[abhii176]

Wow, the eagerly awaited review is finally out! And its an excellent one as expected!
I so desperately want to replace my 6 year old Punto with this Abarth beauty but alas, my better half has firmly put her foot down! How do i explain that moving from a hatch to this hot hatch is actually an upgrade! :(

[vinya_jag]

Is there a photo of the car with all the stickers removed? The stickers sure are a over-kill.
Kudos to Fiat, for making this thought happen

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by vinya_jag

Is there a photo of the car with all the stickers removed? The stickers sure are a over-kill.
Kudos to Fiat, for making this thought happen

Check the photos from the BIC drive event

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-95-lakhs.html

[Argan365]

Finally the most awaited review is out and rating a well deserved 5 stars. That ground clearance is going to be a major issue in the tormenting blr roads.

[hemanth.anand]

Punto is one of the rare cars with so many Ground clearances.

• 155 - 2015 Abarth Punto Petrol
• 173 - 2009 Grande Punto Petrol
• 171 - 2009 Grande Punto Diesel
• 185 - 2012 Grande Punto Diesel and 2014 Punto evo Diesel
• 195 - 2012 Grande Punto Petrol and 2014 Punto evo Petrol
• 205 - Avventura

But every time people have told that it is too much or too less.
That brings me to the question-What should be the ideal ground clearance for this sized hatchback?

[drpudhi]

A very good review. This is one unique car out there and kudos to Fiat for bringing it out, albeit so late. When i was looking for my first ride two years back, i badly missed the punto with the t-jet engine. Then i test drove the GT TSI and rest is history ! Now i'm not sure if i can live without the TSI+DSG combo ever, the VW horror notwithstanding. If only Fiat had brought it sooner. But better late than never, right?

I hope this car does some decent numbers, so that more manufacturers come out with better cars and i can have better choice when its time to upgrade for me. But i'm not sure this is turning out to be the most awaited car or review. I'm shocked to see the review has covered only 7 pages in three days, inspite of t-bhp being full of enthusiasts. I have seen many official car reviews sprinting to double digit before i could realize the review is up in the evening. Really hope the car gets better response in the market than the review here. Safe driving.

[jvm_1986]

Excellent review of a rare car. I think this is one of the last chances for a petrol head to buy a (new)car with such power complimented by an excellent hydraulic steering at this price. All the manufacturers are moving (if they have not already) to EPS and this might be the last HPS before they become extinct.

[Speed Pujari]

@S2 I gave thought to the harder clutch comment, and I think its correct.
I got basket ball knee after a botched marathon practice. After that it is a punishment to drive a MT, and my Linea is toughest of them all.

But guys take my words, I went to market with 15-20 lakhs budget but none, absolutely NONE of the car could convince me and I came back empty handed. Today I am under severe medication for just one reason i.e. I could once again drive my beloved T-Jet the way I want to.
To upkeep my mobility, I have resorted to a Reva e2o and BMTC Volvo B7R. The pain of seeing my Linea gathering dust in basement is inexplicable.
My emotions towards my T-Jet is genuine and e2o by no means enjoy that love.
So it is my honest request to people commenting about 'heard' complaints such as ergonomics and other judgments is, don't be lazy and drive the car for once and for good before commenting.
The ergonomics keeps you busy for entire trip lol ! , but getting any back pain or any issue like that is total myth. A single day 1100 kms drive from Mumbai to Bangalore with one break is no joke. There was absolutely no pain anywhere at all.

I dont think any manufacturer sends you bouquet of flowers apologizing for a dissatisfied service.

[rajaghuru]

I had posted this on a different blog:

Took a rather long TD (before the recent spate of rains), on the bypass road from Tambaram to Porur (Chennai). And also a fair amount of driving in traffic. The following stood-out quite well:

1) Settled ride quality - neither stiff, nor was it wallowing. Certainly, not bouncy either.
2) Telepathic steering - was a joy to use, either low speed or high.
3) Very very good brakes - stops on a dime. For the return leg, a colleague (who owns a Linea), was driving & at times he braked hard, but the car didn't flinch. I kept turning back to see if we got rear-ended, from time to time, but, you get the point.
4) Very good stability - We were 5 of us in the car & the way it steered, braked, rode & changed lanes, was a revelation.
5) And Power! - there's enough & more of it to keep you grinning for miles (and years) together - at least, in the Indian context. What's even more revealing is the terrific drive (in city) and the excellent mid-range, top-end on the highway. In fact, there is no reason for one to hit the red-line at all. Just a slight tap on the accelerator, does the trick. I'm sure the more sedate among us (who don't always do drags), will appreciate how the mid-range transforms the car. I guess it'll be relaxing to cruise on highways.

I don't like raspy exhaust notes, nor am I a sucker for it, so the muted roar was quite fine by me. However, I agree with other enthusiasts when they say that Fiat hasn't looked into this. It's just that in the current tune, the car is very refined. And yes, Fiat needs to learn a bit about managing space on the inside, eh? I mean, you can brush aside stating that an 'enthusiast' doesn't look into ergos or comfort, but that's far from the truth. A sizable chunk of the buyers (or rather all) are going to putter about town, ferry their family members, do some grocery shopping and also enjoy a relaxing cruise once in a while, after the initial euphoria of the sense of power. I guess it's time Fiat does something about it, as not everyone is getting this as a second car. And I'm not a big fan of the big central stripe - perhaps, I can tolerate that compared to the red decals around the fog-lamps. I suspect many owners will swap it for chrome or wrap it with faux carbon, immediately on purchase.

