[Surprise]

What about a used OHC Vtech as mentioned by GTO? There are good workshops in Chennai where you can expect good service for OHC. ( Not sure about availability of ABS in OHC Vtech)

Originally Posted by devarshi84

I would give the third place to Swift. But Getz would be a contender too because I find the looks of getz to be more sportier than swift. Both have ABS, almost equal acceleration, Similar FE figures, Good service backups. Getz looks good while Swift is more advanced. Getz has better interior space and looks while Swift has better resale.


Look for Esteem or Palio 1.6

Swift gives better FE than Getz

[senthildsk]

Hi,
Please share your views about Palio 1.6 sports....
Is it worth buying when compared to Swift ZXi .....

bye,
senthil

[BUSA]

NHC Vtec does not have ABS no chance of the OHC having ABS.

[himanshugoswami]

Originally Posted by senthildsk

Hi,
Please share your views about Palio 1.6 sports....
Is it worth buying when compared to Swift ZXi .....

bye,
senthil

Absolutely- Palio is overall a better car than the swift!

Swift scores on ABS (but some members have said that teh Palio comes with ABS as well- check with the dealers) FE and maruti service.

However, Fiat service has really improved in the last 6 months owing to their tie up with TATA.

On all other parameters, like solidity, power, torque, performance, roadholding etc. the Plaio is way ahead of swift. As regards FE as well, if you dont redline the car on a regular basis, you can easily get 10KPL in city in the Palio and 15-16 in highway.

For swift add 1-1.5 KPL for city figure- Dunno about highway.

Just drive the cars before u make up your mind, After all, it is you who has to live with it.

in this forum, you will find die hard supporters of both Palio and the swift.

[ballkey]

Testdrive your the cars you've shortlisted. Since you dont have much driving experience, buy the car that fits you better.

As a driver, here are a few things to look for:
- Seat height, position and adjustability - Do you like the crouching position in most sedans or the tallboy position of the Swift/Santro etc.
- Gearshift/Clutch travel - Are the gears easily engaged? Is the clutch hard or does it travel too much?
- Steering -How well does the car respond to inputs?
- Allround vision - Do you have a clear rear view vision? how about the sides?
- Overall width & height - Are you comfortable driving a relatively large car like the VTEC in crowded chennai streets?
- Controls & features - Are all the controls easily reachable?

Remember, you're more likely to be faster in a car that you feel comfortable to drive.

Given your specs, I'd suggest a Swift ZXi or Palio 1.6 Sport. (or the Fusion+, if you can spare a lakh more). Testdrive & decide

[Floyd de Souza]

Senthil,

Let me try to make your choice a little bit easier. You seem to have narrowed down your choice between a Palio 1.6 and Swift ZXi. Lets go back to the parameters you have selected to make your choice :

Acceleration - The Palio beats the Swift by a comfortable margin
Stability and safety - Almost an even contest. The Palio has the stronger build by a small margin but the Swift has ABS. Not much difference in stability on stock tyres. In fact I would give it to the Swift because it has tubeless tyres and the tyres are broader. Therefore on the stability & safety count, the Swift would win by a small margin.
Quality and Service - No contest. Swift all the way.
Mileage - No contest...the Swift will give you at least 2kmpl more than the Palio.

The Swift wins in 3 out of the 4 parameters. Couple this with climate control, a lighter steering, better manouverability (smaller turning circle) and a 2 year warranty, you have a clear winner in the Swift.

[grvanand]

Acceleration: Palio 1.6 way ahead. Just look at the engine specs. When it comes to driveability, in gear acceleration, etc, Swift is no match.

Stability and safety: I think the palio is better here too. The build is way better than Swift. Handling is as good and the ride is lot better. Not for nothing is this car heavy. Just try lifting the bonnet for build quality and you will know.

Fuel Efficiency: Swift is definetely better by 2 to 3 Kms but as per requirement, 10 Kms is not a problem for palio in city.

Swift has much better interiors as compared to Palio but palio has a much better build here too.

Service is surely Maruti as compared to Fiat/Tata.

Swift is not a bad car at all but Palio is better though being old.
Drive these 2 cars and decide for yourself.

[carfreak]

hi senthil,being an owner of the palio 1.6 sport since 1 month,i can tell you-it rocks!!it fits well within your budget(plus you can save some money for a good ice set-up and perhaps a set of alloys too)performance is awesome and she handles like a dream!!cannot beat the palio 1.6 on both these counts.plus the build quality-you can drive fast on a twisty road knowing well you will not become pulp if something goes wrong!!
the swift scores on resale-if that is a concern,then you should think twice before buying the palio.another is service-here in kerala,the tata-fiat dealer is doing a great job(rf motors) and i would happily recommend them anyday,but not sure about dealers in other places.spares are not easily available-few plastic bits came off within a few days of purchase.when i took the car for 1st service,i was informed the parts would take time to come.plus surely mileage will be more for the swift.
think and choose well.all the best!!

