All the small cars in the market can universally be described as cute. Not manly, not muscular, not even sporty, just plain girlie cute. In the midst of this singular obsession with appealing to womankind, the Palio comes across as a refreshing change. A man's car, rather than for his girlfriend.
  
The facelift that celebrated Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro has subjected the 178 range of cars to has done wonders in adding to the Palio's appeal. Gone is the stubbiness or bulbousness that one associates with the Siena. The so-called handlebar grille has given way to a more conventional unit with the centenary Fiat logo emblazoned in the centre. Flanking the grill are rectangular clear lens headlamps that look very smart indeed (and are one of the best in terms of beam quality and spread). The front bumper has been mildly redesigned with cleaner air intakes and recessed fog lamps. The rear end has also been spruced up with better detailing and use of reflectors to give it a sparkle.
  
The ELX gets body coloured door handles and wing mirrors, a third high mounted stop lamp, rear wash/wipe and defogger. Black rubbing strips on the doors, bumpers and even below the doors go a long way in avoiding nicks and scratches. The base ELX version is equipped with 13-inch steel rims with smart wheel caps while the GTX goes one step further adding delicious 14-inch alloys, matt-black B-pillars and a smart roof spoiler to the equation.
  
Overall the Palio sports an extremely well proportioned and sporty stance. The high waistline running in sync right to the tail, the sturdy midriff and the strong thick C-pillar lend a solid and dynamic look to the car. Against any of the small cars today, the Palio emerges the hands down winner at the beauty pageant. By shying away from any radical themes, the Palio has managed to appeal to all sensibilities without offending any.
  
As I mentioned earlier, build quality of the Fiat cars has been progressively going downhill. On the Palio 1.2, the interior lights weren't functional from day one and the speedo conked out 50km into the road test in addition to the clock. On the GTX nothing stopped working but by the end of the test, numerous squeaks and rattles were noticeable right from the dashboard to the doors.
  
This is not the kind of quality we have come to expect from a multinational firm like Fiat, more so after having sampled early Sienas that had bulletproof build levels. If Fiat hopes to garner solid volumes from this car, these quality issues will have to be tackled and tackled quick.