[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by avinashpai

A very nice and honest ownership review of the GP. Love the car in red, the ride and handling but do not love the after sales. But the red one looks absolutely smashing!

I felt the thud that you describe in my i20 Crdi too. Could it also have something to do with the weight of the car? Both these cars are quite heavy.

Thank you. Poor After sales service and Poor fit & finish are the only sore points about owning a Punto, otherwise its an excellent car.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Nice review, very true. Yes the turning circle is HUGE and is quite a pain, so is the noise when the rear seats are empty.

Thanks, Definitely not a car for a ladies and beginners, but its a dream come true for enthusiasts. Only if it had i20 CRDi matching performance, Punto 90hp initial drive reports by magazines are a huge disappointment.

Originally Posted by epicenter.rulez

good review there anshu 22g

one thing i'd like to suggest if i am not intruding is just shifting over to yellow lights for the monsoons. with hids running without projectors, it doesnt make a lot of sense when you cannot see the depth of the water at twilights and high speed driving at night.
osram makes a good set of bulbs rated at 100/80 and called "All Weather Prismatics"
i am using the same on my punto and the driving experience during rains is simply amazing. while a lot of cars around are trying to find their way on the road, the car just whizzes past them with a nice yellow purple tinted beam on the road.
the spread of the bulbs coupled to the foggies placed at just the right spot on the bumper is quite decent and you'll be amazed to see the prismatics pierce the darkness on empty stretches.
my car just crossed 26000 and is up for a tire change.
drive safe

Thanks, I do not find driving with HID 6000k in rains any difficult than OE lamps, i had doubts about performance of HID lamps in fog but they performed really well in fog last winters. My car's stock tires at 23k look good for another 10k kms, i am thinking of upgrading to 205 Yokohama db after that. I have these tires on my Elantra, i am very happy with their performance.

[epicenter.rulez]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Thank you. Poor After sales service and Poor fit & finish are the only sore points about owning a Punto, otherwise its an excellent car.


Thanks, Definitely not a car for a ladies and beginners, but its a dream come true for enthusiasts. Only if it had i20 CRDi matching performance, Punto 90hp initial drive reports by magazines are a huge disappointment.


Thanks, I do not find driving with HID 6000k in rains any difficult than OE lamps, i had doubts about performance of HID lamps in fog but they performed really well in fog last winters. My car's stock tires at 23k look good for another 10k kms, i am thinking of upgrading to 205 Yokohama db after that. I have these tires on my Elantra, i am very happy with their performance.

my tires are goners and the sound they make is simply unbearable. wouldve shifted to a better option earlier if budget had permitted.
my yokos are already lying at the ahmedabad depot since some days. i think the car will be shod with them somewhere in the middle of the week. same ones as yours..the v550s in 205 section and 60 profile. there is also a surprise which my friend is holding for me which needs to be done along with the tires. will revert back with what it is.
drive safe

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by download2live

Your relationship with Punto is funny. I have read your comments on Punto and FIAT on other threads also. And boy you don't mince words.
But at the end of the day I am sure you cannot live without this flawed in places but a beauty overall. Now thats what I call love hate relationship.

Originally Posted by Amartya

I was thinking about this as well . Most of the feedback though is quite constructive.
I do not agree about Fiat Customer Care, mainly because I think they are one of the best in the country, have sent them 3 e-mails, got replies within 1 working day for all of them. Maybe they missed one e-mail, perhaps re-sending the mail or writing another one might not be a bad idea. Although I have not personally experienced the Fiat First service, I've read good things about it on teambhp itself.

I do understand my words at times get too harsh and direct on topics related to Fiat customer care, but its the way things are. What would you like a)Fiat customer care, which takes feedback at every step and show off their concerns, but still a customer has to struggle to get frequently used parts of a car which was launched less than a year back and is currently in production. or b)Hyundai customer care, who never call me for feedback but owning their discontinued car(Elantra in my case) is a pleasure, i never have to wait for even rarely used parts, Hyundai even gets parts from Korea in no time, you can read my Elantra ownership experience here.

Even i could have ignored the bad side of Fiat ownership and written just the good things but a lot of members and guests read these ownership reviews before finalising any car, i did not want to misguide anyone.

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Even i could have ignored the bad side of Fiat ownership and written just the good things but a lot of members and guests read these ownership reviews before finalising any car, i did not want to misguide anyone.

A very balanced and unbiased ownership report.

We need more people like you on this forum, who make it a point to mention the good as well as bad things about their car ownership experience.

Like you mentioned above, many members and guests on the forum purchase cars based on feedbacks from existing owners. It would be very unfair to give them a biased review.

Rohan

[rbp]

Nice review there buddy. I own a i20 and its turning radius is also big, I am not sure if it is as big as the Punto though.

[vikrantj]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Even i could have ignored the bad side of Fiat ownership and written just the good things but a lot of members and guests read these ownership reviews before finalising any car, i did not want to misguide anyone.

Hi .anshuman,

I understand you do not have such a great experience with the service from TASS, but it would be unfair to judge the whole TASS in the same way, since such generalizations may not be applicable to TASS in all cities. People tend to latch onto bad news even if it is miles away.

