ON THE RIGHTTRACK

first saw the Premier Rio almost three years ago. Since then,the Pune-based company has been burning the midnight oil torefine the formula and now the Rio is very close to being the

perfect little mini SUv, confirms Pl'I)fadarshan Bawikar

Speaking about the looks,thanks to the 2012 modelyear update, the Rio nowlooks absolutely fantastic. Allthe little bits such as the sidecladding, the bash plate upfront, the roof rails and theoverall proportions make itlook like a scaled downversion of a big, butch SUV.The same however can't besaid about the insides. Whilenot really lacking in featuresor creature comforts, theoverall quality of the plasticsand a design theme straightfrom the 90s does leave alittle to be desired. Interiorspace is at a slight premium,but that is to be expected in acar of this size. That beingsaid, it's not exactly what you

might call uncomfortable andsome nifty features such asthe 50-50 split folding rearseats do add a massivechunk of practicality. Andeven the boot space will put alot of our premiumhatchbacks to shame.With regards to the way it

drives, this is an area that stillneeds a bit of work. While ridequality is decent on normal toslightly bumpy roads, the cardoes tend to tramline overreally undulating surfaces.This, of course, has more todo with the Kenda tyres thatPremier sources from Chinathan anything else, and aswitch to either MRF, Apollo orGoodyear rubber should sortout the issue in a jiffy. The talldesign of the body with a fairlynarrow track is not the bestcombination when it comes tohandling, but as long as youdon't decide to get tooaggressive with the steeringin tight comers, it's not reallyan issue. And thanks tobrakes equipped with ABS,stopping power is fairly goodas well, though there is anoverall lack of brake feel.The real gem of this new

Rio, however, is the 1.3-litreMultijet diesel engine whichhas been sourced fromPremiers once collaborators,Fiat. With 72PS of power and183Nm of torque on tap, it'snot the quickest of cars on themarket by any means, makingthe sprint from zero to100km/h in 20 plusseconds. But thisengine'S strengths liein its tractability andsmooth powerdelivery. The 5-speedmanual gearbox has afairly positive throw onthe shifts andcombined with theMultijet powerplant,pulls well in each gear.

IThe 1·3-litre Multijet diesel is the best engine theRio has seen so far. .

IInterior design is slightlyquirky and cute, but thefit and finish could've

. been better.

IThe rear bench will havedifficulty accommodatingmore than two adults.

PREMIERRIOCRDi4ENGINE:1,248cc, 4-cylinder turbodiesel

POWER:72PS@4,000rpm

TORQUE:183Nm @ 1,800-2,400rpm

TRANSMISSION:5-speed manual

KERB WEIGHT:1,145kg

I'm about to drive out of mybuilding's parking lot, whenInotice an attractive

woman looking in mydirection, and smiling. Just asI exit the gate, she walks up tothe drivers side door to talk tome. And just when I start to letmy imagination stray, it allcomes crashing down as Irealise all she's interested inis knowing about the car I'mdriving - the Premier Rio.Well, I shouldn't be toodisappointed considering thatthe Rio is an extremelyattractive little car. Thecompact SUV segment,where once the Maruti SuzukiGypsy ruled supreme, has allbut disappeared these days,but if there was ever theperfect candidate to revive it,the Premier Rio has got theformula nailed just right;dimensions no larger than aregular hatchback, goodground clearance to tackle theworst of Indian roads, looksthat should appeal toabsolutely everyone, and nowa sweet little Fiat-sourcedMultijet diesel motor to powerit along.

PRICE: (ex-Pune)

~ 6.70 lakh

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~n the whole, the propositionof the Premier Rio has beenmade significantly sweeterwith the addition of thisbrilliant engine. And at a priceof Rs 6.70 lakh (ex-showroom Pune), it's not toobad a deal either, consideringwhat you'll end up with is areasonably capable,extremely good looking carthat will set you apart from theaverage motorist. However,there are still some looseends that Premier needs totie up first, and most of theserelate to the tyres,suspension ratings and thequality of the interiorplastics, But Premier is acompany that has been very

receptive to the feedback ithas been receiving about itsproduct, and is in theprocess of ironing out theselittle bugs, which when done,should make the Rio thestonking great product it wasmeant to be.