Fiat Palio 1.2 NV ELX

deepakhon · 6th October 2004, 13:55

I was looking for a big small car not so long ago. My choices were Santro Xing, Opel Sail 1.4 and Palio 1.2 NV ELX. Santro was ruled out immediately b'coz my wife didn't like it

Since this would be my first car, I was looking for a sturdy car with good safety features and I was not unduely worried about the fuel efficiency. This left me with Sail and Palio. To be frank, both are equally good. It took me a lot of test drives and a fairly long time to rule in favour of Palio. Palio looked more of a driver's car with it being happy thrown around and Sail looked more like a happy cruiser. Ofcourse the ride quality of Sail was better than Palio, but considering the cost of Palio and Sail and everything into perspective, I went for NV. Only if I had so much of money to buy and sustain a Palio 1.6, the decision for me would have been a no-brainer. I would not have considered anything else.

My cute purple Palio NV has been with me for 7 months now. I should say that I am pretty happy with my machine. It is sturdy even at 3 digit speeds, though it takes its own sweet time to reach those speeds. The handling on the highways is pretty good. It always seems to tell me "drive me crazy!!". The steering input is pretty direct, though the acceleration itself is not very astounding. It is a slowstarter. With a/c on, the car needs a little more revving up. It is a relatively small-engined car and I can understand it. The a/c compressor itself is around 130cc and it draws some power from the engine. The a/c itself is pretty cool and within a few moments, the car gets cooled. The interior space is pretty good and the boot space is also adequate, though I would have appreciated it better if Palio had a 60:40 split rear seating arrangement aka Sail. The only grouse I have against Palio is the turning radius. The power steering itself is pretty good and direct, but the turning radius spoils a little bit of fun. Sometimes a U-turn can become a 3-point-turn, which is a little bit frustrating. Another issue is the thick A-pillar. It does obstruct the visibility a little. But since I know that, I always make sure that I turn my head a little more than usual to see approaching vehicles. It is just a matter of getting adjusted to. Now coming to the all important factor of fuel efficiency, it is giving me b'ween 11.5 and 12 with a/c on for about 50% in bumper to bumper traffic conditions of Bangalore. On the highways, with a/c sparingly used, it easily gives me above 17. About Sundaram, the only dealer of Fiat in Bangalore, so far, I have had no issues (touchwood)

They have treated me well both during and after selling the vehicle to me. So far, I am happy with them. Any technical issues with my car so far? No. But I must admit that I have used my car sparingly. It has just about done around 5k km, around 60% of them on the highways. I guess this is how my useage pattern will be and I am happy about my choice overall.

Dippy · 6th October 2004, 14:22

Great review of the Palio. I guess this is the first review we have of the NV. Seeing your FE figures I dont think theyre really all that bad and yes the Palio does feel more strtong and sturdy than the other cars in the segment.

Dippy

neverclever · 6th October 2004, 14:41

Hey Deepak,

Great review. Much awaited.

lamborghini · 6th October 2004, 14:55

great write up
we palio owners are a proud lot just like the vtec owners - some of whom respect the palio for what it is - specially the 1.6
the 1.2 is for the family oriented mind

Rtech · 6th October 2004, 14:56

Hey Deepak,

I'm really surprised at your FE figures! I knew the NV was tuned for FE, but 11-12 in the city with the AC on is pretty darn good!

Very nice review there too...covers a lot of points and will doubtless be of help to a lot of people here.

Rt

satish_appasani · 6th October 2004, 17:08

Deepak, that is a good review. I bought a Formula red Palio D recently and don't want to replace it atleast for the next 5 years.

I agree the issue with A pillar. It's the same with C pillar too. But using outside rear view mirrors on both the sides reduces the problem to a large extent. But these days i notice 90% of the cars being launched have thick C pillars. And also I believe more of glass area around the car is not the current trend on designers boards.

