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Old 16th November 2011, 09:07   #4021
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

Now thats a bad move.

165 tyres would be too skinny for the Punto. just imaging the jump from 165 to 195 if you opt for E-pack.
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Old 16th November 2011, 13:17   #4022
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

This news of downsizing Punto tyres comes when I was actually planning to upsize mine from 195 to 205 so that apart from other advantages, I could also feel proud that my car has the exact same tyres as an Innova! Seriously, as raj_5004 said, anything below 185 will look odd on a Punto.

So is there any price cut due to this change? Or is it to avoid a price hike?
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Old 16th November 2011, 15:01   #4023
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

Is there any confirmed source for this information ?
Is it mention in any brochure or website .
This seems highly unlikely but stranger things have happened with FIAT
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Old 16th November 2011, 15:13   #4024
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

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Originally Posted by raj_5004 View Post
^^^ How is that possible? even emotion comes with 185 section tyres.
185? No.. I think any variant other than Emotion Pack nowadays comes with 165s. Recently saw a new Emotion with 165s!
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Old 16th November 2011, 17:40   #4025
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

+1 to that. The same can be verified on the FIAT INDIA website. Except Emotion Pack all the variants come with 165 Tyres !

With the bad state of Indian roads below, topped up by the heavy hatch, frequent tyre rotations and alignment/balancing checks are a must for longer thread life !

With slimmer shoes, does the steering feel lighter? And, any differences in FE figures?
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Old 22nd November 2011, 17:37   #4026
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Kerb Weight reduction

If was just reading a review about Tata Aria 4X2 and in that it is mentioned that weight reduction due to the removal of 4X4 gear has resulted in significant improvement in acceleration times. In essence the power to weight ratio improves and slightly better performance can be expected. Similarly, the reviews by Auto magazines were done with the heavier G.P with the 1.3 MJD tipping the scales at a whopping 1190 kgs. After the removal of the stabilizer bar from the rear suspension, the kerb weight has reduced by 60kgs (~5%) to 1130 kgs. Keeping this in mind I’ve reworked the acceleration figures of the 1.3 MJD taken from Auto Car India magazine.


I’ve taken the minimum of 5% reduction to arrive at reasonable figures for the expected acceleration times. You can see that for the Aria the acceleration figures (especially 0-60kmph & in-gear acceleration) reduce considerably more in proportion to the percentage of kerb weight reduction.

P.S. The gear ratios of the Aria 4X2 & 4X4 are the same and it is assumed that the ratios for the Punto also remain the same among other parameters and only the weight reduction is being taken into account.
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Old 23rd November 2011, 09:33   #4027
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

Nice info jessie007 and it just goes to show how important weight can be during sprints.
If 60 kilos could shave off almost a second, imagine what 100 kilos can do to this Italian beauty.

But then again, Grande Punto is praised by enthusiasts for its stability and "Pot-hole Ironing" ability. Not sure how much that would be effected after removing the stabilizer bar !!

Nevertheless, One thing is crystal clear I guess from this data....FIAT, GET THE P-JET(PUNTO), both in PETROL & DIESEL AVATAR.
Common, this Maseratti Hatch NEEDS THAT Guys...

Last edited by Vik0728 : 23rd November 2011 at 09:34.
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Old 23rd November 2011, 10:16   #4028
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

I wanted my first post on this forum to be on the Fiat GP thread, as someone who has driven his GP 17k in 9 months, I doubt weight reduction will really do anything impressive to the acceleration. The long throw gearshift and clutch travel won't allow it, the car definitely needs a 6th gear to improve its FE. I am glad that Fiat dumped the 175/70 R14 Tyres on the Emotion, they have about 4% error and the car is lowered by 10mm. The 165/80 tyres can be upsized to E+ alloys with less that 1% erorr, personally, I prefer the 185/70 upsize retaining the steel wheels because alloy damage can leave you with a heavy heart and much lighter wallet.
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Old 23rd November 2011, 12:12   #4029
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

