[nurni76]

Originally Posted by amit

Punto will not lose it's charm and speciality even if it sells 25,000 units/month. The car has a timeless design, something which Japanese and Korean cars can't even imagine. A few months from now the i20 will look dated. People will still be turning back and giving the Punto 3-4-5 looks 5 years from now. Proof: The Palio still makes heads turn today.

Looks are subjective. We could argue about which car looks better all year and still not conclude anything. I respect that you love the Swift's looks. I don't. Never have.

That's a subjective view. i20 is easily better looking than Punto in my books. Palio making heads turn is a news to me. It has never been a good looking car in my books. Head turning must be purely because it is a rarity on the road (No offense to any owner)


Swift is easily a better looking car in my books simply beacuse even with so many on the roads, it is a head turner (especially a modded one)

[kiranravi]

[quote=amit;1484816]Punto will not lose it's charm and speciality even if it sells 25,000 units/month. The car has a timeless design, something which Japanese and Korean cars can't even imagine. A few months from now the i20 will look dated. People will still be turning back and giving the Punto 3-4-5 looks 5 years from now. Proof: The Palio still makes heads turn today.
quote]


Amit, some of these views are highly subjective and some others not really accurate. for example i-20 is assumed to be a korean design by you but in fact it is designed by hyundai's Europian centre for Europe-not a korean stuff.

[blackasta]

Let me cite an example of a close friend who bought his first car this month (it was a Hyundai i10). Cars in consideration were the i10 Magna and Punto Active. He was dead serious on getting the GP.

GP test drive - Liked the road feel, loved the looks, but hated the fit and finish, and was not so sure about A.S.S and support

i10 test drive - ok looks, ok space, ok ride, good fit and finish, and good A.S.S

He changed his mind at the last moment and got the Hyundai. He visits tbhp on and off, and read the stories of QC issues in FIAT cars - I guess that sealed it for him.
He mentioned one important point - 'I may be a passionate driver and take good care of my GP, but if I go out of station tomorrow, chances are that my parents will find a lot more places to fix the Hyundai than a FIAT if something goes wrong.'

I find his reasoning very similar to this post http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/1603312-post86.html

Guess that is why though people are enthusiastic about the GP, end up buying a sedate i10/20 or ritz.

Please share your thoughts.

[HammerHead]

IMO i10 is a better choice over GP 1.2 Active. It all depends on what is a MUST and what you can LIVE with in a car. As someone said "A.S.S is what you may encounter once or twice in a year, but you are going to drive your car everyday!!" Let me give you example of my friend who sold his 1 year old NHC ZX and bought Fiat Linea 1.4 E PK! His priorities had changed in years time and he wanted a good looking sedan with decent performance with all the goodies and great ride and a true handler under 8.5Lakh in hand. He had no option but Fiat Linea! A.S.S he did not care about as he is confidant that he is capable of making TATA provide him best of A.S.S for his car.

Everyone knows that there are hell lot of cars to choose from when it comes to a under 6Lakh (Ex. showroom) hatch, but how many of them provide a superior ride+handling+VFM+build+safety+Killer looks+decent performance?

[samsan02]

Originally Posted by blackasta

Guess that is why though people are enthusiastic about the GP, end up buying a sedate i10/20 or ritz.

Please share your thoughts.

There you go mate, Fiat just lost one more customer to Hyundai because of perceived A.S.S of Fiat from yester years and current perceptions. But you know what, Fiat would be stupid if they screw up this time with their A.S.S for Linea/Punto. Well! I have a bought a Punto, so I will face it, lets see how it turns out with my ownership expereince.

Even I was very much inclined towards Hyundai i10 because of their engine 1.2 kappa, But i10 still felt like a small car almost like a Santro spacewise but better interiors. So I had to drop it. But I also considered i20, Now in between i20 and Punto I went for Punto, solely because i20 felt underpowered thou the A.S.S was nice for Hyundai.

IMHO Punto's Active ride quality,suspension,handling would be much superior to i10's magna and ofcourse it would be bigger in size too with a larger boot and almost at the same price if I am not wrong.

Yes even I was reluctant a bit when I bought mine, I looked at it this way, I live in a city where A.S.S of any make would be available be it Fiat or Hyundai or Maruti and the occasional drive on the highways shouldn't bother me that much. And when Fiat announced RSA it was sort of more comforting.

Probably Fiat would loose out so many more such customers before things look bright. That my friend we will have to wait and see.

[vinaydas]

well if you want to choice purely based on the car i would go for the punto any day.
but if you consider real world problems such as service etc please go for the hyundai .
Tata first of all donot know how to take care of their own cars .
I have noticed step motherly treatment for my palio when i give it to service.
people rather give preference to indicas etc .
although the service is pretty cheap the finish and service is not upto the mark.
go for the i20 with excellent close to maruthi levels of service(in quantity not quality).
i will change my opinion when fiat steps away from tata's and starts taking the indian market seriously .

[Speed Pujari]

I think there's no point in arguing which is the best. Its personal choice.

If I have 6.5-7 lakhs to spend on a car then my criteria would be:

1. The car which made a difference worldwide.

2. The brand which is respected and is 'baap' of all and they know how to make cars and not the four wheeled motors (read they make the most respected car in world).

