[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by bharat4ever

Nice man, thanks for the feedback. On last thing, the punto is 75 bhp, and the i20 is 90 bhp. Will that make a big difference?

For that you have the Punto Sport which is 93bhp!

The i20 is quicker in a straight line, but the overall drive experience is better enjoyed in a Punto than i20. In a highway, the Punto is in a different league. Again, if acceleration is your only criterion, the i20 will score better. Punto offers better steering feedback, handling and ride quality.

In the city, both Punto 75HP and 90HP Sport felt more or less similar to me. I am taking the Punto Sport because of better quality interiors, some enthusiast goodies (like sport pedals, etc) and 18bhp extra power at just 40-50k more. After all discounts are removed, Punto Sport is around 8.5L and Punto 75HP emotion is around 8.1L.

Originally Posted by bharat4ever

What kind of discounts were you offered on the 90bhp?

Since price/deal details are a little OT here, I will PM you the quote I got

[bharat4ever]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

For that you have the Punto Sport which is 93bhp!

The i20 is quicker in a straight line, but the overall drive experience is better enjoyed in a Punto than i20. In a highway, the Punto is in a different league.

In the city, both Punto 75HP and 90HP Sport felt more or less similar to me. I am taking the Punto Sport because of better quality interiors, some enthusiast goodies (like sport pedals, etc) and 18bhp extra power at just 40k more. After all discounts are removed, Punto Sport is around 8.5L and Punto 75HP emotion is around 8.1L.

What kind of discounts were you offered on the 90bhp?

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by prashant316

I do agree with you that the design dynamics will be absolutely different. My search has been on for the past 2 months now and its still continuing

It is not just design dynamics. The Punto is superior is every way to the Stile. It is better to wait for a Punto to come up than buy a Stile. As someone else had mentioned, spares for a Stile will be a nightmare. You don't want to deal with that.

Originally Posted by bharat4ever

Nice man, thanks for the feedback. On last thing, the punto is 75 bhp, and the i20 is 90 bhp. Will that make a big difference?

The i20 diesel will out run the Punto 75 and maybe even the 90 horse power variant too. Show both cars a corner or some flat out driving and the i20 will be eating the Punto's dust. If you have the dough for a i20 diesel why not consider the Punto Sport. Sure, the i20 is kitted more and has a few more bells and whistles, Even then, the Punto wins hands down. I am not marketing a Fiat just because I own one. The Punto is genuinely a better and safer car.

[hiren.mistry]

Let me offer my 2 cents as a owner of a 2012 Punto Emotion wrt the i20.
The ride/handling and brakes are the only 2 areas where the Punto scores over the i20, the rest its i20 all the way. Be it the fit and finish, interior quality, legroom, features and of course the 6th gear.

And the engine in the i20 is a stonker, its more like a petrol than a diesel in its behavior. Its very refined and smooth. And I think it will easily quicker to the 100 kmph mark compared to the Punto 90, the 75 hp model would not even come close. Also you'd be hard pressed to tell that's a diesel under the hood.

To sum it up, if you want to enjoy the rather firm ride then go for the Punto otherwise stick to the i20.

[MaxTorque]

Fiat owners in and around Pune have a reason to rejoice. Fiat has opened their first exclusive service center in Pune, it's operated by Millenium Drive, Dapodi (I guess it's just after CME while travelling from Pune). Finally Fiat owners can now enjoy the true service from company. Fiat is also planning to expand the same concept will be expanded to other cities as well.

Full story at Economic Times

[.sushilkumar]

That;s a Good Step IMO .

I travel almost 200 KM;s to Chandigarh to get my car serviced. Hopefully FIAT is not ignoring north india . they have a huge market in Diesel Loving Punjab/haryana & Chandigarh. haggling with existing dealers is a Pain So far. I hope they will have independent service centers before my car runs Out of warranty .

Some times i wonder why FIAT is not promoting local garages . they can train them locally at existing service centers .

[blueblooded]

Well its may it might sound officious ,but the punto wins hands down vis-a-vis I 20.
I 20 engine is more refined ,responsive ,but drive it over the rough patches of UP,one would be really tortured to ones wits end .More over like all fiat cars ,Punto ages graciously .
My punto 2010 mjd still drives like new past 65,000 kms on the odometer .But ultimately what we like is what we buy -reasons take backseat -emotions rules over everything else.
I forgot to mention the bumpy ride I had in my friends i20 over Noida streets
So for me its punto all the way
regards
praveen singh

[rameshnanda]

In my opinion i20 scores over Punto only in the interiors department . Otherwise, its Punto all the way.

