[paddy77]

Switch- I too own a DDiS and believe me its working fine with me. Stock tyres are mediocre. Your upsize is really fine. Well my Swift has clocked 48000 kms. and till date no problems at all, gear shifting is smoother than ever, and you'll enjoy the click as you shift. I'm getting an FE of 18-19 in city and 20+ on highways. Even my daily running is same as yours-50kms. I suggest wait for the ABS if possible. As Amey said CAI would make a lotta difference.

Go ahead-dont think much. All the best, Paddy.

[architect]

Everyone's said almost everything important. Just to put some of your fears to rest:

a. I don't think there any major issues with Swift stability. Are you sure this lack of confidence at high speeds is not because of the EPS? With the superb steering feel of the Fiat, all EPS cars seem scary at three digit speeds, but it's mostly psychological.

b. The Swift is more handling biased, the Palio is more ride biased. That's it. take your pick.

c. Don't expect the original Palio build quality levels on the Palio Stile. Trust me, I have been living with the ocassional rattles from the Palio Stile MJD, and so are many other Stile owners.

d. The waiting period for Swift VDI-ABS could be so long that you might have the Grande Punto here by then.

That said, the Swift VDI is a lovely car. If you are okay with the back seat, EPS, the slightly hard suspension, the waiting period-- go for it. Simple.

[paddy77]

Swith- Built quality wise the Swift is nowhere near the Palio, Swift rattles like a Rattle Snake on uneven roads!! You have to do a lot of damping to get the Palio thud. That's right when members say that both the car's have different ECU settings. The Siwft is much quicker.

Trust me you'll cherish your decision of buying a DDiS, well the checklist is like FE, power, comfort, ride quality, A.S.S, these 5 factors you dont have to worry 'cause the car excells in those fields. Well Maruti is not known for its built quality and of course you shouldn't expect that. Suspenion is hard 'cause its a rally based suspension like the Octavia and the Lancer.

Overall a great car. Good choice of upgrade after your existing Palio. Just go for it man Switch--dont be in a hitch. Oh it rhymed

[greenhorn]

a colleague wanted to buy a car with ABS. he first wanted to buy a dzire ZDi with ABS, but was scared off by the 9 month waiting period. ( he was getting married in 3 months) so he booked an Zxi. so after 3 months, now he gets a call saying that the chances of him getting an zxi are alsp pretty slim. so he's went ahead and booked an indigo CS dicor.

he's tried all the maruti dealers in tvm, and by hook and crook. the ABS versions simply dont seem to exist. If they do, help me get one for my friend

[Switch]

I can get him a ZXi in Noida under 15 days flat. But he has to forgo the choice for the color.

Having said that i have finally decided to for the VDi but the waiting is just killing me. I still have not made my mind u for the alloys but i have decided for the tyres. They are gonna be Yoko A Drive 195/60/R15. Confused about the color of the alloys(Hyper Silver or Glossy Balck with a yellow or red lipping).

Coming to the car performance, yes i plan to do the CAI/Green filter setup but will do that as my budget permits and eventually the pete's box(maybe after 10K-15K Kms). I know the pete's box is around 25K but dont know how much the other upgrades costs and where to get it done in Noida.

Also don't you guys feel that Swift's gear shift is a bit stiff compared to Palio. I also own a Accent Viva(Driven by wifey) and till date i havent seen a better gearshift then the Accent. Can anything be done to make the gear shift as sporty/smooth as the Accent's. I would love to do this mod if it is practical and is economical.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Second/first is sometimes a bit like bending an arthritic knee... but, no, I don't find the gear change to be stiff.

[anustup_vista]

I strongly recommend Indica Vista if for nothing than having the most 'hatke' hatchback on the Indian road. I drive a Vista Tdi and its giving fabulous service.

[Zahir]

Originally Posted by Switch

I need a little advise from you guys. Is it a wise upgrade from a 1.2 Palio Elx as i feel my trusty Palio even at the speeds of 130+ has always left me with confidence that i can push more while i cant say the same about the Swift(The build quality is no match for a Palio).

I also felt that the initial pickup of the car is not too peepy and only after the turbo kicks in the car feels peppy. Before that it made me feel that i am being dragged by a bullok cart(seriously).

Also i was planning to upsize the tyres to 195/60/ R 15 soon after the delivery. Does the car feel more in control after the tyre upsize. Does an optional ABS makes the car in more control then the one without it.

Lastly if i let go of the VDi what other options are available in the market within the same price range and having good FE.

