[Technocrat]

Yes these rim's pattern can be seen on many sports car's rims.
Even ecksreturn's M3 sports similar design rims just that they look much better.

[Caramelo]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Yes these rim's pattern can be seen on many sports car's rims.
Even ecksreturn's M3 sports similar design rims just that they look much better.

wow those are killer rims!! damn that pcd 98

[nikhil_d1106]

GTO, Thanks for the review, it is excellent and very informative indeed. I had a look at the car in flesh and it looked awesome. Unfortunately could not TD and wish to do the same sometime this week.

However I had a couple of questions:

1. I sat on the driver seat and found it to be slightly uncomfortable. I am 6ft and the front facing key slot seemed to be inconveniently placed and was bugging me. Also the steering adjustment level was a bit inconvenient and not like the Vista.

2. How difficult would it be to drive a car with 5.4mtr turning radius in crowded cities.

[tarunmadhok]

Ok here is are more punto pics which my brother had taken when he was at the Delhi launch.

66 Fiat Grande Punto exterior and interior shots | Indian Autos blog

Hope You all enjoy

[myavu]

@GTO. That was something fabulous!

Thanks alot my dear.

Anyway, one of this Italian Beauty (MJD E+) will be mine in next couple of months. Can't decide on colors yet, May be WHITE or that WOW! RED HOT.

I read somewhere that Red color attracts more insurance premium. Can you please shed some light on to this.

Happy Puntoing!

[NFS2024]

Can somebody provide info on what is the approximate FE we can expect from the MJD in City and Highways. Could not find this info in this thread . My decision to buy will be based on this.

[finneyp]

Originally Posted by NFS2024

Can somebody provide info on what is the approximate FE we can expect from the MJD in City and Highways.

Palio MJD owners can help you with this info.
Check the ownership reports of 'architect', 'tortoisenhare' etc.

[amit]

Me and Sanjeev checked out the Punto again at Fortune Powai. I am bowled over! My observations...again:

- Love the looks. Inside out.

- Sanjeev will be in a better position to comment on rear leg room. He was sitting behind me when I adjusted the front seats to my comfort level. I am almost 5' 10'. We checked out the Vista too and it's a bit more roomy for sure.

- USB stick is in the glovebox.

- I LOVED Blue&Me. Both of us had doubts on the system recognising our accents when Paresh (the salesguy) offered us a demo. Pairing with my Nokia E66 was a breeze. Voice commands were recognized instantly. As soon my phone was paired, I got a call from Manesar. Voice clarity was crystal clear. I was talking normally and the person at the other end could listen to me clearly.

- Drive was fun. We had a mix of empty stretches and heavy traffic area. First gear is a bit short - car feels restrained but after that it's great going.

- Engine noise at around 2.5K rpm and over is heard in the cabin but I got to that rpm in second gear. In fifth, things are quiet. No issues on that front. I think it's on par with other diesel engines in it's class. Engine note is nice and gruffy. It's the good engine sound.

- Steering, ride and handling is just brilliant. Better then Palio S10. Leagues ahead in fact. On a curvy flyover the car turned in so well. Like GTO said, the Punto can teach a few things to sedans more expensive then it when it comes to ride and handling.

- Special mention has to be made about the salesguy, Paresh Salaskar. He was enthusiastic, friendly, was well trained and knew his product inside out. As soon as we told him about our doubts with regard to Blue&Me recognising our accents, he jumped up and told us to take a demo. He even offered us a tour into the service area. Both Fortune outlets have had very informative and friendly sales staff. Anyone checking out the Punto or Linea at Forune Powai, do ask for Paresh Salaskar.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by opendro

Not sure of the life of engine. At least some sources claim that multijet engines are supposed to run for 150,000 Km without any necessity to open the engine. In India, 150,000 Km would be almost 15-20 years.

1.5 lakh should be easy on the modern diesels, even 2.0 lakh with regular maintenance should not be a problem. Remember, diesels are built with more robust materials (vis a vis petrols). My only doubt is on the high pressure fuel injection systems. Pro'lly an overhaul would be required at some point in time.

Originally Posted by kuttapan

Do you have any idea for what diameter of wheel, the speedo has been calibrated? Since it comes in 3 different tyre specs, I do not think FIAT would go to the extent of having 3 differently calibrated instrument clusters. Is it for the Emotion pack 195/60 15" variant?

I think, after the initial Palio guffaw, they'd have calibrated the speedos just fine

Originally Posted by finneyp

I think Fiat got it right with 1.3 MJD and 1.4 Fire engines!

