[amithnarendra]

I wanted to go in for my first car, and I was directed to "team-bhp.com", by almost anybody who I thought had some answers for guiding me and boy i'm mighty pleased to put together these details after having learnt to drive, bought my car, put it through some paces in both city and on highway and just about beginning to understand my vehicle.

I began my search for a decent set of 4 wheels and my criteria was
- Diesel (Petrol wasn't an option at all)
- Decent mileage
- Small car
- 6.5-7L (On road Bangalore)
- Highway worthy
- Safety features
- Other Features

*Since I wasn't confident about my driving skills then, I was quite dependent on people who I had seen driving and on whose driving skills I was confident about. So the decision did have some influence.

Cars that my wife and I shortlisted were
Ritz - Rejected for its design, especially by my wife.
Swift - Just don't like the design at all ( That's our family opinion, no offence meant to Swift owners )
Figo - Didn't like the overall package
Polo - Costly for what I was getting
Micra - Loved the design, liked the car but it lost out to FIAT

Fiat Punto
After lot of research and comparing features, reading hours and hours worth of reviews and observing different cars on road, the final decision was to either go in for a Micra or a Punto, and I ended up booking the Punto.

Fortunately I was able to book it in early Jan 2012, when the price hike for Punto had been announced, but I got no choice in color or the trim to choose, and I didn't not want to be pay more as I was already stretching to 8L in buying the Punto.

So, I ended up buying my Fiat Punto Emotion Pack, Foxtrot Azure - Dec 2011 make.
This car covered all my requirements of being a Diesel with a decent mileage, which was very highway worthy apart from being a good car to drive every day, with good safety features and most of the other features I wanted like,
- factory fitted music system
- driver seat height adjust
- 2 airbags
- a big enough boot
- adjustable steering

The booking and delivery experience is nothing special or great to speak of, apart from the fact that it was decent. Booked it from KHT Motors, Whitefield, Bangalore. Communication with them was difficult at times but things were quickly done.

The on road price came up to 7.8L, which included total discounts worth about 40,000, which included the free insurance, mats and mud flaps. Nothing else was needed as I was buying a fully loaded car, and I was in two minds about taking a car cover as Bangalore is quite dusty.

The car is well appointed in all respects. Be it comfortable seats or spacious interiors, or a big enough boot. The only thing that I found odd was the placement of the USB port (hidden away in the storage area in front and the missing Aux-in port. I could even have done without the USB port, but the Aux-in was what I missed most as my wife and I carry a lot of music on our phones and we missed being able to play that while driving.

One feature that I've loved from day one is the Blue&me. Both my wife and I take calls on the way back home in the evenings or early mornings while we drive to office and this has proved to be a boon.

So, I decided to write this little experience of mine after driving the car for well over 4,500 kms, which included driving within the city and also on the highways. I normally drive 50-60kms everyday, so i've driven about 3,500kms in the city and have taken it to my native, and that journey was about 1,100kms.

I drive about 28kms (one way) to my office and back everyday, and this was a primary reason to go in for the Diesel, as owning a Petrol 4 wheeler was out of question for this distance daily. Traffic is mostly thick both in the mornings and evenings when driving to and back from office, so comfort in the car was important as I'd be spending a good amount of time in there. Also we're going to be driving around on the highways quite a bit, a 1,100km run done in the first 3 months.

One look at the Punto and both my wife and I were floored, and the car looked stunning in Foxtrot Azure. The clean lines, simple design and complete feeling, with attention to every little detail felt good. From an overall design Punto was very appealing and bettere than all the other choices we had looked at. Micra with its cuteish looks was a close second.

The overall build of the car felt very good, and to put it in one word, it felt "solid".

The interiors are also well thought out, but the quality of plastics feels lacking. It definitely could have been better(I like the plastics on the i20). Another feeling is that some of the button placements etc have been proportioned for tall men, i'm 5'4" and hence find that i've to stretch some times to reach corners.

The car is very spacious and even my uncles and cousins who are over 5'10" and 6 ft tall have been able to fit in comfortably. Seats are well cushioned and travelling log distances in this car is not tiring at all. The air conditioner does its job very well and is powerful, so cooling the car, even at the back is easy. Egronomics for short distances is fine, but when on the highway the lack of an arm rest for the driver seat is a glaring omission. This armrest has now been added in the new i20.

