[blrboy]

Hi Guys,
Thanks so much for your comments and opinions.Now we have sit,balance out our preferences and decide on i20 or punto.Will keep you guys updated.

BTW, Yesterday i did check in at concorde motors to have a look at GP .I was amazed to see the number of people around it.Atleast I haven't not seen so much people who were eagerly waiting to get into test drive a fiat product (except few fiat enthusiats like me)

But unfortunately I couldn't test drive since I was among last in the waiting list and it was around 2.p.m and my 3 yr old daugther was haven't had her lunch yet.So had to skip and go.

At first look, it looks like a neat design from the front.The interiors , quality of the plastics a generation ahead of the current palios, but i still felt the interiors of i20 was better.

The seat cushions/fabric were all made of good quality materials and looks neat.
But space and comfort is a thing to debate.In fact,for 3 adults, I find it just equal or even less that what is being offered in i20.The palios offer better space in the rear than GP.The boot space capacity is good enough.

Lookwise i still feel the i20 looks a much bigger car compared to GP.

All in all I would say if we need to go GP, we will go for 1.4 Dynamic option (for more of less equal price we get a better power) or will stick to i20 magum.


Thanks,
Dileep
Palio 1.2 NV ELX/2006

[pgsagar]

[quote=ashthedivx;1354854]
i20 - Better Service, More resale value.
Punto - Better Built, Less resale value.

i20, more resale value? How can you predict? Because it's Hyundai? What's the resale value of Getz?

[faithless_1984]

Was just lazying around on a Saturday morning when i got some info about the i20 Crdi so thought why not tickle around with a few Fiat fan boys.

Fiat cars are just brilliant. Anything which produces more horses than Fiat is too dangerous on Indian roads and anything which produces less horses than Fiat is virtually not driveable and not built to last.

The 1.4L 75bhp engine is for emission purposes in the UK. The 1.4L engine is actually available in 89bhp and not 74. So it is likely that it will sweep away the GP.

Be carefull while making such statements ,the Punto revolution is going on.

@blrboy - Test drive both cars and then decide.

[himanshugoswami]

voted i20 simply for one reason- No matter how good teh GP is, TATA A.S.C.s will kill the car within a year or so.

Hell, they dont even know Tata products completely, and one only has to visit a Tata ASC in anything other than a safari to see their callous attitude. Also, they use all Fiats as experimental cases.

whenever I take my safari to a Tata ASC, i cringe at the treatment meeted out to other cars, esp Fiats. I am currently in the market for a sedan, and love the Linea but the only thing keeping me away from it is the fact that the "service" will be provided by Tata.

Just IMHo

[geeash]

Though i voted for the gp petrol. i would require more info. Who will be driving?. How many km/month?

[wildon]

3 Fiat GP Variants v/s i20 and still i20 scores about 40%
Common TATA-FIAT you have to work hard

and see i20 is a clear winner in the petrol segment as of now

Wake up now its just because of ...only because of 3 letters A.S.S

[appuchan]

I20 is a genuine global car exported in much larger numbers than domestic sales unlike GP or Jazz which are clearly detuned and/or "re-fitted" for Indian market. Of course the ones exported by Hyundai gets more features and options, but thats more to do with the regulations and market forces there. They definitely cannot afford to have two different assembly lines for the same car. I would always prefer going for a car thats made to global standards than the ones which are "built to a price". Of course that means I have to pay a "global price"

Launching of i20 CRDi may change the story here. Unless they have pressures to maintain i20 numbers locally, which I don't think they have as of now, Hyundai will launch the 1.4 CRDi only by year end as per their original schedule. Else they might look at launching a model (Magna) with the 1.5 CRDi (Verna) as a stripped down limited edition version.

[bhp1]

My vote goes to Punto Diesel, petrol motors now days don't make much sense to me.
Higher or lower mileages, with a petrol, eyes are always glued to the Fuel gauge & resales are pathetic.

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by kpzen

Was just lazying around on a Saturday morning when i got some info about the i20 Crdi so thought why not tickle around with a few Fiat fan boys.

Fiat cars are just brilliant. Anything which produces more horses than Fiat is too dangerous on Indian roads and anything which produces less horses than Fiat is virtually not driveable and not built to last.

Hahahahahahaha....KP! That was a gem!

[theMAG]

According to this poll, when it comes to choosing between petrol options, people have voted that they'd actually prefer the pricier and smaller-engined i20 over the larger-engined and cheaper Punto 1.4 petrol. Interesting.

[wildon]

Originally Posted by theMAG

According to this poll, when it comes to choosing between petrol options, people have voted that they'd actually prefer the pricier and smaller-engined i20 over the larger-engined and cheaper Punto 1.4 petrol. Interesting.

IF play with the size GP doesn't have any answer ! its 23-0

[roms]

Originally Posted by kpzen

Wow! Never knew Getz and Verna had flawed chassis and dynamics.
Please care to explain how ?
May be true for Punto ( I haven't driven one) but do not generalize it for all Fiat cars. I had Palio 1.2 for 6months and it used to roll like Verna around the corners with all its tank like weight but yes, the ride quality was phenomenal.
Now should i also declare the Palio 1.2 chassis and dynamics to be a flawed one ??

