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Old 27th January 2015, 00:51   #121
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Re: Scoop - Fiat Punto Evo T-Jet coming up!

T-Jet in Evo is really exciting. I expect Fiat will price it agressively to make it attractive to the enthusiasts. I am expecting the ex-showroom price in the range of 6.8-7.2.

And I just gone through the entire thread. Honestly, it was so tiring. I really stopped replying on the Fiat threads. It all has same content (bash Fiat) regardless of the technical, ownership or review thread. To me, reading Fiat bashing threads and replying to it is more tough and painful than maintaining a Fiat car.

I just do the later and enjoy driving my Fiat.

Last edited by rameshnanda : 27th January 2015 at 00:53.
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Old 27th January 2015, 01:48   #122
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Re: Scoop - Fiat Punto Evo T-Jet coming up!

Firstly I am surprised by some of the comments here, being car fans why are we against a car launch when the car offers substantial taste & upgrade, all the while we were crying hoarse stating the Punto's sole drawback is lack of a powerful motor and when Fiat finally wakes up, we are cribbing about what the Punto does not offer.
Reminds me of the story of "donkey father and son" (to help keep my post short, I'll request to Google). Can't satisfy everyone all the time.

No car will be perfect, at least till the 10 lakh range, I guess folks who pick cars at a crore price tag also have to compromise somewhere, tangibles or intangibles, else we would not be seeing all those 'what car' threads.

Let me use my example, I want to pick for myself a DSG, keeping aside the VW/DSG worries, the only DSG car I can currently keep some finance aside for is the Polo 1.2 TSI, however to convince me completely and pick one I would love to have more power (factory reliable) as option, now for that million bucks I can pick a preowned Laura 2.0 DSG or some time later the Jetta DSG, as sadly it is discontinued. With Polo ideally I would loved to own a 1.4 TSI + DSG with multi link at the rear, but I read about such a combination and realized that one can be at a premium of 2 lakhs over the current Polo Tsi which means a hatch for about 12 lakhs and I am back to the calculation table where a preowned Laura/Jetta then sounds a sweeter deal.
To be true as long as we love cars this kind of dilemma will constantly run in our minds.

I whole heartedly am with Fiat to launch more enthusiast oriented products, the more the cars the merrier it is for our tribe isnt it, with the Tjet motor the best thing is they have everything readily available, no need to invest in something new, all they need is to launch it and in the first place I do not know why they took all this while.

Lets applaud that someone at the tortoise paced Fiat finally thought sensible about mating parts which were always available.
Imagine we were offered only different Maruti's on sale in India, Maruti would never bother to improve their product line, and we would never know what to benchmark our cars against, hence it is good that cars like Punto Tjet is offered as an option, at least we have another contender in the hot hatch category.

Tell me isn't having an option better than not having one at all, for those who want a DSG they have Polo, for those who want a hot hatch with supreme FIRE breathing capabilities (pun unintended), they have Tjet (sure enough you are not held hostage to buy one, you can walk away), and who knows soon Maruti on studying the hot hatch response may launch a Swift upgrade for Maruti fans, the way I look at it, its only win win for us, so folks lets talk about the car and its merits and not speculate whether it will be received in the market or not and why Fiat shouldn't do this or that, that shouldn't stop a new launch, for that matter I have even given the Datsun Go+ the benefit of doubt in the Go+ thread, same analogy, the more the merrier and Fiat definitely deserves more respect.

We have happy owners driving around their 10 year old cars despite mass market raising concerns, likewise even if Fiat sells only 1 car it means that it met the needs of that someone out there who despite all those accepted flaws is one happy car buyer, isn't that good thing, may their tribe grow.


Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Mahindra sells 600 to 800 2-door Jeeps (aka Thar) every month. I can tell you someone looking at point A -> B commuting isn't a Thar customer. Most of them are enthusiasts indeed putting their money where their mouth is.
GTO, I realize this is off topic so you may skip to answer, but in Goa these Thars are every where especially in North Goa it is big business renting out, almost every 2 minutes you cross a Thar, I know Goa is a small state, but how much is this contributing to the Thar's monthly sales, maybe anybody's guess.

