My Blakk Styil

I started my research for a new car in the net, googled for a better car, bigger engine, higher HP. It went on like a hobby for quite some time, day and night surfing for Car details, reading all possible magazines in the shops, looking for My Dream Car. With a limited budget to spare, it was not that easy. Bigger engines with higher Horse Power went beyond my budget. Popular models with lower HP never enter my mind. After about 6, 7 months of research, I discovered Fiat Palio Stile 1.6 Sport falling within my budget, target, reach and taste. It is a shame, no one highlights the goodies of this car in the magazines or net. The power and the cheaper price tag it carries were not at all an attractive factor for all auto gurus. Rather web blogs and car magazines bluntly say - it gives poor mileage (I wonder, what is poor mileage when Hondas, Hundai 100HP range give below 9KM mileage and no one bothers), dated dash board and interiors, A/C controls of Borris Becker’s time.. etc. etc... Web blogs still wrote - Strong body (some people call it tank like built.. don’t know what it means because I haven’t seen a tank or sat in a tank), reliable and powerful, poor dealer treatment, no easily available spares and services, drunkard, Italian Beauty etc... etc... Mixed, varied comments with more negatives and few positives; Highlighted Negatives and Low- gear Positives. Against all these odds I hold my breath and kept my decision to go for this Italian Beauty. When ever I read in the net “hindustan me kewal maruti ka naam chalta hai baaki sab bakwaas hai” I imagine a peasant looking North Indian, mouth filled with pan-parag spitting saliva on the wall or any where and uttering these comments – real bakwaas talking about cars… I bought Palio Stile 1.6 Sport on 17th June 2009. So far I have driven 530 KMs. Wonder ful to drive. Very good handling in high speeds.It can easily drive around 80 – 100 Km/H within the RPM range of 2000 – 3000. Vow.. fun driving this car. So far I have tried maximum 100 km/h in NH47 Palakad - Trissur high way and also Pollachi - Coimbatore State high way and I felt so safe and confident in that speed. Within the RPM range of 2000 – 3000 i was able to drive around 80 – 100 Km/H. Vow.. fun driving this car. I got 50 thousand discount from Tafe Coimbatore. On road price came around 4.42 Lakhs. Spend around 35thoudand rupees for audio, window films and seat cover. Blaupunkt Hamburg MP57 is good for hands-free mobile connectivity. Colour of the car? I prefer furnace red or cheery red but 1.6 Sport comes in Ferrari red. Don't like it. So settled for Black. It looks very elegant in BLACK. I Christened it 'Blakk Styil'.
Update on August 30, 2009: I have driven 4265 KM now (75 days I own the car) no issues at all. Fine and excellent to drive. Once I touched top-speed of 140 KM/H in the Madurai - Nagercoil Highway. Driving in 80 - 120 KM/H range is normal.  The mileage never went below 12.5. Crossed 8000 KM. After 2nd service I get mileage 14 in highway driving (full time A/C)

Update on January 20, 2010: I have crossed 11,500 KM now. After the second service there was a leak near clutch pedal. It was repaired under warranty. Same excellent driving experience. One moron mini-lorry hit me in the back bumper.  I hit a dog and the front bumper was damaged.

Mileage remains the same as ever before at 12.5. Now I started to fill the tank calculating the distance divided by 12.5 KM/L.

I am really happy about my choice. Sometimes some silly alto, swift etc come to compete with me when I drive slowly in 60- 70 Km/H speed. I just press the accelerator and hit the century and the cars vanish behind.  ha..ha...ha...aa

Photos