[icyspikey]

The other day [December ’13 ] a conversation sparked between me and my dad. He had just got caught by the police for driving my car. [She had a 35% on the front and 5% on all other sides. A Sight to behold !]. I knew this time he will force me to remove the tints. Instead he asked if it was time to change the car. It had been almost 4 years and 57k kms. The car was in an ‘OK’ condition. I’m not entirely blaming Ford here, the car was thrashed for the past 2 years it was with me. Signal Launches. Frequent Redlining. It took corners with its stock tyres like a piece of cake. [Now I can’t say if the handling is that phenomenal or whether because the car is underpowered]. It was that new driver phase and I just couldn't help it. The car could have lasted easily for 1L Kms but we’d get a good deal selling it off now. So it was time to sell my Figo . The car in which I actually learnt driving. Lots of memories.You can check her out here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...igo-1-4-a.html
It took some time to sell the car . We had it for a week or two after the delivery of our new car. The Punto 90.

The Criteria :
This car will be used only by me so rear bench comfort, boot space didn't matter at all. It will cover about 1500kms a month.Should be driver oriented.
Usage Pattern : 70% city 30% highways. 100% A/C.

Cars Considered

The ubiquitous Swift
There are peeps who would kill me if this car didn't make it here. The car just screams "Love me or Hate me but you just can't ignore me " . Build Quality was strictly OK. Gear Ratios were good. Best base map for the MJD. Shame Fiat couldn't get it right.[ Some Fiat owners say that the Punto isn't aggressively tuned for longer engine life than the swift . I have seen old swift Ds cross 1.5L kms and still going strong. Any thoughts here? ].Seating was comfortable. ZDi's braking at 100KMPH was decent . Couldn't test more.
Dad loved the car though !
The deal we got for Swift ZDi – 8L On Road with basic accessories.
VDi – 7.2L IIRC.

Micra/Pulse
Didn't appeal

I20
The current gen i20 look much better than the previous gen IMO.
Fit and finish was AWESOME . Power was AWESOME . Handling was Average.
I immediately heard a mind voice of " I see what you did there Hyundai" when I saw the equipment levels and the feature list. Some peeps of mine who own i20s argued its the best city hatch and I should buy one because my running is mostly in city. i wouldn't have given a second thought if i hadn't experienced first-hand the sheer disappointment in highways. Brink of nausea. But for people who don't push the car much i20 should be a safe bet.
PS : If i had bought the i20 , the first mod I'd do was remove the darn 'DRLs'. Even my chrome loving relatives thought it was too gaudy.

Liva
Looks were a downer. Supposedly worst in terms of safety and maximum cost cutting everywhere possible [ Source : Tear-down analysis by an OEM .] . The build looked flimsy. D-4D is quite old and not exciting. But The Centre speedo is my actual deal breaker.[ Somethings just shouldn't change ]. Toyota's reliability & service is nothing new to us as our Innova's upkeep costs are insanely low. But am I going to drive for lakhs of kilometres? NO! Even if i did drive i seriously doubt how a hatch will hold up . A high-miler will obviously spend most of the kms on highways . How can I take a car with this kind of safety on highways ? Paradox.

Beat/Sail
Beat was too small and I don’t like 3 pots. We had a Chevy U-Va and ran into some service issues so Sail didn't make it too.

Polo
Though the 3 pot was a downer , the car was excellent in every other aspect ! GT had some waiting period and I had a Rapid which is essentially the same. So it was put on hold. [ I'd like to see a Fabia GT TDI ! I hopelessly love Skoda cars . Yes ! In-spite of all their shenanigans]

Figo
We don’t like repeating cars and the facelift didn't help . Drove the new Figo [ Courtesy : Friendly BHPian Arch-Angel ] ,Loved the improved driveability. Gear shifts appeared precise. Supposedly the top end wasn't as exciting as the old figo . Can someone confirm?

