Updated Palio Stile 1.1 SLX 2000 KM report

[asitkde]

Unnecessary and uncalled for abuse is to be dealt with strongly, and that's what I intend to do in this post. People should have the minimum modesty and courtesy not to pick from somebody's post without context and write baseless stuff.

I never wrote that the Palio Stile 1.1 was better than Aveo 1.6 and Fiesta 1.6. What I wrote was :

"...with a friend of mine who was TDing Aveo 1.6 and Fiesta 1.6 took rides in those much more expensive cars and found the ride quality in Palio both in the front and in the rear seats comparable, if not better, except for more cabin noise mostly coming from the engine which is not very quiet in Palio".

After that, part of that statement was picked and and was made fun of.

By the way, it's not just my personal feeling. Even the ACI (page 71, June 2007) writes: " On the highway, the car's (palio stile 1.1) high speed stability is up there with cars twice its price."

Personally, I also think that the general notion about stile's apparent lack of power is grossly untrue. It's true that I enquired with humans about the power in the 4th gear a few days ago, in the same line I also wrote that it was the same with my WagonR. The fact of the matter is that at this price range ALL cars are "underpowered", although I would not like to use the word "underpowered". Even the Spark and the Santro are underpowered in some range, no matter what others may want you to believe. If one knows how and when to gearshift, one can drive them without worries and can even enjoy the drive. The same is true with the Palio 1.1. The other day I drove around one in city and semi-highway conditions (in Kolkata traffic!)for more than half an hour and I truly enjoyed it, if my opinion counts anything.

I think a lot of people are put off simply by the number 57bhp on the stile 1.1. If numbers meant everything, then a car could do with 8 numbers of 1.6 volt pencil batteries. I am a physicist and I know numbers CAN mean everything provided ALL numbers are there. To all people who have not driven the 1.1 and know how to drive a car, please TD the car and make an opinion by yourself, rather than listening to me or somebody else. However, I am entitled to give my opinion with no intension of ridiculing other people.

A.S.S is a big issue with FIAT, rather it was a big issue. I am still not convinced about the new situation after the joint venture with the Tatas started. If I was, I would have bought it by now. Even if the A.S.S turns out to be okay, if there are not enough stiles sold, would the service centres carry all the spares etc? These I think ARE the relevant questions.

We tend to overlook a lot of things in India. One can easily go to mouthshut.com and look for Santro Xing and one would be troubled by numerous horror stories on the Hyundai service. The friend (now a member of team bhp as a newbie, username: abirnaha) I referred to who went for the test drives of Aveo 1.6 and Fiesta 1.6 has horror stories to tell you on his santro service.

We do not ask why Honda still has around 75 bhp in a so-called luxury car that everybody goes gaga about in 2007, while I bought my entry level Toyota in the US (in 1986) with 113 PS. And then we ask: Palio Stile 1.1, WHY? (personally I think the Honda City is a good car). We never miss easy targets, do we?

We do not care why people drive around with high beam on at night (which is absolutely illegal and leads to accidents) or why trucks and cars drive at high speed in the wrong direction on 2-way highways (separate up and down streams) even at night.

We do not care. We even go out and write whatever we like irresponsibly on the net, because there is no punishment.

[omar1310]

Well, buying cars by far is a mouth publicity affair (at last it is very much there in India). The mass consumer has just started buying cars as they are becoming affordable not for their lower prices but for the easy loan as well as the increase in income.

We give safety, ride quality and build quality the last priority. For us, first as foremost is mileage.

I am sure, western europe is also a mecca of small cars. But then, there the buyers are more concerned about some of the things we don't even think of while buying a car. For expample

The rating in EuronCap is viewed as very serious point while deciding a car.Euor nCap goes into the finer details of the facts like how safe is the car for you, your kid, the pedestrian etc. etc. How many time we think about this, when we buy an Alto, Santro or any other car which weigh less than 800kgs in comparison to a Palio which is close to 1000kgs (kerb weight). If this indication is something to do with build quality and in turn about the safety while being inside the car....all the future buyers need to think again.

No one ever denied the fact that FIAT made one of the most well built cars. Cars whose ride quality is awsome. Even one of the reports which Top Gear wrote about the Fiat Adventure while comparing the Fiat Adventure and Ford Fusion that "How did they get the ride quality of this car so right..."

Definitely the old Fiat Palio was a victim of being ahead of its time. No one offered 1.2 litre then when Palio came. No one offered Euro3 when FIAT offered even in good old Uno. But then, you need to sell more to set up more service centres and increase your spare and service quality. FIAT definitely took a beating here. incidentlly, I also thought Fiat Palio 1.2 gave a abysmal 9kmpl in city untill, I read about it in detail. trust me, I bought a FIAT Adventure after 6 months of research and dilemma. I am getting more than 9kmpl with 100% a/c on in city.....how in this world the non-Fiat owners/sellers spread the word that the 1.2 palio gave 9kmpl or less......I still wonder! (I remember one of my colleagues who owned a Palio telling me....speak to a Fiat owner to know the fact about the product rather than speaking to those who give you feedback borrowed mindset)

I am sure, Stile still is one of the best looking hatch around and I guess, its another misnomer of 57 BHP which is trying to kill a very good car. In that logic, New Honda city with 77bhp petrol would have never been able to compete with 94BHP Hyundai Accent or 101 BHP Verna or 100+ BHP other cars such as Ford Fiesta.....just to remind you, its not cheaper than any of the cars I just named....!

Hence, I strongly feel, one must test drive and feel the car rather than merely looking at only the mathematics of BHP