[shankar.balan]

Palio's further re-sale values are usually poor.
Fusion - may be slightly better

For weekend-ing etc, I would choose Fusion over Palio on account of its space/ station wagon feel/ high Ground clearance and the fact that it is newer tech than the Palio. Not to mention Fusion petrol FE will almost certainly be better than Palio GTX. Also Ford service is marginally better than Fiat.

[Live To Jive]

Actually a good friend of mine owns a Fusion and I've driven it many times. I find it like a SUV. A bit too high. I has shortlisted a number of cars (See my thread). A few people suggested the Palio so I started searching Palio threads and found this one. I'm not the SUV type so I rule out the Fusion. It will be a good choice for someone who likes SUV's but can't afford the high prices.

[Glifford]

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

I'm quite surprised the Palio 1.6 gives good milege.

Expect anywhere between 9 and 10 in pure city (Goa should be much better). And anything 13+ on highway in a well maintained car.

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

I'm looking for a car to use on weekends just for fun. Should I consider a second hand Palio 1.6? The prices look tempting.

Yes of course! Resale values are a lot lower in resale. Just look hard and find a lovingly cared for car. Performance cars tend to be abused more. If you get a good one, pick it up. You will love it!

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Palio's further re-sale values are usually poor.
Fusion - may be slightly better

For weekend-ing etc, I would choose Fusion over Palio on account of its space/ station wagon feel/ high Ground clearance and the fact that it is newer tech than the Palio. Not to mention Fusion petrol FE will almost certainly be better than Palio GTX. Also Ford service is marginally better than Fiat.

Agree with your points, that's why I picked up a Fusion.

But then I do miss the seductive Italian lines, double barrel headlamps, reverse sleeve under the gear knob, zero blower AC etc. that would have been there on the Palio.

[jagan0677]

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

I'm quite surprised the Palio 1.6 gives good milege. I'm looking for a car to use on weekends just for fun. Should I consider a second hand Palio 1.6? The prices look tempting.

A well maintained 1.6 is capable of giving you abt 11+ almost all the time. 1-2 more on pure highway runs. But your requirement list shouts out loud PALIO 1.6!! Just find someone to blame, if you end up using the 1.6 as a regular drive.

Ya. A well-cared for 1.6 would be hard to find, and even more harder to convince the owner to give it away, sadly!

Cheers,
Jagan.

[Glifford]

Originally Posted by jagan0677

Ya. A well-cared for 1.6 would be hard to find, and even more harder to convince the owner to give it away, sadly!

When I eventually found one, the owner changed his mind before I could even quote a figure!

I hope you know whom I am talking about!

[Glifford]

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

Actually a good friend of mine owns a Fusion and I've driven it many times. I find it like a SUV. A bit too high.

The fact is the Fusion is shorter than many Tall Boys are, including the Santro and WagonR. And you will not believe it, it's even shorter than your Swift . The space above the head (which is wasted in most tall boys) is put to good use by raising the seats to give a commanding view of the road.

They are not so high that you need to climb into them (like in an SUV) or so low that you need to crouch to get in (conventional car). You just walk into them

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

I has shortlisted a number of cars (See my thread). A few people suggested the Palio so I started searching Palio threads and found this one. I'm not the SUV type so I rule out the Fusion. It will be a good choice for someone who likes SUV's but can't afford the high prices.

I second the Palio suggestion and any car lover must own one for some point of time at least. It becomes a benchmark other cars have been trying hard to match.

As for the Fusion, well although it looks like an SUV, it is not. It is a small station wagon or big hatch not much longer in dimensions than most cars, but yet intelligently designed with cubic spaces offering maximum space.

The petrol has a powerful and peppy engine that is surprisingly efficient too (always achieved over 10 kmpl in the city). It is a great handler and a lovely steering, making it a great enthusiast's car.

The ground clearance and space it offers is a bonus for Indian conditions.

[Live To Jive]

Originally Posted by Glifford

As for the Fusion, well although it looks like an SUV, it is not. It is a small station wagon or big hatch not much longer in dimensions than most cars, but yet intelligently designed with cubic spaces offering maximum space.