Punto
We went to R.D.C teynampet and after some reluctance the Punto 90 test drive was arranged. Dad drove the car and he hated the rubbery gear shifting, hard steering, interiors didn’t help either. He was mentally cursing the car so much that he didn’t notice the supreme ride quality. So he finally said that the only thing he liked was the build quality and handed over the wheels to me.As soon as i sat behind the wheel,I knew Ergonomics was screwed. I pressed the rear power window buttons thinking it’s the front (even now)!. The clutch depresses too much and I have to pull up front. If I do then I’m too close to the other two pedals. It took quite some for me to get a comfortable seating position. I couldn't help but to forgive all the other short comings for the ride and handling! The only real problem I had was with the rubbery shifts.[ Especially the 1st and 2nd gears].It was either this car or the Swift.

The Decision Process

I have an unexplainable dislike to cars which aren't ‘solidly built’. Adding fuel to fire I always pictured the swift’s rear with a Frog’s. Four years back I refused to go into the Maruti showroom to even check out that car. Hence we landed up with Figo. We still would not have bought that Swift i guess , for the insanely long waiting periods back then.I just couldn't see myself buying the swift now too.A 75 bhp car for 8L ? Polo GT sounded much more VFM in comparison.A 75 bhp car for 7.2L which has no airbags or ABS , 165 sections (from the rear it looks like really crude), No Alloys ? My '10 Figo TDCi Titanium had costed me just 6L On-Road with all possible accessories.
At that moment RDC Motors gave a killer quote and I was sold immediately.A little more than what the Swift VDi would have costed . Now i get Airbags , ABS , Blue& Me , Proper 195 sections as OEM ,a 90HP engine and a better handler ! Contacted a tuner and asked his opinion . Maps for Punto 90 were ready but he still suggested the Swift as the 90HP's potential was curbed by the gearing. If i remapped the Punto it would be as good or slightly more aof a stock swift in terms of driveability and 0-100s. Including the remap cost and other related expenses like frequent oil changes Etc. I was still saving a huge sum over the ZDi. Post 100kmph a remapped 90 should wipe out everything except the GT. Works for me perfectly.
Leaving all that aside , It's astounding to see so much love for Fiat even after they ditched the owners. Fanboyism is prevalent among all brands for some reason, but i was somehow convinced there was truly something their cars had to offer.I have never owned,driven any Fiat cars except the Punto. The cars definitely had to be that good or at-least something which other manufacturers just can't offer.Why else would Fiat still commands respect among enthusiasts ? All my deductions were based on a simple personal experience. Skoda horror stories are nothing new to the forum. Infact its sort of general knowledge ! I still chose to buy the Rapid. There was simply no other car I wanted.So Fiat should offer something exquisite!

I must mention that fellow BHPian & close friend aravind.anand was an influencing factor in my decision. It’s ironical that he badly wanted a Punto 90 but bought a 1.6S and I badly wanted a 1.6S [Cancelled the booking for the unavailability of the blue colour back in 2010 ] but bought a Punto 90 now.In terms of sheer fun it shall always be the 1.6S. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...esta-1-6s.html
There was no turning back on the decision when member&close friend ajay2233 gave a thumbs up too.

I didn't like the ‘sport’ decals on the 90 Sport model, so I settled for 90 Emotion. It might be of interest for you to know that I had Abarth like decals going on in my previous car. So now that you know how weird I can get I shall proceed. I wanted the Aluminium Pedals and Painted Black Roof in my car. My friend personally came with me to meet Mr.Chandrasekar , MD RDC Motors to get a deal on that . The pedals couldn't be bargained, but we got the black roof and illuminated scuff plates for free.[ Later i came to know that the decals were pasted just outside the showroom and i could have bought the Sport without the stickers ! Spilt Milk. ]

The Buying Process

The delivery happened during mid-Jan’14 but I really needed some time to put together a report. A friend of mine had got me a great deal on the car.The sales person too was an enthusiast i guess. We spent about an hour talking about cars.He threw in zero dep insurance for just 3k extra. After a two minute discussion with dad , I booked the car . Later in the evening payment was done and sales guy promised a delivery within 3 days.After some talks with him and Mr.Chandrasekar they promised to deliver the car next day.