Quote:
Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR View Post
So what is your suggestion on the Punto TJet? Stop/ postpone the launch?
But what do they sell in these dealerships, if not for new attempts like the Punto Evo TJet?
Cars need to be introduced along with service improvement. Punto TJet might not be a big step, but it is surely a step in the right direction.
You want dealerships, you dont want them to introduce/sell cars, and you dont want the dealerships to close down because they are not introducing/ selling cars? .
So better we stick to comparing stock cars.
Totally agree with your line of thought.

Last edited by s_pphilip : 27th January 2015 at 02:08.
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Old 27th January 2015, 08:32   #123
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@ theDoctor - glad to hear your recollection of the car. I don't think anyone here questions the "built like a tank" moniker we use for the Fiat cars. What is apprehensive is their after sales service and the time they take to get replacement parts. Any views on that? I would assume with Tata out of the way, the experience would be better. But are parts still hard to come by in case of a replacement ?
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Old 27th January 2015, 09:26   #124
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Re: Scoop - Fiat Punto Evo T-Jet coming up!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad Max View Post
@ theDoctor - glad to hear your recollection of the car. I don't think anyone here questions the "built like a tank" moniker we use for the Fiat cars. What is apprehensive is their after sales service and the time they take to get replacement parts. Any views on that? I would assume with Tata out of the way, the experience would be better. But are parts still hard to come by in case of a replacement ?
Well I had three replacements of parts in a 1 year brand new fiat linea.
1) Wheel bearing went bust - Partly due to the fact that the car went in through some really rough road - Was replaced in warranty on the spot!

2) Windshield break + Door scratch on both left doors - Hit a motorcycle exhaust being carried on a cycle. Wind shield replacement with door repainting - Took around 3 days from Pandit Auto, Pune - The Paint finish was top notch, I should say!

3) Dog hit at 120 kmph near Hubli - Broken bumper, Bent radiator, Bent intercooler, Bent condensor fins - Drove the car without any problems for another 1000 kilometers till Kerala. Included side painting from a previous small hit. Done by Hyson Motors Cochin. They didnot have the intercooler for the Tjet. So had to source it and still got it done in two weeks which seems to me a respectable time line.

So am not sure who creates this bogus misconceptions about parts availability on fiat cars. There is 99rpm site too if you need OTC parts.
For the current cars in production, the above incidents have been resolved in very respectable time lines.

Last edited by JayKis : 27th January 2015 at 09:27.
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Old 27th January 2015, 09:29   #125
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Re: Scoop - Fiat Punto Evo T-Jet coming up!

A manufacturer who isn’t innovative enough with its products is always behind the competition. What Fiat has done in recent times is that it has just played around with its existing products. When the market demanded more from its products, it merely facelifted the previous gen Linea/Punto, leaving other issues unresolved (read more grunt from its engines). It slapped a spare wheel behind the Punto and called it the Avventura. The Punto TJet, even though promising as a product, is another ‘copy-paste’ job. Whom are they kidding? In order to gain traction in the market, Fiat needs new products, as has been mentioned over and over across forums. That, coupled with its pathetic and hapless service quality, has only ensured Fiat the last place in the market. After all, the sales figures do point towards something, don't they?

Last edited by riturajsharma19 : 27th January 2015 at 09:35.
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Old 27th January 2015, 09:49   #126
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Re: Scoop - Fiat Punto Evo T-Jet coming up!

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Originally Posted by humyum View Post
Well, they surely are not misconceptions. At 760 Units a month for the entire company in 2014 December, I would not be too wrong in having that conception and out these many numbers too you have many threads running with timing chain broken, dealer not co-operating etc.
How many hatchbacks are Renault, Chevrolet, Nissan selling. So would you apply the same yardstick to these manufacturers too? if not and only singling out Fiat, its to see how the forum is heading.

Conveniently selecting a few threads and ignoring the ones where the resolutions are provided is not correct. My opinion was already posted and quoting it again.

