|
 Boot
camp
What's a Palio with a boot called?
It's known as the new Siena sedan and here's a first driving impression
Text and Photos Parameswaran
An immaculate
royal blue 1957 Fiat Elegant still occupies the parking space at my family
home in Chennai, while the Palio recently straddled the Great Wall when
it was launched in China. Maserati finally re-entered the American market
minus boomerang tail-lights, apparently Michael Schumacher has been offered
a lifetime contract with Ferrari, while our very own Murali K Menon went
to Italy to witness the Mille Miglia... and drive an Alfa 156.
Not the one to be left out of all the action, I too received my wedge
of the Fiat pie when BSM was recently invited to Bangalore for an initial
driving impression of the new Siena. The rather gaudy but green environs
of the Sweaty Palms Resort & Spa was home for the weekend and the
offer of a Swedish massage, gratis, was declined, thank you, but could
you toss me the ignition keys? Not yet, it seemed, as the car had yet
to be officially launched that cool Saturday night.
The moon perched jauntily on his shoulder, and garbed in his best (Dress:
Formal), pardon the ironed-in grease and tandoor chicken stains on the
shirt sleeves, this BSM representative made tracks to a spectacular light
and sound and dance show that was only eclipsed for impact by the price
announcement for Fiat's revamped sedan. Which, ha ha, I will disclose
only in the last paragraph of this story.
 Still
no ignition keys, and worse, with all its lights on, the Siena was now
parked in the middle of the swimming pool, at the receiving end of a M'ing
relaxation routine; wet water below, a wetter waterfall behind and great
bloody, hiccuping flame-throwers on its flanks. And while all human forms
of life eventually dozed off in their king size beds in precise, 21°
Celsius comfort, the car continued its solitary vigil through the night,
its battery finally succumbing to the lengthy therapy session. And to
think that, like me, it could have chosen from Swedish, Serbo-Djiboutian,
Essential Back or an Injun Scalp treatment, for only 30 complimentary
minutes. And wisely have declined all.
The phone went off like a compulsively gargling parrot, and then it came,
the faux-accented, ultra-polite invitation to come down to the lobby and
take the Siena out for a spin. I could almost smell the Chanel No 5 behind
the front office desk. 7 o'clock in the morning. Finally.
A fleet of Sienas greeted me downstairs and I had a choice between a few
colours and two petrol engine variants. The Palio resemblance is unmistakable...
actually in a head-on sighting, the Siena could be mistaken for the hatch,
unless, clever man (or woman) that you are, you know that that chrome
grille surround is case-specific to the 1.6 sedan. More changes at the
rear – the Siena's boot retains the very same, massive, 500-litre
dimension inside, but outside, gone is the well-licked ice-cream roundness.
The lines that now define the bootlid are deep-fried to crispness, the
reworked clear-lens tail-lamp clusters add testo-
sterone, while the repositioned number plate clenches the thus toned-up
butt cheeks together. Giugiaro (I suspect, the son) has finally ironed
the love-it-or-hate-it controversy out of the backside of the car. From
Marilyn Monroe to Sylvester Stallone in a couple of quick slashes with
the design scalpel, fully aware that Ramboman is alive and still rings
the cash
register at the box office.
I plonked for a red 1.2 EL first – the bare-basic machine with only
power steering and an air conditioner as luxuries. The road towards Mangalore
wound on peacefully and I fell in love with the familiar 72 bhp (@ 6000
revs), 10.4 kgm (@ 3250 revs), 8-valve, 1242 CC 'FIRE' engine all over
again for its sedate refinement. Understanding that it wasn't going to
work the one ton-plus car to frenzied speeds without a lot of needless
coaxing, I placed a gentle right foot on the gee-up pedal.
The 1.2 EL, sitting on 13 inch steel wheels and 165/80 tubed radials rode
pretty well enough, tackling pothole and bump with equal comfort, while
the efficient air con, thanks to a bigger compressor, and the comfortable
driving position encouraged 'be kind to the world' feelings to flow freely.
The dashboard has taken the toll of cost-cutting, and now sports an empty
slot for the stereo head unit. No loss since I hadn't taken any of my
favourite music along for the drive.
The 1.6 ELX (there are an EL and a top-end Maestro as well) signs a very
different tune. Familiar stuff, though. The 1596 CC engine comes across
with 100 horses at 5500 rpm and 14 kgm at 4250 rpm, but of the two engines
on offer, it's the one that provides the best music. And fun. Wheelspins
are fun right into second gear, the tachometer calls off the revs in a
green on white display and the right foot hotheels the accelerator into
its burrow like a terrier after a hare. Nice. And oh yes, the standard
Kenwood stereo system looks
really promising.
What about road handling and ride and how have they improved with the
13 mm wheelbase and the 97 mm front track increases? How does the 1.6
compare with the 1.2 in these department, especially considering it rides
on different 14-inch wheels and 175/65 radials? How about fuel economy
– has the new 32-bit microprocessor really helped matters? Is the
passenger more comfortable with the increased leg room behind and the
6 mm wider cabin? How about performance?
 As
far as the overall picture goes, the Siena comes across as a very desirable
machine. But if someone is going to answer these questions in exacting
detail after spending a couple of hours in both the cars and with a just
about a hundred kilometres clocked in total, call him a liar... or Michael
Schumacher. As promised, however, here are the ex-Delhi prices of the
four Siena variants – 1.2 EL: Rs 4,85,000, 1.6 EL: Rs 5,65,000, 1.6
ELX: Rs 6,10,000, 1.6 Maestro: Rs 6,whopping70,000.
As I wait for my proper road-test cars in Mumbai, I can definitely say
that the Sweaty Palms Resort & Spa will never be my preferred destination
– the minibar in my room was bone-dry, the bathtub, like the Siena
1.2 EL's stereo, had fallen prey to cost-cutting, the customary matchbox
was nowhere to be found. And worst of all, they didn't provide me with
a bathrobe.
|
