[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by Flying Djinn

Thank you, you raise a few interesting points. I'm looking at the Emotion trim, what else would you suggest that offers similar ride/handling? Swift didn't exactly wow me.

The ride and handling, especially the latter reduces choices, the only one close is the Polo with better kit levels than before - only in the Highline. The Polo and Punto are quite evenly matched in terms of space although I found that my left foot was uncomfortable in the Polo. The feeling is the same whether the seat pushing against your knee is beige or black, airy feel is no substitute for actual space, Figo still a contender in this department. I wouldn't suggest a 3 pot diesel, whatever its alleged refinement and driveability is. The Punto has a dead pedal but steering adjustment is limited, unlike the Polo with telescopic and height adjustment.

The Micra, Pulse and i20 are all options, not sure if the first two offer ABS at all and you need to check the i20 for its steering. I have driven the fluidic Verna(common to both is that they are both powerful Hyundai diesels) and I hated the steering, no feedback and needs constant corrections. i20 gets a rear wiper only in the top end and ABS is an option on top minus one.The Polo Highline is a match for kit level probably a better bet, for handling and feedback the Punto is still tops.

[linuxmanju]

Originally Posted by Flying Djinn

Also the Figo felt much more fun to drive in the city with its top notch shifting and chuckability (haha). For a lakh more, Punto gives me:

Let me add few bits to it mate.

I have owned a Figo for one and a half years ( around 24 K Kms ) and now I am a owner of Punto 90 HP Sports.

Figo is a good car for the price what you pay. It handles well and is an all round performer. One major problem I faced with Figo is its GC. I usually drive with 4/5 people on board and Figo scrapes everything on road and the suspension bottoms out. Figo feels good till 80/100 on highway but after that it takes it's own sweet time to reach 140.

Punto on the other hand has a better engine of both, is a good handler, ride quality is as good as it could get. Rear space is not an issue as nobody in my home complained about it sofar. In Punto the fun begins where it ends in a Figo, It's a true highway mile muncher. What you get for one lakh extra is an intercooled 16 Valve modern engine as opposed to 8 Valve non intercooled engine. On top of it, suspension does not bottom out and has a very good GC.

[Flying Djinn]

Originally Posted by linuxmanju

Let me add few bits to it mate.

I have owned a Figo for one and a half years ( around 24 K Kms ) and now I am a owner of Punto 90 HP Sports.

Figo is a good car for the price what you pay. It handles well and is an all round performer. One major problem I faced with Figo is its GC. I usually drive with 4/5 people on board and Figo scrapes everything on road and the suspension bottoms out. Figo feels good till 80/100 on highway but after that it takes it's own sweet time to reach 140.

Punto on the other hand has a better engine of both, is a good handler, ride quality is as good as it could get. Rear space is not an issue as nobody in my home complained about it sofar. In Punto the fun begins where it ends in a Figo, It's a true highway mile muncher. What you get for one lakh extra is an intercooled 16 Valve modern engine as opposed to 8 Valve non intercooled engine. On top of it, suspension does not bottom out and has a very good GC.

Thank you! This is invaluable feedback, exactly what i was looking for. It's really tough to get a thorough idea about the car in the TD alone. Did you sell off the Figo and get the Punto?

[linuxmanju]

Originally Posted by Flying Djinn

It's really tough to get a thorough idea about the car in the TD alone. Did you sell off the Figo and get the Punto?

Short answer:- Half sold the Figo and bought Punto.

Long answer:- My friend wanted to buy the Figo from me, He paid half of the amount with a promise to pay the rest in a month. Unfortunately he met with a financial crisis and told me to keep the car till he pays rest of the amount. So basically car is still with me but it is not mine .

But I am hoping that my beloved Figo will part me sometimes around next month as he has already promised to pay off the rest of the amount by this month end.

[SilkDrive]

I own a Punto 75BHP MJD since last 6 months (9K Kms), whereas one of my old friends owns a Figo D. I have driven my friends car extensively. Here are my observations:

-- Punto is far more fun and comfortable on the highways. Its on the stiffer side with stock tyres, but Yoko C drives does wonders to the overall feel.

-- The GC in punto is very good but it's exactly opposite in Figo. I have never scraped my car, whereas i have not once managed to complete a single drive on my friends car without scraping it.

