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The Hindu
Ouseph Chacko drives the Palio, Swift and Indica DiCOR and gives his verdict
Step into the Indica and you'll like the wide-opening doors and the high seats. But the driving position is uncomfortable - the high-set steering wheel and the almost-vertical pedals make any long drive uncomfortable. The uneven gaps in t he dashboard panels are still an eyesore and the hard-wearing plastics make this cabin feel really cheap. The high dashboard makes it a bit difficult for shorter drivers to see the road ahead and the ergonomics are a bit off. There's some cost-cutting too " the rear view mirror is not the anti-glare type. From the driver's seat, the Indica is a disappointment.
Not so in the Swift. The dashboard design is modern and the plastics and front seats are the best in this class. The only bit we don't like about the Swift is the completely black dashboard, which makes it seem a tad gloomy.
In contrast to the Swift is the Palio, with four different shades on the dashboard. The old Palio's dashboard has been carried over, and it looks dated. The air-con still uses slider controls for the blower speed and fresh air mode. You sit relatively lower in the Palio, but visibility is not bad. The driving position is comfy, and the Palio's seats are almost as good as the Swift's. The Palio also has a dead pedal, which gives the car a slight edge over the Swift. You'll like the Palio's 'built-from-a-block-of steel' feel - something its two rivals fail to exude. None of the cars offer seat height adjustment or steering angle adjust.
Space and Practicality
We like the Swift's front seats but the rear seats feel a little claustrophobic, largely due to the small windows, the thick C-pillar and the black upholstery. The small windows and thick pillars also limit rearward visibility.
The Swift is the only one to provide the rear passengers with magazine pockets behind the front seats. What disappoints is the relatively small 232-litre boot and the omission of a parcel shelf. The rear seats fold forward, but don't split.
The Indica has the most flexible boot here. The rear seats split and fold, augmenting the puny 220-litre boot. Rear passengers in the Indica are quite comfy, the seats are adequately supportive and the high seating position and the big glass area make it feel spacious. Where the Indica disappoints is the lack of useful storage space. There is a cubbyhole under the steering column, but it is hard to reach on the move and the door pockets are too slim to hold anything beyond road maps.
The Palio is better. There are two open compartments above the glovebox, but that's about it. It has the least headroom of this group, but thanks to the low-set seats, this isn't a big problem. The front seat travel is good and finding a comfortable position is easy. Ergonomics are slightly off, with the rear power window switches placed low ahead of the gearlever, but this isn't too bad. The Palio has the biggest boot of this trio and as an added bonus, it is well shaped, so big boxes fit inside neatly. The seat folds over twice to make a flat loading space, but don't split.
The Palio also has a unique feature - a solid metal panel behind the rear seats to prevent any luggage intrusion in the event of an accident.
What are they like to drive?
The Swift and the Palio share the same engine. The Multi-jet, despite being a Fiat engine, seems to work better in the Maruti thanks to the different gear ratios and tweaks to the engine control unit. Maruti's focus on responsiveness has made the Swift the nicest to drive in the city.
The Palio is not as responsive. This means a few more gearshifts in the city. However, once past 2000rpm, it pulls forward strongly and power doesn't tail off till around 4000rpm. The test car we had didn't have the engine control unit upgrade that takes care of this problem, so we expect an improvement here. Take it out on the highway, and you'll find that maintaining three-digit speeds is not a problem. Keep the engine revving above 2000rpm, and overtaking is a breeze too.
Which brings us to the Indica DiCOR. The diesel Indica was never known for its power or responsiveness, so this DiCOR version comes as a breath of fresh air. It responds smartly to throttle inputs and in the city, third gear suffices for most situations, which is a good thing as the rubbery gearshift quality still leaves a lot to be desired. On the highway too, it never feels out of breath and overtaking manoeuvres don't require the level of planning that earlier diesel Indicas demanded.
