[streetlife]

Hi all,
I am planning to buy a new car. My daily travel is 70 kms or sometimes more. So diesel only. My budget will be 4-6 lakhs max on-road(Finance included).

I already have a 2001 Palio ELX 110000 kms run with which i am satisfied overall except for the running costs which is on the higher side. But i have no plans to sell it. So this would be a second car mainly for my office commute which is 70% highway and 30% city travelling.

I've short listed the New Ikon Tdci and the Fiat Palio Multijet.

My Basic Requirements:
I like only well built cars which are sturdy. I'll keep this for 7 years. So Indicas(Indica Indigo, CS) are a no no. I hate rattles.

Ride and Handling should be very good. I love to take fast corners.

Safe and Fuel efficient.

This sunday i'll be Test driving both the cars. please give me ur inputs on these two as i am a bit confused. Suggessions other than these, most welcome.

[sammyboy]

Well Anish, both cars are great and they do match your requirements pretty well.
I havent owned a Palio but have driven a friends Multijet and I loved it.
I do have experience with the Ford and the handling of the Ikon is nothing short of brilliant.
I guess the best thing to do is take the test drive on sunday and then see which one "feels" right.

[phamilyman]

Ikon anyday. Slightly cleaner interiors, its a sedan at the end of the day.

But that said, are you near Samyak? Else buying Fiat for Southwest delhi/Gurgaon waasis is pure trouble with Dhingra service centers.

PS: Took an ultra short TD of the Ford. Nice car, bit slower than my VDi, lovely comfy seats (cant tell you how much I love the ford rear seats!) and clean interiors. Just the front looks a bit ugly IMO.

[gr8guzzler]

Since you already have a Palio and plan to keep it. It makes sense to go for an Ikon.

[superbhikari]

Ikon TDCi makes more sense since -
1) Palio may get phase out soon
2) You already own a Palio
3) Ikon perfectly meets your requirements
4) Additional space in Ikon
5) Good responsive tested Diesel engine with good fuel effieciency
6) *** of Ford and Fiat are almost same

[CtrlAltDel]

i'd recommend Palio MJD if you dont require a boot and are ok with the simple interiors.

The reasons are that it meets all your requirements plus the recently lowered cost of spares and the discounts being offered on the car these days.

ford is known for expensive spares and of course no discounts/freebies since its a new model.

[Bubby]

Originally Posted by streetlife

Ride and Handling should be very good. I love to take fast corners.

Safe and Fuel efficient.

Hi there,

I would say go for the PALIO MJD. Its an absolute rocket in a straight line and fast corners are like a cake walk for a PALIO, you can take them without taking feet of the gas.

As you already own a PALIO i will not view points on the safety or rather how safe you feel inside the cabin.

Regarding the fuel efficiency... I got my MJD delivered a just week ago and i have already completed some 650+ kms on it till time. I am still in running-in period and my MJD returned me an FE 22.6 km/l, it consumed some 19 litres of Diesel for her very first 430kms. ( tank full to tank full method )

[phamilyman]

Also consider that the MJD revs considerably higher - about 1000+ RPM. So that gives a petrol-y feeling

[gemithomas]

Well, cant really commend since i have not driven the ford. But here are the pros and cons from what i know

Owning a Palio Depends on if your service centre is good and you are satisfied with it. In that case the MJD is a no thinker. Just go for it. It will give leave you with some money to spend on accesorries too. The downside is that you wont have a boot on both cars and you wont feel like you are sitting in a different car until the engine sitched on. If you are planning to keep the Palio and if you dont mind the OTR price of the ikon i think you should go for the TDCi

[architect]

Ikon will handle better and will be a delight to drive on winding roads. the TDCi has lesser turbo lag than the MJD and thus city driving is also easier. On the highway, the TDCi might feel a little underpowered.

The Palio MJD has more body roll than the Ikon, despite being a near perfect compromise between ride and handling at this price point. The MJD is a more powerful and eager engine with a stronger turbo kick. On the highways, it will be a better engine.

Ikon should give 14-16 kpl in city (as reported by Fiesta TDCi owners) while Palio MJD will give atleast 15 kpl in worst conditions (personal experience) and 17-19 kpl in decent city conditions.

Both cars will need better tyres-- Palio will need wider ones while Ikon will need tubeless ones.

If you don't live near Samyak Motors (Patparganj) or can't drive there for service, your Fiat ownership experience may not be good in terms of A,S & S. Palio spares should be cheaper than Ikon. Check with Ford owners for their ownership experience in Delhi.

Both cars are equally old and have been revived with new body panels (which need expensive new dies), so I don't buy the argument that Palio will be discontinued soon. It is quite likely that the Ikon may be discontinued equally soon if it doesn't sell.

My $0.02/-

[benbsb29]

Anish, architect has summed up the scene pretty well.
Since you already have a Palio, makes sense to opt for a different car, and that too one with a useful boot.

Please proceed for a test drive of the two, and like Samarth mentioned, decide on which one feels right. That would be the choice.

[crn12]

Anish challenging situation, your best bet would be to go for a TD and decide for yourself !! and Architect has summed it well.

[aaggoswami]

I think between these two car, the deciding factor is whether you need a boot or not.
And then once decided on that, look around the dealers. The one that has better dealership go for that car.
If you dont need a boot and Fiat dealer is better, then go for Palio MJD. As you already have palio, you know the car better.

[streetlife]

Thank you all guys for the replies.
well even i was initially going to settle for the Multi jet. But then i will have 2 same cars. that was when the TDci ikon came which gives me similar build quality and handling so got a lil confused.

I dont have much need for boot space. Also i wont mind having one with a boot or 2 palios.

I stay at janakpuri and will be going to mathura road for both TDs. Vivek auto and south city ford. Also for color options if Palio then white and if Ikon then black. Soucth city ford says that car will be delivered in january and is available in black whereas Vivek Auto says they dont have in White and can only order once the existing lot sell. They are offering Grey or red readily available.

Please give an idea for the after sales. I know both sucks but may be a better one would be prefered.

Anyways will be TDing in this sunday and will revert the feed backs to all you guys till then its you bhpians who will be driving me to a final decision.

[snaronikar]

A** of both does not suck (in your words). It is upto the perception of the people. I own a Ikon and is pretty satisfied with the servicing. They do a OK job. Not sure about tatas...the spares has become much affordable when compared to yester years of Ikon.