FIAT Grande Punto Specs: Punt(o)ing around town

Minardi · 18th June 2009, 15:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilentEngine

पुंटो it is!

cheers!

is it? I thought it was ग्रान्दे पुन्तो.

aaggoswami · 18th June 2009, 15:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashwinpak

This time, FIAT is playing it safe, and hence the compromises in quality and the lower prices. Believe me, even with this amount of cost-cutting, the Punto is still great VFM.

Again I looked at the pricing, but then it was the " made for tax " under 1200cc that is hitting 3.99 lakh, bang on with Ritz.
What Ritz has is better engine in petrol format, better A.S & S.
I am sure that 67 bhp will make Punto very slow car. Purely a slow city car. For proper motoring, Punto will need 1.4 and that raises the cost.
The state of tune for engines is not very high it seems.

I think that Punto will eventually kill its stable mate first, i.e. palio. Next online will be Vista tax saving version, yes the verson with Palio 1.1 motor with VVT. This version ( if at all selling ) will be taking the hit before Getz, I20 and Maruti products suffer from Punto's heat.

typeOnegative · 18th June 2009, 15:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by neotraveller

1.4L in Linea itself feels nicely powered.
So in GP it should be a scorcher. Don't worry guys, if you are looking for the most powerful hatchback in the Indian market today ... the 1.4L punto it is!

I thought that the Getz CRDI is the most powerful. BTW, three updates:

1. Saw the red Emotion MJD GP at Fortune Motors, Powai. The prices have not come in. Car looks good. Rear space might be a problem. Could not drive the car as it is not officially in for Test Drives etc. Also the guys at the dealership did not have the official prices.

2. Saw a maroon Bravo on the Western Expressway. Mr. Rajeev Kapoor was in it. Pics in a while - of the car. Did not have the guts to take a picture of the CEO.

3. Saw two ads for the Punto on the same road - Yuvraj is the mascot it seems.

reppy · 18th June 2009, 15:58

Test Drove the diesel just now - and I agree - 1st & 2nd gear are too short and for quick bursts of pickup in high-traffic driving, power will be tough to find unless you change gears - twice or thrice I was revving the engine to 4000+rpm (in diesel!) to try and get just that much more power to avoid an upshift - but couldn't.

Couldn't take it on the highway so can't comment much on high-speed driving.

The power delivery is more linear than the Swift and I think that's a good thing. The insulation of the cabin from outside noise is excellent (better than Swift).

The steering feel/feedback and brakes are ABSOLUTELY AWESOME - the standout features for me! Another positive thing is the lighter clutch (than the Swift).

The driving comfort is good but somehow the interiors feel slightly claustrophobic. The stereo is average and a speaker change will be necessary for better audio.

Waiting to TD the petrol variant now on Saturday!

bblost · 18th June 2009, 15:59

The website is bad. www.fiatpunto.in

Either gives time out or access denied errors.

asr245 · 18th June 2009, 16:03

Just back from checking out the 1.3MJD Emotion (that was only one on display). Since I drive a WagonR, my comparisons will be relative to that and only on a few points.

- Interior plastics - much better than my car so i will be happy to upgrade to that. But did see some plastic fitments which didn't seem very properly aligned. Emotion was all black (if I remember correctly). Seat fabric felt nice and seats felt reasonably comfortable. Did feel that thigh support could have been a bit more.

- Leg room - Front - With seats all the way back, I could stretch my legs completely and being a little lower than my WagonR, it felt comfortable. Rear on the other hand is just about OK. Though there is more space in between seats as compared to my car, the lower profile of rear seats makes it feel cramped. But atleast the back feels comfortable (in comparison to the almost 90 rear seating in WagonR)

- Boot - For a hatch, quite big. Maybe that's the reason rear seats maybe a little short of space.

sriramv.iyer · 18th June 2009, 16:03

I went to the Concorde Showroom, Dairy Circle, Bangalore.

They had a car for TD and I thought I'd take a test ride, and make a booking (Went with my check book) - I managed to get a short test drive.