The Final Accessory List Offered :
1) Illuminated Scuff Plate [ Still Pending . Yes After 4 months past delivery! ]
2) Black Roof Painting
3) Regular Mats, Neat looking Mudflaps
4) Red-Black Art Leather seat covers
5) Chrome Exhaust Tip [ It's sitting on the line between classy and tacky. People at home liked it , So letting it be.]
6) Reverse Parking Sensor [ Very useful than i originally imagined ]

Delivery
The delivery was postponed by a day as R.D.C handled 20+ deliveries in one day [Yeah that’s a big figure for FIAT] and they couldn't do my accessory fitments during delivery. So I postponed it to the next day after they promised punctual delivery with everything ready. So we arrived the next day and were waiting at the lounge.Meanwhile dad and mom were going around and couldn't find any car with TN-20 ready for delivery. They went back to the lounge reassured that we'll be missing the movie. I asked them if they saw the car and they said it wasn't ready . I had just seen the car while coming in ! There had been some RTO changes and ours was changed to TN-12. So after the confusion was resolved Mom was happy that we'll make to the movie . Dad and myself sort of missed TN-20. It's the last thing on the world someone so insensitive as me could be affectionate about I guess. The promised delivery time: 3:30 PM.The actual delivery time: 5:30 PM.We had booked a movie @ 6:30 PM.Apart from the family getting a bit pissed about sitting in their lounge for two hours, I felt cheated as the car had a Black Matte Wrap on its roof and not painted even after I clearly said I wanted it painted ‘n’ times . Anyway the showroom guys give silly reasons and finally apologize asking me to bring the car next week. Dad liked the matte more than painted so I decided to stick on with the matte.Car was full of watermarks and wasn't even washed properly before delivery, but the staff were courteous in handling customers .That was when I got to know that, that day was some kind of record for the Show room for delivering so many cars. On Jan’14 Fiat had sold over 1207 Units ! They kept lemons near the tyres too be squeezed. I politely asked them to remove the lemons as I don’t believe in these kind of things. It got awkward suddenly and I silently obliged .We proceeded to the movie. End of the day
PS : They missed the fitting of parcel tray ! Haven't experienced a delivery as sloppy as this ! They didn't take a proper picture too. I still remember ~10 years back MPL Ford gave us a neat picture during delivery of Ikon. Nothing like a framed picture.

Day 1:
We were planning to go to our home town ( A village in ECR ) and i was excited at the prospect of impressing the family with the superb ride quality. We had just crossed the Toll and dad picked up some noise. It was coming from the front right suspension.Some tak-tak sound
Dad: The i20 looked very good .
I could have said stability on the highways but I chose to shut up. Good decision indeed.
We had about 150+ Kms to cover that day.The noise became so irritating that I myself wanted to just abandon the car.

At our Farmhouse


Coming back to the issue, I immediately took the car to the A.S.S and believe me when I say I have never experienced a service like this.[ Exception : Toyota ! Nothing ever goes wrong. So it's hard to judge :P]
I parked the car inside the A.S.S and looked around for someone.Within seconds I was attended to by a S.A . I explained to him my problem and within minutes the problem was fixed while I was having coffee in the lounge. RDC Motors have really it stepped up . The S.A was technically sound and courteous.Then the S.A explained that this happened in odd cars. (I later found out in another forum that indeed some 90HP models had this problem). Then they gave a Fiat Mug for visiting them for the first time.
Me : If this was prevalent in odd cars why aren't you checking before delivery?
S.A : I have passed this on to the higher ups Sir . For now we do a demo of the car at your convenience sir and there we check for these. But you had refused the demo and we were unable to check everything.
Me : ( Should I blame myself ? )

A Month Later:
I felt that the car was sharply pulling towards the right. At the alignment centre it was suggested that the steering wheel is cross and it’s safer for the A.S.S to fix it than them. [Reason? Air-bags]
Had to leave the car with them for a day and I explained to the S.A that the steering wheel was found to be cross. This again happened with the cars with the right suspension problem [Just my hunch from forums]. So the next day I drove the car, it seemed to be fine. They had attached their new alignment report to the sun visor. Filled up the wiper wash liquid [I heard some A.S.S charge you for that].I have had no problems since then mechanically. The audio system was very average and would distort at high volumes. As a makeshift arrangement before a proper ICE plan I fixed whatever i salvaged from my old car .

