Calling on Fiat Palio owners

luvjascha · 21st December 2006, 11:14

I have the Palio 1.2 NV Petrol, and Palio 1.6 Sport, in mind.
Besides being able to provide a comfortable ride, I am looking for a low maintenance vehicle which also makes for a fairly good highway car;
something that's sturdy, reliable, decent on gas and whose After Sales Service is not abysmal.

The Palio 1.2 NV Petrol comes in two variants - ELPS and ELXPS, with about a 20K price difference, between them. What are the additional features in the ELXPS variant, that justifies the 20K?
I understand that there's about a 75K difference between the ELPS and the Palio 1.6 Sport.

Would greatly appreciate detailed feedback from existing Palio owners.

himanshugoswami · 21st December 2006, 11:33

the ELX comes with power windows, central locking, rear wash wipe, rear defogger, door side mouldings, full wheel covers, beige interiors with wood finish dash....

definitely worth the extra 20K

In fact, teh ELX's interiors are plusher than that of the 1.6 Sport as well! but then, the 1.6 has that engine.....drooolz!

Firebird · 21st December 2006, 11:44

In any Palio, 1.2 or 1.6, Comfort is very good.....They are trouble free...reliable....tough...great ride on highways at high speeds

Backed by Tata service network....service no more issue.....

I own a 1.6 sports....its a real power pack machine.....I had same dilemma in my mind when I decided on palio....but its worth spending 75K additional to get 1.6 sports. (There is good discount available)

If FE of 8 to 9 in city (highways it good 13 to 14 may be more sometimes...) does not bother you much then go for 1.6 sports. You will find 1.2 a bit sluggish when it moves initially.....

finneyp · 21st December 2006, 13:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

the ELX comes with power windows, central locking, rear wash wipe, rear defogger, door side mouldings, full wheel covers, beige interiors with wood finish dash....
definitely worth the extra 20K

Himanshu, you missed out the Tacho and White Instrument cluster on ELX!
I badly miss the Tacho on my ELPS!

ELX also has body-colored door handles and Rear-view Side mirrors.

ELX is definitly worth the extra 20K!

And if you have the moolah, go for the 1.6 Sports! It is one helluva Car! You would really love it!

hellspawn · 21st December 2006, 14:32

there is a difference of 55k between the 1.2elx and the 1.6sport.all the features that are available in the 1.2elx are present in the 1.6sport.in addition to that you get beautiful alloys,nice colours and the 1.6 engine(woohoo).
being a proud owner of a siena 1.6,i would suggest you arrange for the extra moolah and go for the palio 1.6sport.

speedzak · 21st December 2006, 15:31

I don't own a Palio. So I can't post right?

nkapoor777 · 21st December 2006, 16:03

dude, the new face-lifted palio is right around the corner. its gonna have a smaller engine (1100 cc) but reportedly a better FE plus a lower price, as Fiat is trying to meet the below 1200 cc engine criteria to get excise duty reduction.. why dont you hold on till then?

kvish · 21st December 2006, 16:41

Driving a Palio 1.6 is a totally different experience compared to 1.2.... Go for 1.6 ....

Raajiv · 21st December 2006, 17:35

Heart goes only for Palio 1.6.A beast to drive around on both City and highways.Go for 1.6 Unless you are worried on the FE part which is quite low in the city.It is a very good highway car considering the build quality.

goldie_malhotra · 21st December 2006, 17:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvjascha

Besides being able to provide a comfortable ride, I am looking for a low maintenance vehicle which also makes for a fairly good highway car;
something that's sturdy, reliable, decent on gas and whose After Sales Service is not abysmal.

Palio does not score very well on the last two fronts. But perhaps you already expect that.

Better go for a 1.6 while you are at it. I believe the NV edition takes some punch out of the 1.2, and makes it a bit unexciting to drive. But the 1.6 - oh boy!

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedzak

I don't own a Palio. So I can't post right?

Not unless you have some *verrry* nice things to say about the Palio

hydrashok · 21st December 2006, 17:56

Are 1.6s still available? I was under the impression they had cleared the entire stock by December 1st week.

