[sidindica]

Someone known to me is about to buy a new car. Minimum keeping time=6 years.

Criteria:

Good blend of price to features ratio, Ride, road handling, fuel efficiency, quality of after sales service, front space and comfort, build quality and nice finish, decent performance, daily drive 50-60 kms with 70-30 city highway driving, in typical Delhi traffic.

Only 2 choices:
VW Polo TDi highline
Fiat Punto 1.3 emotion pack FGT

Which car would you pick up as an optimised all rounder of the two and why?

Please DO NOT add any other model recommendations. We have restricted ourselves to the two euros. Resale value and dealer network not a concern, but quality of dealer service is.

[JustCause]

Originally Posted by sidindica

Resale value and dealer network not a concern, but quality of dealer service is.

The Polo TDi is staring you in the face, and, as the highline is being bought,no gripe on compromised trim. FIAT cars are more of an ongoing learning experience. Suggest the Punto only if he/she has oodles of time to go to service & gain more and more knowledge about how a modern car works.

Driving a Polo, you'd never see the day when you're struggling in traffic(personal experience).

"Minimum keeping time=6 years"

My Pal-io survived the 6 year ordeal, looking at the Punto, it might not.

[Mr_Bean]

Originally Posted by sidindica

Someone known to me is about to buy a new car. Minimum keeping time=6 years.


Which car would you pick up as an optimised all rounder of the two and why?

When I read the headline of this thread, I thought you will review this & come out with the answer.

But I think it would be difficult to take a decision based on replies you receive in this thread. For VW as of now it would be a case of hear-say, since they have just launched their hatch.

FIAT has been in the indian market for a while, I would vote for punto.

[carfreak]

I have voted for the Polo.i am not sure about service of Volkswagen but my personal experience with the Punto(tata) service is not very good!!

[extreme_torque]

I would rule out the VW Polo why because:
1) 3 cylinder diesel with huge turbo lag. Its dead below 2000 rpm.
2) Electronic power steering
3) Its more expensive and lacks certain basic features.

What works
1) Better build inside out.
2) Volkswagen's brand image read premium
3) Gearshift

Punto:

What works:
1) Ride and Handling is class leading
2) Steering is close to perfect
3) Equipment levels are huge. (Polo is almost spartan in comparison)
4) 'THE' best looking hatchback in the country.
5) Tata's service network which is next only to Maruti.

Cons:
1) Interior quality is absolutely average at places while good in some.
2) Gearshift isnt as precise.

Another thing which bothers me is that the Polo lacks presence on the road which is very surprising considering how well it looks in pictures.

[aarenes]

Sid - quoting Silkdrive's recent TD run from
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/hatchb...ml#post1921142

I just wanted to check that the vehicle could pull cleanly from rest without the use of accelerator, by just letting go of the clutch (a boon for B2B traffic). To my surprise the SP commented that it can engage upto the 5th gear without stalling, even without touching the accelerator . I thought he was bluffing, but to my utter surprise i have actually tested it upto the 3 gear and its true ! (However, i did not try to pick up speed from there and i downshifted to first before using the accelerator. Otherwise, i guess it would have stalled).

[NutsNBolts]

Sid, there can be nothing to convince better than your own experience with the Punto. Given the two choices, Punto all the way.

[sidindica]

The exhaustive test drives have started by him. Who will be the winner? Things are heating up. Perhaps, could be one of the closest and hard hitting decisions ever..keeping fingers crossed.

[DaiusPitar]

Originally Posted by sidindica

The exhaustive test drives have started by him. Who will be the winner? Things are heating up. Perhaps, could be one of the closest and hard hitting decisions ever..keeping fingers crossed.

So whats the story so far? Any updates here?

[u_chill]

I was in Milan recently, and couldn't resist a spot poll with some locals there. As a background, Italy is surprisingly full of small cars, mostly Fiat derivatives, Renaults and a good number of VWs.

Me: Which one would you choose between the Polo and Punto?

Cab Driver from the airport: Si? Polo, Polo. Volkswagen German...sttrong!

Bns associate who drives a Audi s5!: Polo anyday. German cars are more reliable and better to drive. Fiat is good, but Quality you can't beat the Germans.

[sandeepmdas]

Voted for the Punto.

Actually I've been contemplating between these 2 Europeans + the i20. Traded in my Indica and booked a Punto MJD EP last week. My car will arrive by next week most probably.

Why I chose the GP over VW:

1. More car per car: compared to GP the level of equipment in Polo is a sad story

2. Common platform: GP shares a lot of parts with Linea, and the latter is also selling well in Trivandrum. That means, chances of parts availability is very high.

3. Better BHP/torque rating over Polo

4. Waiting period (of Polo)

5. Support: Although GP now has only 1 dealer in Trivandrum, another one is about to commence business. (I am familiar with the "standard" of Tata's a-s-s, since I've been using a Tata for the last 6 years)

6. My 4-year old son's unconditional love for Punto :Though his fav car is the Scorpio, in this case he wanted nothing else but the Punto. I was confused (he cant be a TBHPian since he's barely literate!) but later realized that this ad is the reason:

YouTube - Fiat Grande Punto "Trampoline" tv advert

I am not mentioning about the i20 since it is beyond the scope of this thread.

[//M]

I would definitely prefer Italian flair than German quality.
Why not wait for the Punto Sports which is just around the corner?
The Sports will be a MJD with more features, 17" alloys and good trim levels which will make it a great looker.

[Amartya]

Originally Posted by JustCause

The Polo TDi is staring you in the face, and, as the highline is being bought,no gripe on compromised trim. FIAT cars are more of an ongoing learning experience. Suggest the Punto only if he/she has oodles of time to go to service & gain more and more knowledge about how a modern car works.
....
My Pal-io survived the 6 year ordeal, looking at the Punto, it might not.

Pardon my saying so, but this is sheer baloney. The Punto (and this too is from personal experience) has been great. Also, the Polo's spare parts are quite expensive.

Is it any surprise that I voted for the Punto.

[Zero Cool]

^^^ what makes you think so that polo spare parts are expensive???? any proof??

[DRIV3R]

The only thing that tilts the scales towards the Punto is it's engine. Else, it's the Polo all the way, if you could bear the 3 pot motor.