[vibbs]

Originally Posted by Utopian

Congratulation for the Punto. Even after so many areas, it is still a looker. They have got a still to catch up, specifically in the fit and finish department.
BTW, how reliable is the MID FE indicator on the Punto?

Thanks!!

Yes the fit and finish is poor and not just in hidden/discreet areas, but on very visible locations too. From the outside it looks a million bucks though.

MID FE indicator is reasonably accurate. My calculations give me an overall efficiency figure of around 15 kmpl, the indicator also shows something in the near-abouts.

However the fuel indicator it seems has an issue with accuracy and even after filling the tank full with diesel the needle never touches full. Infact it takes about 5 minutes to register the refueling even. The increase is very gradual and it is only after sometime that it approaches full and even then never really at the full mark.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by vibbs

However the fuel indicator it seems has an issue with accuracy and even after filling the tank full with diesel the needle never touches full. Infact it takes about 5 minutes to register the refueling even. The increase is very gradual and it is only after sometime that it approaches full and even then never really at the full mark.

Thats strange coz in my case the needle on the fuel gauge moves beyond the full mark. These are the times when I fill 38-39 ltrs in the fuel tank.

The FE is fairly accurate as you rightly said but the range readings are an irritant. They keep fluctuating faster than an yo yo.

[vibbs]

In my case it is always a millimeter below the full mark. But then I stop filling fuel when the Auto cut-off happens. However the needle does take close to five minutes to register the fuel filling.

Just back from a 1900+ Kms trip to Bangalore and back from Pune. The entire trip registered a fuel efficiency of 15.8 Km/L as shown in the MID. I dont know if I should be happy or sad about those numbers. Others may please add in with their views. I would however add here that I was doing some very high speeds.

The onward drive to Bangalore from Pune took me approximately 11 Hrs after exiting Katraj Ghat. The return leg took close to 13.5 Hrs. Lost major time due to a reroute just 50 Kms before Belgaum due to some strike. The detour via Beedi and Khanapur to Belgaum took me two hours. Additionally I got some heavy traffic between Kolhapur and Satara and after Shirval all the way to Pune Bypass.

One thing to be admired was that 'The Red' really shone through the entire trip. My wife is not really a seasoned traveller and even she remarked that this journey in the car has left her less tired as compared to the same trip she had taken by KSRTC airavat Club class some time back. This may also be due to the fact that travelling by car had cut down the journey time by almost 5 Hrs as compared to the bus.

The superior ride really made itself evident and pretty soon I was not slowing down for minor bumps on the road and still was very comfortable. Just a minor squeak from somewhere on the rear seat side is what we have to show after this trip.

I even had an instant where I thanked all my stars for deciding to go for a car with ABS. On one stretch after Hubli during our Pune - Bangalore leg, I was doing around 80-90 Kms/Hr as was indicated by the speedo. The reason I remember the speed was because, it was dusk and when light starts playing tricks. Also, on this stretch there were quite a few pedestrians who could any time jump into the highway and two wheelers darting in from any of the side roads. So I had decided to stay around 80 Kms per hr and definitely not to cross 90 Kms/hr till I reached more deserted roads and till it became proper dark, when your headlights do a good job of lighting up the road.

The divider had shrubs and suddenly out of nowhere, a person appeared from the clearing. On seeing the car so close it seems he too panicked and ran. I slammed the brakes expecting the car to veer out of control, but luckily for him and for us, ABS kicked in and the wheels did not lock. I was able to steer the car safely away from him and perhaps the guy gets a day more to speak of his stupidity while crossing a Highway. If it was a non-ABS equipped car, I am sure the wheels would have locked rendering it un-steerable. Also luckily, I was not on the right side of the road. I have a habit of sticking to the left unless the left lane is occupied or I want to overtake specially when doing good speeds. I guess apart from following traffic rules, it also gives us some time to react in case some spirited soul decides to test his 100 M sprint timings while crossing the highway and suddenly bursts into view from the divider.

I will be sharing more details about the drive soon, once I arrange the toll receipts and transfer the photographs from my camera.

Cheers!

Drive safe.