[icyspikey]

I got the new car paint protection by Drive Clean [http://www.driveclean.in/] . Absolute Perfection. I was awestruck seeing the car like that but Mr.Baran was still not satisfied with his work . Paint was uneven at some spots he showed me. under the boot lid, on the boot etc. It was not visible to the naked eye but you could see the difference in shine after the detailing. Overall it was highly VFM and the quality of work done was top notch !
Take a look at this for more info : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/chenna...n-chennai.html

Products used - Step Wise
Wash - Foam wash - Meg's hyper wash
Decontamination - WD 40 for tar spots near wheel arcs
Clay - Mothers
Klassee - to clean and prep the surface
Meg's cut n Finish - to specific wet sanded areas
Meg's M205 - Finishing polish
C2V3 - Sealant
Roof vinyl - PERL
wurth - exterior plastics

M26 Yellow Wax - machine applied after a day

Wheels
Billbery alloy cleaner
UPGP - sealant on alloys
Wurth - tires

Engine bay
Super degreaser
PERL for plastics and rubber

Interior
APC clean
Meg's leather conditioner - seats
PERL - plastics

RainX - windshield & boot area

The Result















Check out that wheel-arch GAP

[icyspikey]

There were times when I pondered if I had bought the wrong car. Even the swift seemed like a better option. The diesel was fun to drive. The i20 too.I have had many sleepless nights over my decision.I used to take out the Figo sometimes leaving the Punto at home during the early days of my purchase .It took alot of time for me to appreciate the Punto . She just won't allow me to go on Signal races but once in her paces she can climb RPMs without a sweat. Figo had absolutely no lag but neither did the turbo 'kick' nor was it happily revving. Punto kicks strongly when you near the 2.5k mark and keeps up that punch as the engine roar makes way into the silent cabin . Once i hit peak power in my Figo with the box the adrenaline rush just drops and ceases as the car truly can't maintain very high speeds comfortably . Punto is definitely late to the ton but speeds rise with the same solid punch and you can happily hum a melody at 140 or turn off the stereo and listen to the engine's beautiful turbo grunt.As time went by, Figo was sold off and i started using Punto as my daily drive. The 0-100 dashes are a pleasure to enjoy no doubt ! But once those seconds are over there is nothing else to do . It is very short-lived. Figo was driven with the box at extreme settings , there was some twisted pleasure in that brutality but it was short-lived. If i want to drive spiritedly i don't redline the punto , I shift at 3-4k .The car lunges forward with rapid pace without a drama. The Steering is a piece of art in itself and is thoroughly satisfying. I have not yet driven a hatch with better braking ! Perfectly calibrated for my taste. Now I truly enjoy high speeds.A car is only as good as it's brakes.
At the end of the day this was the revelation from my short driving experience [ Since 2010]
A first time driver would be probably be more happy with the Figo/Swift/i20 for its raw characteristics. I personally would not have liked the Punto as a first time driver. I needed a car which cuts through traffic and flies. On a side note,Rapid exactly does that. [Cannot imagine the fun a remap can provide.]
It takes time to appreciate a Fiat . They have been sloppy on many areas but the cars connect to you like non other !
I see every car as a teacher . Figo taught me how to respond to it's direct feedback.I slowly started judging when the tyres would start squealing and when I'd start spinning .After a year I knew what would exactly happen for my inputs.It gave me satisfaction beyond words. On the other hand Punto has made me more mature.So Fiat does offer something highly unique after-all. Truly excited about my journey with the Italian Beauty now !