As far as refinement is concerned, both the Palio and the Swift are quite refined, but the Fiat sounds slightly more gruff than the Swift but the Swift's stiff suspension is a bit more audible than the Palio's. Both are miles ahead of the Indica. The DiCOR engine is noisy at all times. A lot of road noise that enters the cabin too. Compounding this problem is the unrefined suspension.
Ride and handling
If you enjoy driving, the Swift is the car for you. The steering is quite accurate and the beautiful balance that comes with a car that has all its mass inside the wheelbase makes this the best-handling diesel hatchback in India. Our test car had wider tyres - we recommend you shift to wider tyres too, as the standard tyres run out of grip quite easily.
It is the same with the Palio. Go for the optional wider tyres. The Palio's steering is even better than the Swift's. The only problem is that the Palio doesn't feel as agile or as well balanced as the Swift.
The Indica cannot compare to either of these. The vague steering and the excessive body roll don't allow you to enjoy driving it hard. More important than the handling is the ride. The Indica's all-independent suspension should make it ride better than the non-independent rear setup of the Swift and the Palio. But the Indica jiggles over lumpy surfaces and never feels as settled as the other two. The ride improves as speeds increase, but it is never as good as the Swift or the Palio. Part of the blame lies with the standard tube-type tyres.
The Swift diesel rides better than its petrol sibling. This is thanks to the stiffer suspension to handle the extra weight of the diesel engine. The high-profile tyres also help absorb bumps better than the Indica.
The best ride award goes to the Palio. Yes, the low speed ride is a bit stiff but as you go faster, the refined suspension simply swallows road imperfections with almost-zero shock transfer to the cabin.
Buying and owning
At Rs 5.15 lakh, the Swift VDi is the most expensive. But you get power steering, front and rear power windows, an engine immobiliser and fog lamps. ABS is optional and costs Rs. 20,000 more. It is the most fuel-efficient car here (by a considerable margin) and with a two-year/40,000km warranty, the Swift makes quite a convincing case for itself. The car should hold its resale value well too.
The Palio won't hold resale values as well but, at Rs. 4.94 lakh, the top-end SDX is cheaper than the Swift. It has all the equipment the Swift has, plus a rear wiper. But ABS is not on the options list, neither are airbags. It comes with an 18-month/unlimited mileage warranty. Fiat service is improving, thanks to the Tata-Fiat alliance, and sales and service shouldn't be a problem either. But Palio repairs are pricey.
At Rs. 4.19 lakh, the Indica is the cheapest car by a huge margin but you know why the instant you step inside - it feels like a step down after the other two. The DiCOR is available only in the DLG variant and this means rear passengers don't get power windows.
Tata has a rather generous warranty, and the Indica's fuel efficiency is better than the Palio's. However, long-term reliability is still an issue with these cars.
Verdict
This is a family feud. The Palio and the Indica are sold under the same showroom roof, thanks to the Tata-Fiat alliance, while the Palio and the Swift share the same engine.
The Fiat Palio feels the toughest. It rides the best, the handling is above average, the face-lift has made it desirable again, and it now has a modern diesel under the hood. But sadly the interiors are dated, it is priced on the higher side and the fuel economy, though good, is the lowest of this trio. And we aren't sure about its resale values.
The Tata Indica doesn't hold its price well but the DiCOR engine has addressed the diesel Indica's biggest bugbear - its lethargy. This newfound performance is not at the cost of its fuel efficiency either. The cabin offers comfort and the Indica undercuts the Palio's price substantially, which means that Tata's diesel hatch is a better buy. The Indica however is let down by poor overall quality, which is clearly a step lower than the Palio and the Swift.
So, as an overall package, the Maruti Swift is still unbeatable. Yes, it is the most expensive and rear legroom is cramped but you are buying a truly modern diesel car. The interiors are the nicest, fuel efficiency the best, and it is a hoot to drive. And strong demand automatically means that residual values will be good too. No matter which way you look at it, the Swift is your best bet. It wins, yet again. |
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