[raj_5004]

thanks a lot for the quick response guys. Actually, waiting period also matters a lot to me. I urgently need the car.

Hyundai has asked 6 weeks waiting for the i20 whereas Fiat dealers say, if the car is in stock, delivery can be within a week too.

We will be keeping the car for 6-7 years, so resale is not a problem & so we wont even mind a Nov-Dec 2010 car, if available quickly.

Originally Posted by superboy44

raj,as you have been using a Scorpio extensively and i am pretty sure you are used to its sturdy build and you would certainly like to have that in your hatch as well.
and the only hatch in your budget that can provide it has to be the punto.

+100.

I like the solid build of the scorpio. Infact i have read that the strong build of the punto makes other hatches feel tinny in comparison.

Also, i like the cabin to be pretty quiet & sealed from the outside world, thats missing in the i20, sound insulation is not good.

the i20 does not feel as tough and the steering is pretty vague, though it still is one of the most VFM buys.
though i would still suggest the punto over the i20 if you can live with the below par after sales service.

For me, engine performance matters but not 0-100 acceleration. Is the punto diesel easy to drive in city? I can live with the huge turning radius.

Originally Posted by .anshuman

I would suggest you to consider both Figo D and Punto MJD. I own a Punto that has done more than 30,000 kms. I have not seen a single issue related to reliability, Yes the fit and finish of certain Interior parts is iffy and you might not appreciate the big turning radius in city usage. Comes with better equipment levels and it's easily the best looking hatch around.

thanks. Thats reassuring since I am so inclined towards the Punto.

The Figo too is an excellent car. It's a nice sensible VFM which excels in all fields. It comes with the Ford's trademark Ride, Handling and Steering. The TDCi engine is joy to drive in city. But under the skin it's a car based on Fiesta not matter how much they tried to hide the age it's evident in certain things. If i were in a similar situation i'd be confused on which one to pick.

As i said, I hate the way the Figo looks. I cant see myself in that car. Sorry, no offence to Figo owners.

The Swift is a hoot to drive, it is cheap to maintain and has the killer resale value but the new Swift is coming soon and waiting period extends tooo long.

The swift is not being considered now because of the huge waiting period & its too common now in mumbai!

To confuse you further the i20 CRDi has a brilliant engine with a nice 6 Speed gearbox, the Interiors have a premium feel others here can't match. Looks good too but might be out of your budget.

I love the i20 for it's features, especially the electrically retractable mirrors with turn indicators & in built navigation.

And Oh! if forgot about the Vista....

I wont buy a TATA...

Originally Posted by selfdrive

For Mumbai, I would recommend having a look at the Nano if you are driving only within the city. I was pleasantly surprised with the Nano, whiling away time waiting for a Punto TD
The best options covering your requirements look like the Figo (but you have blacklisted this) and the Punto. Go for the Punto, the *** is better than before - you just need to get a working equation with the right guy

Nah, no nano for me. I can afford a better car for now.

Originally Posted by Amartya

The Punto doesn't have any reliability issues, plastics aren't the greatest. Read Anshuman's long term review of the Punto, you can also read epicenter.rulez's reviews for usage over a significant number of kilometres. There are many short term reports as well. Service shouldn't be that bad in Mumbai, in fact, improved service quality for Tata and Fiat has been reported throughout the past year (we also have a thread about it).

With an already stretched budget (for the Emo. Pack), I'd say stick to the FGT version. However, I personally think it's worth the moolah (actually I found the difference to be more pronounced with the A/C on) if you can spare it.

I also concur with Anshuman's advice about the Figo and the Punto, these are the two that make the most sense for you. Since style is your thing, the Punto has the Figo beat (in fact everything else too), otherwise, they are quite close. However, there's no test like the test-drive. Go for a test drive of the Punto (75/90HP both, and check performance with the A/C on) and the Figo, then share the experience with us .

As i said, I agree that the Figo is a good car but whats the point in buying a car in which you dont want to sit!

So i have shortlisted the Punto & i20 diesel. The polo was omitted because it's feature list was unimpressive.

Fabia is not considered as Skoda's A.S.S. is a suspect & there is nothing exciting in the car as well.

