Fiat Palio NV [2005-2007] User Reviews

excellent car to own,has the best ac in its class ,very good ride and handling.Surely the italians know how to make a car worthy of its price unlike others who are just fooling people by selling mere tin boxes of obsulete technology.It gives u the feeling of being in control when on the roadgreat styling,excellent ride and handling,best ac in its classbad resale value

I have owned the car for close to 3 years now. A great car at a great price. Why the hell do people buy tin boxes from Maruti. Or the diesel junk from Tata. Italians know how to style and how to make their cars a drivers pleasure. The ad saying "Not Drivers, only Lovers" is very true. People say low milage. What the heck.. is 12kmpl in Bangalore city supposed to be low? If yes, then buy a bike or a 800. Buying this is like starting a lifetime relationship. Many components inside the car are shared from other FIAT brands such as Lancia and Alfa Romeo. Quality wise no issues faced. I have driven 30000kms and have not spent on anything other than regular service/oil change. Go for it, you will not regret. The 1.6 is even better (But a little less on FE)Great build, good ride( Handles city potholes and highways well), decent FELack cubby holes, slightly harder clutch

I am Palio 1.2 ELX owner for 5 years now. Other than regular maintenance and fueling it is really trouble free car. My writting to the readers is the way I show the gratitude for the team which built it. Today I am enjoying the sturdy, safe, streamlined shape car with TATA maintenance network across the country. What more I could ask for from the car. When I made this choice between Tata Indica Diesel Vs Palio 1.2 Petrol on 2003 it was high risk- high reward proposition. Now I am at the high reward side of the pie and I am sharing the same to you.

My selection Criteria were :-
1) The car should be with in my budget - around 4~5 lacs
2) The car should have good streamlined look and wider than maruthi cars
3) May be this car I want to own for life time ! :-) true - I thought that way
4) While Driving feel safe in my car when I accelerate ( good road grip) and do braking for safety
5) My car will be used inter city travel and should be suitable for long drive
6) My car should beat the macho looking vehicles (TATA SUMO / Scarpio) on the road especially on hilly drives.
7) My car should be in petrol and give 15 mile per liter on high way
8) My car should start after I park my vehicle couple of months  when I will be away from home.
9) My car drive should feel smooth on the rough road drive
10) The AC should be quick and should not be felt on the engine at any speed
 
My realizations are :-
1) My Palio ELX 1.2 costed 4.5 lacs with accessories
2) Palio Petrol is the car which was designed originally from the scratch not built on previous frames. So you see it as a place for every thing and everything in its place.The curve of the vehicle at every axis is wonderful. I am not ashamed to call it as my girl.
3)I am not thinking of selling as of now. Lifetime ownership goes moment by moment. Loves might understand what I say :-)
4)The car is very stable and I was saved during many unavoidable risky situations on road by the excellent breaking.
5 & 6) Weekly I drove car from Bangalore to Trichy (6 Hrs Drive - one way) through Krishnag
ri hills and beating all scarpio's every time. My friends say I got the ferrari engine - it responds my gentle demands with Fury !
7) My car gives 13 ~ 13.5 mile per litter. It is my choice for silent, vibration free interior and all my friends who bought INDICA diesel during 2003 are not owning them any more.
8) I deactivated the alarm system because it had caused the battery drain. Now no issue on starting.
9) On rough road it is having good suspension but I have the feeling of driving mini SUV
10) AC is quick and never felt its load on the engine at any speed ( 72 BHP - microprocessor controlled - integrated to ignition engine is my lovely compact power)

I have shared my experience - Now what are you going to do?
I want Palio 1.2 ELX should be available to you too !

J Sahayaraja,Bangalore

Good Style, Road Safety, Responsive Engineback seat less spacious, moderate fuel efficieny in city drive

Hi all, I have purchase PALIO 1.2 ELX (Fully loaded with wood console) on 25th Sep from Hind Motors, Chandigarh and so far I have done 3500Km...In Hilly roads of Himachal ..long drives with family... Trust me..It's a car made for family and you can completley count on it.. Very comfortable, safe, great handling, spacious and great looks.. So far it has returned fuel average of about 14KMPL.. which in my opinion will improve further after second service. So, it seems OK... Moreover the dealer back up is great..very friendly people there and will attend to you immediately.. Overall.. I am very much satisfied..with the car and service... What else you want in retuen of just 3.60Lacs Rupees... So go and pick yours too..Great looks, Safe, Spacious and Road HandlingBad name for no reason..