I'll give a quick update rightaway -

They had a Red punto E for display and Red E+ MJD for TD. The car looks very nice - But I felt that the photos were much better. The car actually looks and feels small. The 15'' tires were nice.

1. I felt that the car was sluggish. There is no 'kick' that one gets in a Swift VDi (Even 68 BHP Fabia drove better IMHO)

2. The car is incredibly silent during idle and a tad noisy in 2-3 gears.

3. The gearing was spongy (I took the word from ZigWheels review (I blasted them in a post I made yesterday night :( ) ) - I did not feel that the gearing was precise and there is no good feel that the gear has been slotted accurately.

4. OMG! The clutch travels! I have never used a clutch that travels soooo much. I am very uncomfortable with that.

5. The car IS cramped. There is no denying this. The space in rear seats is very less. I am not happy at all. And, to add insult to injury there was a Vista parked next with oodles of space everywhere.

6. The acres of black in interiors are not helping at all. Beige give a sense of spaciousness. Full black is boring. E/E+ have dual tones but they only seem to help a little.

7. On road price of E+ is 7.23L OTR. I was ready to pay up to 8.5L - I am very happy with the pricing. But, I expected much more space in the car. Is it the dash that's eating the space?

8. Boot space is average.

9. Booking amount is 1L. Black and Red are available immediately. Blue/white will take more than a month.

10. Steering feel is good.

Overall, I am not very comfortable booking this car, and I came back home with my check. I am now thinking if Vista @ 5.5L OTR or Getz 1.5 CRDi VGT @ 5.88L are good deals.

- So much for waiting!

I'll do some soul searching and update you all on what my decision is.

amit · 18th June 2009, 16:05

Considering that even major national newspapers like Indian Express didn't cover the launch (not invited?), I don't think Fiat is smart enough to invite team-bhp for a drive.

Initial reports suggest that the tuning is like the Linea - slow in 1st and 2nd and then things pick up well. Zigwheels thought interior quality to be better then Linea. Hopefully, with better localisation things have improved?

Vid6639 · 18th June 2009, 16:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by finneyp

Did you drive the Linea?

Yeah twice, just to make sure it was not an issue with the particular car I drove.

Was totally disappointed with the car. Did not believe it was a 86PS diesel engine. Then I drove the 68PS ikon Diesel. Found that to be more responsive than the Linea. The very poor gear shift and clutch feel of the Linea was also a downer.

Moreover one of the cars had an very annoying dash board rattle from 2000rpm and the other had the chrome strips on the door missing. The sales guy told me that the TD car was not serviced hence the rattle and the chrome trim flew off during an earlier TD.

Sorry for the OT. Back to Linea.

@Amit: so are you booking the car dude?

Palio_2005 · 18th June 2009, 16:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

I went to the Concorde Showroom, Dairy Circle, Bangalore.

They had a car for TD and I thought I'd take a test ride, and make a booking (Went with my check book) - I managed to get a short test drive.

I'll give a quick update rightaway -

They had a Red punto E for display and Red E+ MJD for TD. The car looks very nice - But I felt that the photos were much better. The car actually looks and feels small. The 15'' tires were nice.

1. I felt that the car was sluggish. There is no 'kick' that one gets in a Swift VDi (Even 68 BHP Fabia drove better IMHO)

2. The car is incredibly silent during idle and a tad noisy in 2-3 gears.

3. The gearing was spongy (I took the word from ZigWheels review (I blasted them in a post I made yesterday night :( ) ) - I did not feel that the gearing was precise and there is no good feel that the gear has been slotted accurately.

4. OMG! The clutch travels! I have never used a clutch that travels soooo much. I am very uncomfortable with that.

5. The car IS cramped. There is no denying this. The space in rear seats is very less. I am not happy at all. And, to add insult to injury there was a Vista parked next with oodles of space everywhere.

6. The acres of black in interiors are not helping at all. Beige give a sense of spaciousness. Full black is boring. E/E+ have dual tones but they only seem to help a little.

7. On road price of E+ is 7.23L OTR. I was ready to pay up to 8.5L - I am very happy with the pricing. But, I expected much more space in the car. Is it the dash that's eating the space?

