[altius]

How about Grand i10? From the looks and initial reviews, seems to be a spacious car and probably would fit in the budget!

[ahmad.007]

Why is this car not in the list?
Is this not "premium"?

[sahakar]

Folks,

Need to know if the Punto petrol is a woman driver friendly car or should we stick to the i10s/Micras/Brios of world.

Please advise Punto owners.

Cheers

[coolkurt]

Originally Posted by sahakar

Folks,

Need to know if the Punto petrol is a woman driver friendly car or should we stick to the i10s/Micras/Brios of world.

Please advise Punto owners.

Cheers

If you can handle an i10, you can surely drive a punto. But one thing. is for sure, you'll feel safer in the Punto. It's lot more sturdy, built like a tank and the aggressive stance can help you portray that you mean business.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by sahakar

Folks,

Need to know if the Punto petrol is a woman driver friendly car or should we stick to the i10s/Micras/Brios of world.

Please advise Punto owners.

Cheers

A better option would be to ask the woman in question to test drive the Punto vis-a-vis other cars and ask her if she is comfortable with the Punto . Most people who are buying the car as just a city commuter car may give some consideration to the HPS v/s EPS difference in the city. Turning radius is no longer a deal breaker for the Punto, since they have reduced it from 5.4m to 5m, which is pretty much the same as other hatchbacks.

The Fiat 1.4 NA FIRE engine is not known to return very good FE figures, so if this car is a city commuter where efficiency is one of the criteria, maybe some of the smaller (engined) hatches would fare better for your requirements - Brio 1.2 for example.

The only other area where I can think of a concern is the physical dimensions of the vehicle. Is the buyer already comfortable with driving, etc and willing to go for a bigger hatch like the Punto?? Or if size is a mental barrier, i10/Brio segment hatches would be easier to drive (in newbie's minds)

[Arkesh]

Originally Posted by sahakar

Folks,

Need to know if the Punto petrol is a woman driver friendly car or should we stick to the i10s/Micras/Brios of world.

Please advise Punto owners.

Cheers

It's quite drivable for women but people driving Hyundai or other cars with EPS often complain that Fiats have a heavy steering. Better to go for a test drive.

[Biraj]

Originally Posted by sahakar

Folks,

Need to know if the Punto petrol is a woman driver friendly car or should we stick to the i10s/Micras/Brios of world.

Please advise Punto owners.

Cheers

I faced similar dilemma while helping my fiancee purchase her first car last year. She had no previous experience of driving any vehicle and was very nervous. After learning from Maruti Driving School, she was inclined towards Brio and i10 auto. I somehow managed to convince her about the strong built, great safety and other features of Punto. She halfheartedly agreed and now I regret convincing her.

Punto is not the car to start for someone with no driving experience. It's huge for a hatchback. The thick A-pillar creates a big blind-spot. The long clutch-travel is also difficult for newbies. She loves the Oceanic Blue colour and the ride quality when I am driving it but she gets very nervous in NCR traffic because of the sheer size of Punto. Since my daily drive is Linea T-jet, I never imagined that driving a Punto can be tough for someone. After this experience, I have realised that every individual has different perception about ease of driving and one should select the car based on the main driver's ease. She feels very comfortable while driving my old Santro because of the compactness (relative to Punto) and great view of the road however, the Punto really makes her nervous.

So, it all depends on how experienced is the driver and how comfortable she feels at driving seat of Punto. If she is fine, go for it. It's the best hatchback you can purchase. If she is not, then look towards Brio.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by sahakar

Folks,

Need to know if the Punto petrol is a woman driver friendly car or should we stick to the i10s/Micras/Brios of world.

Please advise Punto owners.

Cheers

I don't understand exactly what you mean by "woman driver friendly" but to answer your question...
...it depends on exactly how confident the female(or for that matter a male as well) is.

2 main things that may be an inconvenience in my opinion are the visibility and the turning radius:

Visibility:
If its their first car, then the A-pillar reducing the visibility will take some time to get used to.
If they have been driving for some time..its not a problem at all.
If the punto you buy has a seat height adjuster its only an added advantage.

turning radius
The current puntos have 5m turning radius as compared to the pre-2012 puntos which had 5.5m.
Assuming you are not buying an used pre-2012 punto, even this is not a problem at all.

Other than this, a punto is same as any other cars you've mentioned.
In fact the famous tank-like build quality of the punto will only ensure that the woman is more safe if not anything else

[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by sahakar

Folks,

Need to know if the Punto petrol is a woman driver friendly car or should we stick to the i10s/Micras/Brios of world.

Please advise Punto owners.

Cheers

Ha ha.. I'll have to quote my mom here who's been driving a 1.4 Punto for 3 years now. This was after she drove my grandmum's recently acquired Amaze petrol - "Everything feels so light, I don't feel like I'm driving. The Punto feels so much more solid".

My mom's had no problem in driving the Punto around, except for maybe the steering at parking speeds. The car has really grown on her, so much so that she drove my Figo and said '"not as nice as the Punto'' !!

