[prince_pervez]

Fantastic review, as always! I liked it more in blue than red or black. But then to each his own. I liked the stock alloys as well. My pupils widened at the first snap of the interiors and the dash. Very nice. Thanks GTO!

[finneyp]

GTO, A very nice detailed review! Thanks!

G Punto will certainly stir-up the B+ segment, itz the best package at the right price!
Hope it revives Fiat in India like what it did to Fiat Group in Europe in 2005!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by humans

Excellent unbiased review. As expected your's review is miles ahead of other auto magazines or websites review of GP.

Thank you. It's reading all your comments that make the last 72 hours spent on this review worth it. Little sleep, too many Marlboro's, 90+ voice notes, 15 pages of hand written comments and about 400 photographs to screen through.

Originally Posted by neeld

Multijet with a Pete's Box should be a good overall performer. Will wait to hear from some one on Pete's for this Italian.

Sure would.

Originally Posted by nkapoor777

"Black, MJD, Emotion Pack"

Black looks great as well. But the red is really in a class of its own.

Originally Posted by shuvc

Wonderful review. You're getting better and better! Factual and devoid of irrelevant rhetoric.

Tell you what : When I went for the first press drive (Jazz), my to-do checklist had all of 20 points. It has about a 100 now (and ever expanding).

- What brand/model are the OEM 195 tyres? Are they good?

GT3. Okay rubber, but the brilliant chassis will become a genius with Michelin PP2's. Good point.

- Does it have a remote/internal hatch door opening mechanism/lever?

Yup.

- Did you get a chance to test the headlamps/foglamps?

Nope.

- Any indication from Fiat about spare part costs?

Can get it.

- Is the spare wheel also an alloy?

IIRC, it is. Asking for confirmation.

[Caramelo]

great review as always! thank you very much. we all appreciate the effort put into it!

diesel is a born winner we all know that. but what about the petrol.


it seems its less fuel efficient. i don't really care about the fuel efficiency but then again. Is that an engine which brings smile to your face or its boring?

also is this the hatch for the highways? in terms of safety. hatches and higways dont gel

and whats the deal with "PCD98"(cant understand what it is) and can we put other alloys or not.?

i don't like the std alloys my self but they have started to grow on me after looking at pics. i saw pics of a Ferrari 599 GTB fiarano with these kinds of alloys(not exact but same design 12 spoke kind) and they look cool on it.

[nkapoor777]

Originally Posted by shuvc

Wonderful review. You're getting better and better! Factual and devoid of irrelevant rhetoric.

- What brand/model are the OEM 195 tyres? Are they good? Goodyear GT3
- Does it have a remote/internal hatch door opening mechanism/lever? - Yes (Internal, No remote)
- Any indication from Fiat about spare part costs? (My discussions and some info on the internet suggest the spares are cheaper than even the Swift)

Some answers in Bold.

[Nikhilb2008]

@GTO --- Lovely review. As people have already said, way better than the nonsense by the auto mags. Unbiased.

Secondly, just nitpicking, but the tyre is a Goodyear GT3. Better tyre than the GPs2(which usually comes as standard on smaller cars in 13" and 14") but still nothing great. I would straight away exchange the GTR3 for some good Michelin PP2s, Primacy LCs or Yoko V550s.

This car seems really good, but as you said, lacking in power. Can be a scorcher if it works well with mods.

[indian21r]

Originally Posted by shuvc

Wonderful review. You're getting better and better! Factual and devoid of irrelevant rhetoric.

- What brand/model are the OEM 195 tyres? Are they good? -
- Does it have a remote/internal hatch door opening mechanism/lever?
- Did you get a chance to test the headlamps/foglamps?
- Any indication from Fiat about spare part costs?
- Is the spare wheel also an alloy?

OEM 's are Bridgestone on the one that I saw
Hatch door opening-It is internal
Nope- Long queue for test drive, will take it another day
No idea yet of the spares
Nope spare wheel is a steel one.

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by Caramelo

...what about the petrol.

it seems its less fuel efficient. i don't really care about the fuel efficiency but then again. Is that an engine which brings smile to your face or its boring?

Here's my take:

If the current car that you drive is a 1.6 GTX/Palio/S10, then you it may not be to your liking.

However, if you drive some other a 1.1/1.2 engined petrol hatchback, then the 1.4 would bring oodles of SMILES to your face.

On it's own the 1.4 engine sounds & feels very good.

also is this the hatch for the highways? in terms of safety. hatches and higways dont gel

I think that is the STAND OUT point about the punto that GTO's review has brought out -- impeccable highway manners

[bharanidharang]

Great Review GTO. Congrats to you and team (I guess there is more than 1 when reviews are done). Did you guys photograph yourselves as well ? Any videos ? I know I am asking too much.

My wife loves the blue color. If I change, that would be the color.

Fiat has made a positive step towards the Indian consumer. With so much competition I am sure the quality will be the next focus for all manufacturers.

P.S. : Are the red and blue going to be coming on the Linea as well ?

[reppy]

Hey GTO, hows the 1.4 Petrol? Is it faster than Swift Petrol? i20 Petrol? ACI's numbers show 0-100 times of ~16 and ~17 seconds for Petrol & Diesel. Surely can't be this slow??

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by indian21r

OEM 's are Bridgestone on the one that I saw
Hatch door opening-It is internal
Nope- Long queue for test drive, will take it another day
No idea yet of the spares
Nope spare wheel is a steel one.

Bridgestones OEM on the Fiat? Highly unlikely.

[wanderhermit]

Originally Posted by GTO

Tell you what : When I went for the first press drive (Jazz), my to-do checklist had all of 20 points. It has about a 100 now (and ever expanding).

Great review dude. Those 100 points actually show in your review. Is it possible for you to share the checklist with all of us. I guess it will empower every Bhpian to write write reviews better than most of the auto magazine-walas.

[aaggoswami]

Again GTO excellent review.
I have a few questions :

1) In the picture of the front door opened, I can see that rubber beading is not extending till the end. Is this cost cutting ?

2) How was performance of 1.4 Punto as compared to Ritz K12M because from what I calculated, the power-to-weight ratio is better in case of Ritz. I would like to hear more on this.

3) I am able to see that rear space is not more than what one affords in Wagon R or Swift. For such a large hatch that is almost 4 mtrs. long, things could have been considering that this car is a cab-forward design.

4) How does Swift 1.3 compare to 1.4 Punto in terms of engine performnace ? I think that aging G proves that it is one of the best motors ever made by humans.

5) About the platform, it was jointly developed by Fiat and GM. Fantastic is this platform as far dynamics is concerned. Glad to know that even after raising the car a bit for Indian roads, the car still has got stability.

EDIT:
6) How was AC as compared to Ritz ?

[muni]

@GTO:

How is the ICE. Did you talk about it in your review. Is it the same as the Linea or some cost cutting is evident.

Invest in a Vbox. A couple of 100 rupees from active T-BHPians should get one shouldnt it. I am willing to contribute

[funda2max]

Great review as always GTO, you rock! But the attitude of TATA dealership kills the car silently. Thats the biggest problem FIAT faces today and should improve upon. I was stumbled upon the reception by their dealership and eventually booked Ritz VDi. Come on Fiat (TATA) it is a customer centric world.