What I Like:
1) The feel of the steering is definitely what i love the most . The contouring is just perfect. Feedback is brilliant. The red stitching on the leather goes very well with the overall theme.It is just spot on! Everything an enthusiast likes !
2) The turbo kick and the 'grunt' past the 2.5k rpm is addictive.
3) Brilliant ride quality. Mature suspension setup. No competition here.
4) Dynamics are well sorted . Triple digit speeds can be maintained all day long. Ideal highway hatchback !
4) Brakes are outstanding.The sensitivity and bite are PERFECT.Should definitely be best-in-class.
5) The MJD VGT is extremely rev happy and has good mod potential.
6) Extremely light clutch and excellent GC makes life easier in the urban jungle.
7) Solid Build quality.Absolutely Rattle free.
8) Looks exclusive in comparison to other hatches

What i dislike
1) Ergonomics are far less suited to Indians in comparison to other cars in the segment.E.g, Power window controls
2) Too many buttons/switches for simple operations. E.g, The cabin light switches. ORVM controls.
3) Lack of useful bottle holders anywhere in the car
4) Pathetic gearing . Gear Shifts are rubbery . Ratios aren't well sorted out.
5) Interior fit and finish is so-so. Quality of plastics is almost china-toy like.
6) A & C pillars hamper visibility. It is compounded with the seating position problem.

Initial Feedback on the car :
1)Turbo lag is clearly seen until 2k rpm.
2)You expect much more from a 90HP car across ALL RPM RANGES.
3)Ride quality is miles ahead of its competition. I prefer taking the Punto on highways rather than the Rapid. The Old suspension should have much lesser body roll as per fellow owners, but the increased GC comes has come in handy during many situations.
4)My Old Figo with a chip seemed like an ideal go kart in city. After driving that the Punto seemed painfully slow. Only past 2.4k the turbo kick is felt and until then it’s very slow in climbing RPMs.
5) There is some sort of grease splatter on the right front door on high speed runs . Noticed it three times in a row.
6) Inconsistent panel gaps .Exterior : Boot-lid and rear panel . Interior : Steering stalk assembly, dashboard.
7) Dead pedal is somewhat useful.My feet interferes with the steering shaft sometimes.
8) Spoiler should have been given as stock. A 90HP hatch deserves it !
9) The mileage shown in the MID is fairly accurate. Terrible traffic: 12kmpl Average Traffic : 14kmpl [ All with 100% A/C]
10) Previously the steering had a tendency to move right . That was fixed.
11) The side A/C vents just don't blow enough . They seem to be throwing out weirdly less amount of air . A.S.S says it's normal. A/C is effective though.
12) At idle with the A/C ON there is a harmonic vibration felt on the steering ,seats,gear knob . This too is supposedly normal . It vanishes once the car is in motion.
13) The way Fiat has integrated a perfectly functioning Blue and Me to the car is pathetic . Navigating through your pen-drive is an uphill task . [ One of the main reasons i replaced the HU ]
14) Gear-knob twitches when you step on/off the gas at 2k+ rpm . [Supposedly common among 90HP models]
15) Fiat could have gone with a Non Metallic White colour . The Metallic ones look dull in comparison to German whites.
16) With 15" alloys too , the increased GC makes it an eyesore. Love the fact that 195 sections are stock.
17) It's ok if the spare was a steel wheel of the same size . But 14" steel ?
18) The front grill could have been in black and not some cheap grey.
19) 32 psi on all tyres makes the ride a bit bouncy. 30 psi works for me.
20) The turning radius could be a better.
21) Rear bench is cramped even when a short persons are occupying the front seats.
22) Boot Space is decent . I'm happy as long as it can hold my sub-woofer.
23) Ingress and egress is easy. Elders in the family are much more happier than in a Figo.
24) NVH is very good ! But for some reason the music inside the car is very clearly heard outside.Unable to figure out why.
25) Wipers look contemporary and does it's job well.


Service & Maintenance
I will not recommend a Fiat to a no nonsense car buyer. The A.S.S take their own sweet time to sort out issues and the car is not niggle free.
R.D.C Motors seem highly competent. Their mechanics are knowledgeable and do not feed you stories. Even A.S.S of famous manufacturers like Maruti,Toyota are not very knowledgeable and are not able to fix minor issues too.So if you aren't highly intolerant towards niggles Punto isn't a gamble.


