[Locomotive]

people..
I own a palio 1.9 D and want to buy another hatch. Till I drove my brother Swift VDI, A formula red palio stile 1.6 was an obvious choice. But now I am totally confused.

I drive about 50km a day against traffic . so driving fun is f utmost importance to me. once a month I go for weekends out of the city and at least once a year I would like to go for long driving vacations. (last one was a 5 day 4500km cross country drive from Mumbai to Bhubaneshwar to attend my cousins wedding. guess who was the man of the moment at the wedding . my 1.9 did her bit immaculately.. brilliant car!! now i plan to go for a 3 week exploration to Madhya Pradesh in december)

so i want a car that is tough, reliable and fun to drive. which is why the palio 1.6 was such an obvious choice.

cost wise both are similar
Palio 1.6 - 1,00,000 DP, 8500 EMI, 7500 Fuel (assuming 1500km pm and FE of 10)
Swift 1.3 - 1,20,000 DP, 11000 EMI, 3800 fuel (assuming 1500km pm and FE of 14)

of course on long vacations Swift would be far more economical!! (which is a good attraction to me)

palio is a great car, superbly built and the best looking hatch in India. My family also loves palios (dad has a 1.2). but i prefer the fit ans finish of the older palios and absoutely hate the new multicoloured steering wheel. Service is not bad but not in the same league as maruti's. I do not expect any spare part issues (but I had to wait for more than a month to get a new alternator for my 1.9).

I have been driving the swift for about a week now and cannot wipe that smile off my face. (I am sure that 1.6 will also have the same effect though). and its fuel efficiency is brilliant. but it lacks palios rock solid stability at high speeds. I have read in one of the magazines that upgrading to wider tyres (185/70 say) really helps. also I do not know how good it is in long drives. i am yet to take her out. also the one in that orangish/reddish colour looks quite good. but it does not have the snob vale of a Palio 1.6.

right now I am more inclined towards the Swift (unthinkable a week back) but cannot get the palio off my mind. plese tell me your opinions. really want to hear from you guys. this confusion is killing me!!

[vikram_d]

Snob value of a Palio. This is a new one. Does a palio really have a snob value?

[finneyp]

Buddy, check this thread to get some comparo facts on Palio 1.6 & Swift D:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...wift-ddis.html

[speedzak]

I would suggest you to go for a Swift D and keep that smile last long!
Every time you go out for a drive, when you whizz past that 99th petrol bunk, when the turbo kicks in, when you get sucked into seats, when you go for a service, when you get the maintenance bills, when you have to get assistance on a roadside (may god forbid), when you see lot of Swift brothers around you with similar smiling faces, Yes! There are a lot of reasons to keep your smile last long in a Swift. The build quality may not be as heavy and rock type as the Palio but it holds well together for long too.
There maybe a few non smileable items in the checklist too. Like doors does not close with a reassuring thud, it does not come with airbags, stock tyres are not wide enough, limited rear space etc...

I am not very much a fan of Fiat cars. Especialy the Palio! There are a lot of them in grooves and bunches here. They will soon be here to explain how good is a Palio when compared to Swift VDI. After reading all of it, you can decide what to buy. Anyway! if I was in your place, you know exactly what car I would prefer, right??? Yes, A SWIFT VDI with ABS!

[GTO]

You've already had a Palio; IMHO the Swift will be a better match. The diesel is a rockstar!

[DCEite]

No-brainer IMO. If your budget permits, Swift VDi it is. And you have the option of putting in Pete's tuning box, and make it even more ftd.

