![]() | #91 | |
Senior - BHPian ![]() | ![]() Quote:
Minus points being - with AC on it struggles; everytime a bigger vehicle crosses you, you can feel the car being skittish; and, the beyond 120 the steering becomes light. (Did a full day run from Surat to Pune a few backs back. 4 on board. AC was always on. Got about 16+ kmpl) Own a Palio 1.2 NV (used mainly for long distance travel) - the point to be emphasised here is the "stays planted on road". Have done a couple of trips on sedans as well (indigo, ikon, baleno) - Palio definitely handles better and have touched 160 on Pune Mumbai Expressway (as per odo) - no sweat, but the occupants were slightly on the edge! Hopefully, Punto sticks to these traits. But I think anything beyond 120 is not sane on our roads - even expressways. Even if you are driving something like a Corolla or Accord. And there is no way that you can cruise at 140 - 150 given our traffic conditions. And, for long drives, the sedans are better - not just for the space and the boot, but also the overall drive quality and that small edge in acceleration which make a difference / improve the margins. So I will wind up agreeing with 'khoj' - a Ford Ikon is a better highway car. | |
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![]() | #92 |
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![]() | #93 |
BHPian ![]() | ![]() Yea, there was one, The name was Fusion. I drove mine from Hyd to Kerala Flat out, with out any major breaks. Never felt tired, never felt bored. 1.6 petrol is a hoot to drive and very enjoyable. Feels planted and safe even at speeds around 160kmph. So the little sister should be able to keep up the family's heritage. Last edited by Matt : 1st April 2010 at 17:35. |
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![]() | #94 | |
Senior - BHPian ![]() Join Date: May 2006 Location: Greater Chennai
Posts: 4,661
Thanked: 537 Times
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J, you will feel J of the driver when you realise its not the car, but the driver behind the wheel ![]() | |
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![]() | #95 |
BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: delhi
Posts: 716
Thanked: 111 Times
| ![]() I'd take the punto D over the swift D. The former is safer,sturdier,handles better(HPS plays a significant role), has awesome road manners and is very very composed at high speeds. The swift is certainly faster and it's easier to overtake yet it doesn't match the punto in safety or handling(IMO). I own both, for the highways i'd take a punto, for the city maybe the swift. It'll be best if you try all the cars and take your pick, to each his own. |
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![]() | #96 | |
Team-BHP Support ![]() ![]() | ![]() Quote:
(I have a 2005 Fusion +). In Dec 09, I did Bangalore Salem Munnar Kumarakom Trichur Guruvayur Mysore Bangalore. Never felt tired and the vehicle was just perfect. A pure blend of UV and sedan ! I still love this car and am really confused as what should be its ideal replacement in the coming years. My only vote goes for the Golf. Though not as big as Fusion, but still it has the highway manners and road presence, one would need. At the same time it can easily get lost in the city crowd ! The only issue with all these guys is the GC, on which Fusion is way-way ahead. Last edited by ampere : 2nd April 2010 at 22:31. | |
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![]() | #97 | |
BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 761
Thanked: 433 Times
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![]() | #98 | |
BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 41
Thanked: 0 Times
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![]() | #99 |
Team-BHP Support ![]() ![]() | ![]() imp, Tushar, Sorry for that OT. I was just thinking aloud ! Golf though looks smaller from outside, but I thought it should be quite spacious. I have not driven it, so I cannot comment actually. Hope it would be in next year. As to the current scenario, best of the lot is Punto. Last edited by ampere : 6th April 2010 at 06:21. |
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![]() | #100 | |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: May 2009 Location: Pune
Posts: 629
Thanked: 657 Times
| ![]() Since safety is also a consideration here (and for a "highway hatchback" it should be the prime consideration), after reading Sidindica's post : my respect for the Punto has grown ten fold. I quote him Quote:
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![]() | #101 |
Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: NH209
Posts: 1,773
Thanked: 1,434 Times
| ![]() Quite an elaborate purchase process. 1)First car. That doesn't make a difference. 2)You need to cruise in 150 kmph speeds? Then the 1248cc SDE is to be ruled out, the main factor here is the engine noise. Also, cruising at 150 asks for some more juice left to be extracted from the pedal. One might be tempted to catch up with sedans and therefore the VGT or T-JET in punto sports can help. Wait till june. 3)Swift D spares- yeah you can find it anywhere, but CRDi engine spares are equally priced to the competition. 4)FIAT spares, service: maybe a visit to a nearby ASC will help. Talk to owners, get their experiences. 5)FIGO: yes, yes, new kid on the block. Lets wait for some high speed crash photos or horror tales to come up, and then decide on the figo. Car selection is a proper compromise between the rationality of the process and the degree of aesthetic quotient. There cannot be a complete gratifying solution to any individual, so prepare with a list of what to compromise and what not, and you would soon make a decision. |
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![]() | #102 |
BHPian ![]() | ![]() Hi Tushar, I had recently driven from Mumbai to Udaipur last month in friend's Punto E+. We were 3 ppl in the car plus luggage. My views: 1. Very good road grip, even on high speeds. 2. Great Aircon, even in the heat of Rajasthan. 3. Could easily do about 150+ on the Vadodara-Ahmedabad express way. Never once felt the car is grunting 4. Extremely good suspension, made the difference on NH8 while going on the Mumbai-Manor section which is not well carpeted. 5. Very good pickup. Came real handy on the patches near Surat where road work is going on and there are lot of diversions. Could easily overtake trucks. 6. On highways, gives you the feeling of being in a safe car. I would put this experience on rating of 4/5. If you are looking for car for long drives esp on highways, blindly go for Punto. -KS |
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![]() | #103 |
Senior - BHPian ![]() | ![]() keyur, was that a petrol or the MJD ? |
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![]() | #104 |
Senior - BHPian ![]() Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Chandigarh/Mohali/Ambala Cantt
Posts: 4,110
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| ![]() What about i20 Crdi,now with 6 gears |
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![]() | #105 |
BHPian ![]() | ![]()
That was MJD. Sorry missed mentioning that. Also it gave a round trip mileage of about 17.2 kmpl (AC always on) One thing I would add is that I had done a one shot Mumbai- Udaipur (stopped only for bio-breaks) in about 12 hours. Started at about 0430 hours and reached Udr by 1640 hours. But even at the end of it, I was not very tired. |
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