Dispatches Do Brasil: No Way, It's The Palio Way!

by Marcelo de Vasconcellos

Updated: December 30th, 2014 Published: May 14th, 2014

dispatches do brasil no way it s the palio way

As I mentioned in my recent analysis of FCA’s plans for Brazil, Fiat is chugging along at almost full capacity and doesn’t really need new cars to compete here. However, that doesn’t mean they will quit fiddling with their product line. Behold the latest and greatest in South America: Fiat’s adventurous new Palio Fire Way!

According to Brazilian enthusiast site bestcars.com.br, the latest Fiat to sport the trappings of the very successful aventureiro idea is the the Palio Fire. Launched way back in 1996, the bonesof the car has remained untouched, while the front and back have been redesigned ( Giorgetto Giugiaro penned this version) and the mechanicals have been completely overhauled. With a ride height 15 mm taller than the regular version, what else does the new Palio offer consumers for the price of 27,860 reais (about 4,000 more than the regular)?

They get some “fancy” decals, plastic cladding on the wheel openings, plastic protection on the bottom of bumpers, plastic side mirror covers and plastic hubcaps. Lots of plastic. Besides that they get a tachometer and (very slightly) better seat fabrics and blacked out headlights.

The Palio Fire Way comes with the same equipment as the regular version, like the now mandatory dual frontal airbags and ABS, and – wait for it – internal manual controls for the side mirrors and clock. Air conditioning, power steering, windows and locks, alloy wheels, more airbags, really anything that’s worth having, is an option and costs high dollars to get.

The Palio Fire isn’t a complete crapcan. It actually gives you a soft, compliant ride, seating for five is tight but possible, the trunk will hold a week’s worth of groceries or the luggage of a small family on vacations. The 1.0 engine puts out 70-ish horses and sounds pretty good doing so and is responsive. Fuel economy is not bad.

Finally, Brazil is a very large country with miles of back roads, unpaved roads, broken roads. For those out in the country and who can’t pay for a pickup or need a car to take the family along, the extra height is quite useful. Even in Brazilian cities, some see benefits in the extra ride height as it helps in overcoming the numerous potholes, speed bumps, unbelievably deep gutters so prevalent in Brazilian cities.

This is the kind of car Brazilians can expect to see over the course of the next couple of years. Cars that been selling for more than a while and will continue to do so, aided by the cosmetic touches Fiat is so good at. Real new cars? You’ll have to wait until 2016.

#Brazil #Fca #Fiat #FiatPalio #FiatPalioFire

Marcelo de Vasconcellos

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7 of 25 comments

SCE to AUX on May 14, 2014

Seems not bad; I like the upright styling.

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Beerboy12 on May 14, 2014

This looks like the original Palio. The original was Fiat's first "world car" and a great little car. Fiat beefed up the suspension, built a stronger body and really focused on reliability and that... explains the success. This add was popular at the time ;-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SInkO3jC9fg

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- Beerboy12 on May 14, 2014
  
  OK search on you tube Fiat Palio cyclist advert, seems like my link was not accepted.
  
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- Marcelo de Vasconcellos on May 15, 2014
  
  Agree Beerboy, though it was a little different than that. The Palio was "the other world car" while the Punto was the "First World Car". Reasons for that were exactly what you mention. The Palio was always more robust, though less refined than the Punto. Its success owes to that plus, at least in Brazil, but I think most everywhere its offered is probably similar. It doesn't have the best fuel economy, but far from the worst. It's not the best riding or handling in the segment, but far from the worst. Its not the biggest or roomiest, but far from being excessively small or tight inside. In other words, though rarely at the top of any given category, it was never at the bottom or near the bottom. In other words a really well rounded out car for the segment. FWIW, the Palio made it into Europe much sooner than the Punto graced developing nations' streets. Be it in hatch, sedan, station wagon, pick up form, all were sold in Europe with varying degrees of success (built in Brazil and Argentina mostly, don't know if the Turkish Palio family made it to Europe). It still is sold in Europe, even Germany and France, in its highly accoladed pick-up form: the Strada.
  
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- Beerboy12 on May 15, 2014
  
  @Marcelo de Vasconcellos Hey! Marcelo, my memory is not as effed as I thought, this from Wikipedia ;-) I had to double check. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Palio Launched in 1996 in Brazil, as part of Fiat's "Project 178 ", the Palio was Fiat's first attempt to build a world car, the same basic design being produced in numerous nations around the globe. Four principal models were produced hatchback, sedan, pickup and station wagon, with different versions being built for different markets.
  
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- Beerboy12 on May 15, 2014
  
  @Marcelo de Vasconcellos The Palio was developed from the Punto but the Punto was not the world car :-)
  
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- Marcelo de Vasconcellos on May 15, 2014
  
  @Beerboy12 I expressed myself wrong. When I wrote the Punto was the First World Car, what I meant to say is that the Punto was developed with an eye on Europe and was never intended for most parts of the developing world, while the Palio came a little later, building on the Uno (that could be argued was a kind of world car for Fiat) and something from the Punto, with the intention of being sold in other places, but not Europe. Like i said the whole Palio line was sold in Europe, but I don't know how "serious" was the effort and seems to have been rather incidental (specially comparing to the success the Premio/Duna and Elba had before the Sinea and Palio Weekend).
  
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