[vibbs]

Well The car has now done more than 3.8K kms in 40 days. The average FE has been around 15 KMPL. The highway runs after initial 1000 Kms were done with quite a heavy right foot. I assume with a lighter foot on the pedal I can achieve average FE of around 17-18 KMPL.

The door lock issue cropped up again once. I had gone to wifey's office to pick her up and opened the locks by unlocking the driver side door. After driving off the auto lock sound came on hitting 20 Kmph. But the knobs came and settled at unlocked position rather than locked position. Stopped the car at the side and tried opening the doors, they wont open. Switched off the car, and the doors opened. Started and drove off, the doors locked again. No issues there after. Strange.

This was before I drove to Bangalore. The car performed impeccably in the drive. But to be frank, I would have liked a bit more bite from the engine. It does struggle at times during quick overtaking maneuvers and even in the turbo zone not much of the boost is felt. Within the city, if one is driving sedately, the third gear can be used almost as an automatic except for Bumper to Bumper traffic. The car pulls along without accelerator input in third gear at about 20Kmph. From then on to 60 Kmph the third does a good job unless you want to zoom off suddenly, wherein a down shift to second would be required at 20Kmph.

At highway speeds there is significant amount of noise creeping in from the engine. But with engine not in the turbo zone, it gets pretty silent.

Another grouse is that the power band is really narrow. The cars starts waking up above 1.5 K RPM or so, but it is after 2K that the real meat is and then it starts trailing off soon after some 3000 rpm. The reviews speak of life being till 4K rpm, but I really wouldn't want tor revv it beyond 3.5 K.

Although the short gearings make Bumper to Bumper drive reasonably easy, it makes any quick lunges into the gaps equally difficult. The first and second gears are too short and by the time you shift to the third the momentum is lost. To add to the woes is the pretty ordinary gear shift quality too. But as long as you are contend with a sedate driving style within the city, you wont complain too much. The clutch is light although the travel is long and the ride compliant enough to be comfortable both within the city and out at the highways.

Some photographs from the recent Pune-Bangalore and back drive.


The NH4 is pretty straight and smooth for most part, specially after Kolhapur. Between Pune to Kolhapur, there are a few diversions. The dividers are all covered with thick vegetation which does improve the aethetics, but at the same time conceals stray animals and also humans trying to cross the road.




The roads are tarred for most part, though there are a few concrete stretches too.






Some truck traffic too and like anywhere else, here too they hog the right most lane compelling you to overtake them from left.




Of-course cow traffic too.



The landscape becomes very beautiful, specially in and around Belgaum.



With water bodies too.



Some curves.





'The Red' getting a much needed break at Kamat Upachar near Hubli.



On our return trip, the highway was blocked just before reaching Belgaum and we had to take a detour via Beedi and Khanapur to hit Belgaum. This took us through some good countryside roads through the villages.




'The Red' Cooling off after one of the refueling stops.




Thats all for now. Cheers

Drive safe

[Rubbertramps]

Congrats on the Purchase Vibbs. Read the whole post. It is very well written and nice analysis on all the cars. Happy driving !

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by Rubbertramps

Congrats on the Purchase Vibbs. Read the whole post. It is very well written and nice analysis on all the cars. Happy driving !

Thanks Rubbertramps!!


UPDATE: 54 days, 4628 Kms- First Service done
At Pandit Auto Fiat Service Center Bavdhan.

Cost : Nil

Also filled up a feedback form regarding Product satisfaction. Gave negative feedback on Plastic quality, gear shift quality and OEM speaker quality.



Fuel data till Date (Data pulled out from fuel log on Android)


Total fuel filled: 310.67 L
Total fill-ups: 11 (3 were partial fill-ups rest were tank fills)
Average fuel consumption: 15 Km/L

Best:16.33 Km/L


The fuel indicator registers the tank fill quickly if the engine is switched off during the fueling. If not, it takes close to 10 minutes to show the fill.

Some minor rattles have cropped up of late- a minor irritant in an otherwise smooth sailing as of now.


Cheers!!

Drive safe.

