Fiat Punto MJD 90HP - The Story of 90 Fuel Burning Italian Horses: 9800 smiles so far

[sad:)]

Punto has no Diesel Particulate Filter.

[dj_turbo]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Hey dj congrats on your thread making it to the list of hot threads on the home page !!

Now that the crucial 10k kms is over and as many mention that the 1.3MJD comes on its own after 10k kms, can you post a small write-up on the difference you've felt post the 10k kms as opposed to say at beginning and after 1k kms.

Thanks Shashank, I was not aware about that

Actually I did not feel any major difference between 1K and 10K, only thing is, during the initial period, I was light on right foot and never went beyond 2000-2100 rpm, and I used to get more than 18 kmpl but now a days, on every opportunity, I do more than 120.
It seems that I have got used to the turbo lag and the driving style also has been changed as I try to reach to 1800 rpm in low gear asap and then maintain the rpm in its power band.

Dj

[dj_turbo]

Originally Posted by deepakhon

Maybe, fixing 1.9 is a lot easier than fixing 1.6. 1.9 has the same engine block as the 1.9 diesel that Palio had at some point of time. I think fixing 1.9 could be more cost-effective for Fiat.

Thanks Deepakhon, I would be more happy to see 1.9 MJD coming to India and probably that time I will go for a Linea 1.9 MJD with VGT

Originally Posted by lejhoom

Congratulations. Wish you many happy miles.

By the by, did you buy two cars. On Page 1 I see the photos with HR Registration and on the second, it is RJ Registration. Or is it the same car with photoshopped licence plate?

Thanks lehjhoom. I got only one car, earlier it was wearing TEMP registration (HR one) and later on the permanent one (RJ one).

Originally Posted by sad:)

Sorry Dj_Turbo, I forgot to mention. I have a Punto Emotion..It does not have a VGT.. But good I always wanted to know the engine speed at whihc VGT will kick in..that the advantage of a VGT.

I know that the calculation of the fuel effeciency from the ECU is almost very accurate...but there are always options in the ECU softwre wheter to consider the non torque generating injections..whihc may not be considered for Fe calculation...This is more applicable in case of Particulate filters where some of the late injections are used to burn soot in the particualte filter.

Haven't heard much in this regard, will do some googling and reading about it.

Dj

[rameshnanda]

dj_turbo, Congrats on owning one of the best diesel hatchbacks available today. I don't think any other diesel hatch can match Punto 90HP in performance on the highway.

Enjoy with your beauty.

[coolmel]

You got a great car DJ. I guess the low mileage in the city could be due to frequent clutch usage and increase and decrease in speed. Do you accelerate hard?? Highway mileage is decent.

[dj_turbo]

Originally Posted by coolmel

You got a great car DJ. I guess the low mileage in the city could be due to frequent clutch usage and increase and decrease in speed. Do you accelerate hard?? Highway mileage is decent.

I am never too gentle with the right foot but neither I am too aggressive. The city traffic in Mumbai is worse than Gurgaon where I at times I spent 40-45 minutes for 1.5 Kms and I always drive with AC on.

Originally Posted by rameshnanda

dj_turbo, Congrats on owning one of the best diesel hatchbacks available today. I don't think any other diesel hatch can match Punto 90HP in performance on the highway.

Enjoy with your beauty.

Thanks Ramesh. I couldn't agree more
Eagerly waiting for her to come back now !

Guys, How to ask the mods to change the thread title to "Fiat Punto MJD 90HP - The Story of 90 Fuel Burning Italian Horses: 10,000 smiles so far"
Dj

[Utopian]

Congrats for the Punto. Loved the Jaipur snap, the car looks extremely stunning there. I have driven the FGT Diesel version at times and have never faced the issue of low GC.
Infact, the way it handles the NCR's potholes is worth a praise.
Kindly post more interior snaps of the Italian damsel. And happy mile crunching.

[RIC.BURNS]

Congrats on a superb car DJ.

I got my GP EP76 last month and its been a wow ride everytime. IMHO Punto is the benchmark on hatchback ride quality, its just superior than my previous ride, Swift. It has many bells and whistles for the asking price. i was surprised when it even showed me a warning when one of the tail lamp bulbs was gone.
agree, the highway noise is on the little higher side may be due to accelres. i had gone to TASS(TafeReach, chennai) two times so far for small complaints and both the times were excellent, lets see how it goes with time.

Congrats again DJ. Happy mile crunching!!

[dj_turbo]

Originally Posted by Utopian

Congrats for the Punto. Loved the Jaipur snap, the car looks extremely stunning there. I have driven the FGT Diesel version at times and have never faced the issue of low GC.
Infact, the way it handles the NCR's potholes is worth a praise.
Kindly post more interior snaps of the Italian damsel. And happy mile crunching.

Thanks Utopian. It was quite an experience driving on NCR roads but Punto made me feel safe.

Originally Posted by RIC.BURNS

Congrats on a superb car DJ.