If you can lay your hands on a 1.6, go for it by all means. IMHO even a 1.2 would be better than the 1.1 thing that will be introduced next month. Its a good thing they made substantial changes in the front and back to the 1.1. I wouldn't want people mistaking my 1.2 for one of those.

abhi182 · 21st December 2006, 18:16

Recently took a 1.2 Palio TD for a friend who plans to pick up something in the >4 L bracket...
First the good: Nice handling + a cossetting ride
Now the bad:
The interior felt tacky and The vehicle felt sluggish as expected, but surprisingly, there was a lot of road noise leaking into the cabin...much more than I'd have expected from it....Is the Palio really a high NVH car or could it be due to the fact that we were TDing a demo car?

carfreak · 21st December 2006, 18:53

i suggest you wait for the new palio that will be out soon.
going by your requirements,i think the 1.2 will suit you just fine.i have a 1.6,but its only for those who really really enjoy driving-for those who have only a heart and no head!!

(hope you understand!!)
the new palio has a 1.1l engine but the initial throttle response is going to be better than the 1.2 according to autocar.and it will have all the positives of the fiat palio that customers have come to expect(tough build,ride comfort,highway stability etc)plus the resale will also be higher than the old model

hellspawn · 21st December 2006, 19:50

@luvjascha:first of all what is your idea of a decent gas mileage.does it fall in 15-17,12-13.8-9.because if its in the first bracket,then fiat isnt made for you.
if you are not too worried about f.e.,palio 1.6 is your bet.
a.s.s has improved after the tata fiat dealership....comparing it to hyundai and maruti is unfair.compare it to ford and skoda,and its not big an issue.
if you like driving on the highways,then palio 1.6 is very good.1.2 nv is decent enough but overtaking would be a problem.also a lot of gear changes would be involved as the 1.2 cant obviously match the torque that the 1.6 delivers.
rest assured in this price bracket you cannot find any car which is as solidly built or has such good ride quality.
in the end you have to decide.take a test drive of the 1.2 and the 1.6 and see which one suits you better.
one ride in the 1.6 and im sure you'll be hooked

luvjascha · 22nd December 2006, 12:22

With the introduction of the new Palio 1.1 sometime next year, would Fiat then, terminate production of the Palio 1.6 Sport and the 1.2 NV Petrol variants?
I like both of the variants; however, simply because of the excess power that the Sport variant carries, it makes me wanna lean more towards it.
I must say, that I'm not too pleased with the new Palio 1.1 due to the fact that it is underpowered. Takes away the thrill of all the speed demons out there (including me

)

@hellspawn: An average of 12-13 kpl on the highway, would be decent enough, for me.

