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Old 8th December 2008, 23:15   #16
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Thanks for the feedback. In fact I have driven the Santro for quiet sometime and seen it in showroom last week. Its no match even for the spark quality. The riding position for a 6footer is bad. The spark is much better. Santro has better space considering its high roof line and design. I some how get the feeling of riding a Omini in case of Santro, it wobbles a lot...


Quote:
Originally Posted by vinit.merchant View Post
Even I go with Blue star. Why not consider Santro?
Palio 1.1 is extremely underpowered. I would not recomend it.

Spark is better of the two, but lacks on space comparitively. And about GM bankrupcy, I dont think they would need to close down the business. US would not allow it, as there would be lakhs unemployed.

Santro is a little old in design, but is not bad (Palio is still old in design as far as interiors are concerned). Its peppy and good for Long drives as well since it has more space (when compared to Spark).
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Old 9th December 2008, 00:07   #17
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Possibly. I had owned a Santro for 3 years and the ride at the rear seat is very bumpy, but that is it. It never lets you down. And regarding the driving position for a 6 footer, I myself am 5'11 and I find Santro a confortable car to drive.

Palio 1.1 is a no no. Even the retro Palio 1.2 was felt underpowered by many. Only the 1.6 and the 1.3 MJD are worth buying at this point of time.

Go for the spark, or you can also think of the Wagon R.
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Old 9th December 2008, 10:43   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ritz830 View Post
So much discounts, and now the 4% tax cut. The spark and palio are both costing pretty much equal

spark 1.0 ps - 3.10 lakhs
palio 1.1 sl - 3.40 lakhs

In fact, I will be buying one of these for the new year. What do you guys suggest. Please do provide your 2 cents
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinit.merchant View Post
Possibly. I had owned a Santro for 3 years and the ride at the rear seat is very bumpy, but that is it. It never lets you down. And regarding the driving position for a 6 footer, I myself am 5'11 and I find Santro a confortable car to drive.

Palio 1.1 is a no no. Even the retro Palio 1.2 was felt underpowered by many. Only the 1.6 and the 1.3 MJD are worth buying at this point of time.

Go for the spark, or you can also think of the Wagon R.
Ritz,

Buy a car that fits your requirement, be it Spark or a Palio 1.1!

Surprisingly there are no Palio 1.1 or Spark owners response in your thread!

Vineet,

as you and me both drive a 1.6 horse, for us its bound to feel underpowered. I felt the same when I TD the Safire Vista 1.2!

But my friend who owns it is very happy owning it since it fits his requirements to drive in City limits and for low running purpose!

If he purely wants driving pleasure, spacious/comfort and not a FE freak, he can go for a Palio 1.6 or else a Swift petrol, Palio MJD, Swift DDIS or U-VA can also do!

Ritz,

you can search the forums for Palio 1.1 and Spark owners on their feedback of owning it which should help you derive your choice! I've read good reviews of these owners!

Cheers~

Last edited by rudrah : 9th December 2008 at 10:52.
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Old 9th December 2008, 11:01   #19
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I will go for palio because car is good.
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Old 9th December 2008, 15:47   #20
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My choice would be palio -it offers more space ,good build and wonderful handling capabilities
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Old 9th December 2008, 17:30   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rudrah View Post
Surprisingly there are no Palio 1.1 or Spark owners response in your thread!
I am one happy owner of my cute little Sparky !

Already done 9000 kms in 1 year. I am 6.1 tall and quite comfortable driving in b2b trafic of namma Bangalooru as well as on long drives.

Right now, in this segment, there are number of choices. Like I10 irde, I10 kappa, A*, Santro, Wangon R, Estilo, Palio, Indica, Alto... and Spark is totally lost between all these

Also, from your posts, I can make out that you are not a new driver. Hence, why don't you TD each and pick the one which you like most?

As far as my Sparky is concerned, if you want any more info, please don't hesitate to ask.
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Old 9th December 2008, 18:41   #22
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An existing thread about the palio1.1 - Most of the discussion have happened here, I guess this should give you some insights

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ip-report.html
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Old 9th December 2008, 18:54   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rudrah View Post
Ritz,

Buy a car that fits your requirement, be it Spark or a Palio 1.1!

Surprisingly there are no Palio 1.1 or Spark owners response in your thread!

Vineet,

as you and me both drive a 1.6 horse, for us its bound to feel underpowered. I felt the same when I TD the Safire Vista 1.2!

But my friend who owns it is very happy owning it since it fits his requirements to drive in City limits and for low running purpose!

Cheers~
Rudrah is right. buy as per your requirements.

What I was trying to say is in city driving, the spark would be better than the Palio 1.1. I have test driven the 1.1 and I can assure you that the 1.1 engine is not capable enough to pull the 1 ton car. In city you will need a lot of torque and torque for the 1.1 w.r.t. its weight is very less as compared to Spark.