[maxbhp]

Swift handles very swiftly .
+ The new palios dont rock like how GTX/S10 used to. I dont have any idea of the technical side of it but am sure the new ones are definitely slower .
+ The plastics may last more than century but its not great to look at , when compared to the swift , the palio's interior is definitely dated.
+ Swift + Pete's + 195 section tyres = Fear of the dark !
+ Better service
+ Better resale

But.....................If what you are looking for is pure fun . Buy a used 1.6 palioGTX + Wide tyres + Rock star ICE + Light tints and with the saved up cash , get a life time worth of petrol and a nice gift for your wife

[rubin2006]

I think swift would be a better choice . The shelf life of palio is already over and a new model will come by adding stile to the name would not make it a overall new model and Resale of this palio then would be nothing short of disaster

[roms]

Originally Posted by Locomotive

I do not expect any spare part issues (but I had to wait for more than a month to get a new alternator for my 1.9)

Nothing has changed Locomotive. Its still the same story. There are atleast 2-3 Palios waiting for more than a month at Shaman Auto for a mere alternator replacement! Whats frustrating is that this is the situation in Mumbai, where Fiat's service is supposed to be good.

I think you should switch loyalties and buy the Swift VDI. You get Fiat's best under the hood anyways, without having to bother about the negatives that come with a Fiat. How much better can life get? The Swift may or may not be better than a Palio 1.6 as a car. But its certainly the better package at that price.

However, if I were in your place and I was'nt in a hurry, I'd wait for the Grande Punto 1.3 JTD, which would help keep my heart and mind in sync. With the Palio, you've been there, done that.

[typeOnegative]

Exactly what roms said. Go with the Swift VDi. The only thing I don't like about Swifts is the rear leg room. That being said, if there is a 1.3 JTD on the Punto, then I would wait.

[Locomotive]

Originally Posted by vikram_d

Snob value of a Palio. This is a new one. Does a palio really have a snob value?

Lets face it. the palio 1.6 is stunning and when it will blast past other cars you are bound to get a real ego boost!! also the paint quality on the palios is fantastic.

Swift is definately the more practical choice. can anyone comment on the car's highway abilities??

Well even if fiat had launched the Palio stile 1.3 Diesel there would not have been any debate. The guys running Fiat India are real dumb****s. emagine what a good package this fantastic engine in a palio would have been. a sure shot winner.

dont you think the 1.3 engine would be a bit inadequate for the bigger Punto??

Shaman was a real nightmare. Till this alternator problem I had no compalints against the fiat service. I dont know if in general fiat service is that bad or it is just Shaman.

The problem for me is that Shaman tecnicians seem to have a much better knowledge of my diesel engine than their Tata counterparts. But their custome service is appauling.

In fact even the dealership is terrible. I was given a TD in a 1.6 that was to be delivered that day itself. while I was throwing that car around every rough patch I could find, the owner came to the showroom. the salesman then took the car in through the back door!! really pathetic.

Please avoid Shaman at all costs.

Originally Posted by finneyp

Buddy, check this thread to get some comparo facts on Palio 1.6 & Swift D:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...wift-ddis.html

Hey thanks Finny. quite a long discussion on this topic!! loads of Palio lovers in this forum

[horsepower]

Dude its a maruti body with a Fiat engine. In short body is different but the soul still belongs to fiat.

Go for Swift Diesel and you will love it and put in wider tires and you will love her even more.

[Locomotive]

can anyone comment on how effective are wider tyres in inproving the Swifts high speed stability?? I would surely go in for the ABS braking as well if i bought the Swift. I think the normal brakes are a bit inadequate.

[Firebird]

Considering that you have had Fiats in your family, why dont you try something else. Something state of the art (latest). Swift has great engine now.

IMO the long drives would be more fun as you can go more km due to low running cost

[Locomotive]

Originally Posted by Firebird

Considering that you have had Fiats in your family, why dont you try something else. Something state of the art (latest). Swift has great engine now.

IMO the long drives would be more fun as you can go more km due to low running cost

I do agree with the cost factor. for example my drive to BBSR would have costed 17,300 (assuming FE of 13) in a 1.6 and 9,800 (assuming a FE of 16) in a VDI.

My brother is crying foul at this comparison as he feels swift can do much better on FE but yYes the cost difference are huge for longer drives.