[NST440]

Thats a nice buy and here in Punjab Rio's aint in plenty but still one comes across a white one at certain instances. I always liked Rio's dimensions and the fact that its not a regularly seen car makes it all the more appealing and interesting. I believe she will serve you well and shall prove to be sturdy.

[Top-Gear]

You got yourself a great deal, bro! I admire how you made an absolutely sensible decision-classic head over heart! Your review is also very straightfoward. Thanks for making me see the Rio in a new light!

[pyrodrive]

A small update :
I mentioned the Rio was a car fit to take to the mountains, so why not test it on the eastern himalayas.
Here is a short trip log : (tawang)

Time- 4 days (mid april)
Passengers- My wife, my sister, and her 7 yr old kid. I was the sole driver/planner/navigator.


Day 1 : Guwahati – Bomdila.

It was a bright sunny morning and we started at a leisurely 6.30 am and drove towards NH37 , tanked up at khanapara and hit the smooth empty highway. The road is in great condition till tezpur. Crossed nameri by 10.30 and was at the border checkpost at bhalukpong by 11am. The formalities were quickly done and we continued the drive towards bomdila passing townships of sessa, tipi and tenga. After leaving bhalukpong the road becomes narrow and gains altitude rapidly till the nechiphu pass, after which it decends before a final climb again to bomdila at 10,000 ft. Roads were uniformly narrow and it started to rain heavily near nechiphu ,and the fog added to the poor visibility. An event worth mentioning is the free lunch we got in between, at a bridge somewhere after leaving tenga, all passing cars were stopped by the army. I thought it was to check permits, but it turned out they were requesting everyone to partake of their baisakhi Prasad. We were surprised by the plates full of puri, sabji, dal and rice they were offering. Well, sometimes there is such a thing as a free lunch! We reached bomdila at 4 and it was quite chilly and with dusk rapidly settling down and a quality football game on TV, did not feel the need to explore the town.

Day 2:

Woke up at 4.45 and was on the way by 5.30 after tanking up at the only pump in town. Roads were good and wide for a few kms then turned very gravelly and dusty with dust giving way to mud where it rained. Had breakfast at the picturesque town of dirang and moved on, soon the roads narrowed and detoriated further and after overtaking ,with difficulty, the bevy of army trucks and convoys, the real climb to sela pass started. Gaining altitude quickly, we were greeted by thin snowflakes as we neared the top. Sela was snowy all around and there were some fresh snowfall. We had been on snow before but not during a snowfall, so frolicked around and spent quite some time there also had a bowl of hot magi up there. Descending, the roads were wider but broken, but visibility was good and we had no trouble. At the jaswantgarh war memorial, we were humbled by the great sacrifices our brave soldiers had made during the china war. The roads after this were narrow but in ok condition and we passed the town of jung at a sleepy afternoon hour, reached tawang around 4. The town itself wore a deserted look, and we scoured the main road for a good place for a late lunch. After quite some time we managed to find one. On asking why the shutters were down in most shops ,they said because its Monday. It seems they have a prolonged weekend holiday up here, Monday is the unofficial holiday !
Checked into a cosy little hotel and turned in early, everything was closed anyway, and after dusk even the streets were deserted.

