[VenkatMunukutla]

Hi BHPians,

After reading enough reviews and analysis I decided my car is going to be Palio 1.6 sport. I wanted to go for big one but considering that I'am getting a 1596 CC and 100bhp beast in a small one I accepted even my wifes idea of a small car and agreed to buy that.

My first disappointment was when I was not able to get a canary yellow one in the model. I heard that the production has stopped and they are only left with only cherry red. I was disappointed but tried to settle for that.

The day I wnt in for the test ride the lady in red came in. When I entered into the car my eyes have caught the red clamps at the door joint which were very crude and looks like as if it is just gas welded and brought to me. I have never seen such a crude finish.

I was driving with three people in the car and all was on the maximum where in i hit a small steep upside. I was in 4th gear and I was at a speed of 35-40 and when it started climbing up the car was not able to push us up and I tried to give it complete acceleration without changing the gear and it started crying. I was disappointed by its response. The sales guy told me that I need to change the gear and gave other justifications like four people in the car, Full AC and low rpm. I was not satisfied. I was supposed to pick the car yesterday itself but was little confused.

Then comes one of my colleague searching for me. He also got a fiat palio 1.6 sport six months back. He changed his tyres to a tubeless ones earlier. The other day when he was coming to office the rear shaft was broken and he took a 180 degrees turn on the road and the two wheels were on the road. The car has to be towed away. He was very lucky that he was not on a highway. He wrote to Fiat fellows and they responded that it cannot happen and since he changed the tyres they are not allowing him to claim the warranty. He came to me and advised not to buy that car as it might be a manufacturing defect. I read through all the reveiws but haven't heard of any such problem. I have read a nice little post on its high service costs and nothing else.

Now I stand before you guys to advice me what to do. Today in another half an hour I'am going to take another test ride.

The fears which I have are listed again here:

1. Since I'am picking up the last few peices, can they be defective?

2. Whats this rear shaft problem? Does any other recent Palio 1.6 sports owners got this? Is it a common problem?

3. Are the interiors of Palio 1.6 sport generally rough. Particularly the door clamps.

4. I'am not bothered much about mileage but what are the general precautions which i need to take before buying this car?

5. I haven't even felt the shock absorbers to be that good. Whats the take on this?

6. I was getting a small sound from the boinet when I was driving and it just reminding me that the engine is on. Is that sound normal? Or does it increase in future.

Kindly help me out guys as I dont have any other replacement in the small car segment as my wife would take a xing or swift if I'am going to tell her my doubts.

Your prompt response will be very much appreciated as I'am going to pick up the car on monday.

I love that car but with all these doubts I'am confused whether I should go with my heart or not.

[himanshugoswami]

The way things stand now, I would not advise you to go for this partiular Palio 1.6 cause it seems to be a defective piece, or is an abused road test car.

the strength of teh Palio 1.6 is its engine adn the torque of that engine. You should check with some other dealer in your city. Else, wait for the facelifted version to come out which will be by the end of teh year. you wont get teh fantastic discounts though.

Y dont you also check out the 1.2 ELX. It has much better interiors and is not at all bad to drive (not comparing to the 1.6 though). I drive one as well and so far, i have been pretty happy with it.

[nitrous]

The other day when he was coming to office the rear shaft was broken and he took a 180 degrees turn on the road and the two wheels were on the road.

IMO, Lovely car.But, it aint worth buying one today. Stay away.
@Palio owners:No offence intended.

[windsurfer]

You seem to have got a bad piece. Which dealer? Avoid malik motors please. Please PM me if you need more details.

[VenkatMunukutla]

Hey,

This is not from malik cars. I have got it from concorde. I'am through with the second test drive. Every thing else seems to be ok and the throttle problem is the same.

The sales guy has promised me that this is not the peice I'am going to get. so I might get a better one or worse one

One more clarification if this team can help me with:

The throttle response is no way near the Ikon or even accent GLE. The palio is a 1596 cc engine and accent GLE is 1495 only but still accent fares better.

Any suggestions on why am I feeling so.

Should I go for Accent GLE or Palio ?

Where are all the Palio lovers????

[neoonwheels]

This is for the first time I am hearing that Palio 1.6 has breathing problems.....
ABout how you can make sure you are not getting the same car... "Go to the dealer, open the bonet of the car of which you took test drive, note down the chassis and engine number". When you take delivery of your car, again see the same things...

ANother thing, join PalioUsersGroup@yahoogroups. It is a group of 1000+ members having FIAT cars and you can get answer to almost every query. Group members can even come with you to the dealer so that the dealer wont take you for a ride...

Cheers
NeoOnWheels
Palio 1.2 Sport / 13 KMPL / AND IT ROCKS !!!!

