Fiat Palio Multijet 1.3 Diesel (MJD) - 3200 KM report

finneyp · 15th January 2009, 15:52

Very nice & detailed Review.

Congrats & keep enjoying the drive!

phamilyman · 15th January 2009, 17:46

Great review man. Lovely review - very well structured too - good for the future!

@Architect: Oye, instead of writing long posts, why not post your travelog!!!!!

tazmaan · 15th January 2009, 18:08

Great review and congratulations for your new buy. I just replaced my 2002 1.2 Palio with Swift VDi. I would have gone for the MJD if I wouldnt have owned a palio already (wanted a change).

MJD was on the top of my list to buy and is a great car. You fall in love with small things in a fiat like the door thud, ride quality other small things like double crank prevention, power window switches with back light etc. I guess thats the difference between a Fiat and other cars. As said by others only a Fiat person can understand it. I loved every bit of it wonder why I bought the DDIS which already rattles at 1500 odd kms.

Wish you many miles with smiles.

great_guns · 15th January 2009, 22:10

I completely forgot to mention the Fuel Economy figures. My apologies.

My initial FE before first servicing was 15KMpL
My FE after the first servicing was 22KMpL

My driving is mostly in the city. 40% of the way is a big concrete road where I can zoot around in 5th gear with a big grin whreas the rest is so bad that my head stirs even when I think of it. I have to mostly drive in second and third gears and sometimes even resort to first gear.

Points I follow -
[1] turn off all car lights if waiting at a signal for between 15-30 seconds (though only if surrounded by other cars - never if I'm the only person at the signal in which case, I need to be visible to drivers who might come in from behind)
[2] turn off car if the ticker shows more than 30seconds to go for green
[3] try to accelerate as smoothly as I can
[4] instead of zipping into a stoppage with screeching brakes, I take my foot off the accelerator and let it cruise to a stop (again, with appropriate discretion, of course)
[5] minimal usage of a/c and minimal open windows - make best possible use of blower.
[6] try to keep the RPM between 1500 to 2200.

lejhoom · 15th January 2009, 23:08

A very nice piece. I felt as if someone was writing about my car. What you said about the noise is correct. There is good news. The FE as well as noise comes down after you cross about 5000 km.
The lovely thing about the car is that you don't feel you are sitting in a hatchback when you cruise. The other day when my friend sat at the rear seat for a drive for more than an hour exclaimed that he felt very comfortable, even better than his Baleno. That was a great compliment, I thought.
A lovely thing about Palio MJD is that even at speeds above 120, you don't feel any vibrations. In fact, you don't realize the speed until you look at the speedo. Even the suspension holds good at that speed, giving you a feeling of sure-footedness.
Enjoy your drive.

ms001 · 16th January 2009, 00:03

those are very good figures!!
can you answer my other query about the remote locking ?

rudrah · 16th January 2009, 10:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by crn12

However what I have noticed is some squeaking noise it makes when you try to turn the car the max it can be achieved, especially with u-turns..??

The squeaking noise comes from the steering pump which even I face on my Palio Stile 1.6 while turning the steering wheel to the extreme right/left.

There is also similar sound while reversing. Nothing major so ignored!

rudrah · 16th January 2009, 11:29

Excellent write-up! Thats how it should be to let others know your decision and buying experience!

Regarding road presence, yeah theres toooo much Swifts on road as well as Santros! The Palio Stile invites head turners when you are in Signals or moving in Traffic!

I can say lucky to be the only one in Navi Mumbai to own a 1.6 horse Formula Red

The Palio thou has a stunning looks but would had add a charm if the interior quality n looks had been remodified. It still has the best positional view for the central console for ICE and AC vents.

The lights provided for the console for AC or speedometers looks awesome at night driving! Its ease for the eyes while driving at night times. Surprisingly very few have said about this...

I've acheived consistently FE of 10 in City with 100%AC and 14-15 in highways at 80-100 speeds! So be it Palio 1.6 or MJD, if the car is driven well at proper speeds and less braking, it can give you decent FE!

As for Service issues, it will only be tested when the car develops a problem and how effective they resolve it. Since 1st Service only requires fluid top ups so no issues!

Hoping with the launch of Linea, the service woes do not occur.

Happy driving and wear your seat belts always!

