[TheLizardKing]

The GT TSI for me. I own a pre-worshipped 2015 model since July 2018, and it has been an amazing experience. Especially because I moved to it from its lesser cousin (the Polo 1.2 MPI).

The highlight of the car is the DSG. It is so intuitive, so fast, and so smooth. I used to be an MT purist, but the DSG has converted me.

PS1: Going against my usual risk averse nature, I got a Stage 1 remap while the car is still under extended warranty. And that has taken the car to a whole new level.

PS2: I just realized that I haven't driven any of the other cars in the poll. So my vote is completely biased and not at all objective.

[sandeepmohan]

The VW was my first experience of driving anything with a fast twin clutch gearbox (Ford's DCT was not a patch) and boy did it impress. Even though the car isn't over the top on power output, the gearbox ensures you get the most out of the engine. It is a brilliant combination. Now; the hot hatch bit is really limited to the engine and gearbox on this car. The suspension can't keep up. In fact, the suspension is not sport oriented at all. It was not intended to be. It is a GT. Not a GTI. The brakes need an upgrade too. I'll live with the steering as everything sold today is e-steering based and VW's are decent in this department.

I must admit that I have not driven any of the other cars so cannot comment. What I will say that after getting back in to the drivers seat of my Linea T Jet, I did not miss the Tsi+DSG combination anymore. Mash the pedal, hold on to the steering wheel and don't bother looking at the speedometer. Wet or dry conditions, this car held onto the road like a leech. You touched the brilliant brakes only to slow down or stop the car, not for a corner. If this heavy, supposedly executive sedan was like this, I can't imagine how a lighter (slightly) and way more powerful Abarth will be.

As much as the TATA JTP is ever so tempting, the mod potential for the VW and Fiat is at another level. Makes them good project cars.

[d_himan]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Even though the car isn't over the top on power output, the gearbox ensures you get the most out of the engine. It is a brilliant combination. Now; the hot hatch bit is really limited to the engine and gearbox on this car. The suspension can't keep up.

Completely agree. To remedy some of these ills, my B6, paddle shifters and a remap make my GT TSI a nifty cut-and-thrust tool in the city. It’s so easy to go briskly due to the relentlessly efficient gearbox, people with manuals have to really work hard to get their shifts perfectly right all the time. Usually, without even being aware about it, it’s really easy to leave traffic 100 meters behind. "A warm hatch punching above it’s weight with a few modifications" is how I would put it. In the fifth year of ownership, and I am just not able to get bored with the car.

[Jakku]

My vote is for Tata Tiago JTP.

If I am in market now for a "performance car" in this range, my choice would be Tiago and I would avoid others for the following reasons.

I know Punto is the best car followed by the Polo (in my opinion); or both at same levels from any aspect of driving/ riding. However, Punto and Polo don't have the backing of their respective manufacturers and if something happens, the owner is left to the mercy of them. Hence it is better to avoid both.

Now, the other car listed is Baleno RS and comparing with Tiago, Maruti has better ASS network and it is a bigger car inside out. However, a friend of mine owns a Baleno and I had a chance to drive it while we were going out for lunch last week. Even if the drive was just for 3 km, I felt, the test drive I took with Tiago (not JTP) was better in terms of sturdiness. Baleno felt feeble to me in comparison.

Hence my choice is Tiago even if it is not an apple to apple comparison.

[Wildy]

Originally Posted by Jakku

Punto and Polo don't have the backing of their respective manufacturers and if something happens, the owner is left to the mercy of them. Hence it is better to avoid both.

I don't know what made you to think like that. I've no practical experience with VW, but Fiat providing really good services at affordable prices despite their sales are not at all good. Last week, I went to FASS to claim some warranty on few parts. They received me nicely and obliged all my claims so gracefully. That's just one example of their positive sides. That said, iam not a fanboy of them, I will be the first one to bash them if there's something wrong.

[s_scorpion]

Originally Posted by Jakku

My vote is for Tata Tiago JTP.

I know Punto is the best car followed by the Polo (in my opinion); or both at same levels from any aspect of driving/ riding. However, Punto and Polo don't have the backing of their respective manufacturers and if something happens, the owner is left to the mercy of them. Hence it is better to avoid both.

.......
..