Hey Switch
I own both a Swift Vdi and a Palio 1.2. I've always loved the Palio and compared to the swift, yes, its built like a ROCK! I didn't have any woes with the Palio for the first few year, with the Swift, each day is a mystery... but to answer your question from the point of view of owning both cars

Power : I hate to say this, but don't compare. The Swift is a Common Rail Diesel engine so the turbo just makes the car too much fun to drive. I always wished my Palio had the jolt of the swift but then again, most petrols don't have the sudden take off because of the lack of a turbo, you really need to push the Palio to feel a slight jolt even. The swift wins here hands down, much more fun to drive. Besides, the DDIs is an award winning engine, its much more superior

Stability/Control : Palio is a very stable car but as rightly pointed out, its a slower car in terms of sudden rapid acceleration. However, if you simply upgrade the stock swift tyres to 185/70 14", you'll be fine. My cars planted to the ground at while taking turns at even 70-80kmph. Footwear makes the difference. Dont go in for 15" because the ride will get only harsher.

Suspension : Palio hand down, the Swift suspension is a joke compared to the palio, however, the consolation prize is that the guy sitting in your back seats feels much worse than you do .

Build Quality : A fiat is a fiat. A maruti is just crappy when it comes to build quality, though its not terrible, its nothing great either. Don't expect a great finish here. Plus, my experience in a few months tells me that Fiat builds surdier cars for sure.

Economy : Swift, that was obvious.

In short(or long) buy the Swift for a reasonably fast engine thats peppy and efficient on fuel. If the Palio had the pep of a turbo and the economy of a maruti, I'd buy it again. But it doesn't. So buy the swift for the engine, its one of the best hatch back in India and forget about everything else.

Side note : though the Swift DDis is borrowed from Fiat, the Fiat D still doesn't perform as well. However, if you're just too much in love with the Palio, just get the Palio D instead... TD both neck to neck.

[pedrolourenco]

Most poeple who think the Swift is better than the Palio are people who have never owned a Palio. Everyone talks about the Maruti service. Ever wondered why Maruti has a service station everywhere? Because you may need it anywhere and everywhere. I've owned 2 Fiats. I've always done regular servicing and never needed a service center in Leh, Kanyakumari and other God Forsaken places where Maruti has service stations. My suggestion to the thread starter is to go for the Palio MJD.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Ever wondered why Maruti has a service station everywhere? Because you may need it anywhere and everywhere

Really, i think that is a very unfair comment, although I've already mentioned some of my views on the build quality of the Swift.

In two years, mine has only been to the service station, outside scheduled services, because of a rat that died behind the dashboard --- and I can't blame Maruti for that! In fact, I can praise them for doing what must have been a stinking, revolting job clearing it all out.

Zahir's direct comparison of the two cars --- great; very interesting and balanced.

[Switch]

Thanks for all the input guys. I had an opportunity to drive the VDi for an extended period of time. The drive was from Noida to Haridwar/Rishikesh about 220 Kms each side(Round trip). Though i was on the wheel for about 140Kms each side. This is what i have noticed...

Handling: The car was on stock tyres and the cars feels scary with those. I was very comfortable overtaking any other car/truck/bus on the road but what scared me were the brakes. What i am trying to say is that overtaking a vehicle is not a problem with swift(Thanks to the turbo) but as soon as you overtake the vehicle you need to apply brakes so that you shift to your lane(90% of the highway was two lane with no divider).

Ride comfort: Again it was a let down after owning a plaio for 7+ years. After a while you can feel that seats are not very comfortable. And the suspension of the car is also not that great though its solid.

Build quality: There wasnt a single door in the car along with the dash which wasnt making noise. And this was in a car which has always been driven on good city roads and was just 14000 Kms old. Not acceptable from a premium hatch.

But i still loved the car. And thats why i am going for the PDI of my car tomorrow morning. Hopfully i will have the registeration done by 30th. I am still confused on what tyres to put. Weather to upsize to 15" or stay at 14" only. For sure the width of the tyre would be 195. I still have about 48 hours to make up my mind on that.

[Roy.S]

Ever wondered why Maruti has a service station everywhere? Because you may need it anywhere and everywhere.

10 years and 3 marutis later, I can tell you that this statement is a load of bovine droppings. None of our cars ever required any care beyond scheduled services. And I drive them pretty hard.
Of course the palio is a great car, but it is not the messiah that some would make it out to be and is not going to liberate you from this eternal cycle of life and death. Neither, for that matter, is the swift.

[greenhorn]

And I suppose it would have been fun if all fiats had to be flown back to Turin for their extremely occasional and improbable maintenance

either way, this thread's purpose is over, and the TS is well convinced and doubt if any of these arguments will change his mind at this point in time.

[Roy.S]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

either way, this thread's purpose is over....

I agree. Time to close this before it turns into a brawl. Someone call the bouncers..I mean Mods.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Roy.S

... is not going to liberate you from this eternal cycle of life and death.

We sincerely hope that none of our cars do that!