[vibbs]

Yesterday, 'Red' completed its 2 months with us. Incidentally yesterday, we went on a day's drive to Lonavla, Ambi Valley, Mumbai and back to Pune.

It is also time, I guess to now pen down my list of 'Likes and Dislikes'. I had refrained from adding those in the initial review because at that point of time the 'likes' as well as 'dislikes' were more broad based than specific. So before specifically venturing out with a list of 'What I like' and 'What I dislike', I wanted to spend some time with the car over varied conditions so that it could mirror what I truly felt.

In the last two months and 5000 Kms with 'Red', we have done some long highway trips (some as long as Pune - Bangalore and back) and also driven some very badly traffic infested roads in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore. With this as a back up, I guess I am now in a position to justice to a list that jots down the 'likes' and 'dislikes, with my car.

The list wont be just a standard bullet points list, but will be just a bit more descriptive and it will also contain 'What I have begun to like'.

What I like

• First things first: The solid build. I am just amazed at the feeling of solidity this car provides every time I sit inside and shut the doors. The hatch door, the bonnet, everything provides a sense of strong built.
  
• The ride quality: Slightly on the firmer side but among the ones with best balance when it comes to soaking bumps at slow speed and high speed.
  
• The Steering: So well calibrated giving the right amount of feedback and highly confidence inspiring on the highways at high speeds. In other words: Point and Shoot.
  
• Brakes: I always believe ABS to be a life saver. To almost drive home the point that I did well to go for a car with ABS, there happened an incident last month on the way to Bangalore. Just outside Hubli when the setting sun was playing tricks on visibility by casting shadows on the road, a man decides to jump into the highway from the thickly forested median. I slam the brakes swerve the car slightly left and then right, a hint of a squeal of tyres and the car loses speed rapidly at the same time maintaining its composure back on track as if nothing happened. I believe ABS saved me that day else the car would have spun out of control with me slamming the brakes.
  
• The boot space: I had a swift previously. I guess that speaks enough of why I love the boot space in Punto.
  
• In-city Drive-ability: I know I am going to get a lot of stares at this point because the Punto is known as a slow coach. But I would put my foot down and say that the Punto (atleast the 75Hp one) has decent drive-ability in the city as long as you are not playing the street racer role at the signals. Yes, there is turbo lag and the engine wakes up only close to 2000 rpm, but the short first and second gear help you jump that lag space pretty soon. In slow moving Bumper-Bumper traffic, the second gear does the job well at keeping pace. With the first and second, it is not like the car is dead below 2000 rpm, because their short ratios ensure you are out of the zone quick enough. Yes it does kill your drag racing chances because the third is slightly long (in comparison to the first two) and you lose some engine momentum when shifting from second to third. But as long as your intention is to just keep the pace with traffic, it would do just fine.

Things I dont Like

• Plastics: Enough said.
• Lack of outright Punch: There is nothing you can do to make this car shoot off the line. Gear ratios, engine tuning, kerb weight and what not, this doesn't seem to be the engine doing duty on the Swift, which is known for its Turbo Kick.
• Rear space: At par with my Swift, but then that was a grouse I had with the Swift too.
• Long Turning Radius: I have been taking quite a few three point turns of late.
• Storage points: Why Fiat Why? How difficult is it to provide a few Bottle holders?
• Absolutely ridiculous interior packaging: A car that is decently sized on the outside for a Hatchback but so short on space inside, is something that is disappointing.
• Rubbery Gear shift: Kills the fun entirely.
• Long travel clutch: It gets a bit uncomfortable in traffic.
• Audio system: The stock music system quality is pedestrian to put it mildly.
• Rattles: Yes!! A few rattles and squeaks have crept in. Though its still not as much a rattlesnake as my Swift. There is some road noise and wind noise too at high speeds.
  

Things that I have begun to like

• The engine note: Yes! it is gruff, but I have begun to like the the engine note of late, though it gets a bit more audible at high speeds.
  
• Front seats: Initially I had issues in finding a comfortable driving position. But a trip to Bangalore and back, I had absolutely nothing to complain on the driving comfort. I guess one gets used to it with time. It does get a bit uncomfortable in traffic though with the awkward position of the pedals.

