[vibbs]

Originally Posted by anand.shankar

I have always loved the Punto, but was keeping away from it for its niggles. But over the years, I have been hearing less of its issues. I was thoroughly happy with the Test drive and I loved the Drivers seat! What I wanna know from the Fiat owners here is,

* has the reliability of the vehicle improved in current year ?
* Does the car develop rattles over the period of time ?
* I wish to keep this for a long period, I know that the increase maintenance cost is directly propotional to the odo reading. But I see many Puntos being sold off by the owners once they cross the 80-90K mark, does it get very trouble some after that mark ?

Hi,

I have owned a swift and now own a Punto. I will try to be as objective as possible with my experiences of both cars.

Our swift was a first generation Lxi. Bought it for 4.25 lakhs in 2009 and sold for 2 Lakhs a couple of months back with 70k kms on the odo. The car was driven mainly on Delhi roads, but had become a rattle snake within 2 months of ownership. I tried to sort them out initially and then learnt to just live with them. The interior panels used to flex when pushed hard. Ditto the sheet metal outside. It was so tinny that one could dent it by pushing with hands. That said, it was a pleasure driving it.

The newer Swifts have much better build quality, but it still feels flimsy in front of European competition. I have a different view on the front seats. I felt and still feel that Swifts front seat were much more comfortable than Punto's. The driving position too. When people say Punto ergonomics are messed up, they are not exaggerating.
Swift was bullet proof reliable, just that at 50k kms the service center guys tried to sell me a suspension overhaul, steering overhaul and clutch overhaul. I did the clutch overhaul in 60k kms and ignored the other two. No expenses other than this. Car was bullet proof.

In comparison with swift, I believe my Punto is much better built. Both on the inside and from outside. Interior panels are hard plastic but they do not flex and seem to be better lasting than in Swift. In 20 months I ve driven my Punto 30k kms. Roads have been bad compared to the type handled by my Swift and Punto has also been driven harder than the Swift. Yet it has held up much better than the Swift had at this mileage. Much much silent compared to Swift when it comes to rattles despite having been driven much harder than my Swift. I have had to replace the brake pads and suspension pads were replaced under warranty.

Ergonomics are a hit and miss. I am not yet happy with them. Miss bottle holders a lot specially on long drives. Rides much better than the swift. Clutch and gear shift is crappy. Rear is more spacious and so is the boot. Although I drive an MJD and should not compare the refinement levels with a petrol, it still needs to be mentioned that Engine gets boomy at higher rpms. Wind noise creeps in at higher speeds.

On the whole I would say both Swift and Punto are good cars. Boils down to what you want. Ownership experience in a Punto or any fiat for that matter is a lot dependent on your city. But all said and done, after two years with my Punto, I can say it's quite an under rated car. Gets much more brick bats than it deserves. Will I pick a Punto over the Swift again?

Hell yes!!

[rav11stars]

With experiences of 50k KM and more to account for, I need not say any more of the Punto .

I'll only say that I've had a Punto evo for about 9k KM now and I'm quite content. I've driven it on some bad to very bad roads and touch wood, no complaints till now. The 60:40 split came in quite handy and the new interiors are "premium". You've got to experience them.

The driving experience has been an exponentially increasing curve as the engine opened up. I do not require the frequent gear-shifts in the city; This can also be due to my early downshifts/engine braking.

Originally Posted by vibbs

But all said and done, after two years with my Punto, I can say it's quite an under rated car. Gets much more brick bats than it deserves. Will I pick a Punto over the Swift again?

Hell yes!!

Hell yeah, I agree with you. Patch on a Maruti badge and release it as the 2016 Swift, half of the public will jump in with half of them writing that Maruti has finally brought in an enthusiast's car.

[Arjun Reddy]

Originally Posted by anand.shankar

Hi, I am trying finalize on a B2 hatch. I am a ex-Liva user, so my main concern is the new car should not feel like a Tin can, make a mechanical clatter when I hit potholes, door shouldn't feel like its made of edible wafer etc. While it should still have the bullet proof reliability and excellent road manners of the LIVA.

I tested and almost finalized a Swift ZXI, took an additional test drive for a final opinion. but the 16K kms old test drive vehicles felt battered, rattled from every nook and corner, everything thing felt as flimsy as the Liva. Further more the Steering is thin and flimsy, and the switch gear feels like its from Tata Ace(the Steering is chunky in Liva and the switch-gears are at least a level better in quality). I am 6.3, so basically, Swift becomes a 3.5 seater once I adjust my seating position. And I don't travel light, hence the boot felt useless as well. (Wonder how MSIL manages to sell so many of these)

I have always loved the Punto, but was keeping away from it for its niggles. But over the years, I have been hearing less of its issues. I was thoroughly happy with the Test drive and I loved the Drivers seat! What I wanna know from the Fiat owners here is,

* has the reliability of the vehicle improved in current year ?
* Does the car develop rattles over the period of time ?
* I wish to keep this for a long period, I know that the increase maintenance cost is directly propotional to the odo reading. But I see many Puntos being sold off by the owners once they cross the 80-90K mark, does it get very trouble some after that mark ?

@nkrishnap : could you help ?

I own a 2012 July Punto MJD clocked 70K kms.

Replaced the clutch once.

Brake pads replaced twice.

Apart from this, a routine service costs around 7K.

Absolutely no rattles. Extremely good drivers car. The weight balance is just perfect for those long highway drives. Dismisses any twisty or ghat roads with out a thought.

Best suspension set up in class or maybe better than most of the C segment sedans.

Wind noise at speed. I guess this is mainly due to the rear view mirror design.

Can't comment much on the stock engine as I am using a Race Dynamics map from the beginning and it brings a smile on my face every time I drive the car.

Built like a tank. Solid European feel. Better than the VW's.

Best MID I have seen. Gives all the information needed and more. I exactly also tells you which door is open, which light is fused, glow plug warning etc.

Awesome brakes.

Best ACC in segment.

Be prepared to compromise on mileage. I get around 13 in Bangalore traffic and 17 on the highway at full clip. If you drive very light the Punto will return even 22 on the highway provided you maintain 80-100 kph.

Space inside is a compromise. It's best used as a 3-3.5 seater. Small glove box. No bottle holders. I use my front seat pockets to carry my water. Lol.

Badly requires a 6th gear for better cruising.

Fass though improved still a long way to go to reach Maruti or Hyundai standards. Just 3 service stations for the whole of Bangalore and surrounding districts.

All in all its the car to buy in the segment if you love to drive.

If you want a sedate experience with all the bells and whistles, space,practicality and a fuss free ownership, good after sales service my money is on the I20 elite.

[anand.shankar]

Thanks everybody for the quick responses, so it surely gonna be the Punto for me. Haven't decided the color yet, I prefer Red, wifey prefers White or Wine. We are heading to the stockyard to check out the colors in person. The sales experience with KHT has been excellent so far, once they got going, the most informed SA I have met so far, also very co-operative. They have some healthy discounts, in the process of negotiating for more . Will update soon.

Originally Posted by vibbs

Hi,

I have a different view on the front seats. I felt and still feel that Swifts front seat were much more comfortable than Punto's. The driving position too. When people say Punto ergonomics are messed up, they are not exaggerating.

Hi Vibbs, yes, I do agree with the seat and the seating position. The Swift seats are better, seating position might depend on the individual I guess.

[Ragavsr]

The dealership here in Chennai is offering 60k off flat cash discount + free insurance . I went along with a friend who was looking for a car and the salesman offered these discounts without even negotiating. This is the price break up we got:
Ex-showroom : 753421
Insurance: 29351
Regn and lifetax: 86534
Total : 869305

[baddy]

Originally Posted by Ragavsr

The dealership here in Chennai is offering 60k off flat cash discount + free insurance . I went along with a friend who was looking for a car and the salesman offered these discounts without even negotiating. This is the price break up we got:
Ex-showroom : 753421
Insurance: 29351
Regn and lifetax: 86534
Total : 869305

Hi ragav, Is the discount of roughly 90K over the total price you have shown above?? which works out to ~7.8 Lakhs. Also which variant of Punto evo are you talking about. Last I heard, the Punto evo 90hp's on road price to be around 9.1 lakhs and they are throwing in a discount of about 1 lakhs. can you please confirm

[Ragavsr]

Yes around 7.8 onroad. This is for the 75 HP Emotion. My friend is trying to get them to 7.69 ,a flat one lakh discount or is trying to get a cash discount of 89,000 and then getting insurance done outside.

We didn't enquire about the 90HP.

[Ryuu]

There's a strange thing that is happening with my new Punto EVO 75 Emotion.

Whenever I try to cycle the readings of MFD using the "TRIP" button, it activates the wiper and shows the value. Every time I do it, the wiper takes one sweep. Please have a look the video. I can't seem to find this behaviour listed in the manual. Is this normal? How do I deactivate the wiper sweep?

https://youtu.be/931h0iusZK4

One more thing is that, I tried to reset the trip A and trip B values by long pressing the "TRIP". It not only cleared the trip values, but also the main distance counter. It has run some 100 odd kms since two days, now it shows only 10km in the main screen. Is there a setting I'm missing somewhere?

[anand.shankar]

Guys, I have acquired my Exotica red Evo, and have driven about 600 odd kms in the last week or so. Though a full blown review is in the making, I had a couple of issues I wanted to check on.

1. I idle for a 30-60 secs after a cold start, as as I engage 1st gear and start moving, I hear a diesel locomotive like sound, if you have heard the Diesel locomotives accelerate, you would know what I mean, they make a intermittent whirring noise. its only audiable in the low RPMs, When I shift to first and slowly engage the clutch, this sound comes in as soon as the car starts moving and goes away as soon as the clutch is fully engaged. Any one knows why and what this noise is ?

2. After 100 kmph, the engine noise is intrusive, and the engine feels a bit harsh, will the reduce as I add miles ?

3. the Hatch door needs a firm whack to close. minor issue I know, but is it the norm ?

4. Now this isn't an issue with the car necessarily, its an issue with me and the car. But I find this very dangerous. I wear 10.5 size shoes, and the foot well is really weird, most of the times when I wear a wide shoe, I end up slamming the dead pedal instead of the clutch, even if I have my feet on the C pedal, at times the Dead pedal obstructs the move. I have a habit of slamming the clutch and the break simultaneously in case of panic breaking, which makes sense as it will keep the engine from stalling. Y'day when a fool jumped in front, I tried panic braking and the dead pedal came in the way and I cudn't disengage the clutch. Now the dangerous part, muscle memory, stopped my right foot from slamming the brakes too!!! Lucky for me and the clown on the road, it was a narrow miss. Now this seems to be a dangerous setup for me at least. Anyone else facing this ? Can I get rid of the dead pedal or reduce its width ? I rather have a sore ankle than crawl out of a wreck!

Please suggest.

Originally Posted by Ryuu

There's a strange thing that is happening with my new Punto EVO 75 Emotion.

Whenever I try to cycle the readings of MFD using the "TRIP" button, it activates the wiper and shows the value. Every time I do it, the wiper takes one sweep. Please have a look the video. I can't seem to find this behaviour listed in the manual. Is this normal? How do I deactivate the wiper sweep?

https://Youtu.be/931h0iusZK4

One more thing is that, I tried to reset the trip A and trip B values by long pressing the "TRIP". It not only cleared the trip values, but also the main distance counter. It has run some 100 odd kms since two days, now it shows only 10km in the main screen. Is there a setting I'm missing somewhere?

It looks like a malfunction than a setting to me. I guess you should ask for a stalk replacement or may be its something to do with the s/w thats loaded. That for sure cant be a feature.