Just a thought ..

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by vikrantj

Hi .anshuman,

I understand you do not have such a great experience with the service from TASS, but it would be unfair to judge the whole TASS in the same way, since such generalizations may not be applicable to TASS in all cities. People tend to latch onto bad news even if it is miles away.

Just a thought ..

I have also owned a 2002 Indica DLS, i drove it for around 1,50,000kms before selling it. I have visited most Tata service centers in NCR and Haryana. I have also owned a 2000 Accent which i drove 1,50,000kms and my current 2006 Elantra which has done 1,38,000kms till date, so in process of maintaining these cars i have visited lots of different authorised service centers. Anyone can clearly judge any of the Tata service centers were not a match to the Hyundai service centers, be it anything.

[SafeDrive]

Nice review .anshuman. A year and 23000+ kilometers later, your car still looks new and in showroom condition. You must really love it.
Unfortunate to hear on the customer service. I gave up on them after the 118 NE.

[krreddy]

Our Punto had just crossed 20K and we are pleasantly surprised with the car as a whole.
Few of the pros and cons

Pros:
Cheap spare parts
Looks are subjective, but the hatch is quite a looker.
Brakes are really good.
Stable at even 160

Cons:
Average to below avg service.
Parts can take time to reach service center (in my case it never will).
Quality of interior plastics.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

I have also owned a 2002 Indica DLS, i drove it for around 1,50,000kms before selling it. I have visited most Tata service centers in NCR and Haryana. I have also owned a 2000 Accent which i drove 1,50,000kms and my current 2006 Elantra which has done 1,38,000kms till date, so in process of maintaining these cars i have visited lots of different authorised service centers. Anyone can clearly judge any of the Tata service centers were not a match to the Hyundai service centers, be it anything.

Don't really know how Fiat-Tata partnership is growing, what i know for a fact at my place is Tata has the worst A.S.S near our end(almost a radius of ~300kms)

I have really liked your ownership reports .anshuman, i had gone through the Elantra's thread too and came away impressed with the car and your ownership.

This thread so ably points out that despite the GP being so able is marred because of Fiat India.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by guptavis

Thanks for a Great and honest review. Really helpful.
Will help me narrow down from a huge list of options in the segment.
Especially the unbiased acceptance of demerits in a car you really love is great to see.

Thank you Sir. Feel free to ask any queries you have regarding diesel hatchbacks, i have driven each and every diesel hatchback sold in India.

Originally Posted by better4worse

Nicely collated points there...great job with the LT review ! Considring its well run in now, are you planning anything to improve the performance... a.la. TB's, ECU Remaps ?

Thanks Better4worse, I want improved performance but i don't want a tuning box, obviously for the reliability concerns as i may use the car for more than a lac kilometres.

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

.anshuman,

Well-written long-term ownership review.

The ride, handling and high-speed stability qualities, which we all like, are due to huge turning circle [long wheel-base] that we dislike!

Thank you. I am not sure about the technical aspects of relationship between wheel not turning fully and Handling but unless i have go to really crowded places, i don't find the turning circle much of a concern for me, maybe i am used to it by now.

Originally Posted by MutantX

yes, Punto looks beautiful. With the FIAT heart and looks that win people's heart! punto is a real winner. Wish you all the best for years to come by

Thanks a lot. Yes, Punto is nice car.

[MCR]

Excellent ownership report .anshuman. You have summarized all the pro's and con's very well. I think I also have a similar view after driving 10,000 kms in my MJD emotion. The car simply impresses me every time I see it. Its a gem to drive on highways. It remains composed and has a very good poise. In the city, you can just slot it into third gear and the rest is taken care by the torque of the engine. Simply a mesmerising performer. I am loving it.

[ritedhawan]

If there ever were hatchbacks that looked good in color red, then one would be Grande Punto and the other VW Polo. In the looks department, Fiat Grande Punto scores all points. But, after reading your review, i could percieve that your experience with this car after a year, is somewhere between good and satisfactory. The dismal job done by ASC, and less than satisfactory interiors may be the cause for that.

By far the best car you have is that gem : white Hyundai Elantra. Which you've maintained in a commendable manner. Few months ago, on my way back from Chandigarh, on NH-1, i believe i saw a white Hyundai elantra with HR number plate, perhaps it was your car. Dont ever sell that gem of an Elantra you have.

[DCEite]

This is by far the most *well balanced* review coming from an owner, on Team-BHP.

Kudos to you, for highlighting both the negatives and positives without even a hint of bias.

Punto is a nice car with robust build and exceptional ride quality, let down only by poor after sales and iffy fit and finish. Wish FIAT takes a note of this on a priority basis.

[Satya79]

Great and succinct review, .anshuman.
This will be a genuine help to anyone considering a new purchase. No ownership bias and too the point. Thank you!
Fiat seems to have mastered the art of Love-Hate relationships: love their cars, but really hate the way they care and support them.
I had a Palio (sold this year in Jan) which i used for nearly 100K kms, enjoyed every bit of the drive, but really feared going for the routine services...finally became too painful to own.

Tata Fiat seem to have gotten off to a good re-start, just hope that they don't go downhill from here again.