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Old 1st August 2014, 08:00   #121
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Re: 2014 Fiat Punto Evo : A Close Look

Coming back to the facelift...

I love the new design, both the front and back. Although the older design was more classy and Maseratisque, the new one is a positive change, in my opinion. I especially liked the bonnet crease and the stunning alloys.

Good to see change in interiors, too. The ambient lighting looks cool!

However, with the Punto Evo being launched on August 5th, why have we not seen any TV / newspaper promos of the same? Wouldn't that help in creating a buzz for the brand?

Also, with the launch of the facelift, I am sure we can expect a substantial price cut on the existing inventory of Puntos. Just the other day I visited the showroom in Mohali for Linea TJet new model, and they were offering me the older one at substantial discounts.

It would greatly help if someone TDed a petrol 1.2/1.4 facelift and gave their views on the gear ratios and overall pickup.

What is preventing FIAT from plonking the 1.4 TJet in the Punto EVO? Am I missing some technical detail here?
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Old 1st August 2014, 09:20   #122
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sandeepmohan View Post
I own a Linea and can confirm there is a flaw with the ergonomics. The same applies for the Punto as well. What is flawed? Well, the pedals are pushed too far out which leads to your legs bent a bit too much. This position pretty much kills any under thigh support the drivers seat provides. There is under thigh support. You just can't use it. Combine this with a steering wheel which is also pushed too far out. The lack of rake adjustment does not help matters either. Push the seat back which does take care of your legs, except that your hands will be stretched out for the wheel too which is not good.
I'm 173cm, keep my seat reasonably forward (comfortable enough for a rear passenger), and thought about what you wrote while driving this morning.

Accelerator and brake pedals -- my thigh rests on the seat fine, heel on the floor, foot on the acceleraor. The travel of the pedal is a bit long but that leads to better control. On some cars I find that at the slightest touch the engine roars. Even worse, on some cars it travels a bit with no effect and then it kicks in severely. With the Punto the control is excellent.

Brake -- ditto. I don't need to move my heel off the floor to access the brake, either. And control is excellent. Touch a little to brake slightly, press more to brake harder, jam down to brake abruptly (rarely needed).

Clutch -- yes, it is a bit uncomfortable if (as advised) you keep your left foot planted on the floor except when you need it. Even Fiat's manual advises against pressing the clutch "slightly" but, in low gears, I more or less have to keep my foot touching the pedal (anchored on the floor with the heel) and avoid pressing it -- it is too high to comfortably move the foot on and off it frequently. On the other hand, clutch control is excellent, just like brake and accelerator. A tradeoff between control and ergonomics, I suppose. The ergonomics problem is only with the clutch, because with the other two pedals, your foot will be touching one of them constantly when in motion.

Slightly OT -- soon we will have to stop thinking of Fiat as an Italian brand. Fiat-Chrysler is going to be UK-based and incorporated under Dutch law.

Last edited by moralfibre : 1st August 2014 at 11:18. Reason: Back to back posts.
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Old 1st August 2014, 10:51   #123
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Re: 2014 Fiat Punto Evo : A Close Look

2014 Fiat Punto Evo: A Close Look
Fiat's India strategy revealed. Abarth, Jeep coming. More inside!
Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review
The 2014 Fiat Linea Facelift - Test Drive & Review - Team-BHP
All-new Fiat Linea to be launched in 2015 | Team-BHP
Fiat Linea Classic launched at 5.99 Lakhs - Team-BHP
Fiat Linea T-Jet : Test Drive & Review - Team-BHP


Go into any of these threads and you can get the same things....
  • "Fiat should have done this"
  • "No, Fiat should have done that"
  • "Your Fiat is the worst car!"
  • "No, My Fiat is the best car!"
  • "Fiat will shut shops!"
  • "Fiat will bounce back and rule!"

Its high time that we realize that there are different threads for a reason Its becoming so so hard to follow a topic.
Can we rise above all these and post information related to the topic?

People who hate Fiat will hate Fiat come what may. People who love Fiat will love Fiat come what may.