Quote:
For anyone to be very balanced and not biased, they should post the ones were Fiat has gone out of the way to sort things out, not just link to issue threads. Then one is talking about both positives and negatives. Else its for all to see what the intent behind such posts are.
Quote:
Don't be so touchy, I did not mean it in any offensive way.
If you did not read the quoted sentence in my first response to your post. You post what you posted and decide it is not offensive.

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PS: For me I don't care which manufacturer it is. If the ownership and driving experience is involving I would prefer that car. At the same time, I would not go about bashing all other cars and its manufacturers.
Quote:
Now shall we stop going off topic or both of us will get banned and you are okay with that ? A warning has already come from one of the mods
Maybe you could have avoided posting the off topic posts in the first place and avoided the warning too.

Last edited by nkrishnap : 27th January 2015 at 09:50.
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Old 27th January 2015, 10:02   #127
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Re: Scoop - Fiat Punto Evo T-Jet coming up!

There would(or should) be 4 categories of bhpians who bash fiat in this forum:

1) One who owns a FIAT and facing some issues with maintaining it.

2) One who owned a FIAT, unable to maintain it, sold, yet, vouching for the product.

3) One who thought of owning it, yet, reading (1,2)'s rants, didn't buy it, and they won't be buying it until the President of India formally proclaims in the official gazette that "FIAT has improved it all and hence Maruti shut shop and went back to Japan".

4) One who never owned it, yet, the praises of FIAT annoys them, and uses this forum as catharsis to release the pent up emotions.

1, 2 provides constructive criticism and can help owners to find solutions. The rest add forum post counts(including mine).

Last edited by GTO : 28th January 2015 at 16:15. Reason: Please do NOT bring in unnecessary factors like ego etc.
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Old 27th January 2015, 10:35   #128
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Re: Scoop - Fiat Punto Evo T-Jet coming up!

Having owned a FIAT for last 2.5 years, I am simply amused at many of the comments on owning a FIAT, their service and falana falana....

From whatever I have seen in the last 2 decades of owning various cars, in the Indian context there doesn't seem to be much of a difference in the service quality of various brands. It all boils down to the sensitivity and attitude of the service manager and advisor and the kind of rapport/relation you are able to build with them. Just for example, I personally go for getting my Linea serviced and our driver goes for Innova. I can see a sea of difference in the outcome. Also, my Linea had few issues in the initial period. All were solved under warranty and to my satisfaction within a short span of time. I've never had my car sit in the service centre for more than a day.

Agreed the car has its plus and minuses, but which product is perfect?

In short, I am happier to own a Linea than an Innova.
Enough said, I guess
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Old 27th January 2015, 10:49   #129
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Re: Scoop - Fiat Punto Evo T-Jet coming up!

Mod Note: Please stick to the topic...that is, the Punto T-Jet. We have other threads to discuss after-sales, parts availability etc.
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Old 27th January 2015, 10:52   #130
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Re: Scoop - Fiat Punto Evo T-Jet coming up!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad Max View Post
@ theDoctor - glad to hear your recollection of the car. I don't think anyone here questions the "built like a tank" moniker we use for the Fiat cars. What is apprehensive is their after sales service and the time they take to get replacement parts. Any views on that? I would assume with Tata out of the way, the experience would be better. But are parts still hard to come by in case of a replacement ?
The only things worth complaining about Punto are awkward ergonomics for some drivers and lesser legroom on rear seats. On all the other factors it is on par or a lot better than the competition so nothing is a deal breaker.

On the other hand, i dont know any other car in the segment or higher which is capable of taking as much abuse and punishment from the broken roads as Punto which does not even show rattles ( maybe some minor squeaks) after 1L km of use.

About after sales service:
I have no experience outside Pune but service here is very much acceptable. Toyota and Maruti may be the benchmarks but no issues with fiat either here.
In case of Palio, there are some parts availability issues but not for Punto. Non service parts may not be always in stock but not too much of a wait either. But, our experience from 5 puntos in my friend circle is that nothing goes wrong with them except wear and tear parts (brake pads, clutch, tyres, suspension bushes) even after 1L km and even if something goes wrong warranties are honoured with full co operation and replacements are not at all expensive.
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Old 27th January 2015, 11:19   #131
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Re: Scoop - Fiat Punto Evo T-Jet coming up!