-- Figo is more livable with, in cities, as it has very good visibility. Punto suffers from large blind spots caused by A pillars. I find taking a few right turns quite difficult. Also it is difficult at an intersection, to see vehicles approaching from the left.

-- Figo has wrafer thin cheap plasticky bumpers. My friends car has sustained dents and cuts from very minor parking speed collisions. My car has come out of a few of these even without a scratch.

-- I see that you have praised the paint quality of Punto. But i have to disagree here. My car (Tuscan Wine) picks up swirls and minor scratches like crazy, in spite of proper care while cleaning. The other puntos that I see on the road, also appear to have gotten too old because the paint loses its shine. Th paint quality seems to be on the softer side. I would recommend a good paint protection treatment right after purchase. My friends car (Sea Grey) stood out better in this regard. (OT : Liva beats all others in this aspect IMO).

-- A.S.S is equally bad for both. I am hoping that dedicated Fiat service centers would do some good but here's a story on that. A puncture and subsequent tyre changes, has caused some wheel alignment/balancing problems in my car. It pulls to the left and steering vibrates at about 100Kph. I called up the TASS of the dealer from where I had purchased, to find out that they have shut down. Searched the Fiat Website for A.S.S in kolkata. Found one and called them. They said that they are not operational and will open in about a months time. So I called Fiats toll free number. The lady gave me the contact of the same A.S.S. I told her that they said that they have not started yet. The lady asked me to be on hold while she could search for some other contact. She kept me on hold for 16 minutes and 40 seconds before abruptly hanging up.

If such is the attitude of the brand, changing dealerships and service centers wouldn't take them far.

But all things said and done, if i had to choose again today, between Figo and Punto, I would buy Punto once more.

[sandeepmdas]

My answers in bold.

Originally Posted by Flying Djinn

13. Legroom in the back definitely feels cramped compared to the Figo. Can long term Punto owners comment on the backseat comfort on long journeys? This is really important to me and a TD doesn't really give you the correct picture.

Punto's rear seat comfort is better than that of the XUV, as per the feedback I received from my mother-in-law and wifey.

1. Confidence inspiring build quality. Figo's build quality is good, but its an older design and Punto's crash worthiness is proven. Is this a fair observation?

Absolutely!

Agreed the FF is certainly more VFM, but if you look close you can see many a part/fact that screams cost cutting. No offence please Figo owners..!

[headers]

Originally Posted by SilkDrive

I own a Punto 75BHP MJD since ...


But all things said and done, if i had to choose again today, between Figo and Punto, I would buy Punto once more.

A +10 in bold The Fiat design is what sustains the brand and we guys fall madly in love with the driving experience. The after sales, pre sales, sales, and service is pathetic as the guys dont know half the features of the car, let alone explain them.

Today, I was enjoying the ability of the vehicle to sustain / maintain 120-140 kph at ease despite moderate traffic on the NH4. My FE over 120 kms was 16.5 and the average speed was 63 kph.

The car has covered 73K kms and still brings a smile when pushed. I agree it is not as fast in 0-100 acceleration but roll on is superb!

[SankalpDesai]

Originally Posted by SilkDrive

-- I see that you have praised the paint quality of Punto. But i have to disagree here. My car (Tuscan Wine) picks up swirls and minor scratches like crazy, in spite of proper care while cleaning. The other puntos that I see on the road, also appear to have gotten too old because the paint loses its shine. Th paint quality seems to be on the softer side. I would recommend a good paint protection treatment right after purchase. My friends car (Sea Grey) stood out better in this regard. (OT : Liva beats all others in this aspect IMO).

I second that. One of the few things that Fiat cars lack is their paint quality. My Punto too is a Tuscan Wine and it is never in its cleanest form. This colour in particular will magnify every single speck of dirt and swirl. So you will have to live with it. As per me, white is the ideal colour for Punto - low on maintenance (cleaning) and a cleaner looking car. You can add side skirtings and other accessories to beautify it.

Originally Posted by SilkDrive

But all things said and done, if i had to choose again today, between Figo and Punto, I would buy Punto once more.

+1

[JishD]

Originally Posted by SankalpDesai

I second that. One of the few things that Fiat cars lack is their paint quality. My Punto too is a Tuscan Wine and it is never in its cleanest form. This colour in particular will magnify every single speck of dirt and swirl. So you will have to live with it. As per me, white is the ideal colour for Punto - low on maintenance (cleaning) and a cleaner looking car. You can add side skirtings and other accessories to beautify it.