Sorry for the off-topic post...I couldn't resist anymore.
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Old 1st August 2014, 11:04   #124
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Re: 2014 Fiat Punto Evo : A Close Look

I think Fiat is still not going to gain with these modifications. The car seems better than previous generations but not enough to win hearts of mass.
My 2 cents:
1.I hardly get to see any Fiat service centers. Wonder if they have one.
2. A car with great ride and handling comes with a dud engine and gearbox. Figo was also had similar character but hey its lot cheaper. People except more power in this pricepoint. Old gen Polo TDi is just another example.
3. In India generally once a car is marked dud,will always be dud unless you get an all new model. Jazz,Fiesta,Nano are good examples(There are some exceptions though).
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Old 1st August 2014, 11:04   #125
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Re: 2014 Fiat Punto Evo : A Close Look

I understand from this thread that Fiat does not make cars for the mass market, it is only for a few enthusiasts and that they are also apparently taking steps to improving service and other shortcomings. Good for Fiat,but still, why the same wine in a yucky looking bottle with chrome all around. Looks are subjective, but I find the old one thousand times better. I hope Fiat will be able to atleast maintain its current numbers.
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Old 1st August 2014, 11:31   #126
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Re: 2014 Fiat Punto Evo : A Close Look

I find it very strange, especially with diesel cars owners who drive in mileage mode. Diesel cars are already way more efficient that gasoline, how bad can it get if you hammer the gas pedal. Diesel is so cheap that I could not care about gas mileage.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rsidd View Post
I'm 173cm, keep my seat reasonably forward (comfortable enough for a rear passenger), and thought about what you wrote while driving this morning.
The issue I have is the lack of any room for your legs to stretch or to be placed. Its non existent.

Some of my favourite drivers seats are the Honda Civic, Hyundai i20, Suzuki Esteem and Baleno. Spend some time in one of these cars and you will know the difference. All these cars nail it when it comes to driver ergonomics and by this I mean, seating posture, relation to the pedals and steering wheel. I can adjust to the other controls such as stalks on the wrong side, boot release button on the passenger side, etc.

In a article reviewing the Jeep, the same mention of poor driver ergonomics surfaces. I don't know if Jeeps' were always like this or if its the result of the Fiat take over.

Last edited by GTO : 1st August 2014 at 15:58. Reason: Quoted post deleted
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Old 1st August 2014, 14:02   #127
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Re: 2014 Fiat Punto Evo : A Close Look

Nice review S2
<<Wiper & indicator stalks feel solid to use. Smart feature - when the wipers are on and you engage reverse gear, the rear wipers come on automatically>>

Will this not scratch the back glass when there is no rain? Can this be disabled manually?
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Old 1st August 2014, 14:15   #128
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Re: 2014 Fiat Punto Evo : A Close Look

Quote:
Originally Posted by RGK View Post
Will this not scratch the back glass when there is no rain? Can this be disabled manually?
It says, when the wipers are on and if you engage reverse. So, why would you keep the wipers on when there is no rain ?. Even then if you want to disable it, just switch off the wipers and and engage reverse .
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Old 1st August 2014, 14:19   #129
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Re: 2014 Fiat Punto Evo : A Close Look

Quote:
Originally Posted by RGK View Post
Nice review S2
<<Wiper & indicator stalks feel solid to use. Smart feature - when the wipers are on and you engage reverse gear, the rear wipers come on automatically>>

Will this not scratch the back glass when there is no rain? Can this be disabled manually?
Why would someone have the front wipers on if there is no rain in the first place?

I quite like the face-lift job from FIAT, at a time when many manufacturers are adding chrome trips and stickers to evoke interest of the customer.

A real miss though - is FIAT's very own AMT! An AMT diesel would have given the Punto Evo much higher TRP ratings.
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Old 1st August 2014, 14:43   #130
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Re: 2014 Fiat Punto Evo : A Close Look

I am a proud owner of a Punto 90HP but I will never buy the Evo model. In my opinion, it is not a new model or even an improvement on the existing Punto. The same 90HP MJD with the same gearbox is doing duty here. Fiat needs to bring in a better engine or mate it to a better gearbox. Why are they so concerned with everything except the power train? The segment is crowded with hatchbacks that churn 90HP across variants (i20 and the new Polo). They have better gearboxes. Swift has a better gearbox even on the 75HP variant.