Originally Posted by musicmanaman

Even though I have read your comments on the Beat, and I'm not too found of the looks myself, I still recommend you take a test drive, it's one of the most fun to drive car's out there and the suspension is fantastic. In my opinion it's the best VFM hatch currently and even though I like the i10, I think it's a little over hyped and a little overprised.

If you don't like the Beat after the test drive, then go in for the Figo Diesel, as it's got a gem of an engine, the engine is the best part of this car, I'm not too found of the overall feel.

I guess beat is available only with a petrol engine. Considering my daily running of 40+ kms in heavy traffic, diesel makes sense, no?

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Raj.
Push your budget a bit and buy the I20 Crdi with ABS and Airbags.
I know it comes across as expensive but the sheer amount of kit you get in it is amazing.
Probably the best in terms of VFM at that level.
And it IS an extremely stylish car though it was launched 2+ years ago now.

You cannot go wrong with a Hyundai in terms of service and cost of running.

The only alternative that I would suggest is a Volkswagen Polo Diesel but that engine is nowhere comparable to the I 20 in terms of drive-ability.

Hi shankar, even i would have blindly bought the i20 but the price difference between the i20 & punto is huge. is it actually worth the money?

I will be shelling out close to 1.2 lakhs extra for the i20!

[mercedised]

@raj:

Sales and service are not the worst, I never had any serious with the car not rectified by TASC (although I own a Vista not Punto, but no problems) in the same service. Go for Punto. BTW, which company SC is the nearest to your Home? This is the 1st thing I consider before buying a car that is meant for city. I have TASC at 3kms and no problems in service. Problems arise when the SC is 10-20kms away and you have to visit......... stories goes on.

For me i20 is just another vehicle not meant tobe driven in city. It's good as far as cruising is concerned. You need something "peppy" for city. Swift has rear-cramped leg-room, POLO and FIGO are out of the list, Tata is not tobe considered, Nissan is too new tobe layed hands in the Indian market, Chervolet is also not in the list, This all leaves only one car i.e. Fiat Punto. Go for it. No other thoughts.

[DRIV3R]

What are you waiting for, Raj? Get yourself a Punto Emotion pack MJD.

Strech your budget a little. The emotion pack is really worth the extra bucks (57k) over the emotion as you get dual airbags, climate control, MS Blue&Me, gorgeous alloys (which cost over 10k a piece if bought individually), 3 point ELR seat belt with pretensioners, leather wrapped steering and gear lever and steering mounted audio controls. My God! The Punto Emotion pack is the most VFM amongst the Puntos for me.

[TAIF]

Amazing - Looks, Power, Mileage, Drive-ability, features, build quality
Satisfactory - A.S.S
Not-so-good - Re-sale value, FIAT's sales

All this in a Punto.

I vote for Character and Soul - Tata-Fiat Punto EP MJD.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by mercedised

@raj:

Sales and service are not the worst, I never had any serious with the car not rectified by TASC (although I own a Vista not Punto, but no problems) in the same service. Go for Punto. BTW, which company SC is the nearest to your Home? This is the 1st thing I consider before buying a car that is meant for city. I have TASC at 3kms and no problems in service. Problems arise when the SC is 10-20kms away and you have to visit......... stories goes on.

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

What are you waiting for, Raj? Get yourself a Punto Emotion pack MJD.

Thanks a lot guys. For me, the only negatives as far as Punto is concerned was it's reliability & A.S.S! now since, I am getting good reports over here, I would do a test drive soon.

@ mercidised: a TATA-Fiat dealer is 4-5 kms away from my place.

[raj_5004]

thanks a lot friends. I have sent a test drive request for both punto 90 hp & i20 CRDi through their website. I got an SMS from Fiat saying that i will be contacted soon. Today being sunday, I am expecting their call by tomorrow.

A strange query:

Which car among i20 & punto is more theft proof? Fact is, after the theft attempt in my scorpio, I am a bit paranoid. At my work place, I have the park the car on the road.

I know both cars are equipped with the latest anti-theft features but all these features can be hacked by smart thieves. which car among these is unlikely to be picked by thugs??? I guess it must be the Fiat as it does not enjoy the resale value of the Hyundai.

[Akshay1234]

Well I think Scorpio thefts were quite common.

But I dont know about the Hyundai, but the Fiat does have a rolling code immobilizer, so the car is very difficult to steal. Basically when the engine is shut off a new code is stored in the key which is required the next time the engine is to be started. Im quite sure its like this.