The petrol has a powerful and peppy engine that is surprisingly efficient too (always achieved over 10 kmpl in the city). It is a great handler and a lovely steering, making it a great enthusiast's car.

The ground clearance and space it offers is a bonus for Indian conditions.

No offence meant but I just didn't like the Fusion. The Ikon and Fiesta are better looking cars. And somehow Ford's A.S.S. is not the best (at least in Goa).

[Glifford]

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

No offence meant but I just didn't like the Fusion. The Ikon and Fiesta are better looking cars. And somehow Ford's A.S.S. is not the best (at least in Goa).

No offence taken! Looks are a personal choice anyway! And that's why I seconded the Palio suggestion. And yes, an equivalent Palio will cost a lakh less than a Fusion used.

And agree about Ford service in general, but the are options like FIAT/Tata and HM/Mitsu better in comparison?

[jagan0677]

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

I'm quite surprised the Palio 1.6 gives good mileage. I'm looking for a car to use on weekends just for fun. Should I consider a second hand Palio 1.6? The prices look tempting.

Haven't really been monitoring mileage for a long time. Partly since I am kind of confident of the figures the care normally returns. And partly because there was some problem with the odo for a couple of tankfuls.

Last tank I was able to check. 460 kms on about 37 ltrs of Shell Normal.
At least 60% driven in city. Full AC. A couple of Italian tune-ups a month!
Plus, the car's not been really in top notch the last couple of months. Some maintenance in terms of air filter, plugs, injector cleaning a bit overdue. Hopefully will get to complete it by this month-end. Bottomline - the 1.6 has never really disappointed me on mileage! Thats over abt 35000 kms.

Originally Posted by Glifford

When I eventually found one, the owner changed his mind before I could even quote a figure!

I hope you know whom I am talking about!

I will take that as a compliment. And I am also happy that - the day hasnt yet arrived when I will regret not giving away the car!

[Glifford]

Originally Posted by jagan0677

I will take that as a compliment. And I am also happy that - the day hasnt yet arrived when I will regret not giving away the car!

Sure was a big compliment! I was happy seeing owners not willing to sell their cars as a testimony for their qualities against the badmouthing you hear from everyone else

[jagan0677]

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

Actually a good friend of mine owns a Fusion and I've driven it many times. I find it like a SUV. A bit too high.

Thats really surprising. A friend of mine has been using the Fusion for quite sometime now. And his wife has absolutely no issues driving the car. To put it better, she actually likes the car a lot.

Well, you also say you have driven it a few times. So I am not sure, what to make of that statement.

[Glifford]

Originally Posted by jagan0677

Thats really surprising. A friend of mine has been using the Fusion for quite sometime now. And his wife has absolutely no issues driving the car. To put it better, she actually likes the car a lot.

Well, you also say you have driven it a few times. So I am not sure, what to make of that statement.

Well being a Fusion owner myself, I must admit that the car is harder to drive (in a nice way for an enthusiast) as compared to an equivalent or lower segment Maruti or Hyundai.

The steering and clutch are noticeably harder often annoying the driver of the above mentioned cars. Questions like "Does it have Power Steering?" pop up. The clutch release takes some mastering and even an experienced driver can end up with engine stalls the first couple of km.

But that said, the (Hydraulic Power) steering has an excellent feel (as in a FIAT) and gives excellent feedback of the road surface. As I often say:

you can tell whether you are parking on concrete, tarmac or loose gravel or sand by the feel on your finger tips eyes closed

It is weighted for a sporty feel and does not have the hot knife thru' butter feeling of an aggressive EPS like even larger cars like the Scorpio has.

My (female) cousin who has otherwise driven Scorpios and Boleros found the Fusion a bit hard to begin with. Have heard on the Fusion group how a hired driver complained that this vehicle is harder to steer as compared to an Innova.

Hence it does take some getting used to. Even the suspension is set harder, which means poor city ride, but then allows amazing cornering and great highway abilities.

Of course I guess Jive's issues were more with the looks than with the feel. He finds it too boxy, which it sure is.