Fiat introduced diesel-powered three-box entrant - the Petra, with a 1900cc diesel motor first seen in the Palio a while ago. It makes sense too, since diesel cars are doing quite well these days. The Petra diesel poses terrific value as against the Accent CRDi and comes loaded with alloy-wheels, power everything and a six-speaker music system.

 

 

Unfortunately, the new face of the Palio range which is doing the rounds in markets such as Brazil has not reached us with the Petra. The Petra looks rather familiar. It still looks rather contemporary, though it can’t hide the fact that it was derived out of a hatchback. Quality of plastic bits has improved and the car feels quite well put together.

 

The engine cranks to life with the clank associated with indirect injection diesels but to be fair to the 1900cc unit, it is not all that bad - even when the engine was just woken up. There is no rocket science that goes into this single overhead cam eight-valve unit which develops a modest 63 bhp at 4500 rpm and 12.2 kgm of turning force at 2500 rpm. But Fiat would proudly tell you that when you tap that accelerator pedal you are actually using drive-by-wire tech perfected by aircraft engineers.

 

Unlike the turbocharged diesel units, this naturally aspirated engine has low speed drivability to its credit - something you will seriously appreciate in stop-go traffic. On the highway, the Petra is a relaxed cruiser that can notch up kilometers at a steady 90 kph - push it though, and you will get to see 140 kph. We expect the diesel motor to return 14-15 kpl on a regular basis and 17-19 kpl on highways.

 

Another good reason you should seriously consider the Petra is for the ride quality on offer. It has been tested over some terrible roads and the Petra reconfirmed the faith in the tried and trusted suspension gear of the A178 platform. If you have serious back and neck problems and can’t afford a Mercedes-Benz, than Fiat Petra is the best pick. Handling is no great shakes though and the Petra behaves like a hatch with boot.

Filed under: Fiat Cars in India