Some pics to sign off!!











Cheers

Drive Safe!!

[bIte tHe bulLet]

Nice! Welcome to Fiat. And many congratulations on a lovely car. I still find my head turn when a nicely maintained Punto goes past on the road!

If there's one brand in our country who has single handedly tried to commit harakiri on every given opportunity (and then some!) it has to be this one...!

And I'm a Fiat loyalist! Had a Sienna when it first launched, got the Palio when the 1st refresh happened and then the Linea, as soon as they got them off the production line. With each successive launch, just as it looks like they've got their act together, they seem to slip a little deeper into the abyss.

That's horrific given the stunning cars they (are capable) make. The Linea is a hoot to drive, as is the Punto I'd imagine - but God save the customer, once you've bitten and bought into the brand....

Apologies for the negativity, but just cheesed off at how this brand's being murdered in India. All the best and may you have many adventures yet...

Cheers and drive sane.

[vibbs]

A small Update, Close to 6K Kms done. Car behaving well except for a couple of rattles from door panels that keep coming and going. Not too intrusive, infact not heard when the music plays. There was a small 'dub dub' sound that used to come from somewhere on the front side at parking speeds while negotiating bumps etc. This typically used to be there only after the car is run for some time (around 10-15 Kms). Before that no sounds used to come. Surprisingly though, since the last few days, I cant hear the noise anymore.

What irritates me however is that the driver seat has started squeaking. Quite a bit in fact, every time I brake, take a turn, drive over a speed breaker or even move in my seat, it squeaks . First I thought it is the sound of the Art leather seat covers rubbing. However I now feel it is the seat itself that is squeaking. Anybody else faced similar problem?

Originally Posted by bIte tHe bulLet

Nice! Welcome to Fiat. And many congratulations on a lovely car. I still find my head turn when a nicely maintained Punto goes past on the road!

Thanks Bite the bullet. Don't worry, I am now immune to the negativity Fiat spurns from others around, so no need to apologize

[swiftnfurious]

Congrats on one of the most driver oriented cars. I think your thread is bringing out the actual beauty of a Punto. I have seen a lot of people commenting that Punto is easily the most stylish hatch in India. I could never find the red that sexy, but for the first time I am forced to believe it.

I find the black sexy though!

Congrats on the pics too!

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Congrats on one of the most driver oriented cars. I think your thread is bringing out the actual beauty of a Punto. I have seen a lot of people commenting that Punto is easily the most stylish hatch in India. I could never find the red that sexy, but for the first time I am forced to believe it.

I find the black sexy though!

Congrats on the pics too!

Thank you swiftnfurious!! There are a couple of threads here with great photographs specially of the red one. Glad you liked my pics.

Yes it is a driver oriented car. Having driven a Swift for four years, there was no way I was going to settle for a car that is not driver oriented. Though I do feel the Punto to be a tag under-powered. The ideal drivers hatch in India for me would be a car that has the reliability and the service backing of the swift, the build, the ride, handling and the steering of the Punto and the fiat engine but tuned by Maruti with gearbox of the Swift.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by vibbs

...Though I do feel the Punto to be a tag under-powered...

So can I safely assume there will be a remap / tuning box in line?

Originally Posted by vibbs

...The ideal drivers hatch in India for me would be a car that has the reliability and the service backing of the swift, the build, the ride, handling and the steering of the Punto and the fiat engine but tuned by Maruti with gearbox of the Swift.

Could NOT get better than this!

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

So can I safely assume there will be a remap / tuning box in line?

Possibly an year or two later. I just need to make sure this is not one of the Fiats that makes the owner bleed money, before I decide to go Mod-happy.

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Could NOT get better than this!

I ll add the Swift's front seats too to the package.

SMALL UPDATE.

The Red is not running as much now a days as it used to do in the initial 3 months.

Just crossed 9500 kms in these 5 months. Mileage off late has been low. I believe that is because of too many short daily drives. My office is just 4 kms from my house so by the time the engine has warmed up, I reach my destination. No complaints as of now except a couple of minor rattles and a squeaky drivers seat.