Having said that, the i10, Brio will be much easier to drive. So it's down to what one is looking for. Go take that test drive fast !

[Arkesh]

Not that I don't want to recommend a punto, even I feel that the clutch travel and blinding A pillar are two big issues for female drivers. And added to that is relatively heavy steering. I have come across many people who don't understand what is steering feedback and dynamics and these people can never be convinced with hydraulic PS. Initially it requires some amount of time and experience for a rookie to get used to punto.

[Ricci]

Originally Posted by sahakar

Folks,

Need to know if the Punto petrol is a woman driver friendly car or should we stick to the i10s/Micras/Brios of world.

Please advise Punto owners.

Cheers

+1 to what Biraj said. Though I'm not a Punto owner, I have a Linea , and I'm a noob when it comes to driving cars. I have driven the Linea only a few times, and I do find it a bit tough due to A pillar blind spot, the large dimensions and not so small turning circle. Add to it, one really needs to get his/her judgment right when turning/reversing into tight dimensions. That only comes with time and practice.

My dad with over 20 years of car ownership experience ( and 30+ driving experience ), chose the Ford Figo over the Punto. Only one reason - visibility. The lower glass sills provide better visibility out of the car, and make the interiors feel more airy/bright.

For a noob, I suggest a smaller car with better glass area/visibility.

[sandeepmdas]

The Punto is not a rookie driver's car; the reasons are already been told. In fact, the Punto, if driven sans responsibility or experience, can be a dangerous car for the others.

My wife drives the Punto a good 30+ kms per day, but she's not a newbie - daily driving cars since 2004 - and we live in a small town. Her feedback on Punto is almost the same as that of fiat_tarun's mother's. So this is not women-centric. Any lady with adequate street experience and confidence can drive a Punto.

[lapis_lazuli]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

The Fiat 1.4 NA FIRE engine is not known to return very good FE figures, so if this car is a city commuter where efficiency is one of the criteria, maybe some of the smaller (engined) hatches would fare better for your requirements - Brio 1.2 for example.

One advantage that I distinctly note in the Punto 1.2 however, is, the effortless city driving. The 1.4 peak torque develops at a much higher rpm and b2b traffic negotiations are, well, tiring. With the 1.2, I do not need to even touch the accelerator even on mild slopes. It chugs along effortlessly as I gradually release the soft clutch! And it pulls easily from 15-20kmph at higher gears making heavy traffic easier to sail through. I doubt, if Brio would be good for the knees in b2b!

However, has it "got bhp?". Er...no, it's "got torque" 97@2500. A new sticker please...

Fuel efficiency? Not bad at all....Hemanth, Biraj, any comments?

[S.MJet]

Originally Posted by sahakar

Folks,

Need to know if the Punto petrol is a woman driver friendly car or should we stick to the i10s/Micras/Brios of world.

Please advise Punto owners.

Cheers

I would say its just the matter of getting used to.
I'll share my female colleague's feedback.

Graduating from Santro, She picked up a red 1.4 Punto purely going by her gorgeous looks.
Initially she was not comfortable & was sort of regretting her decision.
3-4 weeks of drive changed her apprehensions.

In addition to the drive what she loves is the comfortable & secure feel it gives especially when driving alone.

As of now, Linea is on top priority as her next upgrade.

So, I would say, apart from the experience & confidence level of the driver, it usually takes 3-4 weeks to get used to a new drive.

2-3 long test drives can be helpful to decide.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli

And it pulls easily from 15-20kmph at higher gears making heavy traffic easier to sail through. I doubt, if Brio would be good for the knees in b2b!

As a city commuter, Brio has its strengths elsewhere . With a 1.2 motor, it churns out 109 Nm at 4500 rpm and 89 PS at 6500 rpm, while being more fuel efficient that the petrol Puntos. It is not crippled by a heavy weight either. It can literally fly into gaps in traffic, thanks to a superb power-to-weight ratio. Also, it

- is physically smaller and more reassuring for newbie drivers
- has a miniscule clutch pedal travel compared to Fiats. Plus point for B2B traffic. There is also an AT option on Brio.
- has a lighter steering. Another plus point.
- has better ergonomics for short drivers (assuming an average Indian woman). Does Punto 1.2 dynamic come with seat height adjust?? I'm not sure
- is easier to maneuver in traffic and parking spots
- has better visibility from the cabin thanks to the large glass area, both on the front and on the back.

Actually it is unfair to pitch a battle between these cars of different segments. Punto should ideally be compared with Jazz, i20, Polo, etc. There really is no reason to buy a petrol Punto as a city commuter for a newbie driver, unless someone wants a choice ONLY from the bigger hatch segment and/or prefers the Punto's enthusiast-oriented strengths - like handling, steering feedback, ride quality, etc. Like S.MJet mentions, only a couple of test drives with the actual buyer will be key to whether it is the right choice or not. If the choice extends to highway-use, I'm sure the answer will be unanimous .

Maybe we should continue this discussion in the 'what car?' section. Could the mods please move this query and following posts into an appropriate thread there?