[twinblades]

A little off topic. I was watching the Car and Bike show on NDTV and the host was comparing the Nissan Micra to the other B segment cars and the Punto was missing.
The interesting thing was he said the reason it was missing was that a new 1.6 is coming in 2 weeks. He was doing a petrol comparison so i am kinda of confused.

[bnzjon]

Originally Posted by twinblades

A little off topic. I was watching the Car and Bike show on NDTV and the host was comparing the Nissan Micra to the other B segment cars and the Punto was missing.
The interesting thing was he said the reason it was missing was that a new 1.6 is coming in 2 weeks. He was doing a petrol comparison so i am kinda of confused.

I thought i heard it wrong
1.6 Punto - thats a new turn of event.

[arun1100]

twinblades: Sid of C&B show was referring to Polo 1.6.

[arun687]

Originally Posted by sandeepmdas

My thoughts are in bold.

Thanks for clarifying those Sandeep. I guess they just made it up about the front bumper because the 6 sensor ones were not present in the accessory list. If RD guys can install it properly without cutting wires, then it makes more sense I think. It's cheaper and also has an option of a separate display thereby not disturbing the IRVM.

@ Zenster & Stolichnaya

Congrats guys. Always glad to see more Puntos.

[Stolichnaya]

Guys, thanks a gazillion for the wishes! I must thank Team BHP Forums for making ordinary people more 'educated' customers. Thanks to the forums, I was able to walk into showrooms a bit more knowledgable about the vehicle and its abilities. And hence make a good selection.

In this context, I must say something about the purchase of the Fiat Punto. I have had a terrific experience with Prerana Motors on this. There are five people who deserve mention for the very, very personalized service - Naveen, Vijay Ragvulu (the main person I was dealing with), Vijay (of Old Cars Division, who gave me a very fair deal for my i10 - while ALL other dealers thought of ripping me off), Chandrasekhar (Finance) and Mr. Ranganath. Sure we had some hiccups, but they all were very minor. All in all, a very pleasant experience.

I forgot to mention another change I did - changed the stock headlamps to a pair of Osram Night Breakers. Same wattage for the H4s, but Night Breakers add just that little oomph to your night driving. Actually, I am dying to do a long distance drive now, with no fear that night driving might be a bit iffy with inadequate lamps. I didn't actually buy the Night Breakers now - I had them in the i10, and when I traded the car, I replaced the Night Breakers back with the stock lamps. Whoo... those Night Breakers are really something on the Punto! Couldn't check it during the daytime, but waited for nightfall and took it out for a spin. Those lamps are great!

As regards the driving comparision between the i10 and the Punto -

1. Punto feels rock solid and hugs the road like a leech. You never have the feeling that you could fly off! i10 felt a bit lighter and while I've done 130 kmph (while driving back from Palakkad to Bangalore), I would always feel that I could fly off shortly and end up landing in BIAL!

2. Yes, it's a bit of a different orientation between the 'Let's Get Rocked' in the Punto, and the 'Sound of Silence' in the i10 (In the i10 there were times at the traffic signal when I'd think that the engine's stopped, but nope. It would be purring like a satisfied feline) But that's quite ok, when I check my wallet - I topped up the tank at Cauvery's (opposite Lalbagh West Gate, and incidentally one of the few better non-Shell fuel bunks in Bangalore. Good quality and right measure. Owner is known to be a stickler for honesty. Private Cab owners swear by Cauvery's quality!) and was was thrilled to pay some 1.6k for close to 40 lts. of Diesel.

3. The Punto AC is incredible. In 30 mins, you feel like Nanook of the North - and the AC is still just on Level 2!

4. Punto a tad sluggish initially, but that was to be expected. But later takes off!

5. Interiors of Punto - as everyone and their mothers-in-law have stated, very sub-standard. Lots of gaps, glove compartment keeps opening up for no apparent reason, compartment on dashboard springs open etc. i10 finish was infinitely superior. Only thing I hated about the i10 was the reflection of the beige dashboard onto the windscreen - no, in two years, I could not get 'used' to it. And on a tree-lined road, I'd actually lose visibility of oncoming traffic.

6. Am loving the instrumentation panel of the Punto - love the displays! Range, average fuel consumption, average time etc. etc. Love the panel display dimming too.

So much over 48 hours of ownership.... shall write more later!