Till now many in this forum and outside were asking " Fiat - Why not have the 1.4 T-jet in the Punto, its perfect !" Now rumour about 1.4 T-jet punto people atleast in this fourm say - " Fiat, Why are you launching the 1.4 T-jet Punto"

Lol, it sounds like only the word "Why Fiat" is constant, regardless of the rest of th e line is negative or Positive.

Cannot satisfy all can one?
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Old 27th January 2015, 12:55   #132
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Re: Scoop - Fiat Punto Evo T-Jet coming up!

No denying that the Punto TJet was long overdue but I get the feeling that the 'market' is now going through fatigue of waiting for the T-Jet so when it does actually get launched it wouldn't really make the kind of impact it would have 3-4 years back. Add Fiat's typical lethargic marketing & the Punto's reputation as a flop car and we are looking at another failed Fiat product.

Since the Punto T-Jet may well add just a few units to the already low sales of the car, I only hope Fiat goes the full hog and lowers that ridiculous ground clearance to make it a proper T-Jet.
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Old 27th January 2015, 13:12   #133
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Re: Scoop - Fiat Punto Evo T-Jet coming up!

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Originally Posted by amit View Post
No denying that the Punto TJet was long overdue but I get the feeling that the 'market' is now going through fatigue of waiting for the T-Jet so when it does actually get launched it wouldn't really make the kind of impact it would have 3-4 years back.
Market doesn't go by what was due or overdue. It doesn't matter if someone wanted a Punto with a T-Jet 3 years back and ended up buying a different car. What matters is if there are enough customers who still like Fiat and a spirited petrol engine and doesn't care about other reputation factors.

The point you are making may be valid for cars like Palio Adventure or Ford fusion or Cheverolet SRV, which were ahead of their time. As far Punto T-Jet is concerned, there was no better time than now. However, there's still lot of negativity around the brand, deserved or not.
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Old 27th January 2015, 13:34   #134
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Re: Scoop - Fiat Punto Evo T-Jet coming up!

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Originally Posted by prakash_ajp View Post
Market doesn't go by what was due or overdue. It doesn't matter if someone wanted a Punto with a T-Jet 3 years back and ended up buying a different car. What matters is if there are enough customers who still like Fiat and a spirited petrol engine and doesn't care about other reputation factors.

The point you are making may be valid for cars like Palio Adventure or Ford fusion or Cheverolet SRV, which were ahead of their time. As far Punto T-Jet is concerned, there was no better time than now. However, there's still lot of negativity around the brand, deserved or not.
I feel market very much gets tired to waiting for a product for too long. Besides, first mover advantage also matter's a lot. While the market was waiting for a performance hatchback and knew Fiat has one in it's range, VW filled the gap smartly with the Polo TSi. Like you said, the negativity around the brand plus Punto's reputation as a problematic car will not help either. Fiat can do some innovative marketing to get attention for the car but we all know their capability in that area. Just between Polo Tsi & Punto T-Jet, I expect the Tsi to easily outsell the T-Jet.

If I was in the market for a hatch today, I would pick the Polo Tsi. And that's coming from someone who owned the Palio S10 and still believes it's the best car I ever owned!
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Old 27th January 2015, 16:13   #135
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Re: Scoop - Fiat Punto Evo T-Jet coming up!

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Originally Posted by 46TheDoctor View Post
In case of Palio, there are some parts availability issues but not for Punto.
Glad to hear. When I owned the Palio 1.6 Stile, the Tata service left much to be desired and they scared the livin daylights out of me when I asked about some suspension part and they quoted a 2 month waiting period. I seriously think Fiat did the right thing moving out of Tata.

Can't wait for the initial ownership reports. The car looks alright though I haven't had the best words to say about the Punto. More importantly, I hope this doesn't guzzle like the 1.6.
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