Team-BHP - Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashtorque (Post 3444183)

I have booked my 1.3MJD Emotion Punto which should be delivered to me by next weekend. Just curious to know more about this "H"on the odo. Can you/someone throw some light on it? I am expecting to do the PDI early next week.

Congratulations on the booking.

Regarding the H, it is the symbol which is present in the odometer for the first 200 kms of odo reading, after which it will vanish on its own. So when you do the PDI, ensure the H Symbol is present in the odometer and the kms read should be ideally less than 50 or close to the min.

Hi All

I need suggestions/feedback from all on the below -

I am coming across few used 2009 - 10 Punto EP for reasonable price in good condition on a regular basis. It is really tempting to buy one, since EP comes load with ABS, Airbag, Bluetooth, electric mirror etc.

Currently I drive a Palio GTX 2003 Model, so it will not be a major change in terms of Handling, service center and familiarity. But yes, it will be major change on Safety for me.

I am fine with petrol as long as Punto gives me same mileage as Palio is giving me currently, which is 10 KMPL in City and 14 KMPL on Highway. Please can someone let me know the real life mileage of Punto on the lower end.

I will be using the car for another 4 years and then replace again. So I am not keen on investing 7 - 8 Lacs on new Car.

Please advise

Regards

Hi. Good idea, especially since you already are a Fiat owner, and so are well aware of the unique proposition Fiat offers at these prices, in this market.

I have a 2010 Linea 1.4 petrol, which is a much heavier car than the Punto, of course. I have ALWAYS got at least 10 km/l, here in Delhi-Gurgaon. On the whole I get 11+ in traffic and as much as 17-18 km/l on the highway. Of course, much depends on your revving style etc.

Cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by chandrda (Post 3444375)

Please can someone let me know the real life mileage of Punto on the lower end.

I have a 2010 model 1.2 Petrol Punto and have driven 50000+ kms.
Whenever I do a spirited drive with AC on the Highways, I get 13KMPL (Lowest ever I have got is 12kmpl) When I maintain the speeds below 100kmph, I get an average of 15kmpl (the highest I have got with sedate driving and without AC is 17kmpl).

My teammate at office has a 1.4 Petrol and most of the times oth of the cars drive together. On his car, it is usually 1kmpl less than what I get.

However from last month, when I went for a set of extra wide profile tyres, My car's FE has dropped by 1kmpl.

All the calculations are done by Tank-full to tank-full method.
The MID usually shows 1kmpl more than the actual FE.

Hope this helps you

Quote:

Originally Posted by quadbike (Post 3444964)

The Punto is SAFE, on roads and even when parked under a tree, that's about to be uprooted, the same however cannot be said of some Suzukis.

I am not the biggest fan of any Suzuki and hands down prefer Fiat any day quadbike, but quite honestly I think this seems a bit unfair.

I may be wrong here or it is just the way the pics are taken but the tree trunk that has fallen on that Suzuki (Ritz?) appears huge compared to the one on the Punto !! :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by quadbike (Post 3444964)

The Punto is SAFE, on roads and even when parked under a tree, that's about to be uprooted, the same however cannot be said of some Suzukis.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vik0728 (Post 3445005)

+1 to Vik0728's comment. I own a Punto and love it absolutely. But drawing conclusions fromsuch random scenarios should be avoided IMO. Unless someone can conduct a controlled experiment on the two cars under exactly the same condition such inferences may give us only a false sense of security.

Quote:

Originally Posted by desdemona (Post 3444597)

Thanks, that's a good mileage. I can live with that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand (Post 3444615)

Thanks @Hemanth, this will surely help to firm up my decision.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ankursharma (Post 3445496)

Hi. I have a 2009 emotion pack 1.4 .
I am getting 9.5-11 in city driving Mumbai driving and 13-15 in spirited highway driving.

I have had no major concerns except that blue and me has gone caput :( now.

Hope that helps.

Thanks Ankur

I am in process of going through few used Puntos this week. The price seems fine, now I have to go through the vehicle history and decide.

Being a Fiat Fan, some times its awkward for me when I quote a specific price and see the pain on the owner's face. Its seer helplessness you feel, when you know you can't sell it for more.

Regards

Quote:

Originally Posted by chandrda (Post 3444375)

Since you are going to use the car for another 4 years, I would suggest avoid pre-2012 cars and look for post 2012 cars. They have

- Better NVH
- Better and more powerful AC
- Shorter turning radius
- Better GC
- Better Fit and finish
- Reduced weight and better acceleration
- Better quality components in certain areas

All the above changes make a marked improvement in driving and ownership experience.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CliffHanger (Post 3446701)

Since you are going to use the car for another 4 years, I would suggest avoid pre-2012 cars and look for post 2012 cars. They have

- Shorter turning radius
- Reduced weight and better acceleration

All the above changes make a marked improvement in driving and ownership experience.

Thanks @CliffHanger, I was not aware of reduced turning radius or weight in the newer models.

Any idea of the what the change is in weight

Regards

Quote:

Originally Posted by quadbike (Post 3444964)

The Punto is SAFE, on roads and even when parked under a tree, that's about to be uprooted, the same however cannot be said of some Suzukis.

That is a really amusing but cock-eyed comparison, considering it is quite apparent the position of the cars were quite different w.r.t. the fallen tree. In the Punto's case, almost no part of the trunk or branch is bearing load on the car (the other side of the car is not visible to judge deformation), whereas in the case of the Swift, the complete weight of the trunk / branch has fallen on the car (we can see deformation clearly). FYI, the safe load for the roof strengthening members of both the cars is ~250Kg, negligible as compared to the > 2 Tons weight of the tree. Had the Punto been there where the Swift is, it would have also suffered the same damage.

Let us not create frivolous arguments for or against a particular car's construction or safety, and even less a generalization of 'bad qualities' of a make.

Quote:

Originally Posted by quadbike (Post 3444964)

The Punto is SAFE, on roads and even when parked under a tree, that's about to be uprooted, the same however cannot be said of some Suzukis.

While the build quality of Punto is good from all the sides, the same can not be said for the roof. I experienced flimsiness of the roof, first hand. A well-bred monkey jumped on the roof my Punto from a branch of a tree. The jump would have been 3-4 feet at max. The entire roof caved in. :Frustrati

So, please be careful while parking your car under a tree, even if it's a Punto. :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by DerAlte (Post 3447160)

The tree that fell on the Punto was not as big I agree but there has been very little damage as you can see from the picture.

I remember watching Top Gear a few seasons back where they were saying goodbye to SAAB in one episode. The presenters dropped a BMW and a SAAB upside down from similar height, the SAAB fared much much better.

I am not saying a Punto is built like a SAAB, but its built better than the Ritz, the roof feels thicker, and I have no doubts that an identical tree would not have splashed the Punto like it did the Ritz.

You are free to disagree, yes.

About the monkey a fully grown monkey weighs as much as a large dog, I hope no one was hurt.

I am sure this would not have happened to a Punto.

Quote:

Originally Posted by quadbike (Post 3447322)

The tree that fell on the Punto was not as big I agree but there has been very little damage as you can see from the picture. ...
I am sure this would not have happened to a Punto.

LOL What you are missing in the Punto pic is that the entire weight of the tree is on the lower thick branch resting on the road. In the case of the Ritz, entire weight of the trunk is resting on the car. Had it been a Punto, it would have suffered the same fate. Punto uses the same gauge of sheet steel, and has the same B/C-pillar construction (where the impact was) and roof reinforcement, as the Ritz.