[Tanveer_2558]

Wow! Fiat is back with a bang! The car looks great and 145 PS with manual tranny is a dream come true, A Polo GT killer is here already? Unless VW prices the 1.8TSI gti in under 10-12 lac category which seems to be highly impossible! About time VW learns a lesson and gives us a 1.4 Tsi hatch aswell.

[keroo1099]

Originally Posted by Tanveer_2558

Wow! Fiat is back with a bang! The car looks great and 145 PS with manual tranny is a dream come true, A Polo GT killer is here already? Unless VW prices the 1.8TSI gti in under 10-12 lac category which seems to be highly impossible! About time VW learns a lesson and gives us a 1.4 Tsi hatch aswell.

Why does it have to be a killer, can't they just co-exist? More the merrier I say, and hoping Maruti, Hyundai, Honda, and the rest join the bandwagon and give us more of these 'hot' hatches, and while they are at it don't forget the sedans.

[Chetan_Rao]

The Polo GT twins (in India) were never HOT hatches to begin with, given VW changed nothing on either car dynamically, a hot-hatch is more than just the lump under the hood.

Except their sticker prices being in the same ballpark, there's nothing really comparable between the Polo GT and the T-JET Punto (it's not REALLY an Abarth, is it?). The TSI DSG will still sell for its sheer urban practicality and great build inside out, while the T-JET Punto would primarily attract the weekend driving enthusiasts.

Two different beasts that happen to cost about the same and can peacefully co-exist. Nothing more to it really.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by akshay_b

How easy is it to reduce the ugly ground clearance of the Punto Evo by say 20mm?

I remember F.A.S.S charging 1.5k for increasing the ground clearance of the pre 2012 Grande Punto and Linea.

Originally Posted by Vik0728

I am quite sure that decreasing the height of a ride can be accomplished by many aftermarket workshops.

It is a pity that Fiat 'indianized' the Punto by increasing the GC to ugly levels.

If you can get the older Punto's suspension, just install them you can have lower GC.. Or, try to get the new Abarth's suspension kit, 155mm

[vinodvayyat]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

I don't want to comment on other cars since this is a Punto thread.

Calling such an attempt half-hearted would warrant some introspection and some comparison. I agree with you - let us not get into that.

Originally Posted by PrideRed

If Abarth Punto is perfect , be it, not to me. And in same way if all other cars out there are half hearted attempt according to you, so be it(after all its your opinion and I don't intend to change).

I did not call other cars as half-heartedly made products - you can read my words again - there was an 'if-clause' before that phrase.

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Regarding gearbox below is what Motoroids who have tested the car has to say... Except for one really annoying fly in the ointment. It’s the rubbery feel of the gearbox.

Quoting my words - "I understand if you say that you wished FIAT had better gear throws..." - Motoroids is talking about the gear throw and not gear ratios. Generalizing it saying "gear box" will be incorrect, according to me.

Originally Posted by PrideRed

All I can say is the car deserves a better gearbox(resolve existing one or plonk a new one).

Even I desire a better gear box - who would not like better in everything?!
Hope FIAT is reading all these.

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Nobody is obliged to buy any car. Given that there are so many enthusiast and fiat fanboys here I was expecting at least few to book the car.

This line sounds so better than the old one, cheers.

[keroo1099]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

The Polo GT twins (in India) were never HOT hatches to begin with, given VW changed nothing on either car dynamically, a hot-hatch is more than just the lump under the hood.

Two different beasts that happen to cost about the same and can peacefully co-exist. Nothing more to it really.

Ouch, war's have started for less, but your last line may save the day.

[akshay_b]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

So technically akshay_b, FIAT will actually pay you 1.5k to reduce the ground clearance now bro!!

Jokes apart, I am no expert but I am quite sure that decreasing the height of a ride can be accomplished by many aftermarket workshops. If its FIAT you have real confidence in, probably they may just charge you for the labour and nothing more.

Originally Posted by clevermax

It is a pity that Fiat 'indianized' the Punto by increasing the GC to ugly levels.

If you can get the older Punto's suspension, just install them you can have lower GC.. Or, try to get the new Abarth's suspension kit, 155mm

My bad, it was 10k for the "Ground clearance" package a few years back

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...0-000-a-7.html

Is it that big a process? Pardon my ignorance, I thought removing a few spacers can decrease the height. Any idea how much would a new suspension kit cost?

The Grande Punto had s stance like no other hatch in the country, what were the engineers thinking while working on the Punto Evo.

[devansn]

This is inevitable, is it not?! Whenever Fiat does something that pleases people who have owned Fiats (Not others in general, because the anti-Fiat mindset is so strong in our country), the hell breaks loose! Most complaints are from people who have never owned a Fiat, apparently. They have complaints about anything and everything on the car and how the manufacturer is not doing things "right".

Based on what I imagine, I think the Fiat bashers actually love the Fiat cars and may have a strong desire to own one, but either because of the anti-Fiat mindset or because of the unsolicited, strong advises from relatives and friends who do not even know how to drive, they are unable to own one. This results in strong envy and then they try to find out some reasons to justify their decision on buying some other car.