Day3-
Woke up at a leisurely 6 am and walked to the balcony, there was a chill in the air and the nearby hills were all snow covered (there were no snow the previous day). The folks at the hotel said that the upper reaches has seen some good snowfall during the night and advised us to take a local taxi for our trip to the lakes. Assuring him, our little car will do just fine, headed up the steep slopes into the mountains. The only vehicles on the road were the ubiquitous army vehicles and an occasional local sumo taxi filled with tourists. After an hour we were at the PT tso lake, some army firing was taking place on the far side of the lake and they asked us not to take pictures there. So we moved on and the roads were narrow and snow-slush filled all the way, reached the Y junction and we had tea and momo at an altitude of almost 15,000 ft. Then taking the left fork, headed to sungetsar lake. It was at a slightly lower altitude and wasn’t frozen. Spent an hour there braving the cold winds and enjoying the natural beauty, then returned to tawang, reaching at 2.30 pm, did a trip to the nearby tawang monastery, reportedly the second largest one in asia. Spent the evening roaming the streets of tawang.
Day 4-
We started from tawang at 5.30 am. There was a dilemma, none of the ATMs in tawang were working and the single petrol pump had no diesel. Somwhow managed a few litres of diesel on the black and moved out. The town of jung has a reliable petrol pump and it wasn’t too far away from tawang.
Our plan was to see at what time we could reach bomdila, if it was after 1pm, we wouldn’t risk driving in the hills and jungles after dark, with women and children on board and would stay over in bomdila, but if we manage to reach bomdila by 1, we will continue till tezpur or even Guwahati on the same day.
The problem started from the jaswant garh area, there were no snow here at all the day we came, but now there were some heavy snow, if this much snow right here, sela must be difficult. Well, it did prove difficult, mainly because of the slush and heaped up snow by the tyres of the army trucks. We did slide and lose traction a few times, but nothing serious.
With time to make up( lost quite some time with the diesel issue), we hardly stopped anywhere on the road to bomdila, except for nature breaks and one quick breakfast stop at an army canteen just after crossing sela pass. As we climbed into bomdila the clock struck 1 and we were in town at 1.05 pm. Well, job done. No stopping now. I was little worried about the stretch from bhalukpong to tezpur, it was forested and desolate for most of the way and isn’t considered very safe after dusk. So again brisk driving and minimal stops, lunch at the army run tenga haat and off we went, and reached the bhalukpong border post at around 5.30, with still some daylight left we crossed over the forested area, cruising at 90-100kph and made it to tezpur by 7. After a quick stop for tea, started the drive to Guwahati, those 3 ½ hours were the worst part of the journey, arrow straight highways make you sleepy and the only problem was to stay alert. Finally pulled into our driveway at 10.30pm, a satisfying 17 hrs drive.


Coming the the subject, the rio did really well in those muddly and narrow roads, the best thing apart from the ground clearance and big tyres was the compact dimentions. If you see some of the roads there is hardly any width to allow cars from the other side to pass. With the rio, id just put one set of wheels on the banks and even army trucks did pass. About climbing steep inclines, the car didn’t break any sweat, however you have to keep the revs in the turbo range. First gear saw a lot of action. In one steep slope near sela, it was all slushy and i lost traction and had a wheel spin,and had to reverse to the hillside and shoot up on momentum.The underbody wasn’t hit on any occasion and the car did not have any mechanical or electrical problems.

[pyrodrive]

Here are the pictures.
I didnt get much chance to take out the nikon, i was driving most of the time and quick snaps by the cellphone camera through the windshield is all I could manage

[pyrodrive]

continuing ..
Love those winding roads.

[saket77]

Nice report there Pyrodrive. As you stated, the car had 4700 kms on the odo when you purchased it, so how many miles you have not put on that? And how do you rate the reliability of the RiO. Coming from Premier stable, we are always reluctant, but your thoughts as an owner should be the best pointer. Any problems with the car that you had to face?

[pyrodrive]

Originally Posted by saket77

Nice report there Pyrodrive. As you stated, the car had 4700 kms on the odo when you purchased it, so how many miles you have not put on that? And how do you rate the reliability of the RiO. Coming from Premier stable, we are always reluctant, but your thoughts as an owner should be the best pointer. Any problems with the car that you had to face?

Thanks saket. The odo stands at around 8500 at present. No issues so far, there was a rattling noise from the exhaust pipe, which was due to a loose clamp coming off. It was promptly repaired at the service station.
The jury is still out on the reliability and more so on the parts availability. Will have to wait and see.
Meanwhile it is serving us well as a city runabout.

[Prabal]

Originally Posted by pyrodrive

The odo stands at around 8500 at present. No issues so far...
The jury is still out on the reliability and more so on the parts availability. Will have to wait and see.

Hi pyrodrive,

Greetings!

What's the latest on your Rio? How's the experience been till now, since your last update? Can it be repaired by a good mechanic outside the authorised dealership? What has the average maintenance cost been till now? Fuel consumption? AC performance? etc.

