Hyundai i20 or Fiat Grande Punto. EDIT- Poll added

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by frankmehta

What is the absolute on road cost of the I20 crdi asta in Mumbai with regn and taxes?? If I drive 5 km a day, and still want a diesel for its performance, am I an idiot? I feel its no longer a thumb rule, that diesels need to be run a large distance per day. Is that true with modern day crdis?

On-road mumbai prices for -

Hyundai i20 crdi Asta - Rs. 7,93,314 /-

Hyundai i20 1.4 petrol a/t (petrol) - Rs. 8,47,859 /-

Recently booked an asta petrol (1.4). Not from Mumbai though. Arriving with reg. from Surat,GJ .

[balenopower]

Like the other said, although the i20 is expensive it is the better overall package. Someone mentioned about the Fiats build quality being better than the Hyundai..i totally disagree. We have tested both the cars together and the hyundai is definitely top notch. Its the Punto on the other hand that suffers from quality issues especially the interiors. Enginewise the 1.4 Crdi is way superior to the 1.3 multijet and spacewise too. however if its petrol you are looking at the Punto 1.4 is a brilliant drive and a looker as well. I voted for it as well. The petrol motor is sensitive though and has pinking issues as we recently discovered so one needs to chk where he/she refuels.

[flyingspur]

Originally Posted by PlatzdaTurbo

Recently booked an asta petrol (1.4). Not from Mumbai though. Arriving with reg. from Surat,GJ .

Automatic? Please do post a review! I'm waiting for one eagerly.

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by flyingspur

Automatic? Please do post a review! I'm waiting for one eagerly.

yup i sure will...unfortunately , for now, i still dont know when the car would get here. reading from people's reviews and posts in different threads, the car wont be here soon though its 2 weeks since i booked. Many are saying , most cars are being exported and only a few lots in between are sent for local customers who book it. But once it does, i plan to write a detailed review. We actually booked a grande punto 1.4 emotion pack petrol on 17th june, took delivery, had it for around 2 weeks and then gave it to a colleague ,2 weeks ago just before booking the i20 cuza the specific requirements of my dad. punto was sluggish till bout 2000rpm which didnot really make the clutching and breakin any easier, the heavy weight of the car only adding to the bumper to bumper driving woes. My dad primarily needed an automatic car and we did not know hyundai would be launching these stonkers , when we booked the punto. As soon as they launched the 1.4's we knew immediately that the 1.4 100hp a/t is meeting with our needs bang on ,especially my dad's. we had no issues with the price tag. So we booked an asta (O). Needless to say, the features it provides are only additional perks. makes driving that much easier and pleasurable

[pachchu]

Originally Posted by PlatzdaTurbo

Hyundai i20 1.4 petrol a/t (petrol) - Rs. 8,47,859 /-

Recently booked an asta petrol (1.4). Not from Mumbai though. Arriving with reg. from Surat,GJ .

Did you or anybody you know test-drive? Has anybody seen it?

I've booked it too after Trident gave me a waiver of cancellation penalty if I don't like the 1.4AT after test-drive, whenever that is.

Expecting some time in Sept.

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by pachchu

Did you or anybody you know test-drive? Has anybody seen it?

I've booked it too after Trident gave me a waiver of cancellation penalty if I don't like the 1.4AT after test-drive, whenever that is.

Expecting some time in Sept.

well no ,no1 i know has test driven it, but unlike in your case , there is no question of not liking the a/t as its more convenience and a luxury more than anything else. My dad has had enough of clutch break bumper to bumper driving in the city. He couldnt take it anymore and hence we decided to go for the top end i20 1.4 asta (O) without thinking toomuch as we have owned hyundai cars before and are confident enough of the quality they serve. Besides that , i20 is a stonker of a hatch to buy,with all those features ,the looks and that 100hp engine if money isnt an issue, which it isnt in our case. So more than likes or dislikes its the need of the hour in my case

[singh.amrit]

Slightly OT :

we were out looking for a luxury hatch , budget not a problem but the car had to be small in dimensions.
My father has given i20 diesel his vote , but I would rather buy punto , am I correct in asking my parents to do so ? we have never owned a fiat before , so if it turns out bad later on.. i shall bear the brunt of it..

any help with this ?
i.e.- should i convince my parents into buying a punto multijet at 6.8L or is their decision over i20 at 7.5L fine ?

[NutsNBolts]

It's a tough decision Amrit. Both cars, in their own right have a ruling space. Normally, it is better to go with the vote of an experienced person from the family, and i20 is definitely a good car; but whether it is worth that much money, is a question, to which my personal opinion is a big fat NO. It is better to TD both vehicles, read reviews here on TBHP (not auto mags or TV shows) and then take a final call.

[singh.amrit]

I have read so many reviews... that am actually going crazy... what i gather.. is that for about 70k more (i20 Diesel top version) i get folding mirrors , a cooled glove box (both not of much merit) better service , better resale , lesser drivability , and maybe better quality interiors .

isint there a definitive answer.. ? i do not mind the money.. but is it worth the expense.. i mean will there be that much quality issues,service woes and inconvenience worth 70k ?

Note from Team-Bhp Support Team - Please avoid typing.. like... this... Thanks

[GTO]

Originally Posted by singh.amrit

I have read so many reviews... that am actually going crazy

Don't be. I'll give you a fairly neutral answer

Looks : Both the hatches are good looking (I personally prefer the eye-catching Red GP)

Quality, fit & finish : i20 all the way. Its built in the same factory for Europe. The sheer quality of the i20 is from a segment or two above. Punto's exterior fit / finish is excellent, interior is more Tata-like.

Interior space : i20. Punto has poorly packaged interiors. Some ergonomics (e.g. the footwell) are messed up too.

Engine & performance : i20. Punto does the job but is slow (0 - 100 over 17 seconds). How I wish Fiat had dumped the Linea spec diesel in the GP.

Ride & Handling : GP all the way. The best ride & handling package amongst the sedans. i20 at high speed has a vague steering & can't really match the sheer stability of the GP.

Ease of City driving : i20, no questions asked. Note, there is also an auto available in the i20. Punto has heavier controls & a larger turning radius.

Service Quality : Hyundai. Tata-Fiat isn't a patch on Hyundai's stellar levels of service quality. Heck, they are up there with Maruti and amongst the best in the country.

General market consensus is that, if your budget permits the i20 diesel, go for it. I'd personally chose the GP though

You'd do well in looking up Sid's excellent report : Thread linky (The Definitive comparision: Punto 1.3 MJD VS I 20 1.4 CRDi VS Ritz 1.3 DDiS)

[aarenes]

General market consensus is that, if your budget permits the i20 diesel, go for it. I'd personally chose the GP though

GTO - like the way it ended.
Reading the excellent one liners, think it was heavily favoring i20. At the end of it, you've got to give it a head versus heart thinking and weigh in what you favor best (i.e the head or the heart).

I test drove both i20 and Punto. It was the Punto for me for various reasons + it was what both my wife and kid also wanted. My kid is 5 but I'd like to make her part of the team.

The poll clearly screams Punto a winner.

@Amrit.Singh: At the end of the day, its your money and your heart. If you want to use the head, add a weight to each of the factors that GTO explained and chose the winner. If not, go with you heart and you will have peice of mind. You cannot go wrong with either cars. Best of luck and hope to hear your decision soon.

Cheers

[somebodystopme]

@ amrit: Well There is no such thing as worth 70K.

If your budget permits and you are not really mesmerized by punto's looks then go for i20 CRDI without any second thoughts. Because the resale wont drop that much in case you dont like it and are willing to sell it, i20 CRDI will sell like hot cakes at 30K depreciation. i20 is definately better hatch in terms of interior quality, pickup & resale, though i dont think servicing with either is a big deal as long as you live in a metropolitan. Go with i20 if you have to drive more in city, than highway.

Go with Punto if you are more like a highway cruiser, Go with punto if you dont wanna sell it in matter of three years, Go with punto if you like solid built cars and not fragile cars as in when you close the i20's door, it feels like you are closing i20's door, but when you close a Punto's door, you feel as if you have closed a Skoda's door. I hope you understand what i mean. And last reason why most people go with it and the same reason why even I will go for punto is if you are in love with it.

My parents keep telling me better buy a used Honda city or something for 6L than a small hatch. But heart is set on 1.4 Fire Emotion pack. Dil maanta nahin kya karu!!

[singh.amrit]

yes.. so true.. heart v/s mind... I think GTO's reply was ... well quite convincing.. I'll let it be my Dad's way for now, especially since I shall not be driving it. But i will make them drive it first and put the magic word 'punto' in their ear for now... let them decide..

maybe a punto when fiat gets their head straight and launches 1.6 or 1.9 Punto..

Thanks guys... will update you when the car is here .
BTW: there's a month long wait for i20 diesel.. i really dont see that many i20 Diesels being sold to justify a month long wait..

a marketing gimmic ?

[GTO]

It's for your Dad? Please choose the i20 diesel all the way. He'll be much happier with the sheer quality, finesse, after-sales and ease of driving.

[aarenes]

BTW: there's a month long wait for i20 diesel.. i really dont see that many i20 Diesels being sold to justify a month long wait..

a marketing gimmic ?

Surely a marketing gimmic.
Pit one dealer versus the another and see how it becomes 2 weeks. Anything less, and you may need time to sort out your finances/loan anyway unless you are making an outright purchase.