Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

[ntrack]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

@ntrack... is it in fifth gear???

Very much in the fifth.

If I keep the needle below 2500 rpm, the speed is around 80-85 kmph, at this position the car returns me a FE of around 16 kmpl (on the highway).
The S10 is very sensitive to the right foot - floor it & it guzzles, on the other hand, with a light foot, it will give a very decent FE.

[parimal_g]

GTO Palio is not that out dated.

Compare it with swift interiors what's so special in those plane interiors.
Palio interiors will not feel fresh but they are functional and that hard plastic is built to last.And may be due to lower sales Fiat is not bringing latest Palio version.
Last week after Driving swift petrol for 250 Kms,i really missed my Palio.
The only disadvantage i found was of absence Digital display in Palio.
Ow the car has all Basic features of a modern car.And its real value for money.

[amit]

Originally Posted by parimal_g

Palio is not that out dated.

Compared to Punto it is. Not just in terms of interiors but Punto's ride quality, handling and steering are far superior to the Palio. Bascially, the Punto platform is far superior to the Palio's aging A-178 one.

[parimal_g]

@Amit..

Do agree with you compare to punto definitely and you are the best judge for the same.But if you compare with i10 ,swift getz.Its far better in terms of built quality,handling ride quality.

[roms]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Nice review Roms! This is very hard to believe... which gear? I can bet my life on it that its not in 5th.

E_T, good that your raised that doubt. Something caught my eye while I was glancing through that review on Top Gear again. They mention that the tacho touched 4000rpm@ 100km/h in 5th. At the same time there is a picture of the instrument cluster on the right hand corner of the same page. The speedo is at almost 120 km/h (not 100km/h) and the tacho is just about touching 4000 rpm. If thats the case, then it is fine I think.

[~~VinZ~~]

Finally i got time to take TD, blame my work load. i took both petrol and diesel version. And now that pushed me me in to a big question mark, to go with petrol or diesel? please help.

here, I am not comparing with any other car. So do not throw me out by bringing other car names. And these are just my takeaways from TD.

The drive was not too long, it was in the peak bangalore traffic time so whenever i got free road i revved as much possible and then i noticed the smooth noise of petrol and it was nice to hear. I loved the rapid course power delivery (something i want in my new car as i love my ZEN for that) in the petrol than the linear in diesel. It thown me back to the seat when i gave the acceleration. But the MJD was a winner after 2000 rpm and surely will be a fun to drive on highways. But i feel diesel lacks the absolute performance which everyone would expect.

In petrol version i found lil difficulty in shifting gears and i felt the clutch travel was longer. And the same i did not feel in the MJD, infact the drive was smooth and even the gear shifts. Any comments on this? . may be it was just the TD vehicle which was scrutinized by all. And suddenly i felt the potholes and the weird sized bumpers didint matter at all. This car handles it so perfectly that you wont even realise.


before the TD i almost had decided for the Emotion pack MJD as the FE in FIRE was around 11 and i feel for my driving style i might end up getting 9 - 10. But now i am confused.

I drive around 800 to 900 a month and sometime it reaches 1000 which does not all under the diesel range. And once in 2 months i will hit the rad for a long cruize. The FE in my concern here for petrol, do you think it will get better after it is driven for long?


NOTE: Concorde motors have leather seats for punto now (provided by stanley automotive). it will cost 25k and you can choose hte patterns you want. I should tell you this, the interior looked too good with those seats in it (battery was down so could not take photos) and my complaints about the interior was not there any more

[Minardi]

Vinz, the difference between a diesel and a petrol Punto is only around 60K. If you sell the car in 4-5 years, you'll recover at least half of that. So even financially, diesel makes more sense even if your monthly run is as low as 500 kms. Go for the MJD!

[SilentEngine]

Originally Posted by ~~VinZ~~

And now that pushed me me in to a big question mark, to go with petrol or diesel? please help.

Even I am in a similar dilemma. My monthly running is expected to be around 1000KM/month. Financially it makes sense to go with diesel as its only 60K costlier than petrol, and that can be easily recovered in 3-4 years.
But I found petrol more fun to drive than the diesel, which is holding me back from deciding one way or the other.

