  |
| Rear
legroom more than Palio thanks to longer wheelbase. Front seats
comfy but upholstery garish. |
The interiors of the two cars
are identical even to the Palio and the earlier Siena Weekend. This
is one area where things haven&46;t changed much. You get the same
familiar asymmetrical dashboard with the seam above the glovebox that
looks like a makeshift add-on. The central console though seems friendlier
and features a brushed aluminium look. Also updated on the central
console is the music system that gets softer-touch buttons and a chrome
finish. It&46;s surprising how few manufacturers get the air-vent-to-stereo
positioning correct like Fiat has - it&46;s much safer for the driver
at this height. Both cars come with sporty leather-clad steering wheels,
metal pedals. Meaty-feeling stalks and electrically-operated mirrors
are standard on the Adventure.
The front seats are generous and blessed with enough travel but are
placed low in relation to the dashboard. As a result, short drivers
tend to peer over the high steering wheel. The extra length of the
Weekend&46;s wheelbase also means that rear seat passengers don&46;t
pull the short straw as far as comfort is concerned, though under-thigh
support is still not as good as it could have been due to a short
bench.
 The clever use of luggage space reflects the thought and attention
to detail that has gone into this estate. The luggage area is large
and flat with a minimum of intrusions to maximise load-carrying capacity.
The suspension is tucked under the floorpan and out of the way and
the tailgate opens from below-bumper level. The spare wheel too is
placed under the body, which is more convenient to access in a fully-laden
car. Topping it off is a solid and well-built rear parcel shelf which
doubles up as an effective security cover.
Whilst the interiors are extremely functional and feel great in the
Palio, we looked at them with new eyes in the Weekend and Adventure.
The benchmarks are now different and we expected more from a car that
sitting in the Rs 7 lakh bracket. The interiors lack plushness and
the plastics all look and feel hard. Fiat has improved the upholstery
quality but the design is just too garish. Though the equipment levels
haven&46;t been finalised, the Adventure is expected to be better
kitted out with extras like power mirrors, airbags and ABS. The air-con
blower at higher speeds is too noisy but thankfully the heavy duty
compressor pumps out chilled air to keep occupants sufficiently cool
even with the rear parcel tray removed.
Extremely functional and cleverly packaged, trim quality a letdown.
|
March 2002