I have always been fond of the Rio - sometimes in double minds. Am getting one here now, a 2010 model with approx 30,000 km on the odo, for around 3 lakhs. Is it a good deal, and a vehicle worth going for? I'll probably take her to Goa, keep her stationed there (driving locally within Goa as well as often on the highways to Poona, Bombay, Bangalore, NH8 to Delhi, etc.). Your feedback would be helpful.

Thanks and regards,

Prabal

[pyrodrive]

Originally Posted by Prabal

Hi pyrodrive,

Greetings!

What's the latest on your Rio? How's the experience been till now, since your last update? Can it be repaired by a good mechanic outside the authorised dealership? What has the average maintenance cost been till now? Fuel consumption? AC performance? etc.

I have always been fond of the Rio - sometimes in double minds. Am getting one here now, a 2010 model with approx 30,000 km on the odo, for around 3 lakhs. Is it a good deal, and a vehicle worth going for? I'll probably take her to Goa, keep her stationed there (driving locally within Goa as well as often on the highways to Poona, Bombay, Bangalore, NH8 to Delhi, etc.). Your feedback would be helpful.

Thanks and regards,

Prabal

Hello.
The RiO is doing well. The experience is fine so far. Recently the battery went bust. Replaced it with a new one. The battery guy said 3yrs plus is ok-ish for a diesel vehicle. Like I said the premier dealer is very near to my house and they send a mechanic over and he generally does any small repairs needed, right at my home, so outside mechanic's help hasnt been sought for yet.
AC is ok. Ther was a blown relay fuse a week ago and the premier guy procured it and replaced it at my house on the next day. A grinding noise from the steering column and some noise from the front suspension were the two other reasons I called the premier folks for. Both resolved satisfactorily. The engine is very reliable and is untouched till now.
I guess I'm kind of lucky that the premier dealer is just a km down from our house. But I think you are in a good position too. The car is assembled in pune and your sig says you live there. Honestly speaking, my biggest concern is about the spare parts. I'm dreading the day the premier guys will tell me that the so and so part isnt available and that they will have to order it from the company and I have to wait and wait.
3L looks a bit steep for a 5 yr old diesel car which is a market dud. If it is in good condition, try to get it to 2.5 if possible.

[Prabal]

Originally Posted by pyrodrive

Hello.
The RiO is doing well. The experience is fine so far...
3L looks a bit steep for a 5 yr old diesel car which is a market dud. If it is in good condition, try to get it to 2.5 if possible.

Thanks, pyro, for the response!

I was actually thinking of buying the Rio for Goa, where I now spend a lot of time, and have a residence. But yes, my connection with Poona occured to me too, as suitable for owning the vehicle. The narrow width of the Rio would be good for driving on the narrow roads of Goa - a reason Nanos are popular there for (I assume).

The Peugeot TUD5 is a tough engine, and should be relatively easy to repair too, if required. And parts on the ground shouldn't be too difficult to procure either (even on the open market, outside the dealership channels).

Yes, you are right about the price; the gentleman had come down to 2.5 lakhs in the meanwhile. My only block (maybe it's just in the head!) is paying 2.5 for a rather rudimentary vehicle. Let's see.

Thanks once again, and cheers!

Prabal

[puneetakhouri]

Originally Posted by pyrodrive

The RiO is doing well. The experience is fine so far.

Hi Pyro. Was randomly going through this thread today and the last post was in 2015. Fast forward to 2020, do you still have this car with you? How's it going with this car now?

[pyrodrive]

Originally Posted by puneetakhouri

Hi Pyro. Was randomly going through this thread today and the last post was in 2015. Fast forward to 2020, do you still have this car with you? How's it going with this car now?

No. I let it go after the premier folks closed shop, in 2016 I think. Got a decent offer from a guy in UP and immediately shipped the car.
But there was no major issues on the car till I had it. Anyway there was no point of keeping it after I got the Thar.

[chiranjitp]

Originally Posted by pyrodrive

No. I let it go after the premier folks closed shop, in 2016 I think. Got a decent offer from a guy in UP and immediately shipped the car.

Awesome review of this rare car. Back in the day, one could spot a few Premier Rios in Guwahati. Now they have all disappeared, even the dealer shut down long back. Strangely after coming across your thread, I spotted a Premier Rio yesterday. This one is even rarer, it's with the Fiat 1.3 MJD engine.

Premier Rio CRDi: