The following is a story of events, thoughts, analysis, retrospection and omens leading to my 1st Car and the story thereafter…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Office Transport
Its 10:30pm. I am returning in my regular Company cab. Everything goes on as usual every day.
The same set of people doing same things- Someone’s talking to her boyfriend in a hush hush voice, someone listening to the music with the ears plugged, some with the usual weary looks after an end of hard workday and one extremely lively voice from the radio played by the cab driver before the song we all are waiting for…
Hum to thaire Pardesi...Saath kya nibhaoge…
..Ummm… actually NOT
The crowd bursts into laughter. Driver seems to be enjoying it. (Probably a bit more than we are). Two minutes later, a harsh and loud voice intervenes the driver’s enjoyment. BHAIYA RADIO BAND KAR DO…. (Please stop playing the Radio)
Lady next to me could not bear any longer.
The Driver never played the radio again at least for the 10:30pm drop. I thank her for what she did and realize how I have been missing those wonderful songs from my favorite playlist. Though I may listen to songs on a headphone, I don’t prefer that. A clear sign to others- “Don’t talk to me” makes me feel rude.
After years of travelling by the company transport system I needed some personal space, somewhere I can sit peacefully and enjoy my own world after and before work. Enjoy the music that I like, or the silence which I need. Talking about space, at 6.1 feet, I was doing more adjustments than an average Indian citizen in a Tempo traveler.
Yes. I needed a CAR.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A ride of the Italian Beauty
I remember a ride of my Uncle’s new Grande Punto from the year 2010. One look at the car made me fall for it. Beautiful Italian car I say. A ride of the car was in the cards and below is an account of my first hand impressions of the car from a co-passenger perspective:
The moment I stepped into the car, the first thing worth noticing was the hefty Vault like door which closed in three steps and talks a lot about the thick metal shield which FIAT has used to create the body shell. It seemed like a big car from the co-driver seat. Never felt I am sitting in a hatch. Especially the big screen in front has been set at an angle, as if it’s just an extension to the roof. Interiors are Cozy and comfortable due to the choice of Dark plastics and tinted glasses. The cabin seemed to be quiet with all windows rolled up. The AC chilled the cabin to an ambient temperature which seemed just right. Seats were well designed with a choice of black and grey fabric. The ride was extremely pliant and the car was comfortable cruising on the road with no side ward movements especially while negotiating bad patches. We encountered a small stretch where the entrance to a society was under construction with gravels. My uncle decelerated the car to crawling speeds and we crossed it without any vibrations or shocks, all we could hear were the gravels adjusting/moving due to the weight of the car.
I am stunned. My uncle exclaimed, “That’s engineering”
It was a “
Love at first sight”.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Re-search
While the ride of my uncle’s Punto worked like a spell, which was hard to break. Reading reviews of this car on the websites gave me a clearer picture. Fact remains that FIAT’s service was not the best. After all, who would like to be stranded with their machine on the road after paying close to entry level sedans? Heart says Punto, while the more practical brain gives tons of options, EXCEPT Punto. The Dilemma begins…
Requirement and Driving Conditions:
Since buying a car means shelling out good amount of cash flow, it was important to access my requirements before getting the car.
• Daily drive of 30kms to office on weekdays, with 70% highway and 30% traffic clogged roads.
• Weekend drives are difficult to assess, however I am assuming a 50kms with 70% city drive.
• Long Highway drives to explore new places once in a while.
• Petrol/Diesel dint matter due to the moderate kms. But diesel was preferred as it doesn’t bring any restrictive usage feeling.
• Budget: Anywhere in the ballpark of 7lakhs (Diesel) and 6lakhs (Petrol).
Expectations:
• I wanted a solid feel coming from the car while travelling. It would also ensure a non rattling car after years of usage.
• Good NVH levels, as I would be driving with the Air Con at most of the times. This would ensure a stress free ride.
• A planted feel during those long highway runs. Don’t want to feel sick in a car, which gives a ship like feel due to road undulations.
• A good driving position and a sense of space for a 6 footer like me.
• Decent amount of boot space for those weekend runs.
• I am a sedate driver. A zero to 100 figure of a car won’t make any difference in my car buying decision. But the cars ability to keep cruising at 100km/hr would definitely play a vital role. Means, I should be confident enough to have complete control of the car at that kind of speed.
• Decent service quality and availability of spares.
• A car which comes with a good heart. (Read Engine)
• Looks are subjective; I liked the German VW and Italian FIAT in terms of styling.
• Sufficient ground clearance, to tackle potholes and bumpers from our not so well engineered Indian Roads.
Looking at the above set of expectations, I was squarely targeting the B+ Hatchback segment of the market. (Ritz, Figo, i20, Polo, Punto etc). This saw me visiting showrooms of most other manufacturers and I ended up being more confused with my car buying decision. There were three cars which were the top contenders as per me: Ritz, Polo & Punto.
During the review process, I understood that every car is good and every car has its flaws. Months went along and I felt stretched by the sheer thought of choosing the car. Fiat Punto (Diesel) indeed was the car which was very close to meet all my expectations except one- Decent service and availability of Spares -The chink in FIAT’s armor. I was hoping, if FIAT parts ways with TATA and opens its own service centers, I will reconsider FIAT Punto. Then the news that I was waiting for comes via this Thread:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...n-network.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Direction
Confused that I was, I desperately needed some direction. Hence called up my uncle who has good knowledge on cars and his direction would be important for me to reach a decision.
ME: I am planning to buy a car.
Uncle: That’s great, which one?
Me: Polo Petrol (Trying to be on the safe side with service).
Uncle: It’s a good car, but lacks in power. The motor is not sufficient for a heavy car like Polo.
Me: which car would you suggest?
Uncle: Go for the Punto. It’s a good European car.
Me: How about the service?
Uncle: Yes, Initially Pandit Auto (the dealer where he got his car from) was new and did goof up. However they are learning now, and giving better service.
Me: Umhmm
Uncle: Moreover Fiat has parted ways with TATA and will be introducing more cars in the coming years. They are a big company beta (Son)
Me: So you sure there won’t be any issues with the service or the car.
Uncle: Don’t worry woh kehte hai na…. “Melody Khao, Khud jaan jao” (Experience it yourself)
This conversation brings back a fresh lease of memories of my 1st love. I had drooled over this car for quite some time, but lost hopes with FIAT’s attitude towards Indian customers. I know I love FIAT. I think there are many who do. But the question is- Does FIAT loves itself? And will it do everything for its cars and its customers?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Omens “In order to find the treasure, you will have to follow the omens. God has prepared a path for everyone to follow. You just have to read the omens that he left for you.”
- The Alchemist (Author: Paulo Coelho)
In this day, where sighting a Punto is rare, I was always able to sight Punto in pairs. Whenever I was under any confusion and started contemplating on some other car I saw on the Road. A Punto would make its appearance immediately. I have tried capturing such omens whenever possible however these are too less than the number of Omens I got. Kindly ignore the image quality, as these were taken using my cellphone.
I see my Path!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Petrol Vs. Diesel
I would typically add a 1000 odd Kms to the ODO each month, using a diesel engine wasn't a requirement as such. However, some of us don't purchase cars solely based on the requirements, do we? A small corner of my heart was accounting for driving pleasure as well. I was primarily looking for a good driving experience. Price difference between the Petrol and Diesel variants took a backseat in my head already.
Below is a gist of impression from the small test drives that I did, which will mainly focus on the difference between the two engines (Details for the 1.3 Multijet would be covered in a dedicated section):
1.2 Fire (Petrol)
Start the engine and you can hear a sporty growl, really, this petrol sounds awesome (unlike other petrol hatches) and is music to the ears. Very smooth and refined when compared to the Diesel, it doesn't send in the small vibrations which the Multijet does. Drives smooth and does well to keep this heavy car moving. But, driving this feels like walking with heavy woodland shoes, the car does not feel agile or free footed. It’s a good engine, it will do its job and keep your ears happy too. Just don’t expect any action here.
1.3 Multijet (75hp Diesel)
Start the engine and this sounds sporty too but with an element of subdued diesel clatter. It doesn't sound harsh as some of the diesels available in the market, this may also include cars where the same engine is being used. Not sure if the heavy sheet metal of the car or the way the engine is tuned by FIAT has some role here. The engine pulls clean in all situations and has the power to surprise you. It gives you confidence to make that overtaking maneuver and feels like walking with light weight sneakers.
Verdict:
I dint drive the 90hp version of the Multijet because it was beyond my budget. Ideally it was 1.3 Multijet Vs 1.2 Fire, and not really a Petrol Vs Diesel. For me 75hp diesel made more sense in terms of drivability as well as economic standpoint.
With lots of Love------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Showroom Experience (Pandit Auto, Pune)
I will keep this Short. I visited the showroom multiple times and I have been extremely satisfied in the manner in which I was welcomed. The showroom in itself is ambient, well lit with a bit of Italian flair thrown in, also of importance is that everyone in the showroom followed a dress code which looked very professional.
Multiple test drives offered- Check
Car features explained- Check
Regular follow ups done by SA- Check
All queries promptly answered- Check
SA was knowledgeable- Average, but being a TEAM-BHP reader this isn't something that needs to be bothered with.
Booking went smooth, Car was booked on 24th May 2014. Immediately dealer checked and confirmed that they have two cars which match my booking manufactured in Feb 2014. To which I gave a go ahead saying I would like to check the car in person before it goes in for the registration. I went to the Stock Yard for a brief PDI before registration, as always insisted by Team BHP. Also, it gives a nice feeling when you are actually gonna see your car in person for the very first time. Everything seemed to be in place as per the checklist and I gave a go ahead to the dealer. Below are some pics taken in the Stock Yard (Kindly ignore the pic quality as taken from my smart phone itself)
I applied for IDBI bank loan which offered best interest rate (Courtesy - Useful ad put up on this very website) and the amount got disbursed in 4 days from application. The car was delivered in Flat two weeks from the date of registration.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looks and Aesthetics
The best thing that happened to Punto is Mr Giorgetto Giugiaro. The great designer looked into every aspect of the car with great detail and painstakingly designed it. What it means is a great looking car from whichever angle you look at it. Not only did he make a timeless design but also ensured that it has a balance of good looks along with great dynamics.
If you look at the elements, everything has been designed to blend well.
Jaw Dropping...Isn't it? 
Tear drop headlamps 
Tail lights ***Picture***
Door handles & Wing Mirrors blend well into the design.
The awesome looking FIAT Grill where sits the logo, this is by far one of the best FIAT logo designed till date.
What he dint see coming though is the final execution of his design by a TATA-FIAT manufacturing facility. Where Inconsistent Panel Gaps & ill fitted rubber linings are "OK to Accept" as per quality norms. NO its not a fault that its Made in India and would have been any better if imported as a CBU. Chaps in Hyundai, Honda & Toyota are rolling out cars with impeccable quality from their Indian Plants.
After knowing all this why did I choose a FIAT?
Because one tends to accept their love with their shortcomings. Because she more than makes up for this just by her looks. A beautifully crafted piece of machinery that pulls the string to my heart like none other car.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How does it feel to sit inside the car? Let me start by saying- its cozy to sit inside this car as Interiors are dark. When we shut the doors, cabin light shuts in a nice theatrical way i.e reduces intensity slowly till it shuts down and looks upmarket, but the positioning of the light near the driver makes it difficult for the rear passengers to get anything out of that light,, a centrally positioned light would have just got things right. During the night its an orange light theme that dominates the cabin and speedometer looks nice in a unique way. This car is very quite on the inside and one gets to hear a bit of that Diesel engine, if you put on the music things get even better.
HVAC works as intended to keep the cabin cool, During hot noons you can choose position 2 on the fan, post initial blast of cooling, Position 1 as well works just fine. I came to know about the rear AC vents under the seats of this car here at Team BHP and it stands to be true in my car too, this does help matters in the back seat. Glass comes tinted from the factory itself with about 75% visibility (except front windscreen which has a higher visibility). This little unannounced feature from FIAT does help blocking minor amount of Sun Rays that comes into the cabin, though it would have been nice to have a higher tinting possibility (which is not legal now).
Plastics are nothing great to talk about and this has again been discussed in great details here, this has been majorly addressed in the newly introduced EVO, but when I took my car, EVO wasnt out yet. To me, the black plastic looks soft but is hard by feel, almost equivalent to the plastic in the handles or the back of an office chair. And the grey one is awful and something I wont have much to say. There plastics used for parts which cannot be seen are even more awefull. How do I know this? Will let you know when I narrate a small story later.
Ingress/Egress is similar to what you can expect with a car of low height. The worst is what I experience in the showroom Polo (no offence to owners) maybe because of my 6ft stature; by far the best I experienced this is in my friends Ritz. Punto lies somewhere between that. My mom found it difficult initially but now she is comfortable using it. Also of note, that she has to wrestle with the heavy door to close it, which is a boon for safety but definitely a task for the elderly.
Seats are of firm variety, these are very comfortable to sit for long distances. Driver's seat gets height, lumbar and fore & aft adjustment. Its easy to find your driving position. One can take the laid back approach with the steering on their Knees or choose a more upright position. The car is best suited for 4 people for a comfortable trip rather than 5. Front seats have acres of leg room, while the rear passengers have to do away with just about enough legroom to be comfortable. If I sit behind a 5.5 ft passenger my knees will touch the front seat but it wont be uncomfortable its just that it would have been great if my feet wouldn't touched anything.
Music System I would say its adequate, its not the best in business, even a 15k Setup of JBL & Pioneer sounds great. Its just that this system does the job. Browsing to select a song is also a cumbersome task. CD's sounds better than the Radio station. One good thing though is that it does not has the option to put a pen drive (Surprise) Why you ask? I don't like people connecting their Cellphone and end up playing songs that eat my head, rather its good to have a collection of songs that I like to play in a CD. Its once in a while that you need to burn one disk, but its worth it and way better than hearing those who constantly play songs which are not of your choice and keep changing it half way to add to the pain.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How it feels to Drive this Car?
This has already been discussed in great detail, but lets see what I felt around this.
Gearshift and Gear Ratios The gearshift of this car is nice but a bit rubbery. If driver uses the correct technique of shifting, he will enjoy the gear shift, its like a gear shift with a feel where you need to follow thorough the complete gate while shifting the gear. Also ensure that gears are changed in steps, i.e if I am going from Third to Fourth, I wont directly pull the lever so hard that it directly comes into the 4th, instead I will gently bring it to neutral and then move it to fourth. Gearshifting in a hurry wouldn't be a great experience as with some other cars.
One of the most talked about aspect of this car is its infamous gear ratios especially the 1st and the 2nd Gear. Let me through some insight here.
1st Gear- If you had to start off in your car parked on a slope with a car behind you, no worries, the 1st gear & torquey Diesel takes care of the situation. Release clutch halfway, the car takes off without any accelerator input with two occupants in the car. This greatly reduces the chances of the car rolling back, as well as, reduces the sense of hurry to press accelerator, while moving your foot off break pedal as you are already in motion. Results are a bit different though with Air Con or higher occupancy, here it would demand a bit of accelerator input however things are always under control.This gear will quickly ask you to upshift the moment you reach 10 Km/per hr, of course you can stretch it up, but your engine will be screaming.
2nd Gear- This is like the 1st gear of a 1.2 petrol hatch, with one occupant, the car gains momentum with a release of clutch. If I had to take a hard stop in traffic and choose not to go down to the 1st gear the 2nd gear will work just fine. Chances are you would never bother with the 1st gear once you have started off from your place. All start/stop traffic is pretty well handled by the 2nd gear itself. But heres a catch - it wont let you continue to gain speed and quickly cry for an upshift as soon as you start hitting 25-30 km/hr. This gear induces a sense of urgency. Majority of times It needs me to upshift when I am halfway just after starting off from a traffic signal. The car pulls crazily in this gear and majority of steep hills can be concurred using this. However downshifting from 3rd gear to 2nd feels like putting breaks on your car if you are at a slightly higher speed say 25-30km/hr .
3rd Gear- This gear has a better range and you can choose to drive in this gear the whole day (ofcourse the engine would sound crude at higher RPM even say at 2000) as long as you are not down to a complete stop. I have managed to start in this gear itself post taking that speed breaker (max 2 passengers onboard) with a bit of clutching. In city overtakes can be performed using this gear and the car pulls clean into the turbo zone.
4th Gear- This is where you will be a majority of times when you are comfortably cruising at city speeds. This is also where you would shift down to when you need to overtake that truck on the highway. This gear is also having a great range and you can keep going without any fuss.
5th Gear- This is the best one to be in, this is where it would be hard for you to guess if you are driving a diesel or a petrol car (with the windows rolled up), The engine is butter smooth. If you choose, you can cruise at 60 km/per hr on an Indian highway at 1500 rpm (though not in turbo zone) you can also choose an 80 km/hr which brings the car right into the turbo zone and keeps cruising at about below 2000 rpm.
Reverse Gear- I thought I would include this as well, guess what...you would never need to give any accelerator input in this gear, infact you may need to release the clutch judiciously else the car would gain speed that is not very comfortable while reversing. Reversing up a small slope? Not a problem, just release the clutch and the torque pulls you like someone's pressing the accelerator for you. Do I like it? Yes, I have one less thing to bother about while reversing and just work out on clutch and brake pedal to control the speed.
Turbo Lag- This is one of the major drawbacks of this car, one really needs to be in the juice i.e. above 1600 rpm else Turbo Lag is irritating and makes me feel nervous.Its easier said than done, still learning to be out of the Lag zone.
Steering is a hydraulic one and is one of the best steering that I have ever used in terms of feedback. I always know exactly how its gonna react with my inputs and feels confidence inspiring at all times be it city maneuvers, highway cruising or taking those hair pin bends. It is adjustable for rake and I dint feel a need for a reach adjustment (but that depends on person to person). The steering has contours on the top to grip the wheel at the 10:10 position and feels great while at it. The only gripe is the quality of plastic used on the steering, An emotion trim with its leather stitching would be great to hold on to while driving. Horn is easy to use. However there is a gap between horn pad and steering which shows some of its innards when you look from a side.
Suspension strikes an awesome balance between ride and handling. The car is always composed even in case of a bad patch, the suspension rather handles in a matured manner and does not send chills down your spine. On the highway, any bad patch is shrugged of with easy and all those wavelike creation of tarmac does not bother this machine. The car ensures that its glued to the tarmac and while at corners doing silly speeds...well now I know exactly when people say it grips like a leech (even with the skinny 165 patch tyre on my dynamic variant)
Braking is confidence inspiring, though the tyres give away some of my confidence, need to get a wider patch of rubber down the line.
Visibility Overall visibility is good but there are a few things that a driver needs to be carefull about. The A pillars are thick and creates a huge blind spot. Consider this... when I am taking turn alongside the Circle (Golchakaar) which has an additional line of dividers encircling the middle circle (call this a curb), I cannot see the curb at all, I see it beforehand and then judge how much do I need to keep away from the centre while taking that turn. The C pillars are thick and the rear glass small, as well as high, these can easily hide a motorcycle on the sides or a scooter behind. You wont see them in your mirrors, nor are they visible from the drivers seat. Take a look of your surrounding before you get into the car, its not as scary as it sounds but its always good to plan ahead before backing up. I become extra careful with Kids playing around or a dog passing by and go ahead only when I am absolutely sure of a clear way. The Factory fitted lights of the Punto are grossly inadequate, I always end up keeping the front fog lights on for better visibility. Incase it rains, the lights are awe full. I would soon change to a better bulb with same power ratings.
