[Ricky_63]

Nice review GTO. Any possibility of a bigger diesel anytime soon ?


Cheers

[amit]

I have read a lot of posts by people saying that the Punto MJD is underpowered. Then someone comes in and says that you can pete the car and get 90bhp which will give good performance. In response, people promptly then ask about how much lower the mileage will go!

[ppr]

Hi

I have been looking for a hatch to replace our Indica V2. I checked out the i10 & i20 and found them to have the same amount of rear legroom. The i20 was slightly wider & better appointed but the legroom for a tall person was the same as an i10. The Indica, of course, has a lot more.
1) How does the Punto compare to these two cars (i10 & i20)?
2) I have a Palio 1.9 diesel which I like a lot. How does the Punto compare to that in solidity & driveability (Is the engine zippier?)

ppr

[bblost]

I was expecting quite a bit based on all the hype.
Disappointed.

A family goes to see this car. They sit in a Vista. SO BIG. Same Engine and CHEAPER.

Then they see the Palio 1.6. Faster and again a Fiat.

SO why buy this Fiat.
Then will start why do you want a Fiat.
Not many can win that argument.

[prince_pervez]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

They're probably waiting for the i20 Diesel launch and then they'll bring in the Linea spec engine.

If they do this the initial takers will be quite an angry lot. Mob actually.
i10 came then the kappa followed shortly.

The engine in the Punto is there because, the manufacturers may have thought it would be sufficient enough to pull the small car when loaded.
Maybe they do not want to eat into the Linea sales.
May be they don't want to jeopardise the Palio territory.
Reasons aplenty. Maybe none of these.

Most of us still have the feel of the 1.6 Palio & 1.9 PalioD hence the questions of an underpowered engine.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Color on glass, not something expected out of a car that cannot be considered as a relatively cheap car like lets say Alto. This IMHO is just not acceptable. And that too on cars that are given for initial drives to others.
Attachment 150377

Dude.... these cars came from the dealers and there were also reports that dealers touched the cars that got scratches for whatever reasons. If you know how assembly lines work, such a scenario in a factory built car is impossible.

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Dude.... these cars came from the dealers and there were also reports that dealers touched the cars that got scratches for whatever reasons. If you know how assembly lines work, such a scenario in a factory built car is impossible.

Absolutely right. The body is painted before any of the components are attached. Even for the Alto, the process is the same.

[amit_mechengg]

i would like to clarify few points about the paint on the glass.
1. the body is painted before the fittment of the glass.
2. the painted body is dropped on the assembly line and then the engine, seats, wire harnesses etc go in. while fitting all this the body is covered with a rubber mat so that the paint is not damaged accidentally while the assembly is on.

3. Sometimes when paint is chipped off due to some or the other reason while assembling the workers spray paint the part with a lot of due care and again coat polish it. this happens very rarely.
the above is done at the inspection pit or the roll out station.

4. i am really wondering how the paint is sprayed on the glass and not even removed. might be before giving the cars for test drive or review, the agency involved might have sprayed the paint hurriedly.

this wont happen in the rest of the cases though.

[lancer_rit]

Wow, this is the mother of all TD's and reviews on t-bhp :-)
600+ kms, 100 point checklist, very balanced & informative, but also reflecting the passion & enthusiasm.
Covers both the 1.4Fire & 1.3MJD...

Great work GTO!

BTW, did Fiat show the lesser variants (Dynamic, Active, Emotion) to the press, so that you could make some assessment about the differences save for the list of features. I mean, one can see the differences in features on Punto website wrt the variants, but somethings are only possible to realize when seen in flesh.

Cheers,

[wildon]

Originally Posted by amit_mechengg

i would like to clarify few points about the paint on the glass.
1. the body is painted before the fittment of the glass.
2. the painted body is dropped on the assembly line and then the engine, seats, wire harnesses etc go in. while fitting all this the body is covered with a rubber mat so that the paint is not damaged accidentally while the assembly is on.

