[Sathya_sc]

Voted for Punto, because of the following reasons,

1. 145Bhp
2. Looks (I personally like it over TSI)
3. Manual (This is a must for me)
4. Wider rubber
5. All discs
6. Hydraulic steering
7. Better Service (Surprised ah....having owned FIATs - Linea MJD and Tjet, feel they are far better and less expensive)

[Mik]

Voted for the obvious choice: Punto Abarth.

But, if I had a gun on my head and was asked to buy a warm/hot hatch considering all aspects, I would opt for the Figo 1.5TDCI Titanium+ with all its bells and whistles, upgrade the tyres and RD box it to extract some more driveability. Over Riding Reason: Diesel Economy and a very competent package with power, safety and a decent steering and good ride.

The Abarth would be a great second car for me, but not my primary ride.
Now only if petrol and diesel were priced on par

[firstguri]

212 Nm torque, 145 Bhp, with a chassis and suspension to handle all that and, and I just booked one. Need I say more

My vote, Abarth Punto.

[johannskaria]

I would go for the Figo TDCi eyes shut.
Performance,VFM, Looks good in black, good fuel economy, strong after sales support, even over the counter spare sales.
Add to that a good residual value which the above mentioned hatches don't have.

Hey its not a conventional choice, coz its not a petrol.
"Conventional People don't buy hot hatches and Figo is a non-conventional choice"

[nkrishnap]

Voted for the Punto Evo Abarth after having driven it for a good amounts of KMs.

For all the reasons already listed out by others like power, torque, brakes, there is an additional thing to the Punto Evo Abarth, it makes you grin every time you floor the throttle be it in any gear

[nakul0888]

Voted for Punto "not abarth".

It is currently the best driver's hatchback. For sure.
Power and performance was one glaring deficiency of the punto up until now. Now it has been fixed once and for all. If I was in the market right now. This would be my choice.

But needless to say, I have one or two issues to point out.

For all the chest thumping about 145 bhp, this car doesn't appear to be all that faster than its competiton.

The new Figo TDCI has 100 bhp and is just a few tenths of a second slower in the race to a 100. And its not like Figo starts tampering off after 100 either. Reviews say it still pulls like a train beyond 150. I suspect the in gear acceleration figures are going to be better for the ford since it is lighter and has the same torque of the abarth albeit it comes much earlier.
The punto has 45% more horsepower up its sleeve yet I don't think in a real world situation it will be able to shake off a figo which ford doesn't even claim to be a performance car. IMO this shouldn't be happening. Not to mention the figo's mileage is rated at 25kpl. That's about 100% more mileage. And its atleast 2 lakhs plus cheaper, and I bet it will get better resale value.

The Punto is clearly more appealing to the heart and where it really counts for the petrol head, better than the rest. But that is just not enough. Fiat should also make an effort to make it appealing to the head as well if it wants to succeed in our market.

I hope Fiat fans will recognize what I said above for what it is. Constructive criticism. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Tanveer_2558]

With more than 70% vote in favour of the punto, Its clear that its the new Hot hatch, I hope someone from VW is following this thread and decides to get a new polo with 1.4 TSI with some exterior changes as well.

Thank you fiat for introducing this beast, It will also make other manufactures bring such powerful hatches, End result? We get more options to choose from.

[Axe77]

I love three things - A/T, Performance and Diesel. In that order. If someone could combine those three ingredients (assuming its not just BHP but also handling, suspension etc), they'd get my money right away.

Amongst the actually available choices, I haven't driven the Abarth so can't say but leaning to Polo TSI just for the A/T factor and performance combination factor. Not sure if Figo DCT A/T is in similar performance league to the Polo - in which case that would be an interesting candidate too. Worth it just to stay away from VAG.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Drove the Abarth for a nice little stint, and I'm voting for it without any doubts in my mind. It is for sure the most fun car I've driven. (PS- I haven't driven many cars north of 25L, so only small and medium cars are considered here)

Originally Posted by nakul0888

For all the chest thumping about 145 bhp, this car doesn't appear to be all that faster than its competiton.

Please go drive it buddy. You can start off in second gear and still manage a sub 10 second run to the 100 (GPS timed). First gear and Apollo tyres = pure Wheel spin.

The overall package is miles ahead of the competition in my opinion. The way it all comes together in being such a fun tool to drive!

Weaknesses? I didn't like the plastics, specially the lower part of the dashboard and the steering wheel. Felt cheaper to the touch than my GP. And the red fog lamp bezel is extremely garish. The Apollo tyres can't match this level of heat and begs for an upgrade.

[nakul0888]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Drove the Abarth for a nice little stint, and I'm voting for it without any doubts in my mind. It is for sure the most fun car I've driven. (PS- I haven't driven many cars north of 25L, so only small and medium cars are considered here)



Please go drive it buddy. You can start off in second gear and still manage a sub 10 second run to the 100 (GPS timed). First gear and Apollo tyres = pure Wheel spin.