8. Boot space is average.

9. Booking amount is 1L. Black and Red are available immediately. Blue/white will take more than a month.

10. Steering feel is good.

Overall, I am not very comfortable booking this car, and I came back home with my check. I am now thinking if Vista @ 5.5L OTR or Getz 1.5 CRDi VGT @ 5.88L are good deals.

- So much for waiting!

I'll do some soul searching and update you all on what my decision is.

Sad to hear about your negative impressions.

While I was defly put off by the rear seat space, I was hoping that it would be a driver's car.

Vista and Getz Crdi have no ABS/Airbags which is one deterrent.

In case you are ready to spend upto 8.5 L why don't you buy a Fabia. I heard that performance is good and so is the space.

Anthym · 18th June 2009, 16:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

7. On road price of E+ is 7.23L OTR. I was ready to pay up to 8.5L - I am very happy with the pricing. But, I expected much more space in the car. Is it the dash that's eating the space?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palio_2005

In case you are ready to spend upto 8.5 L why don't you buy a Fabia. I heard that performance is good and so is the space.

Well, 8.5L could also fetch you a Honda Jazz.

oldshivabull · 18th June 2009, 16:34

One thing that impressed me from what I read was the suspension system of the car. I think Zigwheels (which I don't trust as well) said good things about it. Anyone got a clue? Poor road quality takes a hell of a lot out of any car. And maybe the susp. is one of the factors we should keep in mind when buying a new one.
Also, is the weight-to-power ratio of the Punto bad? I don't clearly understand the concept as it applies to cars; so will wait to hear from you guys. Has anyone done a comparison of this ratio with the Punto's competitors?

srishiva · 18th June 2009, 16:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthym

Well, 8.5L could also fetch you a Honda Jazz.

Features and Diesel will not be present though !

100BHP · 18th June 2009, 16:36

There is some serious lack of "Indian eyesight" in Fiat R&D. A more thorough study before deciding the specifications and models constitution could have been better , like biege interiors, rear seat design etc.

NFS2024 · 18th June 2009, 16:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

I went to the Concorde Showroom, Dairy Circle, Bangalore.

1. I felt that the car was sluggish. There is no 'kick' that one gets in a Swift VDi (Even 68 BHP Fabia drove better IMHO)

5. The car IS cramped. There is no denying this. The space in rear seats is very less. I am not happy at all. And, to add insult to injury there was a Vista parked next with oodles of space everywhere.

6. The acres of black in interiors are not helping at all. Beige give a sense of spaciousness. Full black is boring. E/E+ have dual tones but they only seem to help a little.

This feedback is making me nervous. Am dying to TD this car over the weekend. Want to make sure am putting my money on the right car.

18th June 2009, 15:58	#739
reppy BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 521 Thanked: 613 Times	Test Drove the diesel just now - and I agree - 1st & 2nd gear are too short and for quick bursts of pickup in high-traffic driving, power will be tough to find unless you change gears - twice or thrice I was revving the engine to 4000+rpm (in diesel!) to try and get just that much more power to avoid an upshift - but couldn't. Couldn't take it on the highway so can't comment much on high-speed driving. The power delivery is more linear than the Swift and I think that's a good thing. The insulation of the cabin from outside noise is excellent (better than Swift). The steering feel/feedback and brakes are ABSOLUTELY AWESOME - the standout features for me! Another positive thing is the lighter clutch (than the Swift). The driving comfort is good but somehow the interiors feel slightly claustrophobic. The stereo is average and a speaker change will be necessary for better audio. Waiting to TD the petrol variant now on Saturday! Last edited by reppy : 18th June 2009 at 16:01.
	() Thanks

18th June 2009, 15:59	#740
bblost Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 11,006 Thanked: 15,316 Times View My Garage	The website is bad. www.fiatpunto.in Either gives time out or access denied errors.
	() Thanks