My car just crossed 1300 mark. I am revving it a little. The pickup was awesome. Yesterday I was cruising lazily in 60 when going home. Just then two bikers overtook me and was blocking my way. I throwed my car in to 4th and stepped on the gas. With in couple of seconds they were a distant view in my rear view mirror. I did not notice the speedo as I have to immediately slow down. But I believe i did more than 100 as the bikers were going at 80. The car was rock stable.

My fuel consumption is 12 KMPL with 95% AC switched on. I calculate this tank full to tank full. As a whole, the car is good allrounder. Good for both city and highway. It is very good in highway cruising as well as bumper to bumper traffic.

Expect a full review from me after I put some more miles.

shravan316 · 6th October 2004, 18:17

Nice review deepak!

Stratos · 6th October 2004, 19:59

Hey nice review deepak!! I have always loved the Palio but i am very scared of Fiats.!!
Anyways... thats some astonishing Fuel Efficiency u got!! I guess Fiat has done some homework in that part!!!

SLK · 6th October 2004, 20:21

.. well.. gr8 review.... and even better FE in B2B traffic.

5K in 7 months!!... You remind of my friend who bought a Qualis and managed 50K in the same time (its not a Taxi

).

dipen · 6th October 2004, 20:53

Slk , how did yr friend manage 238 km approx a day on an average, that too without being a taxi
Was he playing chor-Police all day long ? .:

SLK · 6th October 2004, 21:49

well he did a lot of... driving!..
out station.... to punjab
and did about 5000 Kms... a week whenever he was there. All was for his work though.

amit · 7th October 2004, 00:07

hey Deepak...
Nice review of the Palio NV. Its the first one for the NV and was much awaited. Happy to know that the car has impressed you and even more that the dealer has done the same for u! Sundaram is quite notorious, thats what i have read.
Great Mileage figures there. 11.5 to 12kmpl in city is awesome. Pity that the earlier Palio's low FE reports spread like wild fire and the better FE of the NV is still not making the car a good mover off showrooms. Surely the car deserves more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Another issue is the thick A-pillar.

A typical feature of all European cars. Even the wannabe European car, the Getz has it!
Great choice of color u made. According to me the Palio looks best in 4 colors - Yellow, Red, black and Purple. Sober colors like white and silver don't bring out the beauty of the car the way bright colors do.

sid_lath · 7th October 2004, 15:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Great choice of color u made.According to me the Palio looks best in 4 colors - Yellow, Red, black and Purple

yeah, passion purple looks amazing i think. thats the color i would have picked if I were to buy a palio.

deepakhon · 29th April 2005, 12:11

I have for the first time faced a problem with the thick A pillars of my Palio yesterday night. While taking right, I couldn't notice a cycle walla who just cut across my Palio and brushed the front bumper badly. There are a few scratches on the bumper and the number plate has lost a bolt. I can get them repaired and painted; not a big deal, but how can I avoid such things? Luckily for that cycle waala, nothing happened either to him or to his cycle. When turning right, I looked at the right side, then left, and then again right. When I was just about to take a right, my vision was blocked by a car which was parked to my right and this cyclewaala just cuts across. Agreed that it is my fault, but isn't this thick A pillar a pain in some way? Fine it is there for safety reasons, but still for this kind of hapazard traffic, I sometimes find it really difficult to look at whether there is someone coming in that direction.

nitinbhag · 29th April 2005, 12:48

[font=Arial][size=2]Looks like the A-pillar blind spot is a big issue these days.. I have faced a tracking issue with the A-pillar in my Siena, where the bike guy is moving at the same speed as your blind-spot behind the A-pillar.. Only option is to be extra careful on turns and trying moving your head forwards and backwards before the turn.. [/size][/font]
[font=Arial][size=4][/size][/font]
[font=Arial][size=4]What should a driver do?[/size][/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica]Always, always, always look for long enough that anything moving behind the pillar has a chance to emerge. Glance checks are never enough. An extended period of observation is good, two looks are better. Always think about bikes. Always think about anything that could be behind the pillar. Move you head to see around the pillar, but be aware that doing so could also mean that you make an equal and opposite head movement allowing the pillar to obscure the biker for longer.[/font]
[font=Arial][/font]
http://www.safespeed.org.uk/smidsy.html