Ground Clearance at 180mm is SUVish. Nothing touches the base of this car as long as we are careful and not offroading. XL sized speed breakers are crossed without a hitch. Once after parking the car I came out to check if its correctly aligned to the marked lines, when I suddenly realized that the car was rolling forward. I forgot to put the hand break while the car was idling in neutral. Infront there was a curb about a feet high which was quite high and would stop the car, I somehow managed to pull the handbrake from the outside and then reversed the car back. My biggest fear - that it might have scraped the underbody was put to rest after a close inspection. No scrapes whatsoever. A higher ground clearance ensures that the doors wont touch the curb of the footpath when parked in parallel.
Overall Handling Every part of the car works in harmony to bring the best handling hatch out of Punto, it has dynamically capable chassis, matured suspension, leech like grip levels and talkative steering that ensures you enjoy driving this hatch and makes up for most of the nice things it is missing. This is the only reason for me to buy this car.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Small yet significant things Central locking autolocks the car as I cross 30 km/hr. Remote locking has assisted me on various occasions when I wanted to double check if I have locked the door once I have walked a few meters away from the vehicle. Blinker blinks twice if I unlock while it blinks ones if I lock (but there is no inbuilt sound effect, its only the lights). Also of note that the unlock button is a bit elevated as against the lock button on the remote for me to operate by feel, this is particularly useful while parking in dark areas.
Power assisted mirror adjustment which helps during the parking maneuvers and works with a press of a button on the go.
A big deep boot with an internal light and belts to hold your baggage. A 60:40 split available with the rear seat too.
Metal plate on the rear seat back to protect passengers from baggage movement incase of a rear collision
Loads of available information on the display. Mileage, Range, Trip information, Average speed, Travel time and Instant mileage (while on the move)
The wheel covers are pretty good by their design. Fiat chooses different wheel covers for its Active and Dynamic variant and I dint like the one in the active variant
I always appreciate the ability to set the speed beep which politely informs me that i have crossed the speed limit set by me. It gives only one beep every time I cross the barrier but displays 'Speed Limit exceeded' constantly on the MID when I continue at the higher speed.
Rear defogger and Rear wiper is a must and this variant has it
No bottle holder available, I end up keeping my bottle in the seat back pocket. The little cubby holes are good to hold soft drink cans or a half liter bottle with small base and is not deep enough to hold the bottle in place.
No mirror on the driver's sun shade, co-passenger gets it though
Two well sized glove boxes that can hold things nicely but the tissue box needs to be kept tilted as it wont fit the way it should due to the design of the box.
ABS provided in the mid variant
FIAT gave 2 years standard warranty + 3 years extended warranty.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note for readers: This car was purchased in June 2014, Punto Evo was not launched yet. It took me sometime to write this review and there is definitely more to come. The Italian Beauty has currently covered 3896 Kms of Indian road.
Special thanks to my friend Sourabh Moitra, who also shares the passion of Photography with me. Some of the pictures above were taken by him on the D-day.
Congrats Suvendu! A really nice and heartfelt review. Wish you many many miles with smiles in your Punto.
I am a bit surprised with your observation on turbo-lag. I own a Linea T-jet and a Punto 75 HP MJD. I find the power delivery in Punto quite linear thus, the lag isn't too pronounced. On the flip-side, I wish there was a pronounced turbo-kick in 75HP:D
Enjoy the Punto and keep posting more pics.
Cheers,
Biraj
Great write up....! Great car too.
Are you a bong by the way? It seems like. :D
I loved the part where your uncle says "That's engineering". It is....this car grows on you, and I don't know, even Biraj said to me several times, it's like it has a personality of its own.
You will enjoy the car, (and the niggle gremlins, if they haven't cropped up already :uncontrol) and its really cheap to maintain, but, needs its dose of care. In any case, you have a 5 year warranty.
Enjoy my friend!
Dear SUVU, Congrats on getting a Fiat and thanks for penning your views. How many kms you have done so far. You would have a great time with this car and will really enjoy driving it. My son had a Punto. I still own a Fiat Linea and I love it. The Linea looks more elegant than many other cars. Fiat per se is a very safe car to drive. Wish you a happy driving. Regds.
