These are tough times for Fiat in India and indeed around the world as
the company struggles to convince buyers that its cars are worth buying.
In an effort to revive its fortunes in India, Fiat recently launched the
Petra EL, which is essentially a re-badged version of its sedan model
— the Siena.
When the New Siena was launched in India around two years ago, the company
had debated the possibility of launching it with a new name, but decided
to stick with the Siena badge. In retrospect, this was an ill-fated decision,
as buyers just did not take to the car.
Now Fiat hopes that the new name — Petra — will do the trick
and help it to revive the company’s fortunes in the Indian market.
Powered by the same 1.6-litre, 100bhp petrol engine that is fitted in
the Palio GTX model, the ‘Petra EL’ is undoubtedly spectacular
value for money, sporting an ex-showroom price of just Rs 4.75 lakh in
New Delhi.
Currently the
Petra
is available in just one trim level — EL. However, this version
does not have some of the goodies that were fitted on the earlier top-end
Siena Maestro model such as an audio system, alloy wheels, body-coloured
bumpers and mirrors, body-side moulding and rear spoiler.
Fiat has however offered certain features on the Petra EL that were not
available on the outgoing Siena EL model, such as a chrome front grille
and a left-side mirror. The company also claims that the Petra has improved
seating comfort. Of course, the biggest change is the 1.6-litre petrol
engine, rather than the 1.2-litre 72bhp petrol unit that powered the Siena
EL.
In all other respects, think of the Petra as the new avatar of the Siena.
The Petra EL also comes with most of the other features that buyers have
come to expect in a C-segment car, such as power windows, power steering,
central locking and an HVAC system. This new Fiat sedan is available in
four colour options — silver frost, thunder black, glacier white,
and hazel grey.
FACTFILE
How much?
PRICE Rs 4.75 lakh
(ex-showroom, New Delhi) ON SALE Now
How big?
Length 4113mm
Width 1620mm
Height 1455mm
Wheelbase 2373mm
Ground clearance 170mm
Fuel tank capacity 47 litres
Kerb weight 1120kg
Engine
Layout 4 cyl, in-line, front transverse
Max power 100bhp
Max torque 14kgm what
to expect
Value-for-money midsizer which is the cheapest 1.6-litre sedan in the
market
Captions: >> Left-side
mirror now standard. >> Externally,
the Petra is not very different from the outgoing Siena model; now EL
with 1.6-litre engine.
MYST-ICAL
QUALITY TOYOTA QUALIS MYST
Recently
Toyota surpassed Ford to become the second largest automaker in the world.
The reason for this kind of phenomenal growth and success at Toyota is
its fanatical devotion to building utterly reliable cars at extremely
competitive prices.
Toyota also keenly absorbs car buyer feedback and constantly brings out
vehicles that are just what they want. Witness the Qualis Myst, a limited
edition version (the company claims it will sell just 2000 units) based
on the best-selling Qualis FS.
Guided by feedback from potential buyers, Toyota has loaded the Myst with
additional features like a third brake light, smart-looking cloth seats
(instead of PVC seats in the FS), a useful cup-holder-cum-storage box
between the front seats, plastic cladding on the wheel arches and special
body stickers. Also, while the FS has a 10-seater layout, the Myst is
an 8-seater and comes in a unique black paint, only available on the Myst.
To give the vehicle a more upmarket look, Toyota has also fitted the wheel
caps and sidestep from the high-end Qualis GS variant.
All these changes come at an additional cost of Rs 25,000 over the Qualis
FS, making the Myst very good value for money. Of course, as you would
expect from Toyota, the quality as well fit and finish on the Myst are
a cut above its competitors, which would explain why the Qualis remains
the largest-selling model in the multi-utility vehicle segment.
FACTFILE
How
much?
PRICE Rs 7.30 lakh
(ex-showroom, Mumbai) ON SALE Now
Engine
Layout 4-cylinder, in-line, diesel
Max power 75bhp
Max torque 15.4kgm
what to expect
A Qualis with a little more panache and style at a value-price.
Captions: >>Useful
storage area, cupholders.
>>
Cloth seats with 8-seater layout. >>
Only
2000 Mysts to be available.
>>Myst features third
brake light.