The overall package is miles ahead of the competition in my opinion. The way it all comes together in being such a fun tool to drive!

Weaknesses? I didn't like the plastics, specially the lower part of the dashboard and the steering wheel. Felt cheaper to the touch than my GP. And the red fog lamp bezel is extremely garish. The Apollo tyres can't match this level of heat and begs for an upgrade.

Yup, will do, after mid november.
Btw , For how long do you thing the abarth will be on for sale? 4-5 years? Asked with SA?

[amit_mechengg]

Poli TSI - Was the real fun hatch till date with the manual GBX sorely missed. But apart from those 105 horses there was nothing extraordinary about the car. The EPS feels dud for a person who knows the hydraulics from the italian or the fords. For a Maruti or Hyundai guy the VW EPS is way better. The ESP is a very good feature on the Polo

Abarth - God !! The Scorpion King, has a legacy, is a no ordinary car. 145 horses , 8.8 seconds to the ton on such a brilliant chassis is just what a perfect enthusiast car matches. The lowered suspension set up, the revised gearbox and mainly the most accurate hydraulic power steering takes this to further level.
To me the Abarth Punto is much more than a car
Seriously we are speaking about cruise control

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by nakul0888

Btw , For how long do you thing the abarth will be on for sale? 4-5 years? Asked with SA?

I see a lot of sarcasm in this. What makes you wonder whether the car will be on sale over a few years? Is it even relevant to this thread. This is of absolutely no value to the readers.

Punto Evo Abarth may not do much to the sales charts for Fiat, but has certainly done one thing for sure, ruffle a few feathers of the VW polo (mostly GT) owners which is not going down well with them.

One thing quite a few people are failing to see is. Now there is an additonal option for a performance hatch, a few manufacturers may follow and bring their performance hatches to the market. This can only be good as it provides more choice to the buyers.

By the way CD tagged along with me to drive the Punto Abarth. He drove for well overs 25 kms to guage what the car is capable of.

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Please go drive it buddy. You can start off in second gear and still manage a sub 10 second run to the 100 (GPS timed). First gear and Apollo tyres = pure Wheel spin.

CD, he does have a point right?

I mean agreed that this is the fastest thing in the Indian market now, but a 145 Hp engine should do a ton in less than 8 secs. Is it not? I mean the Polo 1.4 Tsi does it in 7.7 Secs. I agree its not just about timing to ton but the whole package as a driver's car that matters, which is why people like us do buy Puntos still. But still..

[Umesh Kumar61]

My vote goes to punto.

Keeping aside the fact that the Punto tops the pack in bhp, torque, 0-100 timing, top speed etc. The precise steering and the track tuned suspension in the punto gives it an edge over all its contenders. It definitely instills confidence to push it to the limits. But it is a subjective factor which cannot be measured like bhp or torque.

If the punto had shorter clutch travel and a slick shift tranny, I'd go for it than a DSG. But if one wants an automatic, then DSG is just awesome. Leave aside the maintenance and reliablity of DSG, when you drive the TSi, you'll forget all that. The DSG almost shifts just the way you would do. But why I'd choose a manual is simply for the feel and involvement while driving.

The Polo has ESC which is badly missed in the punto. It'd would have been the icing on the cake with 4 disc brakes.

Cruise Control : The polo has got one. Even if the punto had one too, doesnt make any difference. For me, it would have been as useless as a white crayon.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by nakul0888

Yup, will do, after mid november.
Btw , For how long do you thing the abarth will be on for sale? 4-5 years? Asked with SA?

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

By the way CD tagged along with me to drive the Punto Abarth. He drove for well overs 25 kms to guage what the car is capable of.

I hope the above qoute answered your question, nakul. There was no SA around.

By the way, even if there was one - I doubt he would have any clue. The car showroom guy would be the last person I would ask regarding the product life cycle and replacement. We BHP'ians might be in a better position to judge.

The next big launch from FIAT is possibly the Jeep twins and the Aegea / Tipo. So I suspect a Punto replacement might come only by late 2018 / 2019.

Originally Posted by amit_mechengg

Seriously we are speaking about cruise control

I seriously wish it had one. 800 kms solo drives on the long and empty TN four lane roads with just one or two breaks have conditioned my mind to think only good things about CC.

Originally Posted by vibbs

CD, he does have a point right?

I mean agreed that this is the fastest thing in the Indian market now, but a 145 Hp engine should do a ton in less than 8 secs. Is it not? I mean the Polo 1.4 Tsi does it in 7.7 Secs. I agree its not just about timing to ton but the whole package as a driver's car that matters, which is why people like us do buy Puntos still. But still..

Correct. Probably due to the fact that it hits 100 in third gear and not second. You lose atleast more than half a second shifting to third around the 90 kmph mark?

But I wouldn't be worried about it. I'll never ever try that 0-100 run in real life. But smash the accelerator pedal in second or third gear for that occassional kick, and the 145hp should deliver it in bucketloads.