Indica Vista Aura or Fiat Punto Emotion

[the_maven]

I am planning to purchase my first car. I have shortlisted Indica Vista Aura or Fiat Punto Emotion (both diesel)

My city commutation is less (~300kms month)
I would like to drive mostly on highway (from Hyderabad to my hometown; or some nearby places. ~500-1000kms per month).
So the car should have good highway handling.

+ for Vista Aura:
1. Space
2. Price (5.2 lacs OTR)

- for Vista:
1. No ABS
2. Interiors quality

+ for Punto Emotion:
1. ABS
2. Better interiors compared to Vista

- for Punto Emotion:
1. Space is OK.
2. Pricey (6.3 lacs OTR)

Indica vista doesnt have ABS, this is one the main concerns for not choosing Vista right away. Can you suggest me which car suites my requirements? My budget is around ~6.5lacs.

Price difference between emotion and emotion pack is ~60k. Is is it worth to spend another 60k and go for emotion pack?

[DieselFan]

This is no brainer. A.S.S is the same Punto as a car is better than Indica. As your budget fits Punto go for it. If I were you I would stretch my budget and go for Punto Emotion + and feel much more safer on highways.

[karanraheja]

Punto suits your requirements. It looks better, has loadsa features , better handling . Go for the E+ pack since its well within your budget.

[Hrishiz]

@ the_maven

I went through exactly the same, minus considering the Vista.

Emotion pack has

1) BnM (Comes handy if you are a walking call center! or even otherwise)
2) Airbags (Good safety feature especially for highway travellers)
3) Alloywheels + the awesome looking 195/60/15 Wheels. ( try enquring the rate of 15 inch alloys and upgrade from stock BS 175)

If you are buying your car for long term. I would suggest to stick to Emotion pack.

If your budget is holding you back, the difference on the EMI is just above 1000rs. (I'm talking about emotion EMI and that of Emotion Pk.)

Its totally your call.

BTW, did you compare the boot of the two cars?

[CliffHanger]

I own a Punto. If you forget about the A.S.S, then driving a Punto would be a dream. The car is simply majestic, but then watch out for the cramped foot well. It's difficult to drive the car with big shoes..

All the Best for your new Car!!

[neotraveller]

Punto is the better car in all respects (except rear-seat space).
And if it's for highway driving PUNTO just blows away all cars ... not only Vista, but also swift/Ritz/i20/Jazz.

Now try to evaluate what extra you are getting for 60k and decide. IMO if you can afford it, try to stretch till EPack.
1) Lifesaving Airbags (cannot be added later)
2) BluenMe
3) Steering-mounted-controls (cannot be added later)
4) 15" tyres
5) Alloys
All above things are worth much more than 60k I feel.

Question here:
How did you feel power of PUNTO vs VISTA?

[AbhiJ]

Punto with Airbags...

[schitre05]

Hi!
Regarding your querry. here are my few thoughts.
The vista and the punto would be serviced by the same TATA-FIAT service centres. so as far as A.S.S. is concerned it wouldnt matter whichever car you buy you would see the same faces. (of course there are specialised fiat service engineers appointed who work in the same centres as the TATA's)

The punto feels very well built and its cornerning ability is just awesome. It is a great highway car and if your 70% driving is going to be on highway then you should look no further.
The vista is a great value for money package in fact it offers more value at a lesser price than its competitors. But if safety is your prime concern then may be you should wait for sometime as there are talks of a new vista with abs around diwali.

Lastly i would suggest test drive both the cars extensively and not just a straight line or a roundabout drive. Take the car for a good 30 kms of mixed terrain, spend time in the car, check for all the features, brake hard, corner hard, do stop-start checks. u-turns etc. this would give you a fair idea of a better suited car for yourself.
Cheers!

[shankar.balan]

Given the fact that Punto is underpowered I am not sure which one is better.
Punto is more modern and comes with loads of bells and whistles including safety features etc which Vista cannot match.
However, the Vista quadrajet is a very good, sensible car and will give Punto a tough fight in most things except safety features, styling, badge value and "desirability" factor in my opinion.
Seriously why dont you consider the new I 20 diesel version? Thats looking to be a Top Hatch!!

[JVH]

Originally Posted by the_maven

So the car should have good highway handling.

Punto all the way! And emotion pack it is. There is nothing like getting all the gizmos with factory fittings with that extra money.

Yeah, why not i20?

[the_maven]

@JVH
I feel i20 is overpriced. So, I didnt consider i20.

@schitre05
I like your suggestion of taking the car for a stretch of 30Kms. I'll try that out some time this week.

[kiren]

IMO I find Vista to be VFM. Vista would have been the best if it had ABS/EBD. Other bells & whistles are not my requirement. Vista Ignis in diesel with ABS/EBD if launched will be the best bet.

I own an Indica turbo & am very happy with the drive. 120kmph - 140kmph & sometimes 150 kmph on express highway is not a problem. Same at low speed bumper to bumper traffic is also not a problem. Yes there is a turbo lag. I have driven more than 1.09L kms in 3.5 years without any major problem. A.S.S was never a serious issue.

With the present MJT engine vista/Punto is better than Indica turbo in various aspects. I have test driven a Punto couple of times & found it good. But at high speeds above 120kmph I could not test due to traffic conditions & cannot comment. If someone has driven it at its top speed please comment. Punto has a very long clutch pedal which is very uncomfortable. The wiper / lights controls being on the opposite side, one has to get used to. I had some how come out of UNO having the same controls. Only if it had a 90BHP engine.