Agreed. It's a competent range of engines.

Originally Posted by travelwriter

I feel most people will end up comparing Swift Diesel with Punto. That being the case, is Punto competitive or, with its glitches in the interiors and the power delivery, will it seem high-priced and get rejected in the final decision point?

The Swift (and now the Ritz) are better priced, have a more trust worthy brand (V IMP : peace of the mind), far superior after sales and, especially for the Ritz, the interiors are screwed better. The value proposition of the Marutis is hard to beat. For any manufacturer out there.

That said, the Punto is - overall - a superior car. Without a doubt.

Originally Posted by Pashin

Well I must say FIAT have come back from the ashes.

And I must say, they've done it with the right products. Good pricing on the Linea, great hatch in the Punto.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by nikhil_d1106

1. I sat on the driver seat and found it to be slightly uncomfortable. I am 6ft and the front facing key slot seemed to be inconveniently placed and was bugging me. Also the steering adjustment level was a bit inconvenient and not like the Vista.

Some ergonomics were not spot-on. But I didn't find any problem with the key slot. Also, I mentioned in my review that the tilt steering didn't go low enough.

2. How difficult would it be to drive a car with 5.4mtr turning radius in crowded cities.

Expect a good amount of three-point turns.

Originally Posted by myavu

Can't decide on colors yet, May be WHITE or that WOW! RED HOT.

Who you kidding? Go get that RED Punto.

Originally Posted by amit

USB stick is in the glovebox.

Not to mention, strange placement.

Engine noise at around 2.5K rpm and over is heard in the cabin but I got to that rpm in second gear. In fifth, things are quiet. No issues on that front.

Agreed. When cruising at 110 kph, the sound was okay. But when working through the gears, the diesel's drone is on the louder side, even in lower gears.

I think it's on par with other diesel engines in it's class.

I'd disagree. The noise is definitely higher than in the Ritz or the Vista.

- Steering, ride and handling is just brilliant. Better then Palio S10. Leagues ahead in fact.

You betcha! The fabulous steering - I mean, it's utterly delicious - mature ride & handling would be the reason to buy this car. Undoubtedly the new segment leader.

Special mention has to be made about the salesguy, Paresh Salaskar. He was enthusiastic, friendly, was well trained and knew his product inside out. As soon as we told him about our doubts with regard to Blue&Me recognising our accents, he jumped up and told us to take a demo. He even offered us a tour into the service area. Both Fortune outlets have had very informative and friendly sales staff. Anyone checking out the Punto or Linea at Forune Powai, do ask for Paresh Salaskar.

Nice to hear. These are the kind of guys that can make a brand.

[amoghmasur]

Fantastic test-drive report GTO !!!

[ada]

@ GTO, this is your third review I read and love them all. You are one of the very few guys here who speaks well of Ritz, and believes Ritz has its own place. It has been a day since I have been driving my new Ritz (will post the initial review within a week). Here is how the crowd will break up for the three new launches.

1) Jazz -- For the filthy Rich.

2) Punto -- For the enthusiasts, for the young crowd, who goes out to picnic, visit Matheran or Parwanoo almost every month, ready to take some risks. Risks on quality of the car (Still to early to say if there are no niggling problems), risk on fiats ***, and for those madly in love with all things Italian.

3) Ritz -- For the more mature, for someone like me who likes peace of mind. For the city dweller who very infrequently goes out (once or twice a year) hence boot space not so much of a problem.

Now how can there be movements within the groups? If Jazz brought down its prices, if after a run of a year people confirm the product quality of Punto and its *** (In that case I too will sell Ritz and buy the Punto). Ritz has nowhere to go except eat into Swift, or maybe come with added bells and whistles and go a step up maybe?

[guptad42]

Can we hope that Tata Motors will finally wake up and add a new top-end version?

with he long promised ABS+ Airbags, Steering and suspension setup/ driving dynamics of the Punto. It'll still not look anywhere as good, but will be far cheaper and with lot more space!!

[MitzYeah]

Great objective review, thanks GTO for helping me make up my mind. I test drove it and booked it.

[carfreak]

Originally Posted by ntrack

The PCD of all Fiat cars is 98mm.

I am afraid thats true for almost all Fiats but i have read and there is a mention in some other thread too, that the pcd of the grande punto is 100!!i just wanted to confirm on the indian version too, whether its the same!!

Anyway guess it has to be discussed in another thread!!