[Ravveendrra]

I think this ground has been covered in posts # 485 by Dine, # 487 by me and rather well summed up by GTO @ post # 503.

If one is not being meticulous and giving the min & max figures for the front and the back as set out by TSK1979, the right way of describing the leg room is to set the seat for a person of average height and check the rear seat for adequate legroom for an average person - something GTO pointed out a few pages ago.

Could we therefore please move on.

Cheers,

[tortoiseNhare]

Grande Punto is launched according to a plan by the Fiat think tank. Definitely they do not want the Punto to fail. There is no point arguing what could have been or should have been about the car at this point of time. The well wishers should rather make a list of the shortcomings noticed which can be/ should be addressed to immediately by Fiat. From my side:
1. Reduce the front seat travel by about 2 inches.
2. Change the black glossy interiors to some lighter colour.

About the 0-100 timings of the car remember that it is still the 1.3 MJD engine that is lugging about 1200 kgs of the Punto. It is but natural that the acceleration will be slower. If one can cruise easily at 135 kmph then it certainly does not matter the few seconds lost due to slow acceleration in getting to that speed.

PS. I drove the Ikon TDCi and Punto MJD back to back. The Ikon seems to be traveling really fast only at 60kmph but in case of the Punto you feel the car is crawling while the speedo shows 60.

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by pmbabu

REALLY? How come it is selling more than 2.5K cars per month?

I will tell you, its because of a slanted H badge and thats Hyundai's. They have excelled in after sales services in so many years, i dont say i20 is a bad or an average car. Its a car with a small kappa engine and a heft price tag.

Take eg of Jazz, now people say underpowered engine, no features, no VFM, just space to carry things and they price it 7L ex shwroom. It sold 2000 units in june itself.

In India, A.S.S matters the most to people, if Maruti Hyundai and Honda release anything for aam janta < 6-7 lakhs it will sell just because of the brand associated with it. Ask any Ritz owner on road how much bhp and torque is there in his petrol or diesel ritz and tell me what he answers. He will nt have a clue until he is a team bhpian

I have seen Punto myself and i found rear space average. The huge dash has covered interior space but i cant say that rear seats are less comfy than my Santro or the engine is poor. I was blown with a quote of 5.15-5.20 L on road for Active multijet and i can cimpromise on rear seats.
Those who want max legroom pay 7.6 L and get a Jazz, space and space and nothing else.

[Technocrat]

Note from MOD - Guys lets not make this another Fiat VS other car thread. Any more posts on those lines will be deleted.

[ada]

OT -- I guess everybody is entitled to his or her opinion, but that does not mean that the "other then yours opinion" should not be respected. The problem arises when people become "entrenched", when they use strong words like crap etc. Ideally the argument should be countered once and only once and left at that, this is only my two cents thinking. Peace.

[SilentEngine]

Wow, this thread stopped being about punto test drive and review, its more about showing one-upmanship now. Guys please clam down and try to be objective in your posts, adding sarcastic comments in posts doesn't prove anything.

There is nothing like a true VFM product anywhere. VFM always depends on what an individual considers as 'value' and how much he/she is willing to pay for it. When people use VFM in this forum its from a general car buyers point of view, what majority of car buyers consider as value and what they are willing to pay for it. So keeping that in mind, Punto can be considered as VFM, if you do an objective comparison between what is available to you at that price point.

If somebody finds punto's performance lethargic then that group is certainly a minority and that group has different requirements compared to the majority. But that doesn't give them the right to ridicule the product as such. Punto in India is not here to cater to the needs of this minority, not yet. Wait for few months, when the sales pick up, you will surely get your chance.

[JVH]

Had been to Concorde motors, Mysore road today to buy 100 16V emblem and a tail lamp for my GTX. Also took along my wife to have a look at the Punto.

Here are my observations -

• It's a stunner alright. It is one of the rare hatches where the stylists have thought about it from every angle
• As observed by others, the paint is fantastic. You can't help but touch it to have a feel and you never stop touching
• The interiors were slightly disappointing but definitely not sub-standard. The driving position is good but I felt it as not as good as my GTX. May be I was not able to adjust it properly
• The seering wheel is the pick of the lot. It is functional and good looking too
• The dead pedal position is nothing to crave about but that is how it has been with all the FIAT cars
• Rear seat is lesser than my GTX but not cramped at all. But still, the interior packing of the dash and the seats is poor IMO.

