[neverclever]

I know, I know...I have committed the cardinal sin of comparing 2 cars from different segments. And to make things worse, I'm asking for a comparison between a petrol and a diesel. But what I'm looking for is your individual driving / usage opinions about each of the cars rather than a one-on-one feature by feature comparison.

After a couple of months of research and deliberation about which car I should go in for, its boiled down to these two. I'm over 6 feet tall and so that rules out most of the Maruti models for me. Except maybe for the Esteem (way too old wine in an only so-so new bottle) and the WagonR (which I think is an accident, looks-wise). I'm not a fan of the Xing and my fiancee hates the Indica. The Indigo's okay in the initial couple of years, but I'm not too sure about things staying that way.

Both these cars fall within my budget as I see it now, which is sub-5 lakhs, ex-showroom Chennai. If you're asking yourself why I haven't considered the Petra Petrol 1.6, well I did. Till the Sundaram Chennai guy told me that the average mileage is about 8 to 10 . I also have the Getz somwhere in the periphery, but am yet to hear from anyone a compelling reason to buy that car.

Looks wise, I think both the cars are higher up the scale. But I will admit this - the Palio is an outright beaut and I've had a crush on the car for quite a while now. I keep telling my fiancee that if I do end up not buying that car, she'd be like the mistress I always wanted but could never have! If I'm considering the Ikon, it's only because it's a close second-best. And probably a little more fail-safe than the Palio. So it's a little bit of the heart versus the head battle here.

She's gonna be my first car and so I'm not looking to be selling the car for some time. So resale is not really at the top of my priority list right now. That's in case you were going to tell me about the rock bottom resale value of the Palio. What I will be looking at are ride comfort, the occasional rush from a clip down an empty road (I love a good drive as much as (or maybe a little more than) the next guy), safety, reasonable FE and reasonable maintenance effort and cost. What else is there to look for, do I hear you ask?

Questions to a few Palio D owners have unearthed the fact that the average mileage is about 12-13 kms in city traffic and about 18 on the highway. Overdrive's review of the Petra D (which evidently has the same engine) says that the car gave them 23 on the NH. Don't really have mileage figures on the Flair yet. Your feedback needed in that area too.

I'm going to be driving about 15 kms average in the city on a daily basis which may change to about 60 kms (25 of those being down the relatively wide and empty stretch of the old ECR Road in Chennai) in a day if my office relocates, which is rather likely. Which of the cars is easier to handle in city traffic? The occasional weekend drive down to Pondicherry or Bangalore will happen about once a month. In terms of past driving experience, I drive a Maruti 800 and the old family heirloom - a Fiat 118 NE - from time to time. I love the solid, nothing-can-shake-me confidence that the old Fiat lady gives me, even when I'm pushing her harder than I should be.

I haven't been able to give either of the shortlisted cars a whirl yet. Have been grappling with a rather tight schedule at work and hope to test drive both of them within the next couple of weeks. Am pretty sure to make my own inferences from that, so don't let my not having driven them affect what you have to say about either of the cars.

Well, that's about it for now. Will keep adding as much as I can as I keep hearing from you guys. Believe me when I say this, but Team-Bhp has been like my Rock of Gibraltar during this period. The amount of stuff that I have learned here has helped a great deal for my car research. Like I'm willing to tell anyone who's willing to listen, you guys know your cars. Looking forward to hear from as many of you as I can.

[Stratos]

Well i would have suggested u the Palio 1.9 but seeing your condition of reasonable maintainence effort and cost..i suggest you get a little inclined to the Ikon. My view about the Ikon is that it has come a long way in the looks department. I used to hate the old Ikon with its frosted headlamps, orange colored indicator covers..but when they launched the NXT, Flair...etc.. that all changed...it got Clear lens lamps, colourless side indicators, nice body colours. If u can live with it...thats good..cauz it will mostly satisfy all the conditions u have put forward.

By the way..about driving easily in traffic...i have heard this from many Palio owners that it has a pretty big turning radius??? is it true??

[Revvmaster]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Believe me when I say this, but Team-Bhp has been like my Rock of Gibraltar during this period. The amount of stuff that I have learned here has helped a great deal for my car research. Like I'm willing to tell anyone who's willing to listen, you guys know your cars. Looking forward to hear from as many of you as I can.

Wow, sorry to be selfish, but i think that's one of the best compliments we've received to date. Its been our endeavour to provide the maximum information to anyone and everyone, making our regular members highly knowledgeable in the field of automobiles. A big thanks.

The Palio 1.9 D is the case of a good child but bad parents. The kid might be capable, but the parents will not give it a good life. Its an excellent car, no doubt. My only worry is Fiat's attitude and its dealers egos. Unless the dealer at your place is very good and has a good reputation, i'd suggest you think before you buy one.

The Flair in city use should give you 10-11kmpl while on the highway 15-17 should be possible. Its much better than the 1.3 Push-rod of old days when 9 and 15 respectively were the best you could get.

Revv

[satish_appasani]

It's Palio D for me.

Looks: Though both the cars are european, the Palio is more to my liking. Go for the colors like Black, Red, Yellow. They make the car stand in the crowd. I doubt whether Flair unlike it's twin brother with bigger heart comes in colors like Silver and Black. Icon looks better in those colors.

Performance: I never drove Flair. So, can't comment on it. Though I have driven the earlier 1.3 icon (it added to my disling for Icon), Flair has all different engine. Palio D has a very big heart. It has good low end torque making the city ride less cumbersome. All day you can drive in 4th and sometimes 3rd. When on the highway, it changes it's avata very quickly. The max I could make in my month and a half old car is 120 KMPH. Though pickup is not as instantaneous as the Palio 1.6, the way it pulls is awesome. It is the best in this side of CRDI. There is no slight drop in power even when the AC is switched on.