Those who believe in paper facts,
The Punto 90HP has got superior power to weight ratio than the i20.

GP 90 - 80+BHP/Ton (Kerb weight of GP 90 is 1144 and its actually 92 BHP)
i20 - 73 BHP/Ton (Kerb weight of i20 is 1222 and its 90 BHP)

[volkman10]

With Sergio Marchionne freezing all the new product development plans at the head quarters the biggest loser in this case is the Fiat Punto which will not get a replacement until 2015.

With this Fiat subsidiaries are launching special edition versions to extend the target life. But will this work to an already pathetic sales of Fiat India? Globally too the Fiat is not doing too good.

Looks like it will be a matter of time when they would be relegated, in India, as an engine supplier, primarily to Suzuki.

Cheers!

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by volkman10

With Sergio Marchionne freezing all the new product development plans at the head quarters the biggest loser in this case is the Fiat Punto which will not get a replacement until 2015.

I guess it’s quite ok as we are still a generation behind when it comes to the Punto. If they get the Punto Evo in India by next year or so, it can go on for the next few years. And the overall design is so good that it can hide its age pretty well

[hiren.mistry]

Originally Posted by blueblooded

Well its may it might sound officious ,but the punto wins hands down vis-a-vis I 20.
I 20 engine is more refined ,responsive ,but drive it over the rough patches of UP,one would be really tortured to ones wits end .More over like all fiat cars ,Punto ages graciously .
My punto 2010 mjd still drives like new past 65,000 kms on the odometer .But ultimately what we like is what we buy -reasons take backseat -emotions rules over everything else.
I forgot to mention the bumpy ride I had in my friends i20 over Noida streets
So for me its punto all the way
regards
praveen singh

That's what I said in my post, the Punto trounces the i20 in ride and handling completely.
In other areas the i20 claws back the advantage.

cheers

[teky]

Looks like it will be a matter of time when they would be relegated, in India, as an engine supplier, primarily to Suzuki

Looks like everyone wants Fiat to be written-off and I believe it's the opposite which is going to happen. They are putting efforts albeit very late and are in the right track according to me.

They have enough products in the International portfolio which can keep the Indian market happy. Their current cars are good, they were lacking in Sales & Service which is where they are focusing now instead of launching any new models. The recent interview by Enrico looks promising and they seem to have planned correct this time.

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Looks like it will be a matter of time when they would be relegated, in India, as an engine supplier, primarily to Suzuki

It actually gives Fiat some degree of leverage to continue in the market inspite of the dismal sales figure. I know Fiat has committed some great mistakes in the past that continue to haunt them, but atlast they are trying to better the situation.

Once the Fiat exclusive dealership and service network is put in place, Fiat will definitely bring in their world class products to India.
It will be great to see how the market reacts then.

[MCR]

2015 is only two years away. So it hardly matters. The Grande Punto was launched in Europe in the year 2005. Its still a looker though!

Please see Q1 2012 results review
http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct...ynOssazJD0G_mA

[h@r$h@l]

It seems there is a long debate going on in regards to i20 vs Punto. Since i own both the cars, diesel variants, top of the line variants i will share my input too. I do a fair bit of highway travelling every week. Recently during one of my drives to Surat i decided to ditch the Punto and take the i20. The diesel motor is super refined and you tend to forget that its a diesel. The car pulls amazingly well in triple digit speeds. BUT, when it comes to handling / over taking at high speeds, I some how never got that confidence as i get in the Punto & specially on wet roads or during rains. I agree that inside the car, i20 offers more comfort that Punto any day; that amazing driver seat, 10/10 music system, AT headlights & wipers etc.

On the other drive to Baroda the weekend after i decided to drive the Punto & it poured crazily with heavy winds while we were on the express highway returning back from Baroda. The car planted it self well. Not that i was speeding in triple digits, but you tend to get that confidence with the Punto. Or i dont know its just me. The way me and dad put i20 vs punto is

1. City driving & comfort : i20
2. Highway driving and stability : Punto

These are just my opinions as a user of both cars. In no ways i am saying i20 is a bad car or anything. its a fantastic car and gives the customer much more than most sedans on other side of 10L. My dad moved from Cedia 2.0 to i20 Crdi ASTA for the reason of safety & comfort in a small package. Where we live and work has major parking issues and dad (63 yrs) was done driving around a Sedan. So i20 with all its fancy gadgets and gizmos was the obvious choice as a Sedan replacement.

Thanks.

Regards,