I've found my 75hp engine to be adequate in the city, though on the higways and sometimes while trying to run at green signals, I feel I should have had the 90hp variant. The 1st and 2nd gears are pretty short and it was tough to handle initially as it always felt inadequate trudging along when in heavy traffic. With practice and time, i'm now used to handling the 1st & 2nd gears.3rd, 4th and 5th gears and very adqeuate and usable both in the city and the highway. I've been getting about 13.7kmpl to 15kmpl in the city, with AC on most of the time. The car feels heavy and hard to handle initially, for someone with this as their first car. But with time, the car is easy to handle.

The engine performance and driveability on the highways is altogether a different story, when compared to that in the city. The car is planted and the engine whistles along beautifully. I've done one long run of 1,100kms and mostly averaged around 80-95kmph, hit a max of 100+, but never more than 110. For someone who does highway runs regularly this should be their car. Mileage on the highways is fantastic. I was able to cover about 460kms on less than half a tank of diesel. Yes, less than half a tank (23ltrs), and i've a picture of it later.

I'm no expert to comment on the power delivery, refinement, or the turbo-lag, and others have done that in great detail. But from a driver's point of view the 1st and 2nd gear feel too short, and one has to shift a little too quickly at times, otherwise the gear ratios are adequate.

One big gripe I have with Punto, is its braking. It almost always feels inadequate for its size, but does the job in the end. Since the car can run fast and is very stable too, if it had good braking, it would have been great.

Overall some of the small things that i've like are the Blue&me feature, steering controls, powerful AC, comfortable seats and the defogger, which came in handy during the rains on the highway.

Things i've begun to notice lacking are the weak headlights, they just don't seem bright enough, the USB music player, have found it difficult to get it working properly, and the dead pedal besides the clutch. The deal pedal is just a tad too low and one ends up hitting the clutch while retracing the leg.
Also it would have been good to have proper 1L bottle holder places, which is quite impractical the way it is now.

Overall i'm very happy with my decision of opting for the Punto. It has taken care of quite a few small things like driver seat height adjust, decent boot size for a long travel, ease of getting in and out of the car for elders, while satisfying the basic needs of a good diesel car, that has very good highway manners, coupled with good mileage.

[sukrit7]

Congratulations on your first car.
It's a car that you will love more and more with each passing day.

Honestly, i'm a bit surprised with your comment on the brakes. The Punto's brakes are top notch. The pedal feel might be slightly spongy but the brakes themselves are spot on. There's more than enough stopping power.
I suggest you get this checked up.

[Shome]

Thank you for the review and congratulations on your ride. This shade of the punto is one of the best around. What is the NVH level like inside the car?

And...Welcome to the forum!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Congratulations!

I've also bought a Punto recently in March. White 90HP. You car looks beautiful in fox-trot azure. Very rare colour on the Punto!

I'm also surprised that you find the braking inadequate. The brakes are fantastic in Punto (My experience with my car and the TD cars). Never had a reason to complain.

I do agree with your comments on the headlights (Fog lamps are really bright though) and the USB player - HU integration is pathetic IMO.

[Palio_2005]

The colour looks rich on the Punto. One of the best looking cars. Hope you have a good ownership experience with the car.

I agree that the headlights are inadequate even in the Linea. I have upgraded to Philips crystal vision 55/55 which is a bit of an improvement over the stock ones.

Braking is adequate in my Linea though there is a lot of brake dust which tends to settle on the alloys. The brake pads are another thing which tend to be consumed more in Punto is what I read on other forums. I changed mine at 30K though.

[mayankjha1806]

Congratulations on the new car buy. Fiat's do grow on you and are addictive when it comes to driving pleasure. May you have long happy miles on it. You missed AUX in port (Aux-in is history mate), there is blue-me (Bluetooth) to play music through your phone Why need Aux? Or am i missing something.

Could you post some more pictures of the insides as well please.

[raj_5004]

Congrats bro.

Even I am surprised by the inadequate braking. The braking of Punto is simply superb. GEt your car checked or drive another Punto to compare with your car.

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Congratulations on the new car buy. Fiat's do grow on you and are addictive when it comes to driving pleasure. May you have long happy miles on it. You missed AUX in port (Aux-in is history mate), there is blue-me (Bluetooth) to play music through your phone Why need Aux? Or am i missing something.

Blue&Me cannot play songs. It is just for phone calls. Other than that, voice activated system is for controlling the other functions.

Punto has USB facility but for aux-in - the provision has been given, you need to buy a cable to connect your ipod.

[nkrishnap]

Congrats on the Punto. Enjoy many more happy miles with the MJD.

At 7.8 Lakhs, a fully loaded Punto is well worth it.