If Fiat is launching a new Punto, they should address the gearbox and the engine issue. 90HP should be standard and the Sport variant should have 105HP or above. Better gearboxes across variants are required. They should launch an Automatic Transmission variant and plonk the T-Jet engine into a Punto for a real hot hatch. Look at what VW has done to the Polo. From being a 3 cylinder car, it has gone straight to a 4 cylinder + 90HP as the base variant + a 1.5 mill. Then they have the GT TD and GT TSi as the enthusiast variants with the lovely DSG doing duty on the TSi. That's evolution in my opinion.

Last edited by Pedaltothefloor : 1st August 2014 at 14:47.
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Old 1st August 2014, 14:47   #131
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Re: 2014 Fiat Punto Evo : A Close Look

Quote:
Originally Posted by nkrishnap View Post
The Punto facelift does not have the cruise control, Auto headlamps or the Rain sensing wipers which the Linea Facelift has.
I do not understand why Fiat did include any of this considering this is a significant model upgrade.
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Old 1st August 2014, 15:02   #132
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Re: 2014 Fiat Punto Evo : A Close Look

Quote:
Originally Posted by sandeepmohan View Post
I do not understand why Fiat did include any of this considering this is a significant model upgrade.
Can you tell us, which other cars in the segment have those features ?. The simple reason is to keep the cost down, increasing the OTR would have made it much more difficult to sell an already struggling product in the market.

Last edited by linuxmanju : 1st August 2014 at 15:03.
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Old 1st August 2014, 15:05   #133
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Re: 2014 Fiat Punto Evo : A Close Look

From here:
Quote:
Basavanhalli believes the Punto and Avventura are particularly significant as they were designed with the Indian buyer in mind. The Punto is a top-selling model globally, but the hatchback has been tweaked for India keeping in mind conditions here. “How do you take a beautiful car to the next level? By listening to the young Indian and finding out what he/she wants,” the Fiat chief says.
I guess gear ratios, 0-100 time, indicator stalk position, and other TBhp whines were not mentioned by the young Indians that Basavanhalli spoke to... But the really key thing, that I personally think he got right, is this:
Quote:
From Nagesh Basavanhalli’s point of view, it made little sense to put the cart before the horse. The President & Managing Director of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles India was categorical that a strong foundation had to be in place first before getting into the product launch phase. Since the time the Italian automaker decided to go on its own in marketing sans ally, Tata Motors, there has been a lot of work happening over the last year.
And the point that Rome was not built in a day, and he is looking at a timeframe of 2018 during which to build up the brand, infrastructure, and portfolio.

Personally, I think the performance of Fiat since the Tata split is a strong endorsement of his policies.
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Old 1st August 2014, 15:09   #134
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Re: 2014 Fiat Punto Evo : A Close Look

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pedaltothefloor View Post

I am a proud owner of a Punto 90HP but I will never buy the Evo model. In my opinion, it is not a new model or even an improvement on the existing Punto. The same 90HP MJD with the same gearbox is doing duty here. Fiat needs to bring in a better engine or mate it to a better gearbox. Why are they so concerned with everything except the power train?

That's evolution in my opinion.
Perfectly put together Pedaltothefloor.

Anybody who has driven a Punto sometime, knows that it is not the Solid build, un-parallel dynamics or the drop dead gorgeous looks that needed a correction. It had to be either the MJD engine or the gearbox, probably a combination of both that was wrong all along.

With EVO, it seems that Fiat may have totally missed this out or dare I say 'Ignored it Totally' !!

On that note, I would like to ask the experts here couple of questions from one of my good friend (non-bhpian) regarding the 90 HP:

Q. Punto Evo 90 HP (Sport ?) will come with 16" 195 profile rubber as per the reports. With no tweak to the engine and probably more kerb weight, wouldn't this result in lesser FE (mileage) and poorer performance compared to the outgoing Punto 90 HP Sport ?

Q. Obviously the suspensions will be tweaked for the 90 HP Evo. So would the ride be hard (read uncomfortable) considering it also has the biggest rims in its segment ?

Last edited by Vik0728 : 1st August 2014 at 15:12.
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Old 1st August 2014, 15:17   #135
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Re: 2014 Fiat Punto Evo : A Close Look

I was in the market for a new petrol hatchback or compact sedan, I did consider Punto but Fiat couldnt get me a test drive of the 1.4L Petrol of even the previous model.

They called me today & promised me a test drive in a couple of weeks of the new Punto Evo.

I have already booked the Tata Zest Revotron so it will have to make a huge impression on me to change my mind.
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