Mileage: Again no comments on Flair. I am getting consistent 12 KMPL before first service with AC switched on 90%.

Handling & Ride quality: Ride quality is typical european. Handling, I feel is rigid and there is very less body roll. Anyway, I not that good at deciding Handling of the car. I have the optional 175s with alloys on my car. The stock comes with 165 on steel wheels. Turning radius is one thing to worry about.

Interiors: The fake wooden finish in Palio D looks the best of all the other Palio models. Interiors are very functional. Storage space is ok though i would appreciate bigger glove box and a center armrest with storage space. The plastic used for the dashboard is of good quality but the swiches are of poor quality. But the feeling when operating the switches is good. The upholstery is not to my liking. The texture looks good but is very rough. The doors are not fully padded. The AC chills in the normal temperatures, but is not to the mark during high temperatures. All round visibility is poor if you are used to cars like Zen and 800 which have more glass area. But effective use of rear view mirrors nullifies this problem. Bigger wing morrors will be better.

This are few thoughts I could put after 1.5 months of owning the Palio D.

[sid_lath]

I own a flair for more than 7 months and can give you some feedback on it -

+ves : Engine is peppy and is fun to drive. Good handling. Decent ride. Bigger than palio(matters to me at least).
-ves : Slightly sluggish with A/C ON and seated to capacity. Havent driven a palio diesel. So dont know how that fares.
FE(regular petrol+IFTEX) : 10-12 in city and 16-17 in highway.

I think it would definitely be better to drive in city traffic than palio diesel.
Palio would score above it in safety and build though.

[RJK]

I want to say Palio but I'd think you are better off with the Ikon considering the apalling attitude of FIAT.

[amit]

I really see no compelling reason to buy the ikon flair. Sure, now it has a more zippy engine but with A/c it gets sluggish, thats what i have heard. I havn't driven the flair so i can't comment on it.
I have test driven the Palio D (I own a palio 1.6) and i agree totally with satish. I was really really impressed with the driveablity of the car. WIth 3 adults on board and A/c on in 4th gear the car easily zoomed up a flyover in Mumbai. U can easily do 3 and 4th gear in city constantly. Can't really comment on Mileage but i am sure u can easily get about 12 in city. Looks wise of course there is no contest. Palio rules.
In ride quality and handling, Palio is way way superior to many mid-size cars too. The solid build and feeling of safety is just unbeatable. You may actually get addicted to that solid European build and like me find buying a Jap or Korean car next to impossible!
After sales service is an area of concern. Though i have never had any problems on that front till now. Maybe i m lucky...I don't know..but i will say that the service i have recieved so far compares with the best among any car companies. Of course, my car has helped too by not throwing up any faults till now. The good news also is that Fiat has realisesd that it needs to improve sales and service and are doing a lot on that end.
Go for the Palio.

[nishweth]

I have a Ford Ikon Flair 1.3ROCAM and it has done 8500 km.I bought this car after test driving all C-Segment cars.The engine is ultra responsive and the AC is excellent.I get an average of 13-14kmpl in city and 19-20kmpl on highway without AC and 16-17kmpl on highways.THE CAR LOOKS IS GREAT.I REGULARLY USE SYSTEM-G AND CHANGE GEARS AT 1000-2000RPM.I LOVE THIS CAR VERY MUCH.I THINK THIS CAR CAN OUT BEAT IN ENGINE PERFORMANCE WITH NEW CITY,CORSA,INDIGO.ANY OPINIONS ARE WELCOMED.

NISHWETH.
nishweth@sify.com

Moderator Note: Please refrain from using capital letters throughout henceforth. Please refer to the rules section of this website.

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (satish_appasani @ Oct. 13 2004,18:48)]It is the best in this side of CRDI. There is no slight drop in power even when the AC is switched on.

not again satish.

[lamborghini]

it all depends on what you want
the palio - diesel - loads of torque
good FE
looks very good
very comfortable
relitively good fun to drive
safe

ikon - faster
bigger seat
better a.s.s
avg of 9 - 10 in city

i think u should wait until your office relocation is final
the palio diesel is adviseable if u do 50 km or more daily or else then go for the ikon
i personally like the palio1.6 more than my ikon 1.6 and i always get the feeling that it is better built than a tank whenever i sit in it
take a day off from work and go check out both cars properly

cheers

[shaleen]

I dont think there should be a comparison between two because Ford ikon has the industry's best handling features, rear seat comfort.Power wise too it is miles ahead.Dont look at its figures.just test ride one to feel the rev happy and powerful engine that is fuel efficient too

[Sagarpradhan85]

hi,
in my opinion, Palio would be a better bet.

first of all, you need to get your preferences right.if you want a boot, forget the Debate and go for the Ikon.but if a boot does not matter you much, go for the Palio blindly.

i have been driving a Palio 1.2 for more than 4 years now(51 months) to be precise.....and take my word for it man......its awesome....never feels as if the car has aged....it still runs around like a tank and can beat any other car in terms of ride and handling. you wont lose your enthu of changing lanes quickly even if the car is doing a Solid 120kph.

as for interior space, its great too....5 adults can comfortably fit into it.

although i get a FE of 8 kpl, i am game for it...its just impossible leaving a Palio and going for any other car...its just a compromise...

though it has been said repeatedly that Fiat has a terrible network of service etc.etc, i have fortunately never been a victim of the same.

[Zappo]

What is this?!!! You brought alive a thread which is almost 2 years old and then started suggesting the car to him? For all that you know he has brought and then sold his car dude!