[carfreak]

hi venkat,i bought a formula red palio 1.6 in june this year from the tata-fiat dealer in cochin.until now i havent had any major problems like the one your friend faced.and no it could not be because of the tyre swap.it could be a manufacturing defect from what i think.
some of the problems i faced-
1 the nuts of the rear spoiler were rusted!!did not notice it as i usually do not sit in the back-my friend showed it to me.when i took it to rf motors,they told they do not have the spares and will replace it the next time i take it there.they re-painted it for me.yet to get it changed!!
2 rattling sound from the front passenger side seat.due to a some fault in the lumbar support adjusting mechanism.yet to get it repaired.
3 power window switches of the rear got jammed
4 misc rattling noises and some loose plastics here and there

the fit and finish of recent palios are poor.poorer than before.at least this is my personal inference.the interiors are not of top quality material as when compared to the swift,getz etc.but no problems with the door clamps.as far as suspension is concerned,the 1.6 suspension is tuned more for handling and not ride comfort-the 1.2 offers a more smoother ride.so you could feel the road surface you are on.

but to be very frank,i am not complaining.the driving pleasure i get from it is beyond what words can explain.these minor complaints fade in front of the superb performance and handling

please note down the engine and chassis no. before buying as the dealer may sell the same car to you otherwise!!

[Deeps]

uhhh...could you elaborate on what is a "rear shaft"?

[merve_extreme]

Originally Posted by VenkatMunukutla

Hey,

This is not from malik cars. I have got it from concorde. I'am through with the second test drive. Every thing else seems to be ok and the throttle problem is the same.

The sales guy has promised me that this is not the peice I'am going to get. so I might get a better one or worse one

One more clarification if this team can help me with:

The throttle response is no way near the Ikon or even accent GLE. The palio is a 1596 cc engine and accent GLE is 1495 only but still accent fares better.

Any suggestions on why am I feeling so.

Should I go for Accent GLE or Palio ?

Where are all the Palio lovers????

if u are expecting huge performance lower down the rev range,the it wont excite you much.the ikon bets the palio 1.6 here.i have a 1.6 GTX and i know.this engine is a DOHC and it loves to be revved.just take the car above 2.5-3K rpm and then you will start seeing the performance you want.

the ride is a little stiffer than the palio 1.2 because of the stiffer suspension and 14" tyres but the 1.6 is much more stable and surefooted

There and no known drive shaft issues with the 1.6 palio,either it was a one off or you friend has abused his car.

[omar1310]

Hi! I own an Adventure and I am extremely happy with the CAR. The car is best for Indian roads and returns me 9-9.5kmpl in Mumbai city with a/c on. Palio is one of the best performance hatch in the city. I suggest, if you are not happy with the interiors, you can get it changed through any of the interior designers. Palio is a different animal in comparison to Accent. Accent is more fancy with good interior but with poor suspension, build quality.

Thanks

[roms]

Now,regarding the lack of low end response,there was never a problem with the Palios.
But what I remember is that when I had taken a test drive of the euro 3 petra sometime in March this year,I did find a bit sluggish in lower gears in comparison to the hatch.But the reason for this could be different gear ratios for the sedan.But the sales person at Shaman told me that modifications had to be made to the engine to make them euro3 compliant.
The 1.2 engines were given the euro3 modifications and termed as 1.2 NV,same was the story for the new 1.6 engines.And the dealer also mentioned that the new 1.6 engines could be a bit low on power.The Palio 1.6,after being relaunched was given the name Palio 1.6 Sport NV if i'm not mistaken.
The 1.2 engine's catalytic converter had been positioned near the engine exhaust manifold to control emissions during cold start.In addition it also had a modified ECU.Somebody on paliousersindia group had confirmed that the ecu has not been modified for the 1.6
It would be great if new user can enlighten us if regarding low end response of the new engines

[hellspawn]

@venkatmunukutla:i would suggest you to stay away from the palio right now atleast from the dealer that you got your test drive from.something might be wrong.i own a siena 1.6 and it doesnt have a crude hinge .yes if you are on an incline with 4 people,ac on and in the 4th gear it will feel sluggish since palio 1.6 is known for its strong midrange.if its low down grunt or throttle response that ypu want,you are better off with a swift or xing.even the accent is sluggish below 2k.
just keep in mind that if u plan to buy a palio or any fiat car,remove any doubt from ur head and blindly buy it.if u think with ur head,its a bad proposition for u since any fault later on will lead to you cribbing about fiat.
if the engine delights you go for it.
if you are looking for complete peace of mind,fiat is not for you.
p.s:also if something goes wrong,your wife is goin to be like " i told u so"

[VenkatMunukutla]

Thank you guys for all your responses.

I test drove it again, but the response is not that great from it.

And unfortunately or fortunately i took a test drive of icon flair and fusion.

Fusion is awesome and icon is also equally good in terms of its response.

People are frightening me with the service but in hyderabad it should be ok.

Since my heart is still beating for a ford, i'am taking my last test drive today with palio again. If it doesn't work out - I'am planning to pick up the flair or fusion.

Haven't read many reveiws on fusion - Any inputs? These idiots keep two vehicles in the same price range and its difficult to convinces your spouse between fusion and feista. They both are placed in the same price range.

Man - marraige was easier to decide but car was really tough

[roms]

Venkat,
just a suggestion.get hold of someone who owns a Palio 1.6 GTX,or try one in the second hand market.This should give you an idea if there is a performance drop in the new cars or not.
Someone I know recently test drove a Palio 1.6 Sport.This chap owns a 2002 Palio 1.6 GTX. Even he was of the opinion that the new Palios feel a bit sluggish in comparison to the old ones.

[markiv]

Venkat, i have taken delivery of 1.6 last week, and its an april06 build.
low end torque is not impressive i agree, but mid range is mindblowing to say the least!!