[Arkin evoisrevo]

Post deleted by the Team-BHP Support : Do NOT make biased posts on this forum. We have a STRICT stand against fanboy messages.

[shashank.nk]

Guys, we know for a fact that the Punto is no rocket, it strengths are rock solid stability and its ride, if its sheer fun-to-drive car your looking for then Swift is the best bet as of now, its not what i say but what GTO says and i concur. Regarding handling also, the Swift is the new winner undoubtedly! Again see GTO's review.

Arkin is happy he got the GP 90 and some of his posts may seem to be a little fan-boyish but why spoil his party, let him have fun

[sagarpadaki]

Regarding,Punto 90 beating i20 in 0-60 and 0-100 , i would like to tell that punto 90 comes neck to neck with i20 on 0-60 but not in 0-100.i20 CRDi pulls like a rocket from 60-100. I and my friend tested this on the NICE road for quite a number of times using GPS and confirmed the same.

But Punto90 is a great car with amazing handling .i20 lacks in this department.

Punto chassis+ i20 Engine gearbox ==SUPER HATCH!

[Kimified]

First of all, Congrats on getting the Punto. Its a great car. Enjoy the car. Please don't get into all these comparisons which hardly matter as long as you love your car.

But, Please get your facts right before making statements. A stock Punto matching a stock i20 ? Really ? Will never happen. Last i heard, it was competing with the 3 pot Polo. 6 speed or 5 speed is immaterial. Infact, I own the 6 speed version and have heard that the 5 speed is a bit faster to 100 than the 6 speed version. I for one got the i20 purely for the Engine. I didn't even bother about the rattling and AC issues. i20 Crdi has the best Diesel engine in any hatchback in India presently. Period. (Discounting the Getz Crdi ofcourse).

Handling of a car is a bit subjective and understandably, opinions can vary. I have driven my cousins Punto and i agree that it handles better than the i20. But, performance is based on facts. It can never vary!. If you still think that you are right, I guess it borders on being fanboyish coz the facts project a different story.

Like someone already said,

i20 engine + i20 interiors and quality + Hyundai / Maruthi service + Punto looks + Punto Handling = Now that's Killer. Anyone buying any of these cars would have made a compromise and lets agree on that instead of trying to prove something else. Cheers

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Arkin evoisrevo

Off the block? Yes. I totally agree in the case of the Swift. But not otherwise.

The i20 diesel leaves the Punto 90 for dead in a straightline. There is no comparison. If you think that the Punto90 can beat the i20 diesel in acceleration, sorry to say, that's just an ignorant statement.

About the Swift, yes. It would have unleashed all it's potential and ran out breath while the Punto would be a league ahead.

You need to get your facts right. The Swift is quicker to 60, 100 and 140 than the Punto 90. That, combined with the phenomenal grip (especially with the kind of tyres that the Punto wears), will leave a Punto 90 dead in the dust.

If one doesn't know how to drive a Punto like a Punto should be driven

What is it, a 12 cylinder Lamborghini? Lets keep this rubbish off the forum. At the end of the day, the Punto is a regular hatchback like any other from the segment. Talking of "special ways to drive it" is getting nowhere. And yes, I have driven a Punto as well as cars with 5X the horsepower. With my driving style, I still think the Punto 90 is slow.

I can't wait to cross 15k, after which the drive will surely be pure bliss.

I hope you realise that ALL diesel cars feel better after clocking 10,000 kms. Heck, the engine & related mechanicals of the Punto are the same as in other cars using the 1.3 MJD. Thus, whatever magic you talk of after 15,000 kms applies to them as well.

[headers]

As a matter of fact, punto steering on an i20 would be better

[RavenAvi]

Having driven all the hatches in question extensively a few months back, I agree with GTO's post above.

The hottest hatch on Indian roads right now is undoubtedly the Polo 1.6, followed by the Swift (it is so named for a reason, don't you think?). The i20 is also no slouch when it comes to a quick acceleration sprint, something which the Punto has lacked even in it's 90HP avatar. I was disappointed when I TDed the 75 & the 90 HP variants back to back, as both offered more or less similar pull, whereas I was expecting better from the Punto 90HP just because of the extra 15 horses. Even the Polo 1.2 with it's 3-pot is quicker than the Punto outright.

Punto's plus points are it's handling, road manners, superb suspension, good steering feedback and riding comfort. But one thing is for sure - hot hatch it is not, except in terms of looks.

[muni]

So much talk going on about the speed and timings which I think is a bit pointless. I feel none of the hatches are fast in that sense. Punto however does have a good 3rd gear is what I felt from the test drives.

Punto isnt slow and isnt a fast hatch either and so is the swift. i20 felt /might be faster though the initial response wasnt that much to write about.

None of the hatch backs can smoke eachother IMO

[sandeepmdas]

I can't say which car can "smoke" the others. But I am sure, Punto is the best option if you want to survive from a head-on collision event - among Swift, i20 and the Punto. That's the sole reason I went for the Punto.

Polo is not included since the diesel variant was not readily available when I made my decision.

[sourav21]

Originally Posted by muni

So much talk going on about the speed and timings which I think is a bit pointless. I feel none of the hatches are fast in that sense. Punto however does have a good 3rd gear is what I felt from the test drives.

Punto isnt slow and isnt a fast hatch either and so is the swift. i20 felt /might be faster though the initial response wasnt that much to write about.