Cheers~

TomRider · 16th January 2009, 11:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by AadiAtPlay

Not any more in bangalore... There are 2 2007 1.1s and 3MJDs just on my street.

My office has only one other MJD but has about 10 older versions of Palio.

Go out on the street and i used to celebrate when i saw another Palio; this when i bought the car Palio spotting has become a habit. 10 months later i was killing time in Forum i commented to my wife that i had not seen a Palio for about 5 mins on Hosur main road she smiled and pointed one out to me that was sitting at a signal.

So if you live in Bangalore Palios are no longer unique.

Agreed! I spotted two MJD and one 1.1 on my way to office.
On my way back: 11 MJD (includes 1 grey taxi) and three 1.1. I did not count the older version of Palios.

And me being the owner of a mint white Palio, told my wife, "See. This is one good thing with white MJD's. Enjoy the sheer exclusivity!" And there comes a white MJD from the opposite direction.

Yes! The palios are no longer unique in Bangalore.

great_guns · 16th January 2009, 12:00

I have not installed a remote locking system in the car.

I frankly find it quite useless to walk towards the car and use the remote from 5 feet away to open the lock. I mean, you are eventually going to go to the car and pull the handle to open the door, aren't you? The key takes a fraction of a second to turn and it avoids you the hassle of changing batteries on the remote or the worries of electronic malfunctions.

I though find the theft protection feature, where the alarm sounds if there is an attempted break-in, to be very useful. Too bad, no company has come up with a system specifically built for the Palio. I don't think its worth the risk to place your bets on a system intended for another car.

lightpower · 16th January 2009, 14:11

Minda Huf works perfect. Installed by Concorde motors here which was approved for Indica.

phamilyman · 16th January 2009, 17:04

Great guns,

it works for (silky silver/white) swift owners who sometimes need to find their cars in the parking (say an outdoor event where you parked in an ground, etc). Its not for the people who love to drive or who have a great sense of direction.

great_guns · 16th January 2009, 18:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Great guns,

it works for (silky silver/white) swift owners who sometimes need to find their cars in the parking (say an outdoor event where you parked in an ground, etc).

... OR for those who cannot effectively remember their car registration numbers due to anterograde/retrograde amnesia (which might result from bumpy rides in some particular vehicles

).

phamilyman · 16th January 2009, 23:20

lol. There have been friends who after a 20km ride in my swift, came back to parking, only to go to a red fiesta

Those kinda people would need a remote system to even figure out their car make

abhinav.s · 18th January 2009, 00:15

Wonderful and detailed review great guns. Provides a lot of info for prospective buyers. Congrats on your car and keep enjoying the ride!!

15th January 2009, 15:52	#16
finneyp Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,762 Thanked: 400 Times View My Garage	Very nice & detailed Review. Congrats & keep enjoying the drive! Last edited by finneyp : 15th January 2009 at 15:54.
	() Thanks

15th January 2009, 17:46	#17
phamilyman Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 5,975 Thanked: 4,673 Times	Great review man. Lovely review - very well structured too - good for the future! @Architect: Oye, instead of writing long posts, why not post your travelog!!!!!
	() Thanks

15th January 2009, 18:08	#18
tazmaan BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 931 Thanked: 3,442 Times View My Garage	Great review and congratulations for your new buy. I just replaced my 2002 1.2 Palio with Swift VDi. I would have gone for the MJD if I wouldnt have owned a palio already (wanted a change). MJD was on the top of my list to buy and is a great car. You fall in love with small things in a fiat like the door thud, ride quality other small things like double crank prevention, power window switches with back light etc. I guess thats the difference between a Fiat and other cars. As said by others only a Fiat person can understand it. I loved every bit of it wonder why I bought the DDIS which already rattles at 1500 odd kms. Wish you many miles with smiles.
	() Thanks

15th January 2009, 22:10	#19
great_guns BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 102 Thanked: 21 Times	Thank you all for the appreciation. I completely forgot to mention the Fuel Economy figures. My apologies. My initial FE before first servicing was 15KMpL My FE after the first servicing was 22KMpL My driving is mostly in the city. 40% of the way is a big concrete road where I can zoot around in 5th gear with a big grin whreas the rest is so bad that my head stirs even when I think of it. I have to mostly drive in second and third gears and sometimes even resort to first gear. Points I follow - [1] turn off all car lights if waiting at a signal for between 15-30 seconds (though only if surrounded by other cars - never if I'm the only person at the signal in which case, I need to be visible to drivers who might come in from behind) [2] turn off car if the ticker shows more than 30seconds to go for green [3] try to accelerate as smoothly as I can [4] instead of zipping into a stoppage with screeching brakes, I take my foot off the accelerator and let it cruise to a stop (again, with appropriate discretion, of course) [5] minimal usage of a/c and minimal open windows - make best possible use of blower. [6] try to keep the RPM between 1500 to 2200.
	() Thanks