[WhiteAttraction]

Me too thinks you should look at the Formula RED Palio Sport 1.6....would rate it as the best in performance & none can come close to it's hot/sporty looks..very safe thanks to the legendary tank like build quality of FIAT...gives decent mileage of about 11..service/spares are not as good as others though..but fast getting to normal (thru TATA dealers) especially with the new Grand Punto lauch coming up early next year...GO FOR IT!!!

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by senthildsk

I' am planning to buy a new car (budget 5.5 lacs),...This is my first car... My priorities are listed below.....(1-4, 1 being the highest)
1) - Best-in-class accelaration
2) - Best-in-class stability at cornering & high sppeds + safety equipment
(ABS is a must)
3) - Very good service backup & easy availability of spares
4) - decent mileage (10 kpl inside city driving with full A/C is good enough)
Whether it's a sedan or hatch, it doesn't matter.....

I' ve shortlisted 4 cars....(Only petrol engines)
1) Getz 2) Swift 3) Ikon 4) Indigo

Your FE requirement will be met by all the 4 cars you shortlisted.
Service backup and spares availability should also be OK for all 4, with some degree of difference between each.
ABS requirement being important, Ikon and Indigo are ruled out.
Leaves the Swift and Getz, of which the Swift might be better in priorities 1 & 2. Both are nice cars with the Getz delivering 1-2kms less than Swift in FE. But your 10kmpl requirement will be met. Test drive both and choose.

Since a boot is not a priority, I would not suggest any sedans. Why lug a useless boot around, which you are not going to use anyway ?

It was good to see that buyers are insisting on safety features like ABS. But then 3 pages down the thread, it looks like you are willing to compromise on that. A typical scenario that I see on tbhp. The thread creator initially is all about safety - ABS, airbags, etc - and laments why the manufacturers don't provide them as standard here. Then, finally they choose a vehicle which either does not have these or chose a cheaper variant, which does not have these.

[amit]

The Palio 1.6 is the best car to buy if accelaration, handling and driving dynamics are important. I am not sure if the car is avaliable with ABS now, better check that out with the dealer or on the fiat website. I guess Swift will give you slightly better mileage and MUL service standards are supposedly better then Fiat although you will find lots of complaints against MUL dealers too. I, pesonally, never had any problems getting good quality service and top notch customer service from fiat and it's dealers. The swift may have a smaller turning radius, climate control, tubeless tyres ( you can install those in the Palio too) and lots of such value for money features but at the end of the day the Palio is a better drivers car and a lot depends on how the car makes you feel. Drive the Palio and you will understand that statement! Do check this site for reviews on Swift. Earlier units had lots of build quality issues, maybe Maruti has solved these issues in the new ones.

[roms]

Guys,the swift may be an all rounder-agreed.But the concerned person desires "BEST IN CLASS" acceleration and handling.That tops his priority list.Its a no brainer then,it has to be a Palio 1.6.
Forget best in class,the Palio has better driving dynamics than cars double its price.It may not be the best at resale,but the service is getting better.Just got my car serviced from Shaman motors,Mumbai and frankly it was a very surprising and pleasant experience.And i'm definitely not biased as far as service is concerned because the same service centre has given me horrible service in the past two years.I guess competition changes everything and TATA-FIAT deal seems to be working.Hope it continues northwards in terms of quality.
The swift may be good but its just no competition if you desire driving pleasure.Plus,one should not compare FE since the two engines are poles apart.And remember this my friend,once you drive a FIAT you wont like anything else.Hope you make the right decision.

[devarshi84]

Both the cars will give you good acceleration figs. Palio is ahead of swift here though.

Both the cars have ABS and airbags option. But palio build is stronger and Swift is technically more advanced in safety features

handlingwise I would rate palio ahead of swift, but then I have not driven swift to check its handling yet.

Fuelefficiency is good on both. But swift will give you more than 10 in all cases. palio will give you 8+ which is good for a 1.6 DoHC engine carrying 1080kgs.

interiors are better on Swift. Palio interiors are 2 generations old now. Also Swift gets a cliamte control a/c. Palio a/c is powerful enough. Space is more abundant on palio and you will have a problem with swift rear seats if a tall guy sits.

Service and backup is obviously a maruti strength but tata is no slouch and tries to give their best for fiats.


For a drivers car I would rate palio ahead of swift. But swift is a more sensible car.

Now take a test-drive and then decide what you like.

[Mp421b]

Simply put if you think from your head then buy a Swift otherwise if your heart rules you the Palio 1.6 is a no brainer. You can get massive discounts as the new Palio is around the corner.

[Ajay_J]

Originally Posted by roms

one should not compare FE since the two engines are poles apart.

My Dear Roms... What is so "poles apart" in both the engines ? Help the forum to understand facts Please