+1

My Palio 1.6 had one of the best paint jobs ever....despite the regular nudges, the surface remained scratchless, that too on a black car ! In sharp contrast my white i10 adorns a hairline when even a leaf brushes against . So it seems Fiat is now skimping on the paint.

[CliffHanger]

Guys, I accidently removed the IRVM yesterday, now I'm not able to put it back to its postition. There is a ball like thingy in the socket and that is hindering the sliding on the IRVM holder.

Could you guys let me know how should I go about?

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by CliffHanger

Guys, I accidently removed the IRVM yesterday, now I'm not able to put it back to its postition. There is a ball like thingy in the socket and that is hindering the sliding on the IRVM holder.

Could you guys let me know how should I go about?

A couple of pictures would help us.

But just going by what you have written I understand that the mirror is seperated from the hinge(ball) and I feel you need to press the two together harder so that the mirror clips on to the ball

[SankalpDesai]

Originally Posted by JishD

My Palio 1.6 had one of the best paint jobs ever....despite the regular nudges, the surface remained scratchless, that too on a black car ! In sharp contrast my white i10 adorns a hairline when even a leaf brushes against . So it seems Fiat is now skimping on the paint.

Good for you. I don't know whether this is the case with everyone around here, but my car is suffering from paint chipping at various spots, especially the door lines. I didn't opt for any paint protection at the time of purchase, as there was no motivation left in my wallet.

But if this is true for all those who haven't done any sort of paint protection on their Puntos or Lineas, then yes, Fiat is skimping on the paint quality.

Should that stop anyone from buying a Punto? You must be kidding...

[ajay_satpute]

I am a bit surprised reading about the paint quality. I always thought the paint quality on Fiat vehicles is one of the best. The white Punto looks anything but stunning due to the paint quality and finish.

Hyundai is terrible when it comes to paint quality(personal experience of a red i10 and a maroon i20), Maruti is average, especially prev gen vehicles. I don't know much about current gen Swift, Ritz, Ertiga, but they surely look better than prev gen.

[theexperthand]

I have felt that FIAT paint quality is one of the best, if not the best, in the segment. Yes, Tuscan Wine is not an easy color to maintain and do pick up swirls if not cared for it, but I have not seen any paint chipping yet.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by SilkDrive

-- I see that you have praised the paint quality of Punto. But i have to disagree here. My car (Tuscan Wine) picks up swirls and minor scratches like crazy, in spite of proper care while cleaning. The other puntos that I see on the road, also appear to have gotten too old because the paint loses its shine. Th paint quality seems to be on the softer side. I would recommend a good paint protection treatment right after purchase. My friends car (Sea Grey) stood out better in this regard. (OT : Liva beats all others in this aspect IMO).

Originally Posted by SankalpDesai

I second that. One of the few things that Fiat cars lack is their paint quality. My Punto too is a Tuscan Wine and it is never in its cleanest form. This colour in particular will magnify every single speck of dirt and swirl. So you will have to live with it. As per me, white is the ideal colour for Punto - low on maintenance (cleaning) and a cleaner looking car. You can add side skirtings and other accessories to beautify it.

I disagree with you both disagreeing . What does paint quality have to do with picking up swirls and dirt?? Darker colors and solid colors will have easily visible swirls and dust when viewed against light, and this is a universally known phenomenon. If you are not using microfibre cloth to clean the car, or you are employing some local cleaner boy who uses a random 'old cloth' to wipe a dirty car, you will have swirls and scratches in no time regardless of what brand or make the car is. These will be more visible on darker colors. That's all there is to it.

I am happily living without any 'paint problems' with two so-called nightmare colors to own - Solid Exotica Red and Hip Hop black. Both happen to be Fiat OEM paint . Using that Jopasu duster solves the problem of frequent swirls.

Originally Posted by theexperthand

I have felt that FIAT paint quality is one of the best, if not the best, in the segment. Yes, Tuscan Wine is not an easy color to maintain and do pick up swirls if not cared for it, but I have not seen any paint chipping yet.

+1. I haven't seen paint chipping easily on Fiats. They seem to have one of the thickest paint layer in microns. Not sure about the exact measurements, but I'd read in some article that VWs, Skodas and Fiats have the thickest paint layers here on Indian cars.