Palio Stile 1.6 Sport - 1500km Report

[ReNaGade]

My formula red Palio's done 1500 kms and had it's first service complete with a oil & filter change. Read the 500 km & 750 km report here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/new-in...ms-report.html
During my run till 1500 kms i had been restraining on the revs keeping them below 3000, but now with the first service done and oil changed i have been taking the revs upto 5000 occasionally and rationally.

Here are my experience with the car so far:

The Good
I love the induction sound of the engine, beyond 3000 rpm the engine become vocal and after 4000 it's a riot. You dont need a free flow exhaust in the Stile 1.6 but if you do get one it will be difficult to hear the stereo.

Once i was passing a police speed check barrier and was able to luckily bring my speed down to below 50, nonethless the cop stopped me and after giving me a look said it's ok GO. I slipped the car into 1st, revved her till 4000 rpm and dropped the clutch, spinning the front wheels and racing out of the police checkpost, you should have seen a look on their faces. The car's torque is great and it pulls cleanly from as low as 1500 rpm and peaks at 4250 rpm , great for overtaking. I am also deeply impressed by the ride on bad roads and the high ground clearance. The steering feels perfectly weighted and precise letting me know excatly what the front wheel are doing.

The Bad
I dont quite like the car's body roll at corners on speed, it doesnt quite match upto the Swift which has a more modern and tougher chasis. Also the brakes arent as sharp as the Swift (i compare because i also own a Swift Zxi with ABS). Apart from the this the FE figure of 9-9.5 in city is a blow to my monthly budget . Fiat's tie up with Tata meant that i had to get my first service done from Dhingra Motors in Gurgaon. Now they arent as good as Maruti or Hyundai and most of their customers are jaats from Haryana or cab drivers with their indica's. They however had the VS Max oil reommended by Fiat for the 1.6 and the filter. I had issues with the rear wiper and the drivers sunvisor both of which were changed prompty after i spoke to the workshop manager.

[bottle]

isnt the swift a lot wider , maybe thats why theres less body roll

also surprised that they did an oil change in first service. most of the times they only top up and do full change and filter during second service. anyways good for you

[speedzak]

Nice report it is. Very unbiased and clear.

2 doubts many had on the forum is answered here.
1. Palio 1.6 delivers 9-9.5kms in the city. And this is proved and experienced by many except very few.
2. The body roll of a Palio in corners is bad. Swift is better. This is also experienced by many others. Now emphasised here better.

[guyonblackybx]

I am confused now. How much important are these 2 factors?

I can ignore mileage factor.

but what about body roll? and breaks with out ABS.

BTW how wud it cost me if i want to get ABS on?

Am lill confused bout the interest rates of car loans. am planin to go for 85% loan.SBI is providing 11.5 % and ABN Amro has around 10%

[finneyp]

Well observed Zak!

Please try to appreciate the Good side of Palio too!

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by ReNaGade

I love the induction sound of the engine, beyond 3000 rpm the engine become vocal and after 4000 it's a riot. You dont need a free flow exhaust in the Stile 1.6 but if you do get one it will be difficult to hear the stereo.
I am also deeply impressed by the ride on bad roads and the high ground clearance. The steering feels perfectly weighted and precise letting me know excatly what the front wheel are doing.

Nice observations there. You cant have your cake and eat it too Keep it under 2500 rpm and you will get more than 10 kmpl easily. Even under 2500 rpm you will be ahead of most of the traffic and over the speed limit on gurgaon expressway.
Even I love the steering on my Palio and I exactly know what they mean when they say "Its like running you hand over the road and getting to know the texture or what the front wheels are doing"
The biggest problem I face when I drive a friend's car is the steering... only Ikon and the Honda city steering come close in being as precise as Palio's is.

[neoonwheels]

Ekzactlyyyyyyyyyyyy...... Palio's steering feedback is awesome.... so accurate and precise...

Cheers

[ReNaGade]

Hi Guys,
This Sunday id gone to Neemrana Fort & Palace which is a beautiful heritage site about 120kms away from Delhi. The Palio's done 1600 kms and over with it's run in period, ready to run loose on the NH8. This was a primary reason for the day trip . The car was put through it's paces with a max speed of 150 kmph being reached even though the highways was very busy. On the way i enjoyed racing with a Corolla (which was being driven by a young capable though rash driver) an Optra 1.8 and an Aveo 1.6. The Palio's capability to reach 150 kmph from 100 kmph in 4th gear was even better than all except the Corolla which by all means seemed the fastest though by not a big margin. Even at 150 the Palio felt sure except for the lil body sway du to the high ground clearance. The high CG came in handy tackling the bad roads leading to the Fort through Neemrana village.

[michael schume]

I had issues with the rear wiper and the drivers sunvisor both of which were changed prompty after i spoke to the workshop manager.[/quote]

i ahd the same problem with the sun visor and later there was something wrong with the map sensor.
both were taken care of by the service guys.
i do agree abt the body roll i prefers the uno on the sharp bends but the feel from the steering is not even half of what i get from the palio
also which it had ABS or disc all around