This update however was meant to log an under body hit today. I was off for an early morning round of cricket game with office colleagues and had parked the car within the ground at the perferi(for those who are familiar its the vacant ground near Jagtap Diary in PCMC area.

While leaving I over looked a rock and heard a big thud. I realised I hit something. Immediately the steering column began vibrating. I immediately switched off the engine to check the damage. The engine guard had done its job, taken the brunt and got deformed. I could not find any thing else amiss but the vibration was troubling me. I reasoned that it might be because of the bent guard touching the engine and transfering the vibrations to the body. Decided to get it checked at the service center. On the way, realised that the vibrations are at idle and goes away once the car is underway. There was a faint change in sound around 1.8k rpm mark when the turbo spooled up.

The service center guys examined and confirmed my doubt, that vibration was due to the guard touching the engine and transfering the vibrations. They pushed the guard down with a rod to make sure it doesn't touch anywhere. Checked the car, no vibrations, no abnormal sound, all back to normal and I was good to go.

Cheers

Drive safe.

[vibbs]

Knock Knock anybody here

Anyways a small update. The car had developed some rattles from the roof, the drivers seat has been squeaking at the lowermost position and there is a slight sound coming from the front suspensions. So took her to the service center today. The roof rattle was attended to, the seat was oiled but with no result, it still squeaks. The suspension it seems would require replacement of some bush which would take time. Today being free monsoon check up camp, there was quite a big crowd at the center, hence decided to leave her at the center on Tuesday for the suspension check.

Rest all fine, the car has crossed 12 K Kms as of now. The average mileage within Pune has settled to around 15Kmpl mark with highway figures hovering between 18-20 Kmpl depending on the driving style.

Cheers

[vibbs]

They say every Fiat owner has its Achilles heel. One niggling problem that will keep you busy with the service center. It is just a matter of finding out yours. I think I have got mine.

The issue first reared its head 3-4 months back. There was a small dub dub sound that used to come from the front right side while taking bumps at slow speed, sometimes while even braking at slow speed. It was intermittent and was used to appear after the car has been driven for some time. As if something was loose near the wheel or suspension.

It was not too bothersome but I wanted to be sure that its not something major. So two months back I took appointment with the service center to get it checked. They started with checking the link rod tightness and after multiple trials, zeroed in on the possibility of a busted elastic pad on the right front suspension. However this would take time and I would have had to leave the car overnight. Probably for more than one day since it was weekend. So I was advised to get the car on another day preferably in the morning, so that they get the whole day to work on it.

A couple of appointments and cancellations later, I finally decided to show up again on a day that happened to be the free monsoon camp ( mentioned in the previous post). I expected to start off from where we stopped last time, since the problem had already been diagnosed. But the quality inspector insisted in taking trials again. One trial drive later, I handed over the car and pointed out two more issues, 1. A rattle from the roof, 2. A squeaky drivers seat.

I was again told that the suspension job would take time and I better get the car on a weekday. But the rattle and the squeak was attended to. I took another appointment for a weekday with a hope that suspension issue would be sorted out.

Finally two days later I left the car at service center early in the morning. The service advisor with whome I had an appointment was had not yet come in the morning, nevertheless my car was taken in and job card prepared by another advisor, with a promise that I ll get a call back once the advisor assigned to me is in the office. The call back however never happened so I myself called him up at lunch to check. Expectedly he had no idea about what was happening with my car, but promised to call back after checking. Five minutes later I was informed that the people have opened up the suspension, however I would get back the car only on the next day.

The pad and mount was replaced with zero cost and I hoped for the issue to have been taken care of. However one week later, the noise is still there, the rattle is back and the squeak never went. Now I am not really sure if the pads were the issue at all. I have no idea how to resolve this, Pandit Auto is supposedly the better dealer in Pune.

Of late I feel that the ride quality had gone down. It has become a bit more unsettling. The rear has become a bit more bouncy and all irregularities in the road seem to be filtering through. Yesterday took the car for a spin on the Mumbai-Pune expressway and the drive was not as comfortable as I would have liked it to be with the car bouncing along on all irregularities on the road. My brother who was at the rear too complained about the car being too bouncy and rolling excessively.