[Ryuu]

Originally Posted by anand.shankar

4. Now this isn't an issue with the car necessarily, its an issue with me and the car. But I find this very dangerous. I wear 10.5 size shoes, and the foot well is really weird, most of the times when I wear a wide shoe, I end up slamming the dead pedal instead of the clutch, even if I have my feet on the C pedal, at times the Dead pedal obstructs the move.

I wear size 11 footwear, and this is a problem. Another problem is facing is the weird positioning of the seats. Being 6 foot, I can't seem to find the perfect adjustment. However, I knew this was part of the deal. I just have to get used to it.

Originally Posted by anand.shankar

It looks like a malfunction than a setting to me. I guess you should ask for a stalk replacement or may be its something to do with the s/w thats loaded. That for sure cant be a feature.

This, however, was not part of the deal. Malfunction on a brand new car? Everything else on the stalk works just fine. Just this "Trip" button! I should have done the PDI for this button as well!

Anyway, I'm going to the service centre to get this cleared. Hope it's a minor thing!

Well, I had been to the service centre today. They diagnosed it as a defective stalk assembly. I cannot fathom how such a thing was overlooked in the QA process. Replaced the part under warranty.

Bad.

[Wildy]

Originally Posted by Ryuu

Well, I had been to the service centre today. They diagnosed it as a defective stalk assembly. I cannot fathom how such a thing was overlooked in the QA process. Replaced the part under warranty.

Bad.

Yes It was bad. But we should appreciate Fiat service for fixing it immediately. We know many horror stories of other companies who dragged their customers for nothing.

[Ryuu]

It's been a week since the purchase. Clocked 800Kms so far. Thoroughly loving it.

If there's a fly in the ointment, that's gotta be the ergonomics. At least for me- with long legs. I'm 6.1 and finding a comfortable position is such a pain. Clutch position is very awkward. I'm getting ankle pains already. After so many tries, and not being able to set my position, I seriously hope I get used to it. How are guys putting up with it?

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by Ryuu

It's been a week since the purchase. Clocked 800Kms so far. Thoroughly loving it.

If there's a fly in the ointment, that's gotta be the ergonomics. At least for me- with long legs. I'm 6.1 and finding a comfortable position is such a pain. Clutch position is very awkward. I'm getting ankle pains already. After so many tries, and not being able to set my position, I seriously hope I get used to it. How are guys putting up with it?

Yeah its difficult to get adjusted. The ankle pain however will go off pretty soon.
I am not 6 feet, but I still push my car pretty back. Sk much that no one else can sit comfortably behind me unless I move my seat forward.

Do you keep pressing the rear power windows switches instead of front ones?

[Ryuu]

Originally Posted by vibbs

Yeah its difficult to get adjusted. The ankle pain however will go off pretty soon.
I am not 6 feet, but I still push my car pretty back. Sk much that no one else can sit comfortably behind me unless I move my seat forward.

Do you keep pressing the rear power windows switches instead of front ones?

Oh, yes. That happens a lot of times!

It's the angle at which my foot presses the clutch that is the problem. Maybe I should raise the height of the seat to max and try moving it forward and backward. Even the long travel of the clutch is a problem.

[anand.shankar]

Guys, Punto/Linea Owners:

I find the the front wipers to be of lousy quality, they leave a big streak/mist everytime they make a wipe. I have tried every possible combination of a/c and heater, but I somehow feel the wipers are doing a great job. Infact the rear ones give a similar result as well, it always leaves behind mist after the wipe.

Any one else having the same opinion ? I was planning on changing them with Hellas.


*BTW an Update* My issue with seating and ergo is now sorted. I seemed to have found the right seat / Steering setting for my size, 6.3. Took close to 7K kms to settle in :P

Originally Posted by Ryuu

Oh, yes. That happens a lot of times!

It's the angle at which my foot presses the clutch that is the problem. Maybe I should raise the height of the seat to max and try moving it forward and backward. Even the long travel of the clutch is a problem.

Yup, i keep rolling down the rear window at tolls and parking ticket counters! I guess they should not have kept the power window lock in between the switches.