For highways, Palio is better. So you need to figure out which suits you the best. Test drive all possible options within your range
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Old 9th December 2008, 21:57   #24
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thanks for the replies. Last week I went for test drive of the i10 kappa, a-star,and zen-estillo.

i10kappa:
Pros
Very good plastics, seats and space. Its somehow resembles santro in driving, very responsive steering. I did a fast high speed turn in Chennai(kathipara - 6 lane flyover), i10 did roll(not stable). It gave a good ride over ordinary bumps in roads. Overall, i10 is high-tech in features and quality of body. Even the gear box was innovative. Me being tall and having pushed my seats back, had to put little bit more effort to reach the gear handle.
I am sure hyundai focuses more on driver comfort than the Maruti/suzuki.

a-star
The main factor which makes anyone fall for a-star is becuase of the service network and this being a new launched vehicle.
The EPS combined with high low rpm torque was a new experience.
PROS
stable, road gripping.
The driving position was infact good(comparable to the palio).
Better torque than the spark.
Gear shift was crisp.
CONS
Pathetic rear passenger room
The high dash board, & bonnet blocked part of the front view of the road. The spark is outstanding in this factor. I felt like turning a bike when I maneuvered the spark. Its so damn easy to drive.


zen-estillo:
this one is well below the standards set by spark and the a-star. There is very minimal noise blocking, I can hear almost everything from outside. I am sure the built quality is similar to Maruti 800/Alto.... The driver ride position is better than wagon R. If one is not bothered by looks, zen-estillo is much better than wagon-R, but fails real badly compared to that spark/a-star.
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Old 9th December 2008, 23:20   #25
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The palio is a better option between the two i feel, the spark is a lil too cramped for comfort.
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Old 10th December 2008, 09:27   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ritz830 View Post
thanks for the replies. Last week I went for test drive of the i10 kappa, a-star,and zen-estillo.

i10kappa:
Pros
Very good plastics, seats and space. Its somehow resembles santro in driving, very responsive steering. I did a fast high speed turn in Chennai(kathipara - 6 lane flyover), i10 did roll(not stable). It gave a good ride over ordinary bumps in roads. Overall, i10 is high-tech in features and quality of body. Even the gear box was innovative. Me being tall and having pushed my seats back, had to put little bit more effort to reach the gear handle.
I am sure hyundai focuses more on driver comfort than the Maruti/suzuki.

a-star
The main factor which makes anyone fall for a-star is becuase of the service network and this being a new launched vehicle.
The EPS combined with high low rpm torque was a new experience.
PROS
stable, road gripping.
The driving position was infact good(comparable to the palio).
Better torque than the spark.
Gear shift was crisp.
CONS
Pathetic rear passenger room
The high dash board, & bonnet blocked part of the front view of the road. The spark is outstanding in this factor. I felt like turning a bike when I maneuvered the spark. Its so damn easy to drive.


zen-estillo:
this one is well below the standards set by spark and the a-star. There is very minimal noise blocking, I can hear almost everything from outside. I am sure the built quality is similar to Maruti 800/Alto.... The driver ride position is better than wagon R. If one is not bothered by looks, zen-estillo is much better than wagon-R, but fails real badly compared to that spark/a-star.
Nice research. Good information.

Last edited by rjvora_2000 : 10th December 2008 at 09:28. Reason: remove extra information.
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Old 10th December 2008, 16:17   #27
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Hi Ritz,
Just today I went for a test drive of Spark at Talera Motors, near Dhole Patil road, Pune. My friend wanted to go for it and wanted to test it.
The new car in the showroom was amazing. But the demo car was hopeless to say the least. The car was Spark LT, 2007 model.
Here is what I feel after the test drive

Engine: Wonderfull, no noise at all. When I sat in the driving seat, I dint realise the engine was on.
Gearbox is decent.
Enough space inside the car, both front and rear.
Boot was OK.

The first thing i noticed was rattling. The moment I closed the door, i realised that the plastics have already started rattling.
Next, too much noise coming from the rear. First I thought it is for rattlinh, then asked the person who accompanied us. he said the boot might not have been closed properly. We stopped, I re-opened the boot and he closed it with a loud dash.
Then the noise did come down a little bit, but what I could nopw hear was a shot suspension (the kind of noise that the suspension makes during its last days !). So took it through a few pot holes to check it (there's no shortages of these in Pune). The suspension was indeed a little weak.

My verdict, I would not go for it. I adviced my friend also to not to consider it and instead to test drive the WagonR.
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Old 10th December 2008, 20:56   #28
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Which variant palio will you get for 3.4? and Which variant Spark for 3.1?
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Old 10th December 2008, 22:11   #29
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Quote:
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Which variant palio will you get for 3.4? and Which variant Spark for 3.1?
Both Base variants

Spark 1.0 (Base) Costs 3.12L in Pune and comes with AC only. No P/S, Body Colored bumpers etc.
Its LS Variant, Cost 3.52L comes with P/S & AC & Body colored bumpers.

Palio SL, around 3.5L, comes with P/S, AC, Body Colored bumpers. PS, AC & Body colred bumpers are standard across all variants in Palio.
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Old 10th December 2008, 22:51   #30
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The overall quality of Hyundai is always better than others in this segment. Santro is a better choice with a peppier engine, lower cabin noise, OK city fuel efficiency (13kmpl).

Palio wins hands-down when it comes to exterior build quality, ride comfort, interior space, safety. Gear-box is refined. City FE is around 11-12kmpl. After sales service is better than earlier. Sadly Tata guys don't know anything about Fiat cars. It's also underpowered.

Considering that you are looking at the base versions, you do not want to spend unnecessarily, Santro is a good choice .. else I would recommend Stile Sport (1.6)
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