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Fiat Palio or Maruti Swift which one to buy.

A Review by Smaraat on Fiat Palio Stile 1.3 SDX
25 March, 2008 (Last Updated: 17 July, 2008)
Average User Rating :
Model Rating  :   104 reviews
Version Rating:   22 reviews
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 User's Ratings for the car

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Overall
Pros : For: Space & Good style
Cons : Outdated Car (except for the engine)
Review Popularity

Total Views 15766
People Liked 48
People Disliked 7

I drove the new Palio SDX and I was very happy with the complete experience I liked the fact the car is not very boring to drive and is responsive for a diesel car. Two things I did not like about the car are


 


1. If you start to rip the car the engine makes a lot of noise but less than the TATA cars but I expected more refinement from an award winning engine or may be Fiat has not done a good job to restrict the noise entering the cabin any ways there is more noise in the cabin as compared to Maruti Swift..


 


2. I was expecting to see new interiors in the Palio from Fiat. I knew that Fiat was going to launch the car with the same interiors, but if Fiat is making a fresh start with a new logo, new engine and have also tied up with TATA for sale & service I guess they could have given new interiors to the Palio.


 


All said and done at the end of everything you ask your self do you want to buy a car which looks good and is spacious for a hatchback on the other hand you have Maruti Swift which is 25K more than the Palio but in India Maruti rules and it would be difficult for Fiat to make a dent. I feel Palio is no threat for the Swift but Fiats next car the Grand Punto will help Fiat to grab the market.


 


After driving the Swift I feel Fiat Palio is one level below the Swift in terms of handling, response from the diesel engine, pick up, cabin sound (less in the Swift) and not to mention the mileage. Swift and Palio use the same diesel engine manufactured by Fiat and Palio being lighter that the Swift should return good mileage as compared to the Swift but it I is the other way around Swift beats the Palio in the Mileage department as it returns better figures than the Palio. As the Palio has been in the market for a number of years I feel the chassis is out dated and should be redesigned so that the Palio can have similar handling characteristics if it has to be compared to the Maruti Swift.   


 


Everyone tells me that Palio is value for money but I do not support this let me give you a simple example: Let’s say I buy a Maruti Swift (Diesel) and a Fiat Palio (Diesel) I have spent 30K to 40K more for the Swift. I use the car for a period of 4 to 5 years and make the most of both the cars now there is something new in the market and I have to sell both my cars as per the Indian market I will get somewhere between 2 to 3 Lakhs for the Swift and something in the range of 1 to 2 Lakhs for the Palio and on top of that I will have more buyers for the Swift as compared to the Palio this will make my life easy as I can sell the Swift easily and for the Palio there will be few takers so I might have to bend down to sell the car even at a lower rate think about it, as it is important to see where you stand at the end of everything and not what you are paying now.    


 


Now everything comes to a personal choice. Do you buy the Palio coz according to you it looks good is Spacious and costs less than the Swift or you go ahead with the Swift. My heart loves the Fiat Palio but my mind and the fact sheet is always pointing towards the Maruti Swift. The choice is yours to make coz you are the one who has to buy, maintain and drive the car everyday. If I am given this choice I will buy the Maruti Swift 10/10 time’s because for me Fiat Palio is an out dated car (except for the engine) and I will not ignore the facts and buy an outdated Product from any car company.



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34 Comment(s) on this Review

  1. on 10 Jun, 2008 at 11:47 AM Viraj Koli (Mumbai)

    Which one is good to buy hurry up and suggest me.
    In two different cars one is swift vdi & Palio multijetD which is good in aspect. Between Two Comparision which one is the best in all ratio.Eveything is ok in condition

  2. on 10 Jun, 2008 at 12:10 PM Samraat

    Hi Viraj,
    Close your eyes and go for the swift as it is more refined car to drive, has a better response from the engine and you will get a better after sales service from Maruti.

    Any ways Fiat Palio has been around for a very long period will be undergoing a complete change from its chassis to its interior and its exterior, but it will not be any time soon.

    The only compromise you will have to make with the swift is the passenger seat’s leg room and the boot space is not very good. Bu

  3. on 10 Jun, 2008 at 12:13 PM Smaraat (Mumbai)

    Hi Viraj,
    Close your eyes and go for the swift as it is more refined car to drive, has a better response from the engine and you will get a better after sales service from Maruti.

    Any ways Fiat Palio has been around for a very long period will be undergoing a complete change from its chassis to its interior and its exterior, but it will not be any time soon.

    The only compromise you will have to make with the swift is the passenger seat’s leg room and the boot space is not very good. But

  4. on 17 Jun, 2008 at 02:57 PM Viraj Koli (Mumbai)

    Hi
    Samraat

    Thanks for your advice, so which is more comfortable for me to buy. My mind says i will go for swift but another way it says it must be palio. I m going for diesel version so u suggest me which is better one

  5. on 18 Jun, 2008 at 01:36 PM Smaraat (Mumbai)

    Hi Viraj

    I was in the same position couple of months back. I love the Palio and would have not bought any other car in the same segment. But after talking to lot of people who owned the Palio (petrol version) told me to go for the swift as they have faced a lot of after sale trouble and shortage of spare parts. And another important issue with the Palio is resale. If you love the Palio so much you will be keeping the car in very good condition and when the time comes to sell the car you wil

  6. on 13 Jul, 2008 at 04:08 PM Rksarma

    This is precisely the kind of comparison I was looking for. Very useful indeed ! Thanks.