6th October 2004, 13:55	#1
deepakhon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,441 Thanked: 65 Times	I was looking for a big small car not so long ago. My choices were Santro Xing, Opel Sail 1.4 and Palio 1.2 NV ELX. Santro was ruled out immediately b'coz my wife didn't like it Since this would be my first car, I was looking for a sturdy car with good safety features and I was not unduely worried about the fuel efficiency. This left me with Sail and Palio. To be frank, both are equally good. It took me a lot of test drives and a fairly long time to rule in favour of Palio. Palio looked more of a driver's car with it being happy thrown around and Sail looked more like a happy cruiser. Ofcourse the ride quality of Sail was better than Palio, but considering the cost of Palio and Sail and everything into perspective, I went for NV. Only if I had so much of money to buy and sustain a Palio 1.6, the decision for me would have been a no-brainer. I would not have considered anything else. My cute purple Palio NV has been with me for 7 months now. I should say that I am pretty happy with my machine. It is sturdy even at 3 digit speeds, though it takes its own sweet time to reach those speeds. The handling on the highways is pretty good. It always seems to tell me "drive me crazy!!". The steering input is pretty direct, though the acceleration itself is not very astounding. It is a slowstarter. With a/c on, the car needs a little more revving up. It is a relatively small-engined car and I can understand it. The a/c compressor itself is around 130cc and it draws some power from the engine. The a/c itself is pretty cool and within a few moments, the car gets cooled. The interior space is pretty good and the boot space is also adequate, though I would have appreciated it better if Palio had a 60:40 split rear seating arrangement aka Sail. The only grouse I have against Palio is the turning radius. The power steering itself is pretty good and direct, but the turning radius spoils a little bit of fun. Sometimes a U-turn can become a 3-point-turn, which is a little bit frustrating. Another issue is the thick A-pillar. It does obstruct the visibility a little. But since I know that, I always make sure that I turn my head a little more than usual to see approaching vehicles. It is just a matter of getting adjusted to. Now coming to the all important factor of fuel efficiency, it is giving me b'ween 11.5 and 12 with a/c on for about 50% in bumper to bumper traffic conditions of Bangalore. On the highways, with a/c sparingly used, it easily gives me above 17. About Sundaram, the only dealer of Fiat in Bangalore, so far, I have had no issues (touchwood) They have treated me well both during and after selling the vehicle to me. So far, I am happy with them. Any technical issues with my car so far? No. But I must admit that I have used my car sparingly. It has just about done around 5k km, around 60% of them on the highways. I guess this is how my useage pattern will be and I am happy about my choice overall.
	() Thanks

6th October 2004, 14:22	#2
Dippy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 7,559 Thanked: 2,462 Times	Great review of the Palio. I guess this is the first review we have of the NV. Seeing your FE figures I dont think theyre really all that bad and yes the Palio does feel more strtong and sturdy than the other cars in the segment. Dippy
	() Thanks

6th October 2004, 14:41	#3
neverclever BHPian Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Chennai Posts: 69 Thanked: Once	Hey Deepak, Great review. Much awaited.
	() Thanks

6th October 2004, 14:55	#4
lamborghini Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,113 Thanked: 5,760 Times View My Garage	great write up we palio owners are a proud lot just like the vtec owners - some of whom respect the palio for what it is - specially the 1.6 the 1.2 is for the family oriented mind
	() Thanks

6th October 2004, 14:56	#5
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,770 Thanked: 359 Times View My Garage	Hey Deepak, I'm really surprised at your FE figures! I knew the NV was tuned for FE, but 11-12 in the city with the AC on is pretty darn good! Very nice review there too...covers a lot of points and will doubtless be of help to a lot of people here. Rt
	() Thanks