Even if the drive was just for 3 km, I felt, the test drive I took with Tiago (not JTP) was better in terms of sturdiness. Baleno felt feeble to me in comparison.

Hence my choice is Tiago even if it is not an apple to apple comparison.

I have test driven the JTP. It's nowhere near the Abarth. The rate at which the Abarth gathers speed is matched by none of the cars in this thread. I had test driven both the GT tsi and Abarth long and hard before settling for the Italian. Not just straight line speed, cornering, braking and mod potential are all way above the competition when it comes to the Abarth. Service has been as good as my Hyundai. For quite sometime both used to go to the same workshop. Now the authorised dealership has changed, however, experience hasn't deteriorated. I am attended with patience and the quality of job is good enough. Service costs are same if not lesser than a Hyundai i20. The only area where it falls behind is fuel efficiency but that was a foregone conclusion even before I purchased the car some two years back.

Now, the JTP. It's a good car by itself. Nicely weighted steering, good pickup, good seats, looks great with beautiful alloys and tasteful contrast colors on the exterior. Oh, and a very very sweet exhaust note in stock. However, switching from the Abarth to the JTP
was a bit underwhelming. There is none of that violent torque when you stomp on the throttle in second, followed by a scream to the 6500 rpm redline, in second, third, and midway in fourth you realise you are doing illegal speeds. We did not have space to do fourth, but while it was very good by itself, the JTP lacked the drama of the Abarth. With the heavy discounts available on the Abarth now, for an enthusiast it should be a no brainer.

[Jakku]

Originally Posted by Wildy

I don't know what made you to think like that.
.....
That said, iam not a fanboy of them, I will be the first one to bash them if there's something wrong.

Hello Wildy,

My post was based on my experience of Punto service. I was at Chennai and was a victim of the floods in Dec 2015. My neighbour had a Punto and I have seen the hardships he had to take to get the car back in shape. Not the insurance part, his was payment out of his pocket as he only had 3rd party insurance.

I had recommended Punto to two colleagues who bought - one a new one & another a pre-owned one (both Bangalore). Both of them are really sad at the experience they get from FASS. Now, both have switched to independent garages. The pre-owned guy wanted to change (other still using) his car and he was adamant about no more Fiat. He compared Hexa, XUV5OO, Compass & Innova and opted for Innova.

I am too happy with their cars, but is skeptical of their service part. We have seen a lot of threads on VW/ SKODA service horror stories; not old, but new as well. That is the reason why I voted for Tiago. Not that Tata ASS is best in the business, but in comparison, I guess they are the better one.

Originally Posted by s_scorpion

I have test driven the JTP. It's nowhere near the Abarth.
.............

With the heavy discounts available on the Abarth now, for an enthusiast it should be a no brainer.

Hello Scorpion .... Sorry if I offended you.
As I told in my post, Punto & Polo don't have competition as a machine in that price segment when machines are compared in isolation. But, if we look at from an ownership perspective, I guess both are not up to the mark due to their services. As mentioned earlier, not that TASS is best, but better when compared to Fiat & VW. I do not have any personal experience in owning VW/ SKODA cars, and my perception is purely based on the threads in T-BHP.

[ada]

There should be two polls one for the heart and one for the head, for the heart nothing can beat Abarth Punto, for the head it is Baleno Rs. In the polls I voted from the head

[hondatoyotafan]

Thinking of a replacement to my 2011 MSIL Swift which i use on city runs with a proper hot hatch. Like all enthusiasts i have come down to two options

Polo GT TSI

Abarth Punto

Figo 1.5

Abarth Punto looks like a clear winner with 145 horses on tap and the abarth heritage

[Iyencar]

Fiat is packing their bags here. Why have you skipped the JTP twins? They're extremely vfm and there are a couple of owner reviews on the forum to give you their perspective.

[Thermodynamics]

If Abarth is what you like, go for it in the used car market because given the state of affairs of Fiat, a used car might have the same manufacturing date as new car. So in a lateral upgrade, you don't loose much in case Fiat packs up.

[hondatoyotafan]

Originally Posted by Iyencar

Fiat is packing their bags here. Why have you skipped the JTP twins? They're extremely vfm and there are a couple of owner reviews on the forum to give you their perspective.