I own a Palio 1.2 NV ELX bought in 2004. My hats off to the FIAT people for making such a wonderful car. I have driven 42,000 km till now but the car still seems new. No sounds & rattles have emanated from the body. I get a FE of 15 kmpl on highway and 10 kmpl in city (with AC on). I cannot find a single fault with the car except the ORVMs. Driving experience is simply exhilarating. Although the maintenance costs are very low, yet the lack of servicing & spares availability keeps nagging me at the back of my mind, which doesn’t let me enjoy the driving "nirvana" to its fullest.

My silencer pipe was recently damaged beyond repair, due to driving in bad roads. I searched the FIAT website to locate the nearest Service Centre and was surprised to find that the service centers in West Bengal are located in KOLKATA only, which is about 700 KMs from my place. I was more surprised to hear from the Kolkata service centers that they did not have the parts I needed. Ultimately I procured the parts from GUWAHATI after much anxiety and delay with increased costs.

Had FIAT kept its date with the servicing needs of its customers, I would have gone for FIAT produced cars over and over again because I believe “FIAT makes cars with its Heart”. But I still love my Palio.Fantastic allrounderServicing & spares unavailable,

I bought a Fiat Palio NV sports in 2003. It is still sparkling clean, maintains the power and  hardly 25000 Kms driven as I dont stay in the country, except during holidays.

I love my car and it has given me the least of problems so far, in fact none at all, except the normal servicing needs. So Fiat has delivered in its promise for "Least maintenance".

It's real value for money and all the comforts comes along in this model. Powered steering, windows to name some. You would have to pay extra for it in any other makes.

The only problem is the AC in this car, which is not very effective and a  real irritation when you are in city roads as it churns up all the power. On the mileage issue, I think if we can do 12 Kms on a 1.2 engine, it's good enough, 15 is excellent though.  I do manage to get 12 in city roads with 50% AC on.

The spares issue is a real headche and this is what stops many people from buying the car of any Fiat make. The after sales seriouly needs improvement. The tie up with Tata hopefully, would have reduced the problem to a large extent, I believe. Fiat should really think about improving after sales service in all states on India.

Even after all the issues, I love my car and long to drive it again and again. It's always a joyride....I am happy I own a Fiat palio NV Sports.

Excellent style, Good handling, Power, Good heaterAC Churns up power while in city, spares accesibility.

 

I purchased an old Fiat Palio Elx 1.2 model in Nov 2008, Originally model is of Nov 2002.
The advantage I got was that It has LPG kit already installed before buying by me. As the mileage of fiat palio is 7/8 per liter, so it is affordable to use LPG fuel instead of petrol.

I got the LPG kit serviced by a good mechanic, so I am getting power more than petrol when AC is off. In case of AC on, power got by LPG is less than petrol. So palio will run on LPG comfortably if Kit is installed or serviced properly by good mechanic.

After driving fiat palio, I came to know the difference between the normal build car like Wegon-R, Santro, I-10 etc and Rock Solid Fiat Palio. When you sit inside, you feel you are driving a big and solid sedan, all together different from Wegon-R, Santro, I-10 etc. Fiat Palio is Rock solid, Spacious and Powerful.

So if you want to purchase an old solid car, then go for it. But do not purchase car older than 6-7 years. As palio is solid car, so there will be no problem related to engine and other mechanical parts but other parts like power window, silencer, head lights may need to change and these are costly parts.

Please do good bargain as palio has very low resale value and use the saved bargained money for making the car like new. Try to purchase palio from branded old car company like "Mahindra First Choice" etc. You will get peace of mind.

Service of this car may be issue but there are two big service centers for fiat palio (1) Tata service center (2) Bosch service center. Bosch is a good international service center, you can get good service and part change.
Tata service is well known :(. They try to avoid part change because of hard availability, but if you go to tata service center, insist for required part change along with normal service. Without fight no one will hear you in tata service center. Just provide advance money for any new part, they have to arrange original fiat part in one or two weeks.

Final Words My next car will be new and will be as solid and specious as Fiat Palio is. I wish this car (Palio) may last very long. This car is not for them who get easily frustated. As its spares  are not easily avialable and most of mechenics refuse to repair it  as due to its sturdy design it require more effort than a maruti. So try to go for service to Bosch or Tata.

