delhi roads(including corolla & Scorpio). The acceleration is superb and the car zipps away by simply touching the pedal. It remains quite stable even at 150 kph and really gives a big and sturdy car feeling. Though I would have liked air-bags in this car, I still feel quite safe inside.

• Comfort

For front seaters there are a lot legroom, however the rear legroom might not be best in the class. This may be because Fiat has tried to maximise the boot. Coming to boot, its simply huge. Apart from Octavia, I havent seen any car with so much space in the boot. I went for a 3 day trip to rajasthan with 4 other friends and the boot happily accepted everything we had to dump. The suspension is also quite good and I never feel the need to slowdown for small pot-holes.

• Servicing

I bought my car from Vivek automobiles in Delhi. Not the smartest sales people I would say. I had to arrange for my own finance. The registration etc took much longer than expected. However, servicing was not as big an issue as I read in several blogs. People at the the workshop, if not very helpful, are not indifferent either. It generally takes half a day to get the car serviced. I have not tried the Tata workshops after the alliance with Tata. But this should only be an added advantage.

• Other Comments

Although I like the looks of the car, not many people approve of it. The interiors are quite ordinary and Fiat should do something if they want to attract the kind of people who would buy City, Fiesta or Aveo. I think it can beat any of these in performance and only thing Petra lacks is Sex appeal. I am thinking of putting on a spoiler on my car but the official price is very high(11k) and i'm not sure if I should buy from outside. Any advice on this ?? also if it adds up to the Car's looks ?? Anything else I can do to improve the interiors ??

I would love to share some other specific things if somebody wants or to hear about some different experiences.

[karthik247]

To spice up the interiors, get good leather seats. They really enhance the look and the plush seats will be comfy too.

Then the is the ICE stuff...that depends solely on ur budget cuz it can go on n on n on...

[amit]

only thing Petra lacks is Sex appeal

I don't think so. Petra is among the sexiest cars on Indian roads today.

Nice balanced review of a wonderful but under rated car. Good to know that the car has delighted you in every way. A few pictures of your car would be awesome. Thanks for sharing your Petra expereince with us.

[pingmepal]

Good Review Madhusudhan. Made my day happy :-)

another Petra owner - 5 months old

[madhusudan13]

wonderful but under rated car

<br>
<br>
I do like the looks of Petra but not many friends have approved of it.
Coupled with the interiors its not a sexy package overall. Anyway, I
would like Petra to be underrated as I dont want many Petras competing
with me on Roads.<br>
<br>
Btw any views on rear spoilers for petra ?? <br>

[shbhrao]

HI madhusudan
nice to read your report. I too have completed almost 6K on my petra and I love it too. I like it's looks very much otherwise wouldn't have bought the car. I ahve averaged 10KMPL. Just recently when I had it serviced the guy told me to drive in 5th gear to get 12KMPL. I drive mostly in the 4th or 3rd gear. Do you drive it in the 5th gear in the city?

[sivadas]

Good one madhusudan. I too have completed 10k with my Petra! Will try writing a report soon.

[DRC]

Madhu, A very nice review.
Good to know you are enjoying the car, So am I.

I am owning one for an year and 5 months. Initially, I had a few problems which the dealer sorted out with a bit of noise. Clocked 25000kms yesterday.. now writing a review expect something soon

[supremeBaleno]

Nice report @Madhu. And good to know that there are so many happy Petra owners. But then, I don't see the car much in Chennai (infact I have seen only 1 black one). And none of the owners on this thread are from Chennai - not many Fiat lovers here or what ?

[icemanz]

Hey can any one help me with buying a petra? I've been asking all around. I am in cochin and there are no petra dealers here.
I wrote to fiat india, no response from them either.
Finally i thought of picking up the car from Mumbai - Anuroop motors. They gave me a quote of 6.3 L for Petra D -- wow dats way expensive. I believe Petra is available for less than 6L on road as mentioned by few Petra owners.

