Long Term Ownership report of my Iceberg – 22000 kms update
Its been almost 14 months since I bought my iceberg home and every day has been a pleasant with her. You can read about the initial dilemma and how I bought the Iceberg in my initial ownership thread at
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-4-months.html
I have driven this car extensively on both highways and in city. I am sharing my experience with all of you below (hoping that someone will read this and probably be able to relate to what I feel about my car)
Comforts
GP is one comfortable car to drive. It has near perfect driving seat and the adjustments available in the Emotion pack, it becomes very easy to find that perfect driving position for any type of driver – be it short, tall or hefty like me. I generally tend to sit with the seat pushed back as I want ample of leg space in the front. But in other cars I am still not able to find the correct position which will give me fatigue free driving, its very easy to find in the GP. The other creature comforts of the car also tend to spoil you. Like the automatic climate control, internal adjustable mirrors, the luxurious feel of the facia (feels it belongs to a car which is more upmarket than as compared to the other cars that I have driven like the Baleno or the Vista). I just love the Blue and Me and the way it integrates itself as a part of your mobile world. At times talking on Blue and Me is like a party when the car is full and some relative calls – it’s a chaos out there, everyone trying to talk and the person on the other side unable to understand how all of us are talking together, as the clarity of voice is tremendous.
Another creature comfort that has become a part of my life is the MID which tells you all the information like KMPL, KMs before empty, average time and Instant consumption. This is ensured that I have started driving more sensibly and have done my bit to go green. Only thing that I really miss in the car is the armrest which is required when you have to go on a long drive. Hopefully I shall install an armrest from the Linea very soon as it’s a direct fit into the car.
Performance of the air conditioner is very good. It really cools the cabin real fast. The automatic climate control does help but the only grouse that I have from the ac is that in the full auto mode, the outside foul smell tends to enter the cabin. Not sure if there is any settings which will ensure that in Full Auto mode the air circulation mode is put off.
Engine
GP has the national engine which does duty in many other models of cars manufactured in India. At first the GP during the initial phase felt too boomy (which though easily audible in the cabin, was music to listen) but as I did more and more kms, the noise levels have come down drastically. It seems that once the engine settles down, it becomes really quiet and can be heard only if now pushed hard and when the music player is not on. This is a gem of an engine and hence can understand why its does duty in so many cars – manufactured by 3 different manufactures, in different state to tune and turbo. Kudos to FIAT for creating this engine and all those who partnered in the creation. The max speeds that I have achieved on this car is 150kmph but beyond that did not try as I had the speed limit beep set at 150 kmph though the car felt that it could do more for sure. I have more or less maintained the 7500 kms engine oil change cycle and the 3rd engine oil change is due in 500 kms now.
On road performance
Lot has been said and written about the performance of the GP and the planted feel that you get from this car. This is one hell of a car and the suspension is very well sorted. I have done 120kms on the ghats enroute to Goa and never once did I feel that the car is losing grip (assisted aptly by the 195 tyres, though I plan to upgrade to 205 once these tyres wear out). ABS also help you to get that extra feel of security. Though till date, I have never got to use it as I am not an all out racer and I am more than happy to cruise at a decent speeds than race around. The car does have a low ground clearance but this is not an hindrance and most of the time it the engine protection sheet which will brush on the speed breakers (only when its fully loaded and has luggage in the boot too) but generally it has adequate road height. In fact I have driven my iceberg on an off road during one of my trips to ashtvinayak where I lost my way in the night and the Google maps GPS taking me through the fields for 30 odd kms. It was one horrifying journey right in the middle of the night and nowhere to go. This also proves that the car is made to last (I hope I am not sounding like the FIAT fanboy by now)
Fuel efficiency
This is one of the main reasons why I bought the GP. Before using the GP, I had high cost of ownership which prompted me to sell my beloved Baleno and switch over to the Iceberg. With the kind of fuel efficiency that I get, I say that my Iceberg is bike on 4 wheels. The cost per km is equivalent to my P220 and hence the line (my bike on 4 wheels). The figures that I have got till date are as follow:
Total Kms Done – 22000
Total Rs spent – Rs 60,792
Total Fuel consumed (in ltrs) – 1499.43
Average Mileage – 14.67 (100% ac on)
Max Mileage – 24.46kmpl (100% ac on)
Min Mileage – 10.80 kmpl (100% ac on)
Fuel still left in the car - 25 lts
Average cost of fuel – Rs 40.34
Overall I am satisfied with the kind of mileage that I am getting and that too consistently which matters the most.
Boot Space
One of the most important requirement when you are on a trip is the boot space. The GP has sufficient boot space for a small family but at times I hoped I had more boot space as when on the outstation trips, we tend to stuff the boot as well as some of the stuff is then carried over in the cabin at the rear seat. Though I must say it has more boot space then the Vista (which has overall more cabin space than the GP)
Issues faced till date
The biggest issue that I have faced till date is the ac cooling. I was not aware of the pollen filter and the regular cleaning that it requires. By the time car had done 15000 kms, the ac’s cooling was almost lost and passengers at the rear would often complain of not feeling the ac work. Hence when I contacted the SA at the FIAT service station in Thane Balaji motors, he immediately replaced the pollen filter at the 15k service. Other issues that have been bothering me in my GP are as follows
1.Brake noise
2.Brake dusts (especially on the alloys which make it look like it’s a grey alloy wheel and not silver alloys.
3.Can hear some rattling sound but not able to pinpoint from where its coming. Still diagnosing the root cause
4.Rear visibility is low but you tend to get adjusted after driving with the parking sensors.
Service Experience
The service experience till date has been good with the single dealer that I have maintained for my car. I take the car only to Balaji Motors in Thane as the SA there has become a friend and can talk to him and he understand the enthusiast in me and is very helpful. He will try to answer all the queries that I have. Hope to continue the relationship with him going forward. Have maintained the schedule with regular oil change at 7500 kms and oil filter change along with it. Rest as per the service intervals directed by FIAT.
Summary What I like
1.Looks of the car – perfect Italian flair
2.Steering grip and road handling
3.High Mileage and overall cost of ownership
4.The way car handles our pothole ridden roads and the highway manners – they are awesome
5.Suspensions
What I dislike
1.Service centre – the way they make you wait even before the SA talks to you. (though once the relationship is developed, that might not be a problem.)
2.The initial lag in the first and second gear.
3.More power – probably the VGT would have been apt but when I bought the GP VGT was still 5 months to go.
4.Tyre noise – Goodyear tyres suck big time in this department.
5.The brake dust on alloys makes your car look dirty
6.Better music system as the factory fitted speakers are not apt.
7.Ground clearance could have been better, probably the 16 inch from Tjet might help.
To summarise – Brillant car with best road dynamics and great build to last quality, pleasure to drive and light on pocket – that is my iceberg for you.
Thanks for reading such a long post. I will upload some pics soon.
18th April 2011, 11:39
, good and unbiased review. Nice to know that you are happy with your car. I have been reading reviews on Punto the day I decided to buy one. 
(2)
Thanks