3. Sometimes when paint is chipped off due to some or the other reason while assembling the workers spray paint the part with a lot of due care and again coat polish it. this happens very rarely.
the above is done at the inspection pit or the roll out station.

4. i am really wondering how the paint is sprayed on the glass and not even removed. might be before giving the cars for test drive or review, the agency involved might have sprayed the paint hurriedly.

this wont happen in the rest of the cases though.

May be the car got damaged while on transit and the A.S.C repainted it.

[theMAG]

Originally Posted by amit

I have read a lot of posts by people saying that the Punto MJD is underpowered. Then someone comes in and says that you can pete the car and get 90bhp which will give good performance. In response, people promptly then ask about how much lower the mileage will go!

Amit,

There's no need to lose sleep. Its acknowledged that the Punto is a good package. When people post observations on cars, its probably a good idea to remember that those are aimed at cars and not at individuals.

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by theMAG

Amit,

There's no need to lose sleep. Its acknowledged that the Punto is a good package. When people post observations on cars, its probably a good idea to remember that those are aimed at cars and not at individuals.

Just because the car is that damn good than its competitors people tend to tear it down

Punto sure will set the Fiat sales charts and Indian roads on fire.

At the end of the day, lets thank Fiat for such a wonderful car and wish the car best of luck.

[nurni76]

Great Review GTO. Once again a comprehensive coverage with the minutest of details covered superbly. I also test drove the 1.4 yesterday. I was not impressed with it. With 4 adults and ac on, it seemed to take ages to reach 80 with a lot of engine strain, atleast so I felt. However, the handling is awesome. Throw the car around corners, and it is just precise where you want the nose to point at. 90 BHP i cudnt figure where those horses were.

I subsequently test drove the Jazz and might I add, it was really superb. Interiors were too good and so was the space. Every minute detail was of the highest quality. The engine was super refined and had a lot of punch. It accelerated better then the Punto infact a great deal better.

I am sure the Punto multijet will be the best seller, while the 1.4 atleast needs another 20 horses to pull that heavy body

I have a starnge feeling that FIAT missed the bus this time around too. Who FIAT is tring to attract this time around with the Linea and Punto is the VFM concious and mileage concious buyers. Typically, the Maruti and Hyundai customers. But unfortunately, this is not going to happen. They are people who play safe and would, any day, choose an Alto over a Punto, a Dzire or an accent over the Linea. At best, FIAT would be able to dent the sales of maruti and Hyundai a bit, but it is not going to become a volume player, how hard they try. An average car buyer will not buy a FIAT.

The only folks who would buy the FIAT are the enthusiasts. But then, they need power and better build quality. And both are in short supply here.

Look at what happened to Yamaha. The RX was a scorcher and sold in good numbers, but was not a volume player compared to Hero Honda. Yamaha did the mistake of trying to catch up with Hero Honda by launching crappy bikes such as the YBX, Libero and the Fazer. No ex Hero Honda owners bought a Yamaha however frugal it is. Yamaha realized their folly quite late, but they realized it really well that they trashed all mileage bikes and brought in the R15 and FZ15. Yamaha is back selling good bikes eventhough they will never surpass the sales of the Splendor or the likes.

So, I think that is what FIAT should do. Stop mollifying the mileage janata and bring in good cars albiet at a premium price. The higher premium would offset the profits lost by not being a volume seller.

Any thoughts?

[vineethvazhayil]

Good comprehensive review there. Finally I found time today to TD the Punto. I'm helping my colleague select a car.
My observations
1. Excellent steering
2. Suspension that gobbles up uneven roads
3. Decent handling
4. Smoother torque than other multijet cars I have driven and much better gearshift than Indica vista (drove that immediately afterwards!)
5. Legroom and headroom problems at the rear! No justice to the 7l OTR price in India!
6. Once again loved the drive, brilliant steering etc...

Finally we have gone back to Ritz Zxi!