[ajay0612]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Which car among i20 & punto is more theft proof? Fact is, after the theft attempt in my scorpio, I am a bit paranoid. At my work place, I have the park the car on the road.
which car among these is unlikely to be picked by thugs??? I guess it must be the Fiat as it does not enjoy the resale value of the Hyundai.

Bingo. If theft is a concern than Fiat Punto is the way to go. No one has ever tried to even give my Uno a second glance ever in the last 10 years of ownership.

[mercedised]

No car is theft-proof, both the car will need good aftermarket gear-lock, other security tid-bits. So, Personally if you ask me, I will better go for a reputed car security company things instead of OEM. For OEM secured car one only needs to learn a simple trick to play with security as most of the cars of a particular model like i20 (lets say) will have same security system (same company OEM) with different codes,..... But, if you get an aftermarket one than the theif will have to do some more effort to break that as the aftermarket one is not fitted into all the models and therefore.... This is my mind speaking, no technical data to support.

Originally Posted by raj_5004

@ mercidised: a TATA-Fiat dealer is 4-5 kms away from my place.

That's good. No problems of any types then. Go for Punto.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

But I dont know about the Hyundai, but the Fiat does have a rolling code immobilizer, so the car is very difficult to steal. Basically when the engine is shut off a new code is stored in the key which is required the next time the engine is to be started. Im quite sure its like this.

yes, i did read about the rolling code, i dont know that this is the funda behind it. thats cool...

Originally Posted by ajay0612

Bingo. If theft is a concern than Fiat Punto is the way to go. No one has ever tried to even give my Uno a second glance ever in the last 10 years of ownership.

hey, since you have a Uno, another fact i am concerned about is the future of Fiat in India. If God forbid, Fiat decides to shut operations in India or discontinues Punto for some reason, what about A.S.S. & availability of spares?

Originally Posted by mercedised

No car is theft-proof, both the car will need good aftermarket gear-lock, other security tid-bits. So, Personally if you ask me, I will better go for a reputed car security company things instead of OEM. For OEM secured car one only needs to learn a simple trick to play with security as most of the cars of a particular model like i20 (lets say) will have same security system (same company OEM) with different codes,..... But, if you get an aftermarket one than the theif will have to do some more effort to break that as the aftermarket one is not fitted into all the models and therefore.... This is my mind speaking, no technical data to support.

I agree to that, but i find that even steering locks & gear locks are easily broken by thugs. if the car is a visual deterrent to the thief (i dont mean a bright pink paint by it!), then i can work peacefully in my office!

[selfdrive]

No car is a visual deterrent to thieves, in the end they arent going to drive it, only going to sell it off
You should still go in for an aftermarket system, it is highly recommended. In fact, should it not be safer if it is on the street in public view?
As for resale value, there seem to be more unsold i20s (than Puntos) in the market as of now (steering rattle issues may be the dealbreaker here).

[.anshuman]

^^ For thieves Some cars are easier to sell like Bolero and Scorpio, which can be sold in rural areas easily, the reason which makes them favorites with car thieves. Similarly if a thief has a choice between a Punto and a Swift, he would pick the Swift because it will be much easier to dispose off.

[musicmanaman]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

I guess beat is available only with a petrol engine. Considering my daily running of 40+ kms in heavy traffic, diesel makes sense, no?

The difference in purchase price will make up for the savings in Fuel consumption over 60k.

[ajay0612]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

hey, since you have a Uno, another fact i am concerned about is the future of Fiat in India. If God forbid, Fiat decides to shut operations in India or discontinues Punto for some reason, what about A.S.S. & availability of spares?

Yes. In fact that is exactly the reason my head & my wife are not allowing me to go for an upgrade to Punto. As a product it is one of the best hatch (rare one which comes with dead pedal, drop dead gorgeous looks, robust build, good luggage space, high ground clearance which is not merely on paper, excellent drivability). I don't see any other hatch which is as good for the price and still awaiting for good enough option.

[devarshi84]

You do not want to take the scorpio which also means you are not looking to use the box much.

Why not go for an auto?

Hyundai i10/ i20 have automatic options in 1.2 and 1.4
Maruti A-star has Automatic option and can still provide good FE
any other options I might be missing here.

Also remember that nicks and bruises in the city are common and premium hatches will be expensive for you.