20th November 2008, 09:53
| #1 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Delhi
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| A complete package ::: Hands on Palio SDX Hi Guys ! I welcome all on my thread. I got the delivery of Palio SDX ( a complete package ) yesterday afternoon. It all started way back in late-August when i started planning for a diesel car, my daily running is like close to 70-80kms everyday. I shortlisted and test droved three cars PALIO, VISTA and SWIFT and this it what i felt --- PALIO ::: For better FE ( per my driving style ) and power delivery the car provides really suits my driving style, I drive either very slowly ( bumper to bumper ) or I am at 100+ ( Delhi - Gurgaon expressway ), so therefore unlike Vista which is more linearly powered and Swift which has a engine tuned for a higher torque would have given me less FE figures as compared to a Palio, just because of the way there engine is tuned, i liked the stability on the road and on light curves at high speeds ( 130+kmph ), brakes felt really good, the feel of a saloon car and not that of a hatch, a big bonnet area as compared to a VISTA or SWIFT makes you feel more secured as the number of crumple zones increases with the length of the bonnet area, boot area is much much better then the other two, good leg room at the rear. SWIFT ::: Great car, the turbo kick is really felt beyond 2ks rpm, nice handeling, lightest steering as comapared to the other two, things that stopped me from going for SWIFT were ( nothing against SWIFT owners, its just my personal preference ), the boot space is very less, leg room at rear is the least as compared to the other, the boot is just enough to accomodate small travel bags, so i just felt short on space. VISTA ::: I was among the first who test droved the VISTA in Delhi on 23rd August ( VISTAs lanch date ), the space is the cabin was just amazing, extraordinary leg rooms at rear and front, it can even accomodate 4 at the rear seat, its the widest of the three so that really helps, i test droved it on congested roads so couldnt rev the engine to my liking but whatever i could manage i was impressed with it, it looks really nice from the front but rear is more like a Indica, things that stopped me from going for VISTA were ( nothing against VISTA owners, its just my personal preference ), INITIAL FE FIGURES that Vista was returning, guys were getting 14-15 km/l they were no where near the PALIOs or SWIFTs. Delivery Experience --- Delivery experince was really good and professional, the car was delivered on the date it was promised for. Dealer Name --- SANYA MOTORS, Defence Colony, New Delhi. Drive from Dealer to home ::: Started the engine and straight away switched on the AC and switched on some music got it fitted from the dealer itself but bought them Sony World store ( choosed SONY for the complete ICE [ 2 rear 6X9, 2 front 5"] ), got the tank full done ( normal diesel ) and hitted the road... Aaaaaah and that was end of all the joy as it took me 35 mins for a stretch of 4kms from dealer to my home so no real joy there, the engine felt pretty ok to me in bumper to bumper and i am because of somewhat lower toque the FE would not have got the beating. So that was yesterday. This morning from Home to Work ::: 0630am, 35kms, it took me some 40mins. I was extra cautious, didnt rev'd up the engine beyond 1600-1700rpm something i am not used to when driving on Delhi roads at 0630 in the morning, even the buses and the trucks were rocketing around me  on Delhi - Gurgaon expressway, it was quite embarrising for me and for the PALIO its was like as if PALIO started asking me a question what the hell, i am not meant to be driven like the way you are driving me it kept pleading... step on the gas, step on the gas, step on the gas, step on the gas.Your thoughts and suggestions are welcome ::: I particularly need some tips on how should i be driving for first 1000ks. |
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20th November 2008, 10:14
| #2 |
| Senior - BHPian  | |
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20th November 2008, 10:20
| #3 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Hyderabad
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20th November 2008, 10:25
| #4 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: HyderaGr8
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| more torque results in less FE???? its actually the other way round, my friend.. more torque means u down-shift less and rev less in heavy traffic (or while climbing inclines). u dont need to use clutch as much. this results in improved FE actually. my vista can climb a slope (with a/c) in 2nd gear without use of clutch or accelerator, at a speed of around 5-6kmph. this is because of torque. btw, its giving a minimum of 17kmpl after 1st service. this is not to say you made a wrong choice (MJD is a fantastic car) but only to correct your assumptions. about the first 1000 kms, follow the user manual. go easy on the revs and dont cross 2000 rpm in any gear. many here might disagree with the manual on this point but i advice you to do what the manual says - better safe than sorry. Last edited by CtrlAltDel : 20th November 2008 at 10:29. |
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20th November 2008, 10:26
| #5 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Delhi
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| Quote:
Would be posting some pictures on the coming weekend. | |
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20th November 2008, 10:36
| #6 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Delhi