Easy brother easy! All I mentioned was that the Fiats have always had the best compromise between ride and handling for each of their cars. That does not necessarily mean that each of their cars are fantastic handlers. You may have had a Palio 1.2 for six months, I had one for 3 years before I switched to the S10. The Palio 1.2 was tuned more for comfort than outright grip in corners, and why not? It just had a 72 bhp motor and was aimed at the family guy. It had a 165/80 R13 tyre setup that further blunted its handling but it gave it a ride quality that was unmatched. Ofcourse it had body roll, but the suspension set up was never soft. It was slightly firm at low speeds, which only helped it being stable at highway motoring speeds. And I'm sure you will agree that it had the ability to take soak the irregularities very well at high speeds. So the Palio 1.2's dynamics were tuned fantastically for its intended purpose and the ride-handling setup is perfect.

Compared to that, my S10's rear suspension is super stiff, stiffer than the GTX, stiffer than the Swift too perhaps. Yet, the ride quality at slow city speeds is decent, not great though. But it helps the car excel in its intended purpose - outright grip around corners. It allows you to push hard and there is very little body roll. There again, the set-up is good for the intended purpose and helps in enjoying those 100 horses well. The compromise between ride and handling is good.

However, I have heard that the GTX suffers from body roll when driven around a track. Dont know if the S10 would behave the same way,given its stiffer suspension.

The Linea, built on Punto's platform, again has a brilliant ride and handling package at all speeds.

Infact, the only car in Fiat India's line-up that does not have a good ride-handling package is the Stile 1.1 petrol. And that is due to the lack of stabilizing bar at the rear. There excessive body roll at speeds of 40-50 km/h.

Coming to the Hyundais, they have mostly been city cars with soft suspension and light steering. Nothing wrong with that in the city, they provide stress free driving. The Getz and the Verna do have a softish suspension set-up. But with the 1.1-1.3 and 1.6 petrol motors respectively, they are pretty decent (not great) with highway manners and are neutral handlers. But when the same cars are given a heavy 1.5 CRDI diesel that has the ability to make them go very fast around a corner, the set-up requires to be changed accordingly. It has got to be stiffer than what it is to enjoy that kind of torque. Thats when the two cars are found lacking.

The i20 is a refreshing change though. I totally enjoyed driving one (at city speeds), though it was a short drive. Dont know how it would behave on the highway, but first impressions were pretty good. The quality is great overall and the car has a feel good factor about it. I love it.

By the way, if you feel I have a bias towards a particular brand and would vote for them no matter what, you can check out my choice on the poll . No offence meant whatsover.

Cheers

[pedrolourenco]

You'll be surprised how much difference the right tyres make. My Petra with 14" wheels handles much better than my brothers Palio with 13" wheels. Of course comfort is better. At least with the Punto & Linea, Fiat is giving relatively decent footware. In case of the Verna, the handling on stock tyres is scary. Just change to better tyres and see the difference. Now I'm a Fiat fan and I've already received a warning from the mods for being overenthuastic about praising Fiats. Inspite of that I would still recomend the Fiat. However that does not mean the Verna is a bad car. It's got nice interiors, comfortable & spacious, decent boot and priced well. The only fault I could find was the handling which can be partially rectified by a change of footwear. The ANHC is also a good choice but the price swings the balance away from it. Another reason for me not to recomend the ANHC would be safety. Seeing photos as well as actual accidents, I wouldn't want to be in a City in a crash.

[nurni76]

I didnt find this too interesting, but found it obvious. i20 is definetely better than GP Petrol 1.4 interms of space, quality of interiors, engine, and looks (my view). 1.4 GP is lethargic to say the least. So if you are looking at Petrol, from among the choices, i20 is a better bet. But if you are looking at Diesel than Punto is the option, unless you are also open to look at Swift or Ritz

Originally Posted by theMAG

According to this poll, when it comes to choosing between petrol options, people have voted that they'd actually prefer the pricier and smaller-engined i20 over the larger-engined and cheaper Punto 1.4 petrol. Interesting.

[shuvadips]

Originally Posted by kpzen

Was just lazying around on a Saturday morning when i got some info about the i20 Crdi so thought why not tickle around with a few Fiat fan boys.

Fiat cars are just brilliant. Anything which produces more horses than Fiat is too dangerous on Indian roads and anything which produces less horses than Fiat is virtually not driveable and not built to last.

.... hilarious.

i20 in terms of looks according to me is the best looking hatch in this country. Forget GP or Swift or anything. Interiors are also of high standards. The Petrol engine is also just fine, its not underpowered. But yes when the A.S.S. comes into picture, the balance tilts to the Hyundais, Tata A.S.S. is horrible. i20 might loose out to the cost factor only.

A good deisel i20 will tilt the favour to i20 completely. The multijet engine of Fiat is very good too but somehow it has now become overhyped.