21st December 2006, 11:14	#1
luvjascha BANNED Join Date: May 2006 Location: BOM Posts: 429 Thanked: 2 Times	Calling on Fiat Palio owners I have the Palio 1.2 NV Petrol, and Palio 1.6 Sport, in mind. Besides being able to provide a comfortable ride, I am looking for a low maintenance vehicle which also makes for a fairly good highway car; something that's sturdy, reliable, decent on gas and whose After Sales Service is not abysmal. The Palio 1.2 NV Petrol comes in two variants - ELPS and ELXPS, with about a 20K price difference, between them. What are the additional features in the ELXPS variant, that justifies the 20K? I understand that there's about a 75K difference between the ELPS and the Palio 1.6 Sport. Would greatly appreciate detailed feedback from existing Palio owners.
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 11:33	#2
himanshugoswami Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: !!!! Posts: 2,303 Thanked: 2,619 Times	the ELX comes with power windows, central locking, rear wash wipe, rear defogger, door side mouldings, full wheel covers, beige interiors with wood finish dash.... definitely worth the extra 20K In fact, teh ELX's interiors are plusher than that of the 1.6 Sport as well! but then, the 1.6 has that engine.....drooolz!
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 11:44	#3
Firebird BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mumbai / EC1M 3NH Posts: 470 Thanked: 65 Times View My Garage	In any Palio, 1.2 or 1.6, Comfort is very good.....They are trouble free...reliable....tough...great ride on highways at high speeds Backed by Tata service network....service no more issue..... I own a 1.6 sports....its a real power pack machine.....I had same dilemma in my mind when I decided on palio....but its worth spending 75K additional to get 1.6 sports. (There is good discount available) If FE of 8 to 9 in city (highways it good 13 to 14 may be more sometimes...) does not bother you much then go for 1.6 sports. You will find 1.2 a bit sluggish when it moves initially.....
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 14:32	#5
hellspawn Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: noida Posts: 1,686 Thanked: 7 Times View My Garage Infractions: 0/1 (10)	there is a difference of 55k between the 1.2elx and the 1.6sport.all the features that are available in the 1.2elx are present in the 1.6sport.in addition to that you get beautiful alloys,nice colours and the 1.6 engine(woohoo). being a proud owner of a siena 1.6,i would suggest you arrange for the extra moolah and go for the palio 1.6sport.
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 15:31	#6
speedzak BANNED Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: India Posts: 4,347 Thanked: 27 Times	I don't own a Palio. So I can't post right?
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 16:03	#7
nkapoor777 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 608 Thanked: 143 Times	dude, the new face-lifted palio is right around the corner. its gonna have a smaller engine (1100 cc) but reportedly a better FE plus a lower price, as Fiat is trying to meet the below 1200 cc engine criteria to get excise duty reduction.. why dont you hold on till then?
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 16:41	#8
kvish BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 627 Thanked: 195 Times	Driving a Palio 1.6 is a totally different experience compared to 1.2.... Go for 1.6 ....
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 17:35	#9
Raajiv BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Monterey Bay,CA Posts: 263 Thanked: 5 Times	Heart goes only for Palio 1.6.A beast to drive around on both City and highways.Go for 1.6 Unless you are worried on the FE part which is quite low in the city.It is a very good highway car considering the build quality.
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 17:56	#11
hydrashok Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: In my Office Posts: 2,528 Thanked: 17 Times View My Garage	Are 1.6s still available? I was under the impression they had cleared the entire stock by December 1st week. If you can lay your hands on a 1.6, go for it by all means. IMHO even a 1.2 would be better than the 1.1 thing that will be introduced next month. Its a good thing they made substantial changes in the front and back to the 1.1. I wouldn't want people mistaking my 1.2 for one of those.
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 18:16	#12
abhi182 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 370 Thanked: 531 Times View My Garage	Recently took a 1.2 Palio TD for a friend who plans to pick up something in the >4 L bracket... First the good: Nice handling + a cossetting ride Now the bad: The interior felt tacky and The vehicle felt sluggish as expected, but surprisingly, there was a lot of road noise leaking into the cabin...much more than I'd have expected from it....Is the Palio really a high NVH car or could it be due to the fact that we were TDing a demo car?
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 18:53	#13
carfreak BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Udupi Posts: 599 Thanked: 342 Times	i suggest you wait for the new palio that will be out soon. going by your requirements,i think the 1.2 will suit you just fine.i have a 1.6,but its only for those who really really enjoy driving-for those who have only a heart and no head!! (hope you understand!!) the new palio has a 1.1l engine but the initial throttle response is going to be better than the 1.2 according to autocar.and it will have all the positives of the fiat palio that customers have come to expect(tough build,ride comfort,highway stability etc)plus the resale will also be higher than the old model
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 19:50	#14
hellspawn Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: noida Posts: 1,686 Thanked: 7 Times View My Garage Infractions: 0/1 (10)	@luvjascha:first of all what is your idea of a decent gas mileage.does it fall in 15-17,12-13.8-9.because if its in the first bracket,then fiat isnt made for you. if you are not too worried about f.e.,palio 1.6 is your bet. a.s.s has improved after the tata fiat dealership....comparing it to hyundai and maruti is unfair.compare it to ford and skoda,and its not big an issue. if you like driving on the highways,then palio 1.6 is very good.1.2 nv is decent enough but overtaking would be a problem.also a lot of gear changes would be involved as the 1.2 cant obviously match the torque that the 1.6 delivers. rest assured in this price bracket you cannot find any car which is as solidly built or has such good ride quality. in the end you have to decide.take a test drive of the 1.2 and the 1.6 and see which one suits you better. one ride in the 1.6 and im sure you'll be hooked
	() Thanks

22nd December 2006, 12:22	#15
luvjascha BANNED Join Date: May 2006 Location: BOM Posts: 429 Thanked: 2 Times	With the introduction of the new Palio 1.1 sometime next year, would Fiat then, terminate production of the Palio 1.6 Sport and the 1.2 NV Petrol variants? I like both of the variants; however, simply because of the excess power that the Sport variant carries, it makes me wanna lean more towards it. I must say, that I'm not too pleased with the new Palio 1.1 due to the fact that it is underpowered. Takes away the thrill of all the speed demons out there (including me ) @hellspawn: An average of 12-13 kpl on the highway, would be decent enough, for me.
	() Thanks