Fiat Petra ELX Black sedan -30000Kms review

[shbhrao]

So my petra has completed 30,000kms and here is my brief report on ownership.
She is a beauty and she roars like a tiger/panther when you drive her on the roads. She is quick to get off the mark, and I am sure if you were to race her, she would win against most cars on the road. On pot hole road you can breeze through in the 3rd gear. On uphill roads, she is like a swift workhorse. As far as her fodder is concerned, I used to get 10Kms/L in the city and now she gives me 11.2 Kms/L. This improvement I have noticed after servicing her at 23000 Kms. In the second year she had some problem with ignition, which was fixed by Shaman services.

Things that could have been better : Her interiors, some minor recurring problems with the horn not working at times.

Though she is big she is also very agile. All in all I am so happy that I have her.

[gemithomas]

You seem to love her so much. 11 seems to be real good mileage. Take care and Drive safe.

[sushanthr77]

That was a real short long-term ownership review. But your love for your car is very evident. Not very surprising considering most Fiat owners always vouch for their cars.

[shbhrao]

Gemithomas,

Yes I love her, considering that I handle her pretty rough splly on potholes etc, yet she takes it in her stride also have noticed how responsive she is which helps tremendously while driving in Indian roads. And the other reason I am so happy is because, I recall when I purchased her, so may people warned me about the poor mileage, in fact an Engineer working for fiat at the time had told my dad that it was mistake that I bought the car since she would give maybe 6or 7kms /litre.
And here she is now, giving me 11 with AC and most of the times on Palm beach road, I drive her at 100. So yes I speed only when there is clear road ahead of me and yes I am careful while driving.

And yes, the description is brief, since I do not understand car mechanics, hence can't really elaborate.

[Nothing2looz]

Hey, i just thought i could add on this thread about our Petra D.

She has done 93,550 km during its 3.5 years she has been part of our family. She has been driven by my brother and me.

Engine - Didn't even bother to wink and trouble us.

Suspension - Front Left Damper, arms, Drive shaft was changed (87000km) when we drove over a rather huge stone in the middle of the road in Bangalore. The Right side was also replaced to maintain uniformity[COLOR=navy][FONT=&quot].

Interiors has shown the age (maybe because of our extensive usage)
The AC needs servicing now.

All lubes have been replaced every 7500 km.

We are satisfied with the car that we have bought a Palio Stile SLX(145000 km) are waiting for the Linea.cheers:

So what does the Petra have in store for us? She going to be around in our garage till she crosses the 2,00,000 km mark. We are convinced that only the FIATs can last that long.

Gokul, Chennai
1.1 Stile
1.6 Petra D

[condor]

Do post some pics. Let us know things like what your likes & rants are. May be a brief about servicing & any thing else that needed attention.

shbhrao : And here she is now, giving me 11 with AC ...

It's a Fiat. Used properly, serviced regularly, she'll behave better than most cars around you.

Would sometimes help to keep such details away from the ears of the (service) dealer. lol.

[prabuddhadg]

Hi there shbhrao. I am following in your footsteps. My Petra ELX has done 21000 km and going strong. I completely agree with your response to your car. On rough roads it really comes into its own. Potholes are simply ignored as one drives over them, in a manner that still amazes me.

The engine is another feature of this car that continues to amaze me to this day. At 1000-1500 rpm, the engine, because of its comparatively lower low end torque, seems to ignore your throttle inputs, and purrs along quietly, albeit without stutter or hiccup.

To me the engine seems like a live person, showing its boredom at being made to work at such low rpm's. But let the revs rise past 2000, and this guy wakes up, and starts flexing his arms and legs, preparing for some action he hopes I will get him into. Responses to throttle inputs get quicker and quicker.

Go past 3000 rpm, and this guy says, now we are beginning to get some action, Attaboy! That's the way! And there is a solid car to support its excitement. The entire car is equipped to comfortably handle speeds in excess of 100 or even 150 kmph. While the engine roars like a young enthusiastic lion, the rest of the car takes it all in its stride and gives me a smooth ride.

Shbhrao, I do not know what tyres you are running. I have the stock Bridgestone S322's and they do not provide great grip. They tend to lock up on sudden braking and there is a lot of tyre squeal.

Also, at high speed turns, the understeer seems to change to a tendency to oversteer, and the rear tyres tend to squeal when I take a turn at say, 80kmph. Never even begun to go out of control, but still, the sound seems to hint that I am close to the tyre's outer limit.


Do you have the same feeling with your tyres or have you upgraded? Do post your reaction.

[ram_hyundai]

This is one great car which simply slid into the shadows.Terrific looks and good performance.The diesel petra was actually threatening the viva crdi sales chart and it just faded into the oblivion.I felt sad for that good car even though i was working for hyundai at that time.
Feel proud of her and love her to the core.
ram

[shbhrao]

prabuddhadg

Hi, ncie to see you share the same handling experiences with your Petra. Re the tyres, I have the stock tyres. And I recall once in Vashi, I had to brake suddenly when a car ahead moved into my lane without warning. It was then I heard the front tyres screech as they came to a halt.
Please explain under steer/over steer! I know I need a wider radius to turn. I think I am mostly in 3 rd or sometimes 2nd gear while turning so I haven't heard any noise.
I agree about the "laziness of the engine" in second gear at low speeds, in fact when i am driving slow I usually keep her in 3rd gear.
And yes the engine is amazing at high speeds< I have only once done 135 max. Most of the time it is around 100. And you know how when you finally switch off the car and the fans get turned on , a lot of cars don't seem to have that and I alway get asked about that and I grin and tell them yes, she is cooling off since she is so "hot" :-)

[prabuddhadg]

Originally Posted by shbhrao

prabuddhadg

Hi, ncie to see you share the same handling experiences.....Please explain under steer/over steer! I know I need a wider radius to turn. I think I am mostly in 3 rd or sometimes 2nd gear while turning so I haven't heard any noise.......

Hi shbhrao, understeer is when the car tries to keep going straight when you turn the wheel (this happens with my Petra at slow speeds, i.e. the car seems to require more effort to turn and tries to push me back straight). Oversteer is when the car turns too easily. With my Petra, when I am at 70-80 or faster, I see a hint of over steer. I can't explain the feeling exactly, but it is as if the front wheel is steady in its direction of turn on the road while the rear wheel wants to move outward in relation to the turn. Of course, this is not something I get to experience in city driving (with Bombay traffic), but mostly on hilly roads with frequent turns.

[Sush]

Nice to read reviews from so many happy customers. It's a pity that this car was discontinued. I hope that Fiat launches a new Petra.

[shbhrao]

Hi prabuddhadg,
your petra looks nice, nice color!
Mine is black, I will try and post some pics soon.
Re what you are describing as understeer, no I haven't noticed that, re the over steer at high speeds, I will try and observe the next time when I am driving.

Re the grip of the tyres, guess during rainy season, I have felt that. So can I get the same size tyres but with better grip?
The other complaint i had was after i had the sun film fixed, my rear defogger does not work well. DO you have this problem. I will try and get the fil removed before monsoon and see.

[shantyrocks]

no under steer or over steer in my petra el ps 1.6.it drives great on petrol and even on LPG.i agree abt the 2nd gear lag though.but iv learned how to avoid it now.if ur petra slows down to a almost standstill avoid picking it up in 2nd gear.driving in the 2nd gear make sure the RPM is above 1100.my only complaint is that the head lights r not to powerfull and i dont have arrangement for bumper fog lamps.planing to put higher wattage bulbs.
have ordered a rear spoiler which will be planted in a couple of days time .

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