    R.K.Sarma

  7. on 15 Jul, 2008 at 08:55 PM Rajeev Ms (Chennai)

    When I finally decided to go for a Diesel car, these were the two from which I had to choose. Now after reading your article, Samraat, its crystal clear. Thanks

  8. on 13 Aug, 2008 at 11:04 PM Rishi

    go for fiat palio diesel only.if u hv palio just see ur back seat its nothing just a piece of a foam.just check the doors palio doors r heavier than swift.just see the quality of the dash board.fiat is again great.weight of swift is more just coz os height n width. very low grade material is used.n on indian roads heavy traffic u need a strong car.n maruti can never make strong cars like tata.palio is stronger than fiat.now its on u uneed good interiors or safty?????choice is urs

  9. on 19 Aug, 2008 at 10:05 AM Smaraat (Mumbai)

    Rishi you are right Palio has got a stronger body than the Swift. But if safety is ones priority then he or she should go for the Fabia which offers a lot of safety options but at a cost.

  10. on 20 Aug, 2008 at 02:06 PM Rens (Bangalore)

    Sorry to say, this is not a review of Palio SDX, instead a compariosn (biased) with Swift. Is it a kind of Advertisement??

  11. on 20 Aug, 2008 at 03:43 PM Smaraat (Mumbai)

    I know it is not a review on Palio that is why I have given it a heading (Fiat Palio or Maruti Swift which one to buy). Please this is not a advertisement think about it because Maruti does not need to advertise in such a manner as Fiat Palio not going to take a big slice of the market share but Fiat Punto will be another ball game and Maruti better be prepared for the Punto.

  12. on 21 Aug, 2008 at 12:58 AM Aushdeep

    Well I after having driven both for long disagree on plenty of points. Handling well this is one section in which even the industry greats rate the Palio far above the competition. This car handles very well at all speeds and has amazing cornering capabilities. Fuel Efficiency , none differs surprising how you could compare the FE in test drive. I have driven both cars and the FE is almost the same infact the MJD gives better on highways. Lastly Palio comes with a 150000 Km and swift with 60000

  13. on 21 Aug, 2008 at 01:02 AM Aushdeep

    Palio is better with tall gear ratios and feels better powered whereas at low speeds and at less RPM Swift feels grossly underpowered. No doubt the Early turbo lag at 1700RPM makes swift much faster in 0-100 but the Palio has a more linear delivery of power and Turbo comes in at 2200 RPM making it more smoother to drive at all speeds

  14. on 21 Aug, 2008 at 05:49 PM Smaraat (Mumbai)

    I drove both the cars and I felt that in city conditions the swift is a much better car to drive, as I could cut across traffic easily and I enjoyed driving the swift as it was responding better than the Palio.

  15. on 21 Aug, 2008 at 05:49 PM Smaraat (Mumbai)

    I drove both the cars and I felt that in city conditions the swift is a much better car to drive, as I could cut across traffic easily and I enjoyed driving the swift as it was responding better than the Palio.

  16. on 21 Aug, 2008 at 05:49 PM Smaraat (Mumbai)

    The FE that I was talking about was based on my friend’s car and some of the magazines I had read. I never said Palio returns horrible mileage I only wanted to put across that the swift returns better KPL than the Palio even though they share the same engine.

  17. on 23 Aug, 2008 at 09:39 PM R.Elango (Chennai)

    A context live machine programme is very good.Everyone whenever like what to do in your motion of mind.Buy this car in your future guide by some important person to noted this car No. 00T after this special number in my future life.
    Thanks a lot.
    Alfred noble a scientist gives do in my life to particulary a car.Wishes many more same as well as even more gift to you a nice car.
    Thanks.
    R.ELANGO

  18. on 23 Sep, 2008 at 05:15 PM Ankymalhotra

    Hi Friends,
    Wht i have learned from the above point is must people is confused tht why and how the same engine is giving different powers to the two cars. Being an automobile engg. i can tell u tht maruti gives more stress on mileage by doing some changes in the engine, where as the fiat stress is more on the engine overall performance. When engines are fine tunned to get millage then it will be wornout soon as compare to others.

  19. on 23 Sep, 2008 at 05:15 PM Ankymalhotra

    Hi Friends,
    Wht i have learned from the above point is must people is confused tht why and how the same engine is giving different powers to the two cars. Being an automobile engg. i can tell u tht maruti gives more stress on mileage by doing some changes in the engine, where as the fiat stress is more on the engine overall performance. When engines are fine tunned to get millage then it will be wornout soon as compare to others.