Current List of Mods :
The fake red striped HSRP look alike plates
Blaunpunkt A75 Nanoceramic Film and a metallic Blaunpunkt film ( Forgot the exact name . 3m CR70 Equivalent ) on the sides
Kenny X7016 +Pio champion series sub& amp+Kicker co-axials ( Retained from Figo)

Upcoming :
Spoiler [ Haven't decided if i should go for OEM or Aftermarket]
Remap [ Waiting for the 10k mark]
Seats [The accessory fitment looks good but lower back has no support . Planning to remove it and drive. Can't afford Stanley on all cars sadly]

At Present :
The ODO stands at 4950 and is due for first service.
There seems to be some sort of greasy stuff on the left door on high speed runs. Noticed it thrice.
Occasional front right suspension sound is back !

I'm planning to change the oil @ 5k . As a thumbrule new cars should have an initial oil change before following the scheduled ones right ? Isn't that how a run in is properly completed?
The A.S.S is willing to but a friendly S.A advices me against it . I was considering Mobil Delvac 1.
Any pointers here ?

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Vikki@Hyderabad]

Let me be the first to congratulate you. I've always loved the Punto in red [somehow because I'm a Ferrari fan and Fiat is as close to it as it gets ]. It definitely is a good buy and hope your dream run with the Fiat ASC continues.

Separately, my brother owns a Punto MJD Active and we always get into arguments about which of our cars is better [mine is a Figo TDCi Titanium]. It'd be great if you could do a comparo between the two and enlighten the both of us.

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by icyspikey

It takes time to appreciate a Fiat . They have been sloppy on many areas but the cars connect to you like non other !

Many congratulations for the red hot Punto.
Hope the Italian beauty serves you well.
Enjoy your ride and drive safe.

Well I appreciate your comment on the Fiat cars and thanks for the honest review.

About changing the engine oil at 5K KM, it is upto you and the FASS will resist you from doing so. Fiat uses synthetic engine oil with the brand name Selenia and I don't think they would allow using Delvac, you need to do it outside.

[Raghav_K]

Thanks for this thread.

I'm debating between an i10 Grande vs Fiat Punto, to replace my aging Santro, which I would be buying within two months.

This thread gives a fair idea about Punto which I'm yet to test drive.

P.S: are Fiat fussy about warranty? Did you get the head unit changed at the dealer or outside?

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by icyspikey

At idle with the A/C ON there is a harmonic vibration felt on the steering ,seats,gear knob. The way Fiat has integrated a perfectly functioning Blue and Me to the car is pathetic . Navigating through your pen-drive is an uphill task.

Is this felt the moment you hit the air conditioning button and during cold start? I ask cause the common cooling fan, when it spins at the higher speed can make just about everything vibrate. I have observed this on my car but only on very hot summer days and when the fan spins at higher speed, which is like a turbine. It is very audible too.

I can live with the navigation headache of Blue N Me. What really ruins it is not being able to access the pen drive when the car is switched off.

[icyspikey]

Originally Posted by Vikki@Hyderabad

Let me be the first to congratulate you. I've always loved the Punto in red [somehow because I'm a Ferrari fan and Fiat is as close to it as it gets ]. It definitely is a good buy and hope your dream run with the Fiat ASC continues.
Separately, my brother owns a Punto MJD Active and we always get into arguments about which of our cars is better [mine is a Figo TDCi Titanium]. It'd be great if you could do a comparo between the two and enlighten the both of us.

Thank You Vikki ! Haha The common man's Ferrari ! Fingers crossed with ASC.
Hmm it'll be much easier if you could tell me your priorities. For now my Vote goes for the Figo Titanium !

Originally Posted by Sommos

Many congratulations for the red hot Punto.
Hope the Italian beauty serves you well.
Enjoy your ride and drive safe.

Well I appreciate your comment on the Fiat cars and thanks for the honest review.

About changing the engine oil at 5K KM, it is upto you and the FASS will resist you from doing so. Fiat uses synthetic engine oil with the brand name Selenia and I don't think they would allow using Delvac, you need to do it outside.