18th June 2009, 16:03	#741
asr245 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 1,162 Thanked: 389 Times	Just back from checking out the 1.3MJD Emotion (that was only one on display). Since I drive a WagonR, my comparisons will be relative to that and only on a few points. - Interior plastics - much better than my car so i will be happy to upgrade to that. But did see some plastic fitments which didn't seem very properly aligned. Emotion was all black (if I remember correctly). Seat fabric felt nice and seats felt reasonably comfortable. Did feel that thigh support could have been a bit more. - Leg room - Front - With seats all the way back, I could stretch my legs completely and being a little lower than my WagonR, it felt comfortable. Rear on the other hand is just about OK. Though there is more space in between seats as compared to my car, the lower profile of rear seats makes it feel cramped. But atleast the back feels comfortable (in comparison to the almost 90 rear seating in WagonR) - Boot - For a hatch, quite big. Maybe that's the reason rear seats maybe a little short of space.
	() Thanks

18th June 2009, 16:03	#742
sriramv.iyer BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 845 Thanked: 739 Times	My TD Experience I went to the Concorde Showroom, Dairy Circle, Bangalore. They had a car for TD and I thought I'd take a test ride, and make a booking (Went with my check book) - I managed to get a short test drive. I'll give a quick update rightaway - They had a Red punto E for display and Red E+ MJD for TD. The car looks very nice - But I felt that the photos were much better. The car actually looks and feels small. The 15'' tires were nice. 1. I felt that the car was sluggish. There is no 'kick' that one gets in a Swift VDi (Even 68 BHP Fabia drove better IMHO) 2. The car is incredibly silent during idle and a tad noisy in 2-3 gears. 3. The gearing was spongy (I took the word from ZigWheels review (I blasted them in a post I made yesterday night :( ) ) - I did not feel that the gearing was precise and there is no good feel that the gear has been slotted accurately. 4. OMG! The clutch travels! I have never used a clutch that travels soooo much. I am very uncomfortable with that. 5. The car IS cramped. There is no denying this. The space in rear seats is very less. I am not happy at all. And, to add insult to injury there was a Vista parked next with oodles of space everywhere. 6. The acres of black in interiors are not helping at all. Beige give a sense of spaciousness. Full black is boring. E/E+ have dual tones but they only seem to help a little. 7. On road price of E+ is 7.23L OTR. I was ready to pay up to 8.5L - I am very happy with the pricing. But, I expected much more space in the car. Is it the dash that's eating the space? 8. Boot space is average. 9. Booking amount is 1L. Black and Red are available immediately. Blue/white will take more than a month. 10. Steering feel is good. Overall, I am not very comfortable booking this car, and I came back home with my check. I am now thinking if Vista @ 5.5L OTR or Getz 1.5 CRDi VGT @ 5.88L are good deals. - So much for waiting! I'll do some soul searching and update you all on what my decision is. Last edited by sriramv.iyer : 18th June 2009 at 16:04.
	() Thanks

18th June 2009, 16:05	#743
amit Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3,717 Thanked: 449 Times	Considering that even major national newspapers like Indian Express didn't cover the launch (not invited?), I don't think Fiat is smart enough to invite team-bhp for a drive. Initial reports suggest that the tuning is like the Linea - slow in 1st and 2nd and then things pick up well. Zigwheels thought interior quality to be better then Linea. Hopefully, with better localisation things have improved?
	() Thanks

18th June 2009, 16:34	#747
oldshivabull BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 39 Thanked: 32 Times	One thing that impressed me from what I read was the suspension system of the car. I think Zigwheels (which I don't trust as well) said good things about it. Anyone got a clue? Poor road quality takes a hell of a lot out of any car. And maybe the susp. is one of the factors we should keep in mind when buying a new one. Also, is the weight-to-power ratio of the Punto bad? I don't clearly understand the concept as it applies to cars; so will wait to hear from you guys. Has anyone done a comparison of this ratio with the Punto's competitors?
	() Thanks

18th June 2009, 16:36	#749
100BHP BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 141 Thanked: 554 Times	There is some serious lack of "Indian eyesight" in Fiat R&D. A more thorough study before deciding the specifications and models constitution could have been better , like biege interiors, rear seat design etc.
	() Thanks