You might be wondering why there is no drive report. Well, because we couldn't drive and why? I asked the receptionist to check out a salesman. Her reply - 'Saar, there is only one sales executive reported today and he is busy in a meeting. Will be there in half an hour.' We waited for one full hour during which I also purchased the spare parts. There was no sign of the executive. It was around 11.00 am.

People here are talking about the product being/not being VFM, performance, interiors, rear seat...etc being the deal breakers. If I am a prospective customer, the deal breaker for me would be the attitude of the staff. C'mon, this is a new product and there was not a single sales executive in sight. What would a customer think?

As much as I love FIAT cars, I doubt if I could look at buying their products with this kind of a sales team. Besides it would not be a proper upgrade to my GTX

All the best Grande Punto!

[smilenow]

Damn,those interiors!!!![in a good way],in the international version of the car.
Well,that solves my only gripe with the car even though i have booked one. The only thing i20 has going on for me,are the interiors.

The punto's interiors give me a very old zen-ish feel,seems someone took out the old zen's manual a/c put the punto's console in and said ta-da!!
The international version's console looks sweet in sid's post,and hopefully makes it to our awesome country[i say this with pride],by 2011.

And thanks neo for the lucid explanation of the controls,i guess they weren't just there for beep-beep!!

[shajufx]

What you experienced at the fiat showroom may not be different from other brands too ! Just my experience.

I have been calling up Honda, Fiat, Maruti, Hyndai and Ford showrooms since mid of June 2009 for test drives and finalising my next upgrade. The only cars I could get a feel on road were i20, verna and Fiesta 1.6. None others even bothered to check what I wanted or what was my repeated calls for.

Atlast I booked Fiesta 1.6 at Metro ford, waited 10 days as promised (there is a thread on that), really lost my patience because 10th day also they could not commit a day when they could receive the stock from the plant, forget the delivery. I cancelled my booking and now waiting to continue my next episode of TDs.

Probably I might land up on a PUNTO ! Just because I cant find any other great looking newly launched cars in this price range.

[khan_sultan]

If I am a prospective customer, the deal breaker for me would be the attitude of the staff. C'mon, this is a new product and there was not a single sales executive in sight. What would a customer think?

I fully agree to this and for many folks this would be a deal breaker and a mirror of what to expect during the ownership experience. This is where FIAT has to REALLY pay attention else all their good work with some good cars can quickly go down the drain.

Originally Posted by JVH

Had been to Concorde motors, Mysore road today to buy 100 16V emblem and a tail lamp for my GTX. .....

OT: did you get the100 16V emblem? How much did it cost? I also need 2 for my S10

[ntrack]

Oh! The 100 16V badge of my S10 broke 2 days back, but luckily I found the broken piece in my parking itself & need to stick it now.
What would be the best adhesive for it? Araldite?

[JVH]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

OT: did you get the100 16V emblem? How much did it cost? I also need 2 for my S10

Khan bhai, I got it for 40 bucks. You can also get 100 and 16V separately for 20 bucks each and there are plenty of them. Do check them out at the earliest.

Originally Posted by shajufx

I cancelled my booking and now waiting to continue my next episode of TDs.

Probably I might land up on a PUNTO ! Just because I cant find any other great looking newly launched cars in this price range.

Sad to hear. I was actually following your thread. What's with these dealerships nowadays?
Punto is a fantastic product but somehow I'm not confident of their sales and A.S.S teams. I wish I could be proved wrong.

Originally Posted by ntrack

What would be the best adhesive for it? Araldite?

Oops! No idea ntrack

[VahanPujari]

Originally Posted by ntrack

Oh! The 100 16V badge of my S10 broke 2 days back, but luckily I found the broken piece in my parking itself & need to stick it now.
What would be the best adhesive for it? Araldite?

Fevi Bond.

Its Rubber-based adhesive, does not spoil both the surfaces (Logo & car body) & does not leave any layer/ plasticy layer

[amit]

GTO pointed out the air con vents do not have air volume controls.

I just noticed today that my SX4 doesn't have these controls either! Does it have something to do with ACC or manufacturer's are smartly cutting costs in areas that will not be observed easily?

[VahanPujari]

Its surprising that Air Volume control is not available in such high-end cars.
Most of the earlier cars in B, B+ & entry-level C seg - used to have Air Volume Control