Thank You ! Ofcourse the oil change can only be done at a third-party garage. My question is whether it is worth this soon or let the engine wear for another 5k kms ?

Originally Posted by Raghav_K

Thanks for this thread.

I'm debating between an i10 Grande vs Fiat Punto, to replace my aging Santro, which I would be buying within two months.

This thread gives a fair idea about Punto which I'm yet to test drive.

P.S: are Fiat fussy about warranty? Did you get the head unit changed at the dealer or outside?

I'd vote for the Punto in this comparison ! It's all in the hands of your A.S.S for warranty claims. RDC is very lenient. The audio was done by a third party only. Ford S.A knew about my dieseltronic box too and was cool with it!

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Is this felt the moment you hit the air conditioning button and during cold start? I ask cause the common cooling fan, when it spins at the higher speed can make just about everything vibrate. I have observed this on my car but only on very hot summer days and when the fan spins at higher speed, which is like a turbine. It is very audible too.

I can live with the navigation headache of Blue N Me. What really ruins it is not being able to access the pen drive when the car is switched off.

Yes only during cold starts ! But not seasonal , I get it everyday ! The vibration settles down after sometime though.

Well, I really couldn't stand any of it. The bluetooth was brilliant though.

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by Raghav_K

P.S: are Fiat fussy about warranty? Did you get the head unit changed at the dealer or outside?

Not at all, this is from my own experience and most fiat owners voice the same feeling.

Originally Posted by icyspikey

My question is whether it is worth this soon or let the engine wear for another 5k kms ?

That is a decision that you need to take.

I personally believe that 5K would be too early to change a synthetic oil and have adhered to the 10K interval.

[pareshraheja]

Originally Posted by icyspikey

. On the other hand Punto has made me more mature.So Fiat does offer something highly unique after-all. Truly excited about my journey with the Italian Beauty now !

Welcome to the club!!

Wait for the car to cross 10 K. The engine will open up more in the city driving. Surely will not match the pace of the swift at signals lights but, will feel a lot more relaxed in lower gears.

[ghodlur]

Heartiest congratulations and welcome to the Maseratti look alike club. Ouch that gloss on the car blinds the eye man.

I still believe that the 75 HP and 90 HP are alike except on the highways where the 90HP shows its true power.

Happy mile crunching and drive safely.

[icyspikey]

Originally Posted by Sommos

That is a decision that you need to take.

I personally believe that 5K would be too early to change a synthetic oil and have adhered to the 10K interval.

Do you still run Selenia or have you experimented with something else ?

Originally Posted by pareshraheja

Welcome to the club!!

Wait for the car to cross 10 K. The engine will open up more in the city driving. Surely will not match the pace of the swift at signals lights but, will feel a lot more relaxed in lower gears.

Awaiting that milestone ! A few owners have said the same too.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Heartiest congratulations and welcome to the Maseratti look alike club. Ouch that gloss on the car blinds the eye man.

I still believe that the 75 HP and 90 HP are alike except on the highways where the 90HP shows its true power.

Happy mile crunching and drive safely.

Thank You ! Gloss courtesy - Drive Clean !
I haven't driven the 75HP Punto much but i do own a Vista MJD and post 2.5k the 90HP differentiates itself from the 75HP .
As you said the difference is more pronounced in the highways !

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by icyspikey

Do you still run Selenia or have you experimented with something else ?

My car is 22 months old and I have not ventured out of the FASS.
So I have used only Selenia.

[Chitta Pradhan]

Hi
Congrats on your new red hot car. Wish you years of enjoyable motoring on your Punto. Has the higher GC imacted any of its handling characteristics. I had a td of new Linea and really liked the car. The car was not slow like Lineas I had driven few years back. Fiat has done some tweaking to the car, I believe. In Punto too, Fiat might have done the same thing.

You have first hand experience of three wonderful driver's car , Punto, Rapid & Figo. How much mark would you give them out of a max of 10 in the area of handling on highways, ride quality & NVH.