Team-BHP - Fiat Grande Punto 2012: First Drive

Nice review Sid. Thanks for those lovely pics:thumbs up. The GP is one car with a character.

One thing which puts me off in the GP is the provision of just one rear fog lamp and that too provided on the rear bumper. Surely this could have been accomodated in the rear tail light cluster.

Thanks for sharing Sid. Excellent pics :thumbs up

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Originally Posted by sidindica (Post 2694304)

It had everything that an Indian small car buyer demands: Looks, sturdy suspension, ride and handling, comfortable interiors, proven fuel efficient multijet diesel engine and improved service network. Perfect recipe for a winning formula. But what went wrong?

I don't think majority even thinks of what you mentioned!! A.S.S, F.E and Cost of ownership is all that matters. If you disagree then check the sales charts and you will find top selling cars in this segment hardly has a thing or two you mentioned :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghodlur

One thing which puts me off in the GP is the provision of just one rear fog lamp and that too provided on the rear bumper. Surely this could have been accomodated in the rear tail light cluster.

Well, there is a (slightly expensive) cure for 'one fog lamp'. Get the other fog/reversing combo light from abroad (left hand drive markets) and fit in place of the reflector. I saw this on some fiat forum. Will try to look for the link.

But yes, would be good if it was in the tail lamp cluster itself. The fog lamp may be damaged even if we get rear ended by a bike / scooter now.

Very well written review Sidindica! clap:
As a proud owner of a 2012 Punto 1.3 MJD, my sincere advice to all those who are seeking a diesel hatch would be to just have a detailed test drive of the car without any prejudices about it's After sales service. The ride quality, on-road dynamics, handling etc are most likely to blow you away and will make your choice much easy if you are a person who really want a very good car and not just good A.$.$.
Fiat surely is moving in the right directions, as I could feel from what Sid disclosed about them opening a fiat exclusive sales center in Delhi. I also had heard from a sales center in Bangalore that they have procured a piece of land and construction has already started for a Fiat exclusive service center. This is expected to be ready by July-August this yearclap:

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Originally Posted by autocrat

Good idea. But that would require customised wiring et al, which could render the warranty void.
Even I wish Fiat had given the Punto symetrical reverse lamps. It's the only exterior design flaw in the car.

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Originally Posted by sandsun7 (Post 2695260)

I also had heard from a sales center in Bangalore that they have procured a piece of land and construction has already started for a Fiat exclusive service center. This is expected to be ready by July-August this yearclap:

Any idea in which locality of Bangalore are they proposing this service center.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pareshraheja (Post 2695739)

Any idea in which locality of Bangalore are they proposing this service center.

Same question from me too and one more to all. Any idea about fiat's exclusive service center in Chennai?

Quote:

Originally Posted by pareshraheja (Post 2695739)

Any idea in which locality of Bangalore are they proposing this service center.

As per the information I got, it is going to come up somewhere near Yelahanka. and will be operated by Aadya motors.

Thanks Sid for the informative review.

Along with the car i was hugely impressed with whatever little glimpse i could get of the Fiat Caffe. It seems to be tastefully done. I guess more such outlets would do brand FIAT a world of good.

Any more snaps of the Caffee? stupid:

Thanks for a Well defined and brilliantly pictured report!

The 2012 move should attract more customers. I have a soft corner for FIAT & I wish the efforts get translated into better sales. The design and stance alone wins my heart. The handling, ride, steering feedback, Better GC & an efficient engine are bonus for me.

I feel its better to loose few points on body roll and the gap between the wheel and wheel arches for the tension free ride from scraping the bottom of the car. The fear of scraping the bottom takes away the entire fun of driving.

Please try to review the other 2012 cars in the new color shades.

Has the turning circle really reduced to 5m in the new GP '12 ? I didnt seem to see much written about this novel improvement considering the massive convenience it offers to city slickers during reversing and u-turns.

Can anyone confirm on this please ? How is the turning ease (radius + steering lightness) compared to the Swift 2 at parking speeds ?

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Originally Posted by JishD (Post 2696268)

The turning radius does seem to have reduced from the previous models although I could not really feel any huge difference!! I hope our experts in the forum would do a side by side comparison with the previous models and let us know. The steering is still nowhere as light as new swift, very obvious because swift uses EPS while Punto uses HPS.
I really don't understand why FIAT is hesitant to highlight the reduced turning radius in 2012 models as a significant advantage over the older version in any of their promotion campaigns:confused:! May be because it is still higher than most other cars in the segment??

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandsun7

The steering is still nowhere as light as new swift, very obvious because swift uses EPS while Punto uses HPS.

Steering is one of the strengths of Punto (best among hatches). I am happy they did not tamper with this - one of the defining characteristics of the car.

The turning radius of Fiat cars have always been abysmal. That said, take a look at their model line-up, starting from the Palio in 2000. Bad radius. Even the UNO came with the same issue. It has now continued with Punto. I wonder, if there's any reason for not improving on the turning radius, at least in newer models.