I got my GP EP76 last month and its been a wow ride everytime. IMHO Punto is the benchmark on hatchback ride quality, its just superior than my previous ride, Swift. It has many bells and whistles for the asking price. i was surprised when it even showed me a warning when one of the tail lamp bulbs was gone.
agree, the highway noise is on the little higher side may be due to accelres. i had gone to TASS(TafeReach, chennai) two times so far for small complaints and both the times were excellent, lets see how it goes with time.

Congrats again DJ. Happy mile crunching!!

Thanks RIC.BURNS. A Maruti-like *** would really do wonders for FIAT cars in India. I am hopeful that when I get the car back from TASS tomorrow, I will be as happy as you are with ***.

Dj

[djkher]

hey, Nice review there i agree with you in the point that this is one awesome car. Just a query about the front co passenger seat as i am facing similar issues with my punto 90 HP. I have taken the car to TASS 2-3 times for this with no results.

[quickdraw]

Hi DJ,

Thanks for taking the time to write down your impressions of the car, we all appreciate it of-course. Now comes the niggling part of asking some questions

I'm in a similar dilemma as you, and have test driven the new Swift and even the Cruze. I however did not get the chance to drive the Punto 90 yes, but I struck it off my list because I had severe problems with interoir plastics quality of fiat cars I've come across, can you share some further information on this with your personal experience?

I remember I had gone for a test drive of a car where I managed to break the seat height adjuster and the front boot opener, the plastic quality was that bad.

[nkg77]

Originally Posted by quickdraw

I remember I had gone for a test drive of a car where I managed to break the seat height adjuster and the front boot opener, the plastic quality was that bad.

The plastic quality has improved a lot, I have an April 2011 Punto EPack and I have not faced any issues till now. Please take a test drive once again and try breaking some plastic parts ;-)

[jesrani]

@dj_turbo, really nice review. Have recently booked a 90HP for my dad in Tuscan Wine, awaiting the delivery eagerly.
Your review again confirms that the car is good, though there are negatives also.
Really liked the pics you have clicked, very well presented. Do you take pics with camera or mobile? Just asking out of curiosity.

[sarbashishb]

Originally Posted by dj_turbo

What I don't:

• Wish it had more power (even 90HP is not good enough for this tank).
• The gearing feels little rubbery, the first gear is too short for me but I love the way she delivers in third cog.
• Less space/bottle holders to keep small items and bottles while on highways and when you are solo traveler, these things are missed badly.
• Engine noise at speed and also the wind noise at the highways.
• Service experience hasn’t been great so far, but thankfully, no major issues so far.
• Navigator’s seat Rattling issue was there for long but now it has been corrected. The glove box rattling has to be looked upon now.

Cheers
Dj

For Wind noise at the highways you can go for 3M Anti-Corrosion Treatments which gives your car the following benefits:
a) Long-term protection against corrosion
b) Deadens road sounds for a less noisy drive
c) Insulates against heat and cold
d) Prevents chipping due to stones
e) 5-Year Protection + 10 free inspections.

I did it for my Suzuki Baleno Vxi 2007 model last week (23-Sep-2011) and it costed me 3195 INR. When they do the treatment make sure you are physically present there. For preparation they will do the following:

1. Under body wash
2. They will cover the running boards. Usually tape and newspaper are used.
3. They should cover the front and rear wheels (from inside).
4. Cover the exhaust system.
4. Before the under coating paint is applied the under body should be dry otherwise the coating will peel off.
5. Inspect the underbody after the coating with halogen light to ensure that the coating is applied and no corners are missed. It should be applied on the metals and not over plastics.
6. Spray gun to be used for coating.

Once the treatment is over wait for 45 mins and then start driving. Make sure you do not drive over wet roads. The total time it takes is about 3.5 hours. If the facility has a lift then it is good. In my case the patches close to the running board where not coated properly. This is I realised after I lifted the vehicle in the service center and did a thorough inspection.

I don't think the under coating treatment will void your warranty.

For more power I would say it is better you upgrade to another vehicle which you like. I recently went for a simple free flow exhaust installation and it backfired. To bring it back it costed me 55000 INR. Even if you go for some mild modification like K&N air filters etc I would not recommend because over time your throttle body will get jammed. More dirt wil get in your engine. This is from my personal experience. I have used K&N air filters for last 5 years and I know what it does over time.

[pinin]

@quickdraw,

Rest assured, the plastics are just fine. I myself own a July'10 GP 90HP and after nearly 14000 Kilometers everything is fine. No rattles, nothing has fallen off and no discoloration (I have made sure that the Dealer/Service station does not apply that ghastly shiny varnishi thing).

Problem areas:

1. Interior - any place where the light grey meets the dark grey (read alignment issues) and the gap in the steering column.
2. Exterior - The black band in between the bonnet and the windscreen that houses the wind screen washer nozzles (do not know what it is called technically).

However, trust me; you will forget all these trivial things when you are behind that stupendous wheel.

Go for a test drive and experience it for yourself.

Regards,

Pinin