[motor spirit]

Hi stolichnaya , congrats on your punto Purchase. I wish you happy miles ahead

Can You Please share the Exshowroom cost & the OTR cost of your Punto & which Prerana motors was the car bought

[Stolichnaya]

Originally Posted by motor spirit

Hi stolichnaya , congrats on your punto Purchase. I wish you happy miles ahead

Can You Please share the Exshowroom cost & the OTR cost of your Punto & which Prerana motors was the car bought

Bought it from Prerana Motors on Lalbagh Road. Ex-Showroom came to 5.98L, and OTR came to 6.76L. Insurance and Extended Warranty was on the house (June Deal), and I got an additional 15K off for the BSIII vehicle (they had 3 at that time, of which I took one).

[arunkk]

Originally Posted by Stolichnaya

Bought it from Prerana Motors on Lalbagh Road. Ex-Showroom came to 5.98L, and OTR came to 6.76L. Insurance and Extended Warranty was on the house (June Deal), and I got an additional 15K off for the BSIII vehicle (they had 3 at that time, of which I took one).

May be I missed out that but can you please confirm which variant you bought? E or E+? And hope its MJD.

[trrk]

Hi,

Originally Posted by arun687

When asked about the 6 sensor unit they said Fiat does not recommend drilling the front bumper and hence they sell only 4 sensor one from Xenos. I guess we get 6 sensor ones from RD for about 3k from accessory shops, but dealer said it will void the warranty if we do it from outside.

With the low visibility at the rear, parking sensors would definitely be useful for the Punto. But will the IRVM look darker than the original IRVM from Fiat?

You are better off without the front sensors especially if you install it without a separate switch to operate the front ones (like the RD ones I had in my City and shifted to my Marina now). You will definitely be irritated by its constant warnings in bumper to bumper to traffic.

These involve cutting / splicing of wires as far as I see the way they work.

The internal IRVMs are usually darker than regular inner mirrors and cut glare to an extent. Of course, you won't be able to use the day / night functionality of the original mirror unless you opt for an unit with separate display.

[samsan02]

Originally Posted by Stolichnaya

Only thing I hated about the i10 was the reflection of the beige dashboard onto the windscreen - no, in two years, I could not get 'used' to it. And on a tree-lined road, I'd actually lose visibility of oncoming traffic.

Ya with i10 that beige dashboard is a pain to drive with the reflection, I have seen people putting some black towels in that area to reduce the glare. But best option is to use a polarized sunglasses from a good brand, it just cuts out the glare and reflection. Works pretty well.

[crn12]

Off late I am not sure if all Bloreans have observed, I have been getting to see the Punto quite quite often these days, I am not sure if its just me or its my eyes which is doing the trick

Every day when I am on my way to work or while coming back I atleast see 1 Punto in a signal...I guess the numbers are going up & people are considering FIAT for all that its been through here...Kuddos to FIAT, its time to bring on the Sport & the 90HP versions

[gods-envy]

Originally Posted by crn12

Off late I am not sure if all Bloreans have observed, I have been getting to see the Punto quite quite often these days, I am not sure if its just me or its my eyes which is doing the trick

Every day when I am on my way to work or while coming back I atleast see 1 Punto in a signal...I guess the numbers are going up & people are considering FIAT for all that its been through here...Kuddos to FIAT, its time to bring on the Sport & the 90HP versions

crn12, same is the case with me.
There was a day when I sighted close to 10 Puntos. That too just on the way to work and on my way return.

I am sure people have started to consider FIAT as a worthy car.
But then again, am surprised to see they are still selling 1k per month.
Why is that number not increasing?

[recshenoy]

Originally Posted by gods-envy

crn12, same is the case with me.
There was a day when I sighted close to 10 Puntos. That too just on the way to work and on my way return.
........

my exact observations. Now a days i see good number of Puntos. Infact i spot more Punto than Linea. Good to see Punto has touched 1.25K. But pricing of Punto sport would be key to boost those numbers. Lets wait for this Friday!

[crn12]

Originally Posted by gods-envy

crn12, same is the case with me.
There was a day when I sighted close to 10 Puntos. That too just on the way to work and on my way return.

I am sure people have started to consider FIAT as a worthy car.
But then again, am surprised to see they are still selling 1k per month.
Why is that number not increasing?

I haven't gone thru those numbers, apparently if we go by what you are saying it looks like Blore has got the highest number of sales then!
It will soon catch up with the leaders, it's just a matter of time. When people start believing that FIAT After Sales has improved then I don't see a reason why they should not buy a FIAT, after all its been here since ages...& everybody agrees to a fact that its one of the best car in its class.

[Stolichnaya]

Originally Posted by arunkk

May be I missed out that but can you please confirm which variant you bought? E or E+? And hope its MJD.

Yeppers, MJD it is. And an E. I wasn't very hot on the Airbags or the Blue & Me, and it was a bit heavier on the pocket. As it were, I was stretching the pocket a bit.