[Driving_Nomad]

Hearty congratulations on the buy! Drive safe and wish you thousands of safe miles with the Punto and a wonderful ownership experience! Keep more pics coming!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Blue&Me cannot play songs. It is just for phone calls. Other than that, voice activated system is for controlling the other functions.

No, its the other way round.

OE Punto music system does not come with USB/ bluetooth functionality. All of these (Bluetooth wireless technology, message reader and media player) are added by the Microsoft Blue&Me module connected to the HU.

Thats why the HU display shows only 'Media Player' while USB is connected. All of the other information is through the MID which is connected to the Blue&Me module.

EDIT: Just read your post again. If you mean - Blue & me cannot play music wireless from the mobile phone, true. It can only take phone calls. Phone has to be connected as an external USB media (Which puts the phone into flight mode, in some models).

[hemanth.anand]

Congratulations amithnarendra, wish you many happy miles with this wonderful vehicle.

Originally Posted by amithnarendra

Egronomics for short distances is fine, but when on the highway the lack of an arm rest for the driver seat is a glaring omission.

Get the linea armrest installed on your punto.
Though its beige in colour, its just FANTASTIC.
I've been using it for almost an year now and I don't remember how I used to manage without it.

Originally Posted by amithnarendra

One big gripe I have with Punto, is its braking. It almost always feels inadequate for its size, but does the job in the end. Since the car can run fast and is very stable too, if it had good braking, it would have been great.

You might be the first person to say this...its one of the best brakes around.
Before getting it checked, drive some other punto 1.3 so that you are sure that the problem really exists

Originally Posted by amithnarendra

Things i've begun to notice lacking are the weak headlights, they just don't seem bright enough,

Buy Osram night breaker plus for 900-1100/- per pair.
its just plug an play...later you can add relays and higher wattage bulbs if you feel the need.

Originally Posted by amithnarendra

Also it would have been good to have proper 1L bottle holder places, which is quite impractical the way it is now.

With the doors so thick, I just can't understand how they missed this

Since you have told that its your first car...
drive very carefully in some of the tiny roads of namma Bengalooru, especially while taking right turns.
Thats when some 2-wheelers and pedestrians will literally pop out of the thick A-pillar.

[mobike008]

Congrats on the Punto. That color looks absolutely lovely and suits it exceptionally well. Isnt this the same color in an Innova?

Btw, I noticed the 90bhp versions are pretty quick after riding alongside with a few of them on highway runs.

Drive safe and Enjoy !!

[amithnarendra]

Thanks Everyone.

After I discussed the brake comment of mine with a fellow bhipan in office here, I realized, I've just put it wrong. All I meant was "the brakes have a very spongy feel". So sorry for the confusion caused.

I've done 2 runs of 1K+ now and the car has proven to be nothing short of FANTASTIC. Only have heart burn when the 90HP whizzes by :-)

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Congratulations amithnarendra, wish you many happy miles with this wonderful vehicle.


Get the linea armrest installed on your punto.
Though its beige in colour, its just FANTASTIC.
I've been using it for almost an year now and I don't remember how I used to manage without it.

You might be the first person to say this...its one of the best brakes around.
Before getting it checked, drive some other punto 1.3 so that you are sure that the problem really exists

Buy Osram night breaker plus for 900-1100/- per pair.
its just plug an play...later you can add relays and higher wattage bulbs if you feel the need.

With the doors so thick, I just can't understand how they missed this

Since you have told that its your first car...
drive very carefully in some of the tiny roads of namma Bengalooru, especially while taking right turns.
Thats when some 2-wheelers and pedestrians will literally pop out of the thick A-pillar.

Can you let me know how much did it cost to get it installed ? Also is the bottle holder (center) rendered un-usable after the armrest is installed ?

Headlights - A definite upgrade which i've planned. In my last 2 long runs I badly missed a clear bright headlight, in the evenings.

2-wheelers popping out of the A-pillars was a slight shock initially. But i've managed to be extra careful after the experiences.

[shashank.nk]

Congrats on your Punto! Wish you many safe miles in your new car. While going through your decision process, i noticed you didn't TD the diesel i20. Any reasons for that ?

[amithnarendra]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Congrats on your Punto! Wish you many safe miles in your new car. While going through your decision process, i noticed you didn't TD the diesel i20. Any reasons for that ?

Since it was my first car, I did want to go with a few trusted opinions. I liked the i20 overall, but then the question of a not-so-responsive steering on highways, was one against it, the new i20 too seems to be the same. And another factor was the higher price. Also the solid build and feel of the Punto just sealed the deal for me, even though the i20 has a tad better interiors.