However due to non availability of this car..am thinking of going in for a Indigo

Cheers
Iceman

[Subodh Kumar]

Hi Iceman

I am from Noida and has bought a Fiat Petra 1.6 ELX Petrol in June 2006 from Vivek Auto Delhi. Although, It was a 2005 model car (of course, new) and so I got good dsicount on it. I was not to resale the car in near future and so I decided tto go for 2005 model if I can get good discount. I got it at 4.8 L.

Let me admit, Petra was not at all under my consideration when I decided to buy the car. I was looking for Fiat palio. Probabily, the salesman was too good and I found the offer as an exceelent one and so I went for it. During survey, I found that I could have had Fiat Petra 2006 model 1.6 ELX - Petrol at ex showroom cost of approx 5.15 to 5.20 L in Noida / Delhi. I think same price prevails even now. Today I saw an Ad of Fiat Adventure at a cost of Rs 5.21. I belive, one can get Fiat Petra these days at acost of approx 5.1 L.

I have already driven approximately 2300 KM and am completely satisfie4d with car.

Can anybody suggest me at what RPM ideally I should change the gear, I normally change it at 2000 RPM. I am getting FE of approx 11 to 12; its is city and couple of highway driving mix.

Thanks

Subodh

[kutlee]

Originally Posted by Subodh Kumar

Hi Iceman

I am from Noida and has bought a Fiat Petra 1.6 ELX Petrol in June 2006 from Vivek Auto Delhi. Although, It was a 2005 model car (of course, new) and so I got good dsicount on it. I was not to resale the car in near future and so I decided tto go for 2005 model if I can get good discount. I got it at 4.8 L.

Let me admit, Petra was not at all under my consideration when I decided to buy the car. I was looking for Fiat palio. Probabily, the salesman was too good and I found the offer as an exceelent one and so I went for it. During survey, I found that I could have had Fiat Petra 2006 model 1.6 ELX - Petrol at ex showroom cost of approx 5.15 to 5.20 L in Noida / Delhi. I think same price prevails even now. Today I saw an Ad of Fiat Adventure at a cost of Rs 5.21. I belive, one can get Fiat Petra these days at acost of approx 5.1 L.

I have already driven approximately 2300 KM and am completely satisfie4d with car.

Can anybody suggest me at what RPM ideally I should change the gear, I normally change it at 2000 RPM. I am getting FE of approx 11 to 12; its is city and couple of highway driving mix.

Thanks

Subodh

Thanks for the report.
Is this a driver's machine like the GTX? Hows the gear shift. Is it slick and smooth? is it short throw? (have to do this a long time in the city) how does it behave over the period of use? I am also not looking for resale in near future. I am looking at long drives on highways. Is the TATA service setup for FIAT? Hows the Fit and finish?
I am looking at drving at 120+ on highways not much more. I knew that Siena was built like a tank. please put more ideas on these.
I am looking at ABS with EBD for Petra. Saw it as optional in the site. I am willing to pay more for those options.
THanks..

[superavi]

Hey Icemanz,

Saw a Petra diesel on sale at javli motors in bangalore.

You could speak to them @ 080 41206366 for more information.

That way you dont have to buy it from mumbai and drive it down here.

superavi

[nishant_kingpin]

Originally Posted by Subodh Kumar

Today I saw an Ad of Fiat Adventure at a cost of Rs 5.21. I belive, one can get Fiat Petra these days at acost of approx 5.1 L.

Subodh

Ya you can get the Adventure for 5.21 but only if all terms and conditions as well as discounts calculated on certain terms and tenure apply. Else the Ex showroom cost of the Adventure stands at 5.65 L same as it was when relaunched after Tata-Fiat allaince.

While buying the Adventure from a Tata dealer, they did not have the Petra as its a car that directly competes with the Indigo, however I am sure its the same drive as the GTX or Adventure.

[icemanz]

Originally Posted by superavi

Hey Icemanz,

Saw a Petra diesel on sale at javli motors in bangalore.

You could speak to them @ 080 41206366 for more information.

That way you dont have to buy it from mumbai and drive it down here.

superavi

Thanks Ravi, I appreciate this help from you. Will call Javli motors on Monday.

Cheers
Iceman