I have somehow seen this bashing mentality in the forum predominantly against Fiat and its cars only. We have discussed about a hell lot of car launches here - some of those cars were very unsafe, some were really highly priced, some were really bad on quality inside out due to cost cutting, so on. But this enthusiasm in criticism has never been so high on those cases.

Disclaimer: Although I am not really kidding, my analysis above is not intended to hurt anyone. And this is going to be my first and last post about this matter on this thread.

Originally Posted by akshay_b

My bad, it was 10k for the "Ground clearance" package a few years back

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...0-000-a-7.html

Is it that big a process? Pardon my ignorance, I thought removing a few spacers can decrease the height. Any idea how much would a new suspension kit cost?

The Grande Punto had s stance like no other hatch in the country, what were the engineers thinking while working on the Punto Evo.

I was just checking 99rpm - I think the entire suspension set for the front wheels would set you back by around 14K. And that includes the springs too...

Sorry for the back to back posts. Mods, could you merge these two?

[prakash_ajp]

Originally Posted by akshay_b

The Grande Punto had s stance like no other hatch in the country, what were the engineers thinking while working on the Punto Evo.

Perhaps they were taking about the hundreds of complaints people posted about low ground clearance of the Punto?

[adneo]

Just spoke to the Fiat Cafe guys in Bangalore to check about a TD of the Abarth Punto.
While we spoke i inquired if we can port a few of the Abarth internals into the Linea Tjet since the base platform is same.

He said that as of now Fiat is not offering any such options and hinted that Fiat is also considering a Linea powered by Abarth version.

Can any of our forum members with inside contacts please check about this, i know similar rumors were doing rounds earlier as well, but can we atleast get a solid insider hint on this?

I am scouting for a new car and i prefer a sedan to a hatch for family reasons.

I know that it has to be Fiat now since there is no other sedan at this price point with the Fiesta being withdrawn now, which offers the same kind of driving experience.

Its just that i am very confused now with specs put out by the Abarth Punto derived out of the same platform as the Linea Tjet.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by akshay_b

The Grande Punto had s stance like no other hatch in the country, what were the engineers thinking while working on the Punto Evo.

Actually thats one of the many things I love about the Punto. A hatch that can actually take quite a lot of abuse village and hill stations roads can throw at it. Would i ever trade in the 185mm GC suspension for the lower package, just for the looks? Nope!

The Abarth is another story, and its good they set it at 155mm.

[Biraj]

Originally Posted by adneo

I know that it has to be Fiat now since there is no other sedan at this price point with the Fiesta being withdrawn now, which offers the same kind of driving experience.

The probability of Fiat introducing a Linea 'Powered by Abarth' is really high. I would suggest that you wait for it if you want a sedan. The current Linea T-jet while being extremely competent isn't as much fun as the 2011 (pre-GC increase) Linea T-jets were. Even the power delivery is slightly linear in the current Linea while the previous gen had an awesome turbo-kick With ~140 horses, I would expect the 'Powered by Abarth' version to be much more enjoyable than Linea T-jet. You might even want to test-drive the new Avventura T-jet. It seems like a very practical option.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by devansn

This is inevitable, is it not?!

Most complaints are from people who have never owned a Fiat, apparently. They have complaints about anything and everything on the car and how the manufacturer is not doing things "right".

Hey devansn I wouldn't argue with you on that statement and to be honest, for the most part, I have been one of the many active members of the 'FIAT BASHERS' club for a long time

But guys, though I am still not big fan of the Punto Evo (vis-a-vis 1st Gen Punto) and surely don't love the Abarth visual gimmicks, I have the following to say:

While other manufacturers have not even 'Dared to Dream', FIAT India has 'Dared the Dream' of all Auto Enthusiast in the Country who wanted a hot hatch. More importantly, they have made this affordable to a huge junk of Common Man.

To hell with the visuals, the quirkiness, the ergonomics, etc, just from a pure Petrol-head point of view:

A GRAND SOLUTE TO FIAT

[Karthik Chandra]

Originally Posted by Tanveer_2558

Wow! Fiat is back with a bang! The car looks great and 145 PS with manual tranny is a dream come true, A Polo GT killer is here already? Unless VW prices the 1.8TSI gti in under 10-12 lac category which seems to be highly impossible! About time VW learns a lesson and gives us a 1.4 Tsi hatch aswell.

Punto Tjet, need not (IMO will not) be a GT TSI killer since both are unique cars on their own. Both have unique USPs and both can co-exist.
GT TSI has the DSG and turbo charged engine combo as its advantage, which is countered by the Punto's power, torque and handling. GTI will be a different beast altogether
VW could have better differentiated the GTs and the regular Polo's just like how the Abarth punto gets the Abarth badging, stripes and smoking hot alloys over the regular Punto

[suhaas307]

Let's forget about the Abarth Punto for a minute and discuss the Powered-by-Abarth Avventura. It's only fair, given that the discussions seem to revolve around the hatch only.

There is something ball-achingly charming about the Avventura, in a very Paris-Dakar sort of way. The raised chassis combined with that punchy engine gives it a sense of seriousness and purpose. Slap on a set of knobby tyres, fogs up-front and a rorty exhaust, and it will look rally-prepped and primed to tackle the Raid.. or Cunningham Road in Bangalore.