Finally, the choice is Palio MJD

[ittiam]

It all started around 2months back. I used to own a zen which I sold off one year back and was happy biking in Bangalore traffic. But car was a must for various reasons,
- I love traveling (my friend owns a swift vdi, so we managed)
- I hate being held up because of rain (more so because I carry along laptop etc.)
- My family badly needed a car once in a while to make a visit to some temples etc.

I was open to anything below 8L. But as I drove, contemplated and compared, the choices seemed really few. Along came the stories of people refraining to buy because of lack of good cars in India.

Finally, it was a diesel that I wanted. I've driven swift extensively and loved the torque/peppy/turbo engine. It was what I called the 'take-off thrust' (experienced before take-off). Petrols were smooth, but new diesels are equally good. Priorities were clear,
- Fun to drive (engine, handling, drive)
- Robust build (I travel countryside quite often)
- Rear leg space (I hate it when people in front are enjoying and people in the rear are struggling to find a comfortable position for their legs)
- Equally fun inside city and on highways

Couple of cars I test drove and these were my opinions,

Swift diesel
+ Very good engine (first love). But, clutch vibrated when idle.
+ Above average looks (may be I'm just bored of too many on the road)
+ Mileaaaaaaaaage
- Cramped and claustrophobic rear
- Rattling (somewhere or the other)
- Waiting period
- Felt poorly built (pure feeling)

Verna CRDI
+ Wow engine, period
- Hyundai A.S.S.
- Wasn't convinced that it was value for money (9L)
- External looks weren't very convincing (I liked it, but none of my friends did)
- Interiors are so so (I liked rear armrest though). Did it feel like a 9L car? Not really.

Indica
- Looks made me never consider this. I particularly disliked the taxi image associated with this. Impression was like a cheap car to commute. More so the diesel version.

Safari
+ Feels good to own
+ New engine is nice
+ Spaaaaaaaaacious
+ Wonderful to drive countryside
- Its big. Inside the city you might end up preferring auto over this (esp. so in bangalore)
- Heard about constant niggles
- Looks are dated (It could be wise to wait for '09 version when you are willing to spend so much)

Palio MJD
+ Good engine. Felt slightly underpowered (compared to swift), but, was smooth and had linear torque.
+ Looked fresh and sporty like swift
+ Good ride and build. Esp over potholes. Good steering feedback
+ Good pricing
+ Mileaaaaaaage
- Poor and dated interiors. See the uncovered metal on the doors, Dash board design, Hand break finishing. I can go on and on. Ergonomic though.
- No ABS. But breaks are good.
- Visibility was poor compared to swift. I liked the high seating of swift. I'm hoping that I'll get used to this as I drive more and more.
- Not confident about the ***

And there were some more things I looked at and thought over which I cannot recollect (adding up to overall impression). But in the end I realized that my heart had made the decision after going through all this research, learning and contemplating. Not to forget, I also read a lot about old palio handling etc. It was very impressive to hear about it.

I also thought about waiting for GP. It sounded like a great car. But, Jan '09 looks too long for me, adding some evaluation and waiting period.

Finally, I booked a furnace red SDX. Manipal motors Bangalore. Expected to arrive in 4 weeks (as they promised). Dealer will give basic accessories like mudflaps/mats/perfume/sunfilm.

Thanks to everyone here. I'm a regular reader of this forum and it had a definitive role in this decision making. In fact I had decided against this car after my initial TD (Prerana motors). After reading here, I went to another dealer (Manipal) and TDed again. This TD car was new and felt so different that it changed my mind. Prerana had taken the car to Mysore road and had ripped it to find the max speed etc.(sales manager mentioned this proudly).

I will update more once I get the car.

[theMAG]

Congrats, and welcome to the club of MJD owners on Team-BHP. Looking forward to the STO/LTO reports.

[Prasidhi]

Congratulations Ittiam on the choice. Nice to know that more people are interested in the MJD.

Please do follow-up on the status of the vehicle delivery. Read somewhere else in the forum that delivery is getting delayed. Good that you are getting Sunfilms free from the dealer, also hope fiat will not follow Maruti in the price hike.

All the best, looking forward for your ownership reports.

[vkochar]

Originally Posted by ittiam

- Hyundai A.S.S.

The above point confuses me. Hyundai After Sales Service is among the best in India !! So why have you listed Minus ?

Anyways, A very good choice mate, It's a very good engine. A lot of people are moving towards Palio because of the long waiitng for the Swift.