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Originally Posted by avira_tk View Post
I wanted my first post on this forum to be on the Fiat GP thread, as someone who has driven his GP 17k in 9 months, I doubt weight reduction will really do anything impressive to the acceleration. The long throw gearshift and clutch travel won't allow it, the car definitely needs a 6th gear to improve its FE. I am glad that Fiat dumped the 175/70 R14 Tyres on the Emotion, they have about 4% error and the car is lowered by 10mm. The 165/80 tyres can be upsized to E+ alloys with less that 1% erorr, personally, I prefer the 185/70 upsize retaining the steel wheels because alloy damage can leave you with a heavy heart and much lighter wallet.
Welcome to TeamBHP avira_tk. 17k in just 9 months is great. GP is pretty addictive, if I may say so. I have done 22k in 31 months. Not that my Vista is not addictive, but Punto is better.
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Old 23rd November 2011, 12:43   #4030
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

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Originally Posted by ajay_satpute View Post
Welcome to TeamBHP avira_tk. 17k in just 9 months is great. GP is pretty addictive, if I may say so. I have done 22k in 31 months. Not that my Vista is not addictive, but Punto is better.
GP is certainly addictive. I've done 49994 kms in 23 months! It took under a year for the first 30K, then the usage reduced, and it took another year for 20K kms!

The engine guard is one single feature that gives me courage to take her places.
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Old 23rd November 2011, 14:05   #4031
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

A bit OT here

Happened to do a short test drive of a Punto with a RD (Race Dynamics) tuning Box and it was truly superb. The torque was amazing and so was the acceleration. The P2 mode is addictive and you can change modes on the fly with the remote provided.

I am seriously thinking about the RD Chip for my Palio but the pricing is the only impediment. At 20k it is a lil expensive. Maybe I should go for the Race Chip from Germany which costs less than 12k sans the remote
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Old 23rd November 2011, 17:02   #4032
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

Love my Punto the most compared to other cars, including the ones in our extended family (Skoda Octavia, SX4, City ZXi to name a few).

I did 28K in just 1 year span and it stands at 31.5K now after 14.5 months.

Yeah its absolutely addictive and she is always game for more and more (Tarmac)
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Old 26th November 2011, 16:28   #4033
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

After having owned 3 supercars from Maruti (800, Zen, Swift), I finally took a test drive of Punto Diesel. I was under the impression that my ex-Swift(stolen :-() was the unbeatable rocker in the diesel segment eventhough it shared the same Fiat MJD. Friends, I was totally wrong. I have booked Punto Diesel emotion pk eyes closed. Simply mind-blowing, refined and smooth ride on bumpy roads.

Regards,
Sameer.
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Old 26th November 2011, 18:25   #4034
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by samigo View Post
After having owned 3 supercars from Maruti (800, Zen, Swift), I finally took a test drive of Punto Diesel. I was under the impression that my ex-Swift(stolen :-() was the unbeatable rocker in the diesel segment eventhough it shared the same Fiat MJD. Friends, I was totally wrong. I have booked Punto Diesel emotion pk eyes closed. Simply mind-blowing, refined and smooth ride on bumpy roads.

Regards,
Sameer.
What did you like more in the Punto when compared to the swift, apart from the now proven (and repeated) legendary ride quality & steering feel of the Punto?!
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Old 26th November 2011, 20:01   #4035
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

Hi Raj,

Swift Likes:
- Sporty look
- The way it takes off @ 2000 RPM and climbs uphill with ease. Always enjoyed it doing weekend Mumbai-Pune trips.
- Gear shifts and sitting position is rock-on
- High speed stability and cornering is superb.
- Short turning radius made it easier to take tight u-turns in one shot.

Swift Dislikes:
- Very noisy and literally crashes into potholes. Makes long drive very stressful.
- poor build quality (crashing doors too)
- Turbo lag and safety gear missing
- Expensive compared to competition.

Punto Likes:
- Sporty and sleek design. Looks chilly hot in red
- Sporty steering wheel, just loved it!
- Sporty engine firing just like the FIRE engine.
- Large boot space, i can sleep in there.
- The way it absorbed rough roads.
- Tough build. Loved the way the doors close
- Safety gear & Total VFM

Punto Dislikes:
- Dashboard and integrated music system looks very dull.
- Little worried about service support.
- Poor after sale but this time I bought a car to drive forever. *touchwood*
- Did not feel peppy the way with Swift.
- Long body going to make it difficult doing u-turns.

Overall, I'm impressed with this Italian chick but not that it totally owns the Swift ;-)

Regards,
Sameer.
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