It is unfortunate that Fiat which is an enthusiasts dream is shutting shop.

I skipped the JTP Twins because of the attitude of both my local tata dealers who always say there is no JTP TD vehicle. One of them says the tiago JTP is too dangerous for our roads saar too powerful saar etc. The other one is not at all interested in selling a JTP and instead touts a nexon blabbering about 5 staar saar etc

Originally Posted by Thermodynamics

If Abarth is what you like, go for it in the used car market because given the state of affairs of Fiat, a used car might have the same manufacturing date as new car. So in a lateral upgrade, you don't loose much in case Fiat packs up.

Is fiat truly shutting shop, the SA at the showroom told me that there were no immediate plans to close shop as of now for atleast an year.

[NaXal]

Originally Posted by hondatoyotafan

Thinking of a replacement to my 2011 MSIL Swift which i use on city runs with a proper hot hatch. Like all enthusiasts i have come down to two options

Polo GT TSI

Abarth Punto

Figo 1.5

Abarth Punto looks like a clear winner with 145 horses on tap and the abarth heritage

Polo GT TSI

Solid build quality, excellent performance and easy to drive in day to day use for this DSG setup but be prepared for shocking after sales experience when compare to Maruti Swift. Its expensive and over engineered VW cars aren't known for their reliability in India. Specially that 7 speed DSG.

Abarth Punto

Make sure to test drive a Punto. Any Punto in that regards since many find it's driving position ergonomically troublesome. So make sure that you are super comfortable since if you end up buying one, its going to stay with you till its demise at scrap yard. Forget resale value, resale itself is a question of luck with FIAT. But the car is build as a tank when compared to modern flexi-panel hatchbacks. Everything is meant to last and last life long.

Abarth Punto is a choice of heart, where you are buying it only for driving pleasure. If you are comfortable with its ergonomics, you are going to fall in love with the pleasure of driving it. Don't ever think of resale value, investment depreciation or such. Abarth Punto is a best gift an auto enthusiast (on budget) can buy for himself.

Ford Figo 1.5 TDCi

If Abarth Punto is the choice of heart, then Figo diesel is the choice of brain. The most pocket friendly practical car out of these 3. Drive it with intention of extracting FE and it will return insane figures. Put the foot down and many expensive rides will feel shame chasing its tail light. Service is dead cheap and Ford India seems to be way more committed to the market with 5 years of warranty being included as standard.

Awesome package, with every aspect of ownership and driving experience taken care of.

But you have to live with the diesel clutter and a hard clutch making you miss Swift in city traffic.

Which One?

If this is going to be your only car for going double duty of family & your driving pleasure, then I guess Figo is a practical choice. Go with Abarth if you have another ride at home for regular family duty and you can keep the Abarth for yourself only.

[ksameer1234]

Originally Posted by hondatoyotafan

I skipped the JTP Twins because of the attitude of both my local tata dealers who always say there is no JTP TD vehicle.

In case your decision to skip JTP is purely on the basis of dealer attitude, I'll recommend you register for test drive at https://jtp.tatamotors.com/. I am sure there will be positive response. Also, please do check if the dealer you visited is a JTSV dealer on the above website. JTSV has selected dealers and those who are not authorised JTSV dealers would naturally want to steer enquiries towards other cars.

[hondatoyotafan]

Originally Posted by NaXal

Polo GT TSI
If this is going to be your only car for going double duty of family & your driving pleasure, then I guess Figo is a practical choice. Go with Abarth if you have another ride at home for regular family duty and you can keep the Abarth for yourself only.

Great perspective about the TSI it was just on my list because of the great package it offers. I am very much familiar VW AG service being the owner of the Skoda Kodiaq. My maternal uncle has the Vento TSI and it feels closest to the drive of the BMW 3 series which i used in North America. I heard VW service is a tad better than Skoda. Passing it since i dont have the patience to deal with the retarded VAG ASS again.

Had my heart really set on the Abarth Punto but looks like Fiat is packing bags as per many people. Dont want to be stuck with a car waiting for parts.

Looks like my next stop is a Ford Showroom. Even hearing good stories about how cheap the maintenance is from Ecosport owners.

This car is purely for me to commute to client locations in the narrower part of town where the kodiaq is tough to manouver.