6th October 2004, 17:08	#6
satish_appasani Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,112 Thanked: 104 Times View My Garage	Deepak, that is a good review. I bought a Formula red Palio D recently and don't want to replace it atleast for the next 5 years. I agree the issue with A pillar. It's the same with C pillar too. But using outside rear view mirrors on both the sides reduces the problem to a large extent. But these days i notice 90% of the cars being launched have thick C pillars. And also I believe more of glass area around the car is not the current trend on designers boards. My car just crossed 1300 mark. I am revving it a little. The pickup was awesome. Yesterday I was cruising lazily in 60 when going home. Just then two bikers overtook me and was blocking my way. I throwed my car in to 4th and stepped on the gas. With in couple of seconds they were a distant view in my rear view mirror. I did not notice the speedo as I have to immediately slow down. But I believe i did more than 100 as the bikers were going at 80. The car was rock stable. My fuel consumption is 12 KMPL with 95% AC switched on. I calculate this tank full to tank full. As a whole, the car is good allrounder. Good for both city and highway. It is very good in highway cruising as well as bumper to bumper traffic. Expect a full review from me after I put some more miles.
	() Thanks

6th October 2004, 18:17	#7
shravan316 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,029 Thanked: 9 Times	Nice review deepak!
	() Thanks

6th October 2004, 19:59	#8
Stratos Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,609 Thanked: 1,449 Times View My Garage	Hey nice review deepak!! I have always loved the Palio but i am very scared of Fiats.!! Anyways... thats some astonishing Fuel Efficiency u got!! I guess Fiat has done some homework in that part!!!
	() Thanks

6th October 2004, 20:21	#9
SLK Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: DL XX XX XXXX Posts: 1,634 Thanked: 1,011 Times	.. well.. gr8 review.... and even better FE in B2B traffic. 5K in 7 months!!... You remind of my friend who bought a Qualis and managed 50K in the same time (its not a Taxi ).
	() Thanks

6th October 2004, 20:53	#10
dipen Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: mumbai Posts: 2,234 Thanked: 725 Times	Slk , how did yr friend manage 238 km approx a day on an average, that too without being a taxi Was he playing chor-Police all day long ? .:
	() Thanks

6th October 2004, 21:49	#11
SLK Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: DL XX XX XXXX Posts: 1,634 Thanked: 1,011 Times	well he did a lot of... driving!.. out station.... to punjab and did about 5000 Kms... a week whenever he was there. All was for his work though.
	() Thanks

29th April 2005, 12:11	#14
deepakhon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,441 Thanked: 65 Times	I have for the first time faced a problem with the thick A pillars of my Palio yesterday night. While taking right, I couldn't notice a cycle walla who just cut across my Palio and brushed the front bumper badly. There are a few scratches on the bumper and the number plate has lost a bolt. I can get them repaired and painted; not a big deal, but how can I avoid such things? Luckily for that cycle waala, nothing happened either to him or to his cycle. When turning right, I looked at the right side, then left, and then again right. When I was just about to take a right, my vision was blocked by a car which was parked to my right and this cyclewaala just cuts across. Agreed that it is my fault, but isn't this thick A pillar a pain in some way? Fine it is there for safety reasons, but still for this kind of hapazard traffic, I sometimes find it really difficult to look at whether there is someone coming in that direction.
	() Thanks

29th April 2005, 12:48	#15
nitinbhag BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 262 Thanked: 2 Times	[font=Arial][size=2]Looks like the A-pillar blind spot is a big issue these days.. I have faced a tracking issue with the A-pillar in my Siena, where the bike guy is moving at the same speed as your blind-spot behind the A-pillar.. Only option is to be extra careful on turns and trying moving your head forwards and backwards before the turn.. [/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=4][/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=4]What should a driver do?[/size][/font] [font=Arial,Helvetica]Always, always, always look for long enough that anything moving behind the pillar has a chance to emerge. Glance checks are never enough. An extended period of observation is good, two looks are better. Always think about bikes. Always think about anything that could be behind the pillar. Move you head to see around the pillar, but be aware that doing so could also mean that you make an equal and opposite head movement allowing the pillar to obscure the biker for longer.[/font] [font=Arial][/font] http://www.safespeed.org.uk/smidsy.html
	() Thanks