[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by hillram

Avventura enters our lives..less than 24 hrs after it was launched, Fiat President and MD was in Hyderabad today to launch the Avventura.
Mr.Nagesh Basavanahalli , President and MD of Fiat Chrysler India personally handed over the first Avventure to my son...perhaps the first Avventura in Hyderabad / South India.

Wow! So we have a first booking and delivery. Waiting for the user experience. A first on the forum- I think you beat the recently launched Ciaz and Scorpio launches as well.

Glad to see you've got the orange. That colour turns heads like crazy.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by hillram

Avventura enters our lives..less than 24 hrs after it was launched, Fiat President and MD was in Hyderabad today to launch the Avventura.
Mr.Nagesh Basavanahalli , President and MD of Fiat Chrysler India personally handed over the first Avventure to my son...perhaps the first Avventura in Hyderabad / South India.

Congrats sir. THIS.IS.FAST!

You are surely privileged to recieve possibly, the first Avventura ownership being posted on a car forum

Do let us know:
a. Your thought process (i.e why you paid over and above buying a Punto?)
b. Your initial experience!

[hillram]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Congrats sir. THIS.IS.FAST!

You are surely privileged to recieve possibly, the first Avventura ownership being posted on a car forum

Do let us know:
a. Your thought process (i.e why you paid over and above buying a Punto?)
b. Your initial experience!

Thanks..Since i own already 6 Fiats, it was decided to add the a new generation Fiat from the stable, besides Avventura is the "first in the world" launch in India. Now i get an upgraded Punto !!!
The only rant i have is - the engine technology that powers my Uno, still powers Avventura : F.I.R.E !!!

[FordDodo]

Congrats Mr. Hillram. Indeed a excellant vehicle. Imagine South India's first Avventura with regn number also 1, go for it Hillram!

BTW, which version have you bought? No Emotion version right?

[rajeev k]

Saw the display car at Hyson Fiat, Kochi. There was a small crowd there and the Kochi on road price for the top end Diesel is Rs 9.5 Lakhs.
As indicated in this thread the boot opening is a cumbersome procedure leave alone the removal of the spare tyre. The car specific key for the spare tyre lock is part of the tool kit and is stored in the thermocole tool kit compartment.

The orange colour added to the appeal and the Aventura would be an attention grabber wherever it go. On the contrary the recently launched Maruti Ciaz is not. I saw one for the first time outside a dealership at a parking lot today and in white colour it looked just another car)

[hillram]

A local newspaper covered yesterday's event on Fiat Avventura launch and handing over the 1st car to my son by Fiat Chrysler President Mr.Nagesh Basavanahalli

[rav11stars]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

An extremely simple yet probably most important point about the car!!

I don't personally like the looks of this car. I don't know what it really wants to be. Well, then I don't like the EVO's looks either. The Grande Punto was a timeless design. In an attempt to refresh it (that's the need of this era really) they've made the older model look better than the Evo! Anyway.

I'm keen to read about user experiences coming up shortly after the deliveries start. Especially from the users who work at / often visit places where the security insists on opening the boot & checking with metal detectors .

Also, a reversing camera should have been provided. Most users will install it anyway. With a 205 patch tyre + cover, bumper held reversing sensors will be more or less useless on this car right?

I'd second your thought on the design. The Punto Grande is such a beauty. I was tempted to go for it except for the fact that the interiors in the Evo are better. I didn't like the chrome overdo on the Evo.
I'd really question the complex design of the boot when the engineer could've followed what's already in vogue. Just make it like the ecosport!

"Regarding the music not playing from the mobile" mentioned in the review:
I too initially faced the same issue; But later discovered that it only recognizes music on the phone's memory, not on the SD card.
I moved all my songs to the phone's memory and it worked

[kanwal]

Originally Posted by hillram

A local newspaper covered yesterday's event on Fiat Avventura launch and handing over the 1st car to my son by Fiat Chrysler President Mr.Nagesh Basavanahalli

Many Congratulations Hillran! Super choice. Wish you and family Happy Diwali and great times with Avventura!!

[thesilentone]

Awesome review CD . I feel that Fiat has produced something that will appeal to the common man and could translate into decent sales. Ride quality or steering feel is not a perceptible for the general car buying public and hence other than people who look for such subtleties in driving, the Punto had no differentiating feature. Classy looks is not a positive for the Indian car buyer at the price point Punto is selling. Someone who buys a car will definitely feel a sense of "pride" if the car draws a lot of attention and that is just what Fiat has now provided. Launching the Avventura could be just the tonic Fiat is looking for.