15th January 2009, 23:08	#20
lejhoom BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 408 Thanked: 257 Times	Congratulations A very nice piece. I felt as if someone was writing about my car. What you said about the noise is correct. There is good news. The FE as well as noise comes down after you cross about 5000 km. The lovely thing about the car is that you don't feel you are sitting in a hatchback when you cruise. The other day when my friend sat at the rear seat for a drive for more than an hour exclaimed that he felt very comfortable, even better than his Baleno. That was a great compliment, I thought. A lovely thing about Palio MJD is that even at speeds above 120, you don't feel any vibrations. In fact, you don't realize the speed until you look at the speedo. Even the suspension holds good at that speed, giving you a feeling of sure-footedness. Enjoy your drive.
	() Thanks

16th January 2009, 00:03	#21
ms001 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,032 Thanked: 306 Times	those are very good figures!! can you answer my other query about the remote locking ?
	() Thanks

16th January 2009, 11:29	#23
rudrah BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Navi Mumbai Posts: 645 Thanked: 48 Times View My Garage	Excellent write-up! Thats how it should be to let others know your decision and buying experience! Regarding road presence, yeah theres toooo much Swifts on road as well as Santros! The Palio Stile invites head turners when you are in Signals or moving in Traffic! I can say lucky to be the only one in Navi Mumbai to own a 1.6 horse Formula Red The Palio thou has a stunning looks but would had add a charm if the interior quality n looks had been remodified. It still has the best positional view for the central console for ICE and AC vents. The lights provided for the console for AC or speedometers looks awesome at night driving! Its ease for the eyes while driving at night times. Surprisingly very few have said about this... I've acheived consistently FE of 10 in City with 100%AC and 14-15 in highways at 80-100 speeds! So be it Palio 1.6 or MJD, if the car is driven well at proper speeds and less braking, it can give you decent FE! As for Service issues, it will only be tested when the car develops a problem and how effective they resolve it. Since 1st Service only requires fluid top ups so no issues! Hoping with the launch of Linea, the service woes do not occur. Happy driving and wear your seat belts always! Cheers~
	() Thanks

16th January 2009, 12:00	#25
great_guns BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 102 Thanked: 21 Times	Remote locking I have not installed a remote locking system in the car. I frankly find it quite useless to walk towards the car and use the remote from 5 feet away to open the lock. I mean, you are eventually going to go to the car and pull the handle to open the door, aren't you? The key takes a fraction of a second to turn and it avoids you the hassle of changing batteries on the remote or the worries of electronic malfunctions. I though find the theft protection feature, where the alarm sounds if there is an attempted break-in, to be very useful. Too bad, no company has come up with a system specifically built for the Palio. I don't think its worth the risk to place your bets on a system intended for another car.
	() Thanks

16th January 2009, 14:11	#26
lightpower BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: TN38/TN70 Posts: 141 Thanked: 17 Times View My Garage	Minda Huf works perfect. Installed by Concorde motors here which was approved for Indica.
	() Thanks

16th January 2009, 17:04	#27
phamilyman Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 5,975 Thanked: 4,673 Times	Great guns, it works for (silky silver/white) swift owners who sometimes need to find their cars in the parking (say an outdoor event where you parked in an ground, etc). Its not for the people who love to drive or who have a great sense of direction.
	() Thanks

16th January 2009, 23:20	#29
phamilyman Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 5,975 Thanked: 4,673 Times	lol. There have been friends who after a 20km ride in my swift, came back to parking, only to go to a red fiesta Those kinda people would need a remote system to even figure out their car make
	() Thanks

18th January 2009, 00:15	#30
abhinav.s Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: B'lore,Coorg Posts: 2,802 Thanked: 1,327 Times	Wonderful and detailed review great guns. Provides a lot of info for prospective buyers. Congrats on your car and keep enjoying the ride!!
	() Thanks