None of the hatch backs can smoke eachother IMO

Yes Punto's problem are:

1. first two gears short - feels like low ratio on a 4x4, but on the flip side - the engine makes a complete mockery of its own weight on a steep climb with full five passengers and some luggage thrown in with AC on - considering that it is only a 1248 cc engine.

2. a clumsy gear shift quality that does not allow fast shifts - rpm drops and you are out of turbo - accentuates the problem with the already short first and second.

It is not a city car - Period. You will move in and out of power band very quickly. When out of turbo, the car will simply crawl, and when the turbo engages, it will jump forward but will not gain speed because of the short second gear. Adding to that, the gear shift quality will not allow fast shifts and all your effort to move the car into turbo zone is wasted. Or try to do all sorts of "half-clutch" gymnastics.

However, on highways it is a different story. Form third gear onwards it has a massive pull. In fact one of the best in gear acceleration times IIRC. Gear ratios are perfectly balanced third up - rev up, shift - bang in the middle of power band; rev up, shift and bang again in power band - just tap the accelerator and move like a rocket, add to that the sound of the engine - hoho - just can't explain the feeling - it puts a silly grin on my face - everytime. Just keep the engine in power band - and enjoy the fun. Add to that the stability, ride quality, cornering abilities, steeing feedback. Ya you can add more muscles to the engine and go faster, but I would much prefer going fast sitting calmly in my 90HP than standing on my toes in any other hatch.

I am fully satisfied with the car. I was about to buy a i20 CRDI after taking two test drives of that car and then I thought I should probably go check out the competition - one test drive of Punto 90HP and my heart read out loud - "Get this car - to hell with A.S.S.". i20 has a powerful engine but I think that's just about it - plus may be you get the feeling you are driving around in your living room. I would not have known the order of magnitude difference in driving pleasure had I not taken the Punto test drive. I will take this car even bare metal - quality of plastics, A.S.S. be damned. BTW, my experience with TASS is not bad the way it is made out to be. They are OK, could be better but definitely not bad, and way more friendly than Hyundai. May be this depends place to place but I am speaking having owned two Hyundai cars and I don't see myself owning anymore Hyundai cars given the price and driving dynamics of their cars and their A.S.S. costs.

Also, I was also a bit sceptical about Hyundai CRDIs lasting long having *heard* CRDI Accents giving up barely 70k kms (I don't know how much of this is true) whereas with FIAT you get free warranty till 150k kms.

[pk_del]

Agree with GTO. I have GP and it has it own pros and cons. I cannot say whether the car will smoke i20 diesel/Swift D or not (I will rely on T-BHP detailed reviews).

GP plus points are in its handling and the ride quality. You will have to forget all other things like A.S.S, spare parts, some creaking issues etc to enjoy GP.

In my opinion the debate on which car is faster does not hold any value on our congested roads and we should not even try racing on our roads as this may cause irrepairable damage to property and to human life.

Drive Safe. Happy Diwali to all BHPians.

-PK

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by sandeepmdas

But I am sure, Punto is the best option if you want to survive from a head-on collision event - among Swift, i20 and the Punto. That's the sole reason I went for the Punto.

How can you say that? Have you been involved in a head on collision in both the cars under identical circumstances to compare?

For your info,even i20 have great crash worthiness,you can check out the NCAP website for the same.(5* for the top end model ).

[vidyasagar]

Originally Posted by HammerHead

Fast or not fast, to come to a conclusion, if at all someone wants to, I would say give a Punto 90HP and all new Swift ZDi to a racing car driver on a race track. You may also add i20 Diesel to the test.

Lets talk about Punto, I want to know how difficult will it be to remove GP's rear bumper and re fix it? Mine has a slight gap on left hand side between the bumper and car body. Not much of a worry but still would like to know.

Thanks.

I had a similar issue, when the rear bumper was slightly out of place on the left side, due to my bad parking skills. For fixing the same, prerana motors, kudlu gate, bangalore took Rs 800/-. The small plastic lock mechanism(s) with which the bumper is fastened to the car, had given way..so they had to fix it. It was my first acci'dent' after buying the car..so at that time, all i wanted was resolution of the issue, now when I look back, feel price quoted was may be bit too much.

[livyodream]

Originally Posted by sourav21

Yes Punto's problem are:

"Get this car - to hell with A.S.S.".

A.S.S. be damned.

And what about service, parts replacement, warranty etc after a heavenly ride in punto ?

I know for sure that Fiats are drivers car. But one has to think about A.S.S first as we are buying a machine and no matter how well a vehicle is built, it will have problems and have to rectified in so called A.S.S.
Everytime I think of Fiat or Tata cars, those sales reps come in my mind. Gosh, a vegetable vendor is better off in selling vegetables compared to these reps.

[HammerHead]

Originally Posted by livyodream

And what about service, parts replacement, warranty etc after a heavenly ride in punto ?

First of all have you owned any Fiat recently? I mean GP or Linea? If you do then have you also owned say Swift/i20/Polo or SX4/Verna/Vento so that you can tell me X part of Y brand is Rs. Z cheaper then similar part of say GP?

I have been searching this info since long without much luck!

Forget about owning as it may not be feasible, if you have rough idea about the pricing of parts and service cost, you may post it here.

In short, when you say Fiat is costly to maintain, I want to know the cost difference when compared to the cheapest one.
Thanks.