The best diesel in its class. Review on Fiat Palio Diesel

Long time since I wrote a review. Hope I am not rusty. The Fiat Palio is one hell of a car. All its versions are excellent. But it still sells in such low numbers, that even much costlier cars like the Corolla beat it in sales. Why is this? This is because all people associate Fiat with PAL and also because of their pathetic after sales service (dunno how it is now). They still think it is an ancient 'Indian' company. Anyway, lets move on. There aren't many diesels in the hatchback market here in India. In fact, there are just two. The Indica and Palio. The Palio is placed between the super-hatch and hatchback segments. It is powered by a 1.9 liter IDI diesel engine. This engine compared to the petrol, is quite good. Its competitors are the Getz, Fusion and Corsa Sail; atleast for the time being. The Palio is the best diesel (and hatch) here for now. Read on to find out why.

The Palio is really good looking when compared to the Indica, Zen, WagonR, Santro and Sail. But when compared to bigger hatches like the Getz and Fusion, it looks a little outdated. The Palio may soon be given a cosmetic makeover which will freshen up the looks to a great extent. The Palio's headlamps are rectangular multi reflector units with jewel effect, which is nice. The bumper is also nice. The alloy wheels on the side really are attractive. When viewed from the side, it looks modern and compact, despite being spacious inside. The rear has unique tail lamps, which look good. The build quality is excellent. The finish is very good and so is the fit of parts. Compared to its compatitors, the Palio feels really well built. In styling, it is better than small hatches and a little behind bigger hatches. This suits it well because of its pricing between the two). Good enough.

The Palio has quite a lot of space compared to Zen, WagonR and Santro. It has almost the same amount of space as in an Indica. But the quality inside is of a far better quality than any other car mentioned here. The leather, plastics, wood, and fabrics are of a high standard. The steering has is wrapped in leather, but even if it feels good, it doesn’t look very attractive. The instrument panel is conventional, nothing special. The dash gets some fake wood, which is okay. The A/C is placed bang in the middle and a stereo is placed above it. There are fake wood inserts in some other places too. There is ample space in the front and the rear and the seat fabric is also of good quality. This ensures that the occupants remain comfortable. Even though the interior hasn’t been designed very well, the hi quality materials make up for this.

The engine is an IDI 1.9 liter diesel. Whatever Fiat may be telling, this engine is outdated. I am talking about the refinement. It is noisy and vibration is found in abundance. Power is around 62 PS. There is sufficient power.Torque is a healthy 12.2 kgm which is two more than the 1.2 petrol version. The torque is spread all across the rev range, which makes for less gear shifting. The Palio is fun to drive for a diesel. It is fun in the city as well as the highway. It touches 60 km/h in less than 7 seconds and touches the 100 km/h mark in a good 18 seconds. Compared to the Indica, this is light years ahead. The Palio feels unstressed even at speeds above 120 km/h. The top speed is an excellent 155 km/h. Good compared to petrols, and excellent as a diesel.

The Palio’s ride quality can be described as above average. It is comfortable even on irregular city roads. Body roll is minimal unlike WagonR or Santro. It handles extremely well. So this makes it fun to drive. Ride and handling may seem to be small issues, but only these two factors determine the overall satisfaction of the driver. If a car has an uncomfortable ride and bad handling, even if it has the best looks, performance and interior, it won’t satisfy the driver. The Palio has no problem here.

The fuel efficiency is the primary reason why people buy diesel cars. The Palio D is not as economical as the Indica, but it is good enough. In hectic city driving conditions, it returns 12 km. But on the open road, this increases to 16 km/l. The average in mixed conditions is 14 km/l, which along with the low diesel price, ensures that the Palio D won’t be very costly to run.

On the whole, it is a very good car with all the features a driver would demand. It looks good, feels well built inside and outside, has ample space, good performance and a good average. But there are some drawbacks like the bad refinement and suspect after sales service. This diesel engine is not refined, but is fun to drive, and is economical. So is it a good deal? Apparently yes. The Palio is priced between the large hatches and small hatches, at close to 4 lakh rupees. This is not a drawback, since this gets you the advantages of both types of hatches. The only real competitor is the cheaper Indica. Compare a few aspects and you have a clear winner, the Palio. The Palio is the best hatch in the country and its diesel version is no exception. If you want a hatchback, go for the Palio.

STYLING-9/10

BUILD QUALITY-9.5/10

FIT AND FINISH-9.5/10

INTERIOR-9/10

ENGINE-8.5/10

PERFORMANCE-9.5/10

FUEL EFFICIENCY-9/10

RIDE-9/10

HANDLING-9/10

VALUE FOR MONEY-9/10

GRAND TOTAL-91/100

PS- The Palio gets 4 stars when compared to its competitors. By itself it is a very normal diesel engined car. The petrol Palio is THE best.

Comments and suggestions are welcome.