SIENA – TOP OF CLASS IN FEATURES AND PRICE
by Murad Ali Baig

The old Siena had been a good car but in a competitive market good cars are not good enough. People want the best car in their price range. Most people did not like the shape of its rear nor the ground clearance and it had carried bad associations with Premiers. But the success of the Palio has changed the Fiat image and sales volumes have also enabled Fiat to ramp up service and spare parts support.

With a group of automotive scribes I got a chance to test drive the new Siena with 72 bhp 1242 cc and 100 bhp 1596 cc engines near Bangalore. The ride of both cars was superb, the handling fair and the level of quietness excellent. Though the 72 bhp model suffered in comparison to it's more peppy 100-bhp sibling, that is now class leading in power, it gave as good pick-up and top speed as most buyers would ever want.

In looks it looks exactly like the Palio from the front but now has a big class-leading 500-litre capacity boot it is now much more attractive. The new crystal glass rear lamps and `V' cut boot lid make it look a bit like a slightly rounded old E-class Merc. The ground clearance has been increased by 21%, to enable it to handle bad roads with ease. The wheelbase has been increased to increase the rear seat legroom in quite a wide car. And the front suspension on a sub frame with front and rear anti-roll bars quietly absorbs road shocks.

Both engines have been refined with a 32-bit microprocessor engine management unit, knock sensors and distributorless ignition to ensure smooth and fuel efficient performance. This engine smoothness tends to disguise the acceleration and we found that we were actually travelling faster than we thought. On a short drive we could not evaluate fuel consumption but as all new cars now have optimised engines it will probably be comparable to that of a Accent, Corsa or Ikon but obviously more than the thin skinned Esteem that is about 20% lighter in weight. Heavier cars give increased safety plus better ride comfort and road holding. There are 10 attractive colours and all Siena models have power steering and a more powerful air-conditioner. The 1.6 models also have low 65 profile tyres on 14-inch wheel rims.

The Palio had been a good car but the aggressive pricing had been the key to its success. Now Fiat have followed the same strategy and offered the Siena as another set of excellent saloons at prices that will again shake the market.

The ex-showroom prices of the Siena 1.2 is priced at an aggressive Rs. 4.85 Lakhs that is even lower than the price of an Esteem. The 1.6 EL at a price of Rs. 5.65 Lakhs is lower than all the comparable models of Accent, Corsa and Ikon. Even the ELX model with tachometer, body coloured bumpers and other features at Rs. 6.10 Lakhs is a bargain while the top end Maestro with rear spoiler, alloy wheels, 10 CD music system, leather trims, etc., is an affordable Rs. 6.70 Lakhs. Mumbai prices are a bit higher.

The Siena offering the best combination of performance, space, comfort, styling and value in its class will be a big challenge for competition that will now have to try much harder. It will be available for sale from May 17th.