3. A proven record of quality/reliability in long run.

4. A car which will be with me for next 5+ years and still will not compell me to sell it.

5. A car I can have a relationship with.

6. A decent FE, not exceptionally high (otherwise I'll buy a Reva).

7. A car when driven by my family members should not leave me worry about their safety.

8. A decent ***, read I dont care how many times I have been called as 'Sir' in the service station. A car that demands less travel to service stations.

9. A car whose looks should not get old day after day. I vouch for a second glance by onlookers.

Everyone can guess which car I am talking about ..

It is certainly not the brand which is famous among taxi-chauffers(read non-drivers) in the US!..

And also not the brand which is famous for making a history just bcoz they brought the first small car in India and have 100k dealerships..

I am talking about the car which made history in commuter as well as rally segment.

EDIT: Kindly ignore my signature before guessing.

[parimal_g]

Speed Pujari.
Are you talking about the SWIFT..?

[HammerHead]

Originally Posted by parimal_g

Speed Pujari.
Are you talking about the SWIFT..?

I know you are pulling leg
He must be talking about his Palio.

[Speed Pujari]

No I am talking about the one which only non-interested parties can guess.

@Hammerhead- Palio did not make any history in Rally segment LOL.

EDIT: Suddenly I can see this thread became colder!.. Is revealation of facts so bitter??

[HammerHead]

Originally Posted by Speed Pujari

@Hammerhead- Palio did not make any history in Rally segment LOL.

It did!! Check this info.
Source: italianawards.com

"Fiat Palio Abarth 16v A6/N2 The Palio Abarth 16v has added a further 2 titles to its haul of trophies, after winning the A6 and N2 classes of the 2006 Brazilian Rally Championship. The Palio Abarth has now won the Class A6 Championship for an unprecendented 9 consecutive years (1997-2006)."

Now tell us which car were you talking about.

[bond_bhai]

Originally Posted by mithun

The only time you'll get dejected(as a FIAT owner) is during the time of selling & during waiting for spares(for months) !

Time of Selling, Yes/Maybe. Doesn't Palio S10/1.9D still demand a premium?
Waiting for Spares(months) - Is this your personal experience or are you just ranting off?
My Palio needed a Head Assembly and Piston(s) replacement. How long did it take to get the spares you ask? 2 weeks. 1.5 weeks to be exact, and the other half a week for installation/test etc.

If you have no "first hand" experience about how exactly the A*S of a company is, it better not to comment on hear say. My friends friend waited for 6 months etc. There are cases i agree, but i am just posting my personal experience here.

Please note: This is not directed against any particular individual.

[TheARUN]

My vote was for the i20. Its simply because with the i20 you get 'more car per car'

[Speed Pujari]

Originally Posted by HammerHead

It did!! Check this info.
Source: italianawards.com

"Fiat Palio Abarth 16v A6/N2 The Palio Abarth 16v has added a further 2 titles to its haul of trophies, after winning the A6 and N2 classes of the 2006 Brazilian Rally Championship. The Palio Abarth has now won the Class A6 Championship for an unprecendented 9 consecutive years (1997-2006)."

Now tell us which car were you talking about.

My bad, i wasn't aware . I have just seen a photograph of Palio Abarth but not read.

I am talking about the car which is one among in the voting list and meets all the criterias I have mentioned in my earlier post. Certainly Palio is not in the voting list.

[Pyrotek]

Having stumbled upon this poll, needless to say I'm finding it an intriguing one. Assuming that most hatch buyers will be looking to invest near about 5-6 lakhs in the car, here's my 2 cents.

Despite the after sales service spooks, I'll vouch for the Punto. we had an Indica for 5 years and while the service was certainly nowhere near as good as our local maruti service station, it wasn't pathetic enough to warrant a complete rejection. Going by the car's strengths, the Punto has plenty. Immaculate ride, spirited handling and unflappable composure on the road. It looks spectacular, without a doubt the best looking hatch in the country. Blue & Me still feels like a gimmick to me, but its inclusion doesn't do it any harm.

But then, there are the pitfalls. I find the gearbox a little rubbery and the engine wasn't particularly refined either. Rear seat legroom is certainly an issue, and i'm 5'10". There wasn't much room at the back, after I'd adjusted the front seat to my comfort.

Personally, I find the i20 a little devoid of personality. It just feels so ho-hum. I love its interiors though and it certainly isn't a dog to drive. It's just that it doesn't excite me as a product.

The Ritz. Now this one's an interesting hatch. I did not like it, but believe it or not, it has grown on me. The engine's a fabulous one, the car feels very nimble. The gearbox is the best of the lot and price-wise it hits all the right notes. Factor in stellar A.S.S. and its a compelling proposition.

The Ritz ZXi costs about 10k less than a i20 magna 1.2 and about 10k more than a Punto 1.4 dynamic and approximately 30k less than the Emotion(not the option pack).

Believe me, at that price point any practical guy would choose the Ritz. I'd love to put my mouth where my heart is(Punto, this means you) but I think the Ritz wins it for me.

P.S. The Punto suffers from having a very uninspiring color range. The Ritz on the other hand does offer some interesting shades (chocolate, blue and green look good on this hatch). I'd kill for an orange Punto.