  20. on 28 Sep, 2008 at 02:23 AM Deboo Jose (Mumbai)

    Swift has good mileage but only in first few thousand kms, while it is exactly opposite in Palio.

    if you are buying car for resale or just for those days in a year when your car is under service, please stop thinking about palio. You better go for any Maruti toy, it will do.

    I have test driven both the vehicles multiple times, have also booked and cancelled both of them once (of-course I lost good money in that).

    My target is 80k kms and now I will follow my heart, and that is Palio.

  21. on 29 Oct, 2008 at 02:18 PM Akash (Gurgaon)

    i have a palio sdx, 14000 km done....not even a puncture.... there is no comparison with the swift....if u want to buy the best car..buy the palio....if u want to buy the most convenient car...buy the swift...

  22. on 09 Nov, 2008 at 11:05 PM Abhishek (Noida)

    I cant say about the comparision but one buys Palio not for comfort
    its a dream car
    yes mileage is low ,dashboard is old ,swift might be good car ...but.
    I will only say one thing if have passion for cars & dreams of a sports car but cant buy one
    just close ur eyes go to the dealer bring a palio home .
    hold the steering put the gear & fly
    My friend had a palio & in coll(2 years back)
    we used to fly on that .
    Now I can afford a my dream
    get prepared

  23. on 25 Feb, 2009 at 05:50 PM D John Dheepak (Chennai)

    Its time for me to go from Vespa to a new car, telling about Vespa a Italian vehicle I paid nearly double the amount to get Vespa some 10years ago Just to feel the gliding ride and mesmerising the pillion riders by way of comfort. i knew it had costed me much and kmpl is also low. But i wanted the comfort and safety. even when iam boosed it took me to my home with safety, it is true. now a mechanic asked the scooter for 4000rs and i shouted at him this is not for sale and it is more than many th

  24. on 26 Feb, 2009 at 10:58 AM Smaraat (Mumbai)

    Vespa (great), but does that mean all Italian cars & bikes are great, I guess not. Ask any Italian who knows a bit about cars and 9/10 people will say they would prefer to buy some other hatch, but this is what the Italian’s think if Palio has been your dream car then go in for a test drive & if you feel good about it then buy the car. Coz according to me one should not compare his dream car with the competition. But if you r buying the Palio bcoz of ur experience with the Vespa then wake up.

  25. on 28 Feb, 2009 at 01:39 AM Cecil_Inn

    Lio(chennai) I notice that Swift will be of good values for value after 5 years than Palio. To narrate this, I was looking for a used palio diesel. I took a test drive of 2001 ELx 1.9.clocked 69000 kms. Beleive me, the suspension, pick-up, drive comfort and sturdyness was the same compared to Palio SDX. Ofcourse engine was noisy but still the AC was very effective. My point is, difintely a swfit will not be as good as palio even after 3 years
    /30000kms. Now I almost made 4 Fiat Palio Sdx

  26. on 03 Mar, 2009 at 10:40 AM Smaraat (Mumbai)

    Hi I suggest if u can wait for 6 months I am sure u will love the Fiat Punto.

  27. on 22 Mar, 2009 at 05:30 PM Shajinair (Pallakad)

    I'm a proud owner of FIAT Palio Stile 1.6 Sport and I'm absolutely happy with its great appearance, excellent power, smooth running, sturdyness, inside space and driving pleasure. I bought this vehicle fully knowing its pros & cons and I never ever wish to compare my vehicle with any other vehicles. What I have is the best for me is my principle.

  28. on 04 Jun, 2009 at 09:46 AM Satya Phani (Pune)

    hey kids there is no such comarision posible between these two, i own SDX diesel clocked 25K in the first year, had long drives of 950Km at a strech for 7 times (as i stay in pune and am from AP) and infact i learnt driving on this new vehicle. I never felt Palio is missing something other that the dirty dash and the visibility to door metals. It has constantly returned me 21KMPL and finally palio is for retainers and swift for Resellers.

  29. on 17 Jun, 2009 at 01:17 PM Ksn Rao (Hyderabad)

    Well said by Satya Phani, Those who want or love peformance should go for palio and those who wants to buy a car just for reselling it again should go for any other car.
    Just see the logic, Palio model from fiat and swift model from maruti are using engines made from FIAT. So you could only decide whether you would buy a original copy or an Xerox version.

  30. on 27 Jun, 2009 at 09:33 AM Mj Pop (Michael .J.Jackson)

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  31. on 02 Nov, 2009 at 08:29 PM Shailesh Hemant Patole (Bhopal)

    If engine of both the cars are same body of fiat is stronger than why Maruti gets higher resell......Is it the fact that Maruti name works....

  32. on 02 Nov, 2009 at 08:32 PM Shailesh Hemant Patole (Bhopal)

    If engine of both the cars are same body of fiat is stronger than why Maruti gets higher resell......Is it the fact that Maruti name works....

  33. on 02 Nov, 2009 at 08:33 PM Shailesh Hemant Patole (Bhopal)

    If engine of both the cars are same body of fiat is stronger than why Maruti gets higher resell......Is it the fact that Maruti name works....

  34. on 03 Nov, 2009 at 10:33 AM Smaraat (Mumbai)

    That is very true...

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