[vigneshram]

Its good to hear that you have settled on a palio mjd,but go for the top of the line SDX and i am glad that you preffer palio over the Swift DDIs.Am waiting for the pics yaar.Update the thread regulary.Change the wheels to alloys as soon as you get delivery of the vehicle and sell the OE wheels to the tyre shop guy for a good price.This is my advice.


Vignesh

1.2Siena ELX

[ittiam]

> The above point confuses me. Hyundai After Sales Service is among the best in India !! So why have you listed Minus ?

Oh. That was a typo. Should have been a +.

[neoonwheels]

Welcome to the FIAT world... upload pics once you get hold of the beauty..

[AadiAtPlay]

Originally Posted by vkochar

A lot of people are moving towards Palio because of the long waiitng for the Swift.

Well it is **one** of the reasons, the reasons i chose the MJD were

1. Interiors though dated are **not** black, cheap black will becomes grey ( dont know about swift but have seen other marutis do that) and also black dash makes the interiors look smaller. Not a very happening choice if you have small kids or are claustrophobic.

2. Space: Internal space is comparable to the Getz (Getz does it better imho) and Palio has the big car feeling to it. Parked it next to a city the other day almost as big minus the boot. I think it is the big bonnet that makes it feel big on the outside.

3. Milage is very good and Getz diesel is costlier (for extra power that i don't know if i would use) and has a 4 month waiting.

4. Loved the look of the 2008 model, best looking car in its class (again imho)

5. Engine is said to be more eco friendly the DDIS (well that remains to be seen)

6. Colour: The Furnace Red is a very very different color looks copper in white light and red in sunlight. Really love the shimmering effect it creates.

After Sales is improving but will not put it as a positive, it is still risky proposition from where i stand but just could not resist the MJD engine.

I miss Airbags ABS Alloys in the car. Would definately have paid more for Airbags.

[deepakhon]

Originally Posted by vkochar

The above point confuses me. Hyundai After Sales Service is among the best in India !! So why have you listed Minus ?

This surprises me too. I am under the impression that Hyundai is one of the best when it comes to A.S.S. Do you or someone you know have any bad experiences at Hyundai?

[eclectix 1st]

Originally Posted by ittiam

Palio MJD
+ Good engine. Felt slightly underpowered (compared to swift), but, was smooth and had linear torque.

Dude Swift also runs on a Fiat Engine, specially made for MSIL. I think theres only a small difference.

Gurus correct me if I'm wrong.

[bharanidharang]

good choice of car ... with fuel companies planning to bring in premium fuel... every mile is going to count ... and palio mjd is going to give you that... some things in life worth smiling about

[Dippy]

Congratulations on your new Palio. Eagerly waiting for your reviews.

[ittiam]

Originally Posted by eclectix 1st

Dude Swift also runs on a Fiat Engine, specially made for MSIL. I think theres only a small difference.

Gurus correct me if I'm wrong.

Well, I had some doubts about this. Did not find the answer. Dealer did claim that MJD has 5th generation engine and DDIS had an older version. I did not care much. (Someone also said that swift has JTD, sounded like BS to me.)

But, they are certainly tuned differently. Looks like MJD is tuned for linear torque (and probably economy). I'm not sure how difficult it'd be. Gurus can throw some light.

[architect]

I am an MJD owner for the past 45 days, and no regrets.

However, I am curious to know why you settled for this car when you had a bigger budget (since you did check out the Safari and the Verna)?

IMO, if your budget is above Rs 6 lakhs, you have many more options. E.g. Logan diesel, Getz D, Safari (I didn't know it was so cheap, esp in Bengalooru, known for having high prices OTR) and Fiesta & Fusion diesel. All these cars are better than the Palio Stile in many respects. While I can understand rejection of the Safari for niggling problems and mileage as well as size, why did you reject the Verna and the Fiesta / Fusion (they give good mileages I beleive)?

A.S.S. of the Fiat is something I have had limited first-hand experience about, but it can't be better than Ford, can it?

If size is a problem with the Safari, let me add that the turning radius of the Palio is almost the same (or maybe more) than the Safari!

Anyway, congratulations on the choice and I hope you don't cancel it. (Selfish Interest: more MJDS = better supply of parts and cheaper costs).

[Autocop]

First of congrats for going for the beauty!

I read on this forum that FIAT will sport its new RED logo with PALIO MJDs.
About 3-4 weeks back I TDed a palio MJD from Shaman and it had red logo. Suprisingly last week I saw brand new furnace RED palio SDX in my apartment parking lot with BLUE logo. But if you care for the new logo, please check it out before taking delivery.