[Ravveendrra]

The petrol and Diesel engines typically vary in the manner in which the torque/power is delivered. Diesel engines give a heavy low end torque which pushes you back in your seat just above idling to 2000 rpm mark or thereabouts. The Diesels also typically lack a top end 'punch'. The petrols on the other hand wake up late (especially Fiat engines). Though low end power is available the maximum torque/power would be availble much higher.

So if you drive like you are on the track and love the scream of the exhaust and high revving engines - buy the petrol, the engine will make you feel like Schumi. If you like to zip past others in traffic without much ado and like more grunt for overtaking at low speed (rpm) buy a diesel, shift gears early and enjoy the torqued acceleration.

The 60 K difference in price may not be much, but do remember that Diesel engines are still slightly more expensive to maintain/repair. They are also marginally noisier and give a certain 'throb' when running.

Cheers,

[jathin]

Please see the attached excel sheet showing comparison of ownership cost between different petrol and diesel models of Punto

[Crimson]

Go for the MJD. If you find the power lacking then just pete her. Realistic mileage for the petrol with hard driving will be less than 10. The test drive car I drove showed 8 as average consumption. You will have to be very light footed to get an average close to 12. That would be an issue because in the petrol the power delivery at lower RPM's is not good at all. Your current car is a (old model) Zen, and if you enjoy her "peppy and quick" nature then you're going to have to really work the 1.4 Fire to get similar performance - and in that case you can forget a descent average.

The price difference is not much between Petrol and Diesel. All calculations done so far on cost recovery were with the assumption that the difference is north of 1 Lac which is not the case here.

The only thing I did not like about the MJD was the NVH. Nothing can be done here to drastically reduce it but a little soundproofing would surely help. Plus I have heard promising reviews of the NVH reducing after run-in.

[neotraveller]

@vinz,

Your choosing Punto itself is a heart-decision.
Now again its a heart (petrol Punto) vs head (Diesel Punto) conundrum you got here!

Let me clarify, I have a zen MPFI currently. The zen doesn't move at all at speeds below 30kmph (2-3 gears). And if you have AC switched ON, then it really struggles. Only after you get to 40kmph (4th gear) you get a nice power boost.
In contrast the 1.4FIRE is way better than it. It easily pulls with AC ON from standstill speeds as low as 10kmph. And like you said it gives the adrenaline rush after crossing 1800rpm.
Also its a really refined engine with hardly any vibrations on the steering, gear, clutch.

If I feel this way in Linea, then Punto(P) would be even better.

But financially MJD makes sense, as the difference is 70k (including tax), if you do 1000km/month, you will recover that in 2-3 years.

Originally Posted by Crimson

That would be an issue because in the petrol the power delivery at lower RPM's is not good at all. Your current car is a (old model) Zen, and if you enjoy her "peppy and quick" nature then you're going to have to really work the 1.4 Fire to get similar performance - and in that case you can forget a descent average.

The price difference is not much between Petrol and Diesel. All calculations done so far on cost recovery were with the assumption that the difference is north of 1 Lac which is not the case here.

[amitcd]

Hey guys...here is a document I found on Fiat's website.
Pretty nice help for someone stuck on a Blue & Me.

[GTO]

But financially MJD makes sense, as the difference is 70k (including tax), if you do 1000km/month, you will recover that in 2-3 years.

Don't forget : When its time to sell, the diesel Punto will in all probability fetch you twice the money of the petrol. European petrol cars depreciate like stink (including Fiats, Skodas, Mercs etc.). Heck, you can take home an 18 month old 325i for 18 lakhs (a car that cost 35 when new!).

GTO Palio is not that out dated.

To me, the Palio is beyond its sell-by date. Apparently, the market thinks so as well.

[gemithomas]

Originally Posted by GTO

To me, the Palio is beyond its sell-by date. Apparently, the market thinks so as well.

True in terms of how long it has been in the market. But isnt it the same with the Octavia, the Ikon, the 800, the Santro. Its not just FIAT who has been continuing with the same model all these years. The benefit there is that the price has come down compared to when they were launched. Which i think is a win win situation when it comes to people who want good cars at value prices.

While the punto deals with people who want newer cars the palio could surely still be there for those who want to save some money. Just like cars of other brands.