Posts: 503
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| Quote:
Whatever you said is correct, but i feel the cars with higher torque use more brakes in bumper to bumper or rather in city drivning conditions which in turns results in more heat being produced and hence loss of Kinetic Energy ( KE ) prduced, and this loss of KE results in comparitively lower FE. | |
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20th November 2008, 11:22
| #7 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Delhi
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| Quote:
I would definitely keep the car under 2k for the first 1000kms, and then from there i would proceed further. One more thing, I feel during the running in period we should not keep car at contant rpms on empty roads ( Delhi - Gurgaon expreesway at 0600am ). We should keep varying the rpms ranging from 1.5k to 2.0k every 1-2mins of driving rather then doing a the whole stretch ( some 20kms ) at lets say at 1.8k.Thoughts are welcome on the same. | |
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20th November 2008, 14:04
| #8 |
| BHPian  Join Date: May 2005 Location: Vashi / Navi Mumbai
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| Hey Bubby, congrats on your new purchase and welcome to the Palio family! As others have suggested, follow the to-do's religiously while running in. Another piece of advice that was given to me, I'll pass on. We motorheads tend to "over do" the running in process and end up with a sluggish vehicle. To put in simple words, accelarate smoothly (not too slow, not too hard) like you would do in an already run-in vehicle while driving normally, but stick to the upper limit of 2k. Most people afraid of ruining their engines, accelarate slowly during run-in, which delays the mating of the parts and results in a relatively sluggish engine. Awaiting pictures of your ride and once again, congrats & enjoy your new ride! |
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20th November 2008, 14:20
| #9 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Bangalore
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| Hey Bubby, I'm pasting a transcript from PUG (Yahoo), this was with Mangesh who is the customer Service manager with FIAT INDIA. His Views are: Mangesh also shared his insights on some other generic queries that keep popping up in the PUG forum. I have listed them below: 1) Teflon, under-body, anti-rust coatings etc are not required on FIAT cars. All FIAT cars come with these treatments from the factory. These are just sales gimmicks offered by showrooms/service stations 2) FIAT cars do not require any 'running in'. This is the same for most modern day cars. So enjoy your cars from day one of the purchase 3) No need for any additive laden fuel for FIAT cars. Regular petrol/diesel will do just fine. 4) Cars should be washed with regular water. If there is a need for any solutions to wipe away the grime, ensure that these solutions/soap water has low concentrations of these chemicals. This will ensure that the paint is not affected in the long term Cheers, Nitin Quote:
Note from the Team-BHP Support Staff : Please use the "edit" button if posting within 15 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post Also use "Multi Quote" option for quoting Multiple posts. Last edited by Technocrat : 20th November 2008 at 15:07. Reason: see note in post | |
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20th November 2008, 15:35
| #10 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: HyderaGr8
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| Quote:
there is no connection between torque and braking. in bumper to bumper traffic if the car in front of you stops, you have to brake - irrespective of the torque of the car. simple. the difference is that if torque is high you can cruise in slow moving traffic with minimum gear changes. you can also brake comfortably without jabbing the clutch everytime. high torque enables effortless driving which is why its easier to drive diesels in traffic than petrol cars. look at the indica V2 family itself - the old naturally aspirated V2, the V2 TDI and the V2 Dicor. the torque is lowest in old V2 and maximum in Dicor and so is the FE. even in the V2 Xeta (petrol) range, the base 1.1 versions have slightly lower FE compared to the more powerful 1.4 GLX Xeta because the higher torque and extra power of the 1.4 enables effortless driving in traffic. but remember the torque is just one of the parameters for good FE. it depends on lot of things like driving style, traffic conditions, quality of fuel apart from the basic tuning of the engine. | |
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20th November 2008, 15:47
| #11 |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Ghaziabad, U. P
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| Congratulations, So you have taken the plunge! Please read through my Service experience and Avoid Vivek Automobiles for Service (no prizes for guessing where to go, in case you read the thread throroughly  ). |
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20th November 2008, 16:24
| #12 |
| BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Pune
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20th November 2008, 16:53
| #13 |
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20th November 2008, 20:23
| #14 |
| BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Vashi / Navi Mumbai
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20th November 2008, 20:40
| #15 |
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