I visited Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru at midnight yesterday and saw one Avventura exhibited there that attracted many - including myself - clicking photographs, taking away the pamphlets from the rear seat, sitting inside the car to get a feel, etc. even at that ghostly hour. One interested person even approached me and asked, if I represented Fiat! No doubt, cute Avventura managed to turn many curious eyes; but, how many will eventually visit the dealership to book is a crore-rupee question.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

I don’t think it works that way. This is just another anti-theft wheel bolt, something which the Ecopsort’s spare wheel is equipped with. You need a special key to open this bolt. That’s all.


And this key can be bought off any accessory shop.

If you can buy this in any accesory shop, then it is just added complexity for users, while dissuading any casual thieves. "Anti theft" applies only to Fiat's solution IMO

Originally Posted by Rubbertramps

I believe Ecosport is selling due to its looks and its ground clearance. And ironically there is no SUV trait in it. Duster has managed to bring the AWD finally. Had it not then the same ground clearance is the only difference i see when compared to a sedan. And yet people buy em. And it is a growing segment.

Revisiting this again.

The question here is really about how different the EcoSport looks from its hatch cousin, the Figo. Its a SUVish looking hatch on stilts. They have seriously differentiated the looks. People never buy performance in India, they buy looks/reliability (case in point: Corolla with 1.4 diesel!)

Avventura doesn't look that different from a Punto to warrant the 1L premium IMHO. Fiat's been very clever in putting those offroad gauges but that doesn't address the aam aadmi's preferences IMHO.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

I visited Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru at midnight yesterday and saw one Avventura exhibited there that attracted many - including myself - clicking photographs, taking away the pamphlets from the rear seat, sitting inside the car to get a feel, etc. even at that ghostly hour. One interested person even approached me and asked, if I represented Fiat! No doubt, cute Avventura managed to turn many curious eyes; but, how many will eventually visit the dealership to book is a crore-rupee question.

We were there at midnight day before yesterday. No agenda as such, so we just got a cup of coffee from the 'hatti kappi' stall and watched the response for the Avventura well past midnight. Within about 30 mins, we saw about 15 people checking the car out properly and taking away pamphlets at the end. All this past midnight!

But yes- wouldn't really translate into sales. I just hope the response encourages FIAT to launch the TJet Avventura. It will be a joy to drive. I heard that Nagesh mentioned during the Hyderabad launch, that they are waiting for the initial response before considering a TJet option. May be Hillram can confirm this as he was present for the Hyderabad event.

On a lighter note, some funny comments from the feedback board-

[Fiatanic]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

• Kerb weight sees a 65 kilo increment. A heavy car becomes heavier

I have one question, maybe CD is the best person to answer.
Where have the 65 extra kgs gone into the avventura; Is it that the new spare wheel assembly, side cladding, roof rails, the bigger alloys constitute the 65 kgs or something more under the skin?

[PVPal]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

The Smaller yet Significant Things:

• Punto Evo 90hp's ARAI rating = 20.5 km/l. Avventura diesel = 20.5 km/l. With wider tyres, 65 kgs additional weight and a more responsive engine! Hope they retune the other cars in the stable too.

Thanks for the excellent review CrazyDriver.

Firstly, I hope Fiat tunes the Fiat Punto similarly and does a similar job with its gear box as well. There is no reason that Punto customers, who have traditionally complained about the engine and gear box combo, should not get this incremental advance in drivability. Lets make no mistake, technically this has been one of the biggest pain points in the Punto, and which, if fixed, deservedly will position it better in the market, especially given that its 60 odd kg lighter than the Avventura.

Coming to the Avventura, in my opinion, it definitely has a distinction in looks, a WOW factor. Fiat, like many others wants to get on the SUV-like cars bandwagon, understandably so given the fanfare in the Indian market, and the Avventura does bring them in the game on its looks, at least. Given that its cheaper than the Ecosport, and is loaded with the necessary goodies, the debate in a prospective buyers mind will be centered around three aspects. Firstly Fiat and its ASS, and secondly to the two questions below.

1) will people love it when they drive it, and 2) will