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-   -   Cheap Thrills - FIAT Palio 1.6,Ford Ikon 1.6 and Old Honda City 1.5 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/14240-cheap-thrills-fiat-palio-1-6-ford-ikon-1-6-old-honda-city-1-5-a.html)

This is one of the articles published in Autocar India June edition.I
know some or most must have already read about that article,but I felt
its a topic worth discussing.
Though there was no clear winner in the shoot out,the mag does favour
the Palio in the end.Here are a few excerpts from that shoot out :-

Nothing less than the greatest driver's cars sold in India over last
half decade!!!
Old Honda City 1.5 -
The gearbox slots home effortlessly.The mid-range is a snarl,there is
tremendous amount of light,responsive energy behind the sound and the
amount of power through to the front wheels only increases as the
motor spins closer to its redline.The city weighs at 985 kgs and its
the fastest car here in a straightline with a 0-100 kmh timing of
10.68 sconds.The steering is very communicative with good feedback.

Ford Ikon 1.6 :-
The Ikon is much stiffer,rolls less and remains more composed in
corners compared to the Honda.Top end performance not as strong,but
driving pleasure is much higher compared to City,thanks to instant
throttle response.Steering is deliciously direct and there is minimal
body control.The major gripe of the Ikon are the wooden brakes.The 1.6
ROCAM's initial bite and power delivery are unmatched.However the Ikon
feels slightly "edgy" to drive on the limit.0-100 kmh in 11.96 seconds.

FIAT Palio 1.6 :-
The GTX has as much grip,better poise,corners flat and is more
inviting on the limit.It gives the driver great confidence,and driving
pleasure as a result is huge.Its not as sharp a drive as the Ikon,the
steering is well weighted and direct,but initially suffers a bit of
slack in comparison to Ikon.Palio's 1.6 twin cam "torque" motor may be
a high tech jewel,but cant match Ikon's initial response.but the
torque motor comes into its own in its wide mid-range.the power is so
accesible and useable,1.6's midrange punch makes the City seem weedy
and the Ikon under-nourished.0-100 kmh -11.19 seconds.Palio has the
stiffest chassis of the lot and a solidly built suspension.

Conclusion -
the perfect motor would have The Ikon's instant throttle response,the
Palio's devastating midrange and the City's frenzied top-end
performance.
The Palio delivers the biggest smile when driven hard,The sharp-edged
Ikon is almost as good,the city has the best resale,is efficient,is
reliable and the fastest in a straight line.

For more info on how the spares and other things compare,pick up the
mag.The Palio also has the cheapest spares (by far).
So the point of the matter is,here is a budget hatchback costing
around five lakhs that is being compared to a 7 lakh (ikon)car and a 9-
10 lakh(CITY)car.Its the only one of the three in production.Being
compared to rivals double the price,let alone beating them in quite a few areas is not a
small feat at all.I know the VTEC could be better,but still.So,do you
guys think that the Palio 1.6 is the best ever VFM performance car
this side of ten lakhs?Or do the newer rivals like Fiesta1.6,Fusion
1.6,Baleno(though an old car) beat this car comprehensively? (not considering issues
with FIAT or its defamed ***).

Roms read that article was a nice one. It shed light on very important fact that after some time FE might be the motivating factor while deciding which car to buy as fuel would be more costly than car itself.

I do. And since the Old Honda City VTec is no more, I think the Palio GTX/S10 is the best VFM performance car this side of Octavia RS Rider which I guess is a shade over a million bucks OTR?

They finalised on a 2-lakh budget first and that determined what cars they chose. Thats why the City is the Oldest car in the Trio. So they actually created a level playing field regarding the price and then played it from there.

1100D-ya I realised that when I read the article.But I've tried to highlight only those features of the cars which may still be relevant if the cars were brand new.

Amit- The Octavia Rider costs around 12 lakhs on road mumbai and trust me,that old golf platform is a big letdown as far as space management is concerned.It may be powerful and good to drive,but I just dont consider it practical enough as a family car.A 12 lakh car should be good for the driver as well as a person who wants to be chauffer driven.And the Octi according to me fails miserably in the second department.So it may be a great driver's car but is certainly not VFM
The build quality of the Octi and Palio is similar and both have identical spring loaded heavy doors which shut with a reassuring thunk.

Recall the Skoda Ads, there are a lot of things you can do in the Octy Boot which you cant even dream of oin any other car in its segment. Infact you can even dream by foldinjg the rear seats flat.