It would be very interesting to see if Fiat can launch at least a "Powered by Abarth" Linea. Come on, Fiat, shouldn't be too much of a trouble? And let's not forget the 1.6 MJD too, in the process. I guess the Punto Evo & Linea, both badly need it (if not a souped-up 1.3 MJD).

[ThomasZach]

Originally Posted by Speed Pujari

A single day 1100 kms drive from Mumbai to Bangalore with one break is no joke. There was absolutely no pain anywhere at all.

+ to that. I drove my Dads T-Jet from Trivandrum to Bangalore and back. My Dad insisted that I take somebody along instead of driving alone all the way and I had my friend giving me company. Guess what, I drove all the way. the T-Jet 2014 clutch is butter smooth and I didnt have any body aches after the drive.

[NyHeadlong]

A solid review. Someone pointed out, but its not the enthusiasts, but there ain't enough owners to swell this thread to double digit pages! Blame Fiat for lack of TD or even the display vehicles, while all other self claimed 'Premium' brands are flaunting their tins at every mall's footsteps! Still waiting for a clean look of Abarth boy in and around Chandigarh's outlets!

Can someone help, the Touchscreen infotainment, recently given in Punto Sportivo, is available for Abarth Punto, at least as 'optional' buy?

Also, I have a visit to Chennai, so, any best place for a test drive, will be happy if its near Airport!

[puchoo]

A fantastic review , thank you so much

Secondly hats off to fiat, it takes guts to be a bottom ranked car company in India when it comes to sales and yet launch something like this to a segment which is clearly a minority in this country.

My opinions on this thready are carried forward from being a Linea Tjet owner now for almost 3 years and driving the hoots out of that car whenever possible.

Gear Box
The throws are long , i concede that point willingly and even the Jet would have benefited from them . But rubbery ? In my opinion a strong No. At 26,000 Kms by gearbox feels almost like butter , i think there was a substantial change in the "feel" post the 1st servicing getting done where i had replaced the oil

Secondly for many , even with a heavy foot, this might not matter so much. In the Linea T-jet , and this is going to be even more with the Abarth Punto , the fact that there is so much torque available , the need for shifting at a high frequency rate might not arise for many, atleast not to me which then mutes the throw and rubbery point to some degree. I do Delhi - beyond Shimla 4-5 times a year, and from the minute i start climbing up my foot is on the floor and i have never had a problem barring situations where i did not get the shifting right. In fact i just got back about 3 hours ago from there and with the drive fairly fresh in memory i was trying to recall if there were points where the shifting was a problem and i cannot recollect any.

Ergonomics
Everyone is entitled to their opinion , and this thread is in someways a throwback in time for me because i read many 3 years ago as well of not being able to find the sweet spot from a seat and steering perspective. I had that problem for maybe the first few days and then after that it was sorted , to be precise this is what i wrote :-

"Found my comfy spot as well as far as the driving position is concerned very quickly. While the steering is only adjustable for rake and not reach between the height adjustment and the rake and moving the seat back and forth its fairly easy and quick to find a setup which one would be fine with. A great chunky steering wheel which almost feels customized to ones hands!!"

But i will admit that if someone else drives the car and changes things around then it can take me even now another 2 days to get it right , i think maybe its a bit harder with the Linea but not impossible.

For now the car climbs to the top of the list to be bought next year for the wife when the Fabia goes away , she has a heavier foot than me despite weighing about 50 kilos lesser.

Lastly kudos once again to Fiat and the effort which has gone into this review!

[GKR9900]

Excellent review of an exceptional product! Rated 5 stars.

I had been browsing through the 'car sales numbers' threads in team bhp. It was then that I realized how insignificant our market is for these manufacturers, especially when compared to the heavyweights like China or USA. And to think that I had been cursing these so called world-class manufacturers for totally neglecting the Indian enthusiast! I always thought that our home grown brands would give us enthusiasts something to cheer up. But that clearly wasn't the case. One is still researching on immortalizing a decade old design, the other one desperately trying to chop off those extra pounds of metal to lead the 'kitna deti hai' bandwagon, and the third...well let's just say they're more into UVs!

Then comes FIAT, who's not the market leader here by a long shot. In pure business terms, it would have been suicidal for them to even contemplate the idea of a low volume model (their existing line up itself is not exactly high volume either). But they went ahead and launched it! That really is something worth applauding.

Take a bow Fiat! Take a bow!

[rajaghuru]

Originally Posted by NyHeadlong

Also, I have a visit to Chennai, so, any best place for a test drive, will be happy if its near Airport!

Try Ramkay Fiat at Chennai, Velachery. Nice chaps, but not near the airport.

[v_safari]

Excellent review there.

I don't know about others, but I quite like the red decals on the Abarth Punto.
A sport car deserves a sporty look and feel.
Whats the point of having a capable sporty car disguised as a regular looking Punto.
The foglamp housings, now in red instead of chrome looks good too.

On the gear box, I think one who buys a car or any car for that matter can adjust to whats present there overall, and the soft clutch too, initially it may seem akward, but I've seen many of my friends who drive the Punto mjd praise it ("Soft clutch") and they are used to the long throw.

Overall excellent work by Fiat.
I wish I could buy it, but my 100 Km daily commute does not justify the fuel expense.