 

Rock solid, spacious and powerfulLow Mileage, High Turning radius

Exterior

It's a masterpiece! View it from any angle, you can't resist to admire it. Looks best in Quick Silver, Ferrari Red or Carbon Black along with alloy wheels and rear spoiler. The best part is that it's a pretty old design but still carries itself well, without an "inferiority complex". It still can be rated as a better design than many of the new cars coming up these days.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

It has got almost everything imaginable that a car in its segment and price could have. It is very spacious; I cannot remember one time when a person who was sitting in a Palio for the first time didn't use the phrase "Wow! It is quite a spacious car!", and then follows their wandering eyes admiring the beauty of the interiors. Comparing to the market that we have in 2010, it may be a little "out-dated" design, but it never is a shame because it is one of the best in its class from the era that it belongs to.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

I have done 70,000+ kms with my car since I bought it in July 2004 and I would say that I have enjoyed every bit of it. It has been a pleasure owning this car. Whether it be the regular city driving, the highways or the 10,500+ feet highs of the Himalayas, the Palio "has been doing exactly what it's supposed to do when out on the roads!".

If you do not know how to handle to car's powerful engine then you might as well get a fuel economy of 6 - 7 litres in severe traffic conditions. But if you know exactly how to use the clutch and the accelerator together, then it won't ever fall below 9 - 10 (yes, even 10 is pretty low, but if you know the traffic in Gurgaon, that's still pretty decent). In normal (city) driving conditions it comes to around 12 - 13.5. On the highways it's normally 14 - 15+ if you are treating it well.

The gearbox is pretty smooth, however, the clutch sometimes feels like a drag (yeap, when stuck in a traffic jam and never being able to go beyond 2nd gear!).

Ride Quality & Handling

Ride and handling is just amazing! It gives you an amazing stability, and when on the highway, you'd feel in "safe hands". If any of you are familiar with the DND (Delhi Noida Direct) Flyway, I have done 80 kms/h (at past-midnight, when the traffic is minimal; still staying in limits :D) at the 2nd exit (the one that does almost 360 degrees) on the Noida side. I felt like I could still go more, but I just didn't want to push my luck with the unexpected, unaware traffic! PS: Please do not attempt this unless you are a well-trained driver; and especially not with your tall-boys or other unstable cars. I am an expert and experienced driver.

Final Words

Like many others have been saying: Drive it to believe it. Or even better: Own it and fall in love with it. 😇 You would be thankful you bought it, if you did (this is not true with Palio Stile 1.1 though; I don't really know the car but I wasn't impressed with the half-hearted single test-drive that I took), and you would never regret it!

I'm thankful to my brother's friend who advised us "It never costs to test-drive it! Please just go and have a look, don't buy it if you don't like it!", when he heard that we had "almost" finalized another car, which today I consider as a piece of crap! The Palio was finalized the moment we sat in it and I drove out of the showroom for the test-drive...

Areas of improvement  

The clutch is a bit too hard; enough to ruin the fun when in heavy traffic conditions. The suspension could have been quieter, however, it is amazing with the work that it has been designed to do. Service centers need to be better (not infrastructure or manpower wise) but their attitude towards serving the customers. But I am guessing it is the case with almost every company's service centers (I don't really know because I have just been to Maruti and Hyundai besides Tata-Fiat and they were not any better either).

 

Good looks, spacious, handling, power, stability, reliabilityDeserves better service providers, spares a little too dear, hard clutch, noisy suspension

I went for FIAT , because i knew i wanted a car for atleast 8 years. This is my 5th year & BOY......O BOY......., its a great car. I have not spent single rupee excpet reguler servicing & oil changing. While buying the car I compered with many other car in simmiler price range & I found Palio value for money. Infact I found it cheaper then ZEN,SANTRO & WEGON R. It had all the featurs & comfert.

I get 16 Km p/ltr on Highway & 8.5 Km in City. I am happy with it....This is with the AC on, as have never driven without an AC.

while driving I have simmiler feeling of BIG car , & way ahead of the cars mentioned above. Other cars feels PLASTIC while this one is a great fun to drive. I never felt tired on long drive. The only thing I dont like is the turning redious is too low & in Palio NV , Fiat never botherd to adjust the height of Handrest & Side mirror to the raised seat. This was very stupid of a company like FIAT. This shows that ,why such a great car is not been able to get its due. It seems they always had LAZY people working on IN INDIA. WHo could not justify the great work.

But I certainlty do not mind this any more & enjoy every bit of my car. Just hope that NOW FIAT with there new partner TATA appoint some sensible people at the TOP & at different level to take care of these basic problems.

I have not tried New STILE , but hope they have rectified all these small problems. If they have not then its a serious issue....

I am a FIAT guy & awaiting all the new cars from their stable & lookforward to buy LINEA......

Hope many will agree with me here. Do write back your views to my e mail satishmaster001@gmail.com

Its fully loaded great car & value for money. Much bigger then the class & certainly different.Turning redious too less, & feels low in power on Highway overtaking