IMO A hatch above 7.0L OTR is just not worth it. Other than a super hatch like Fiat Bravo. Hence i20 CRDi is ruled out.

[the_maven]

Emotion Pack is slightly out of my budget. I dont want to spend nearly 7lacs for a hatchback. I would like upgrade the car in the next 3-4 years.

Having airbags adds to the safety. I am not that interested in alloy wheels. How about trading the alloy wheels to normal wheels for X amount? Any idea on how much will I get for the alloy wheels?

Here is the quotation that I got for emotion pack:
EX S/R Price: 613240.00
Insurance: 18230.00
Life Tax @9% 55400.00
Extended Warranty 5500.00
Customer Care Charges 2500.00
Registration Charges 3215.00
GRAND TOTAL 698085.00

I am getting 9k corporate discount. (which is not shown in the quotation. Is this normal practice?)

Any idea on whats the 'customer care charges'?

Is there any difference in the service of insurance companies, if I get the insurance done on my own (instead of the in-house insurance). I was told that, advantage with in-house insurance is - the claims will be done quickly at the service station itself. There wont any hassles with the insurance companies. Otherwise, I need to follow-up with the insurance companies and it wont be that smooth. Can somebody enlighten me regarding this.

Any idea on how much would it cost if I do the registration by my self?

Is anybody getting free accessories from dealer for Punto emotion/pack?

Thanks!

[Hrishiz]

Originally Posted by the_maven

Emotion Pack is slightly out of my budget. I dont want to spend nearly 7lacs for a hatchback. I would like upgrade the car in the next 3-4 years.

Having airbags adds to the safety. I am not that interested in alloy wheels. How about trading the alloy wheels to normal wheels for X amount? Any idea on how much will I get for the alloy wheels?

Here is the quotation that I got for emotion pack:
EX S/R Price: 613240.00
Insurance: 18230.00
Life Tax @9% 55400.00
Extended Warranty 5500.00
Customer Care Charges 2500.00
Registration Charges 3215.00
GRAND TOTAL 698085.00

I am getting 9k corporate discount. (which is not shown in the quotation. Is this normal practice?)

Any idea on whats the 'customer care charges'?

Is there any difference in the service of insurance companies, if I get the insurance done on my own (instead of the in-house insurance). I was told that, advantage with in-house insurance is - the claims will be done quickly at the service station itself. There wont any hassles with the insurance companies. Otherwise, I need to follow-up with the insurance companies and it wont be that smooth. Can somebody enlighten me regarding this.

Any idea on how much would it cost if I do the registration by my self?

Is anybody getting free accessories from dealer for Punto emotion/pack?

Thanks!

I would say then you stick to Indica Vista. Not a bad car by any means!

Did you TD both? Its the same heart that both these cars share.

I too recommend going for insurance through showroom. Please understand you can very well bargain with showroom people and quote what you are offered outside, regarding the insurance.

Corporate discounts are not normally shown on the invoice price. No clue why.

"Customer Care Charges 2500.00"

Never heard of that before!!

There are no freebies offered on Punto as of now, it is just the Corporate discount.

All the best with decision making.

Having said all of the above I would vote for Punto Epk anydayl

[neotraveller]

I would say somehow try to stick to punto. Its the better car.
Atleast try to settle for Punto Emotion/Dynamic if budget is a constraint.
Is VISTA top-end variant any better than Punto Dynamic/Emotion (features wise)?

Corporate discount: 9k
I think this discount is applied on the On-Road price (not ex-showroom) later.

Customer charges: 2500.
This is normal (Handling charges, all manufacturers charge it)

Registration charges: 3200
This is daylight robbery . I was quoted 2000 by Autofin for my Linea (with number plate).
Anyway I got it done myself: Its only 450 rs + numberplate cost (200-500).

Insurance: Yes try to get rates from outside, it will save you 4-5k. Lot of Punters here on TBHP did that.

Originally Posted by the_maven

Emotion Pack is slightly out of my budget. I dont want to spend nearly 7lacs for a hatchback. I would like upgrade the car in the next 3-4 years.

Having airbags adds to the safety. I am not that interested in alloy wheels. How about trading the alloy wheels to normal wheels for X amount? Any idea on how much will I get for the alloy wheels?

Here is the quotation that I got for emotion pack:
EX S/R Price: 613240.00
Insurance: 18230.00
Life Tax @9% 55400.00
Extended Warranty 5500.00
Customer Care Charges 2500.00
Registration Charges 3215.00
GRAND TOTAL 698085.00

I am getting 9k corporate discount. (which is not shown in the quotation. Is this normal practice?)

Any idea on whats the 'customer care charges'?

Is there any difference in the service of insurance companies, if I get the insurance done on my own (instead of the in-house insurance). I was told that, advantage with in-house insurance is - the claims will be done quickly at the service station itself. There wont any hassles with the insurance companies. Otherwise, I need to follow-up with the insurance companies and it wont be that smooth. Can somebody enlighten me regarding this.

Any idea on how much would it cost if I do the registration by my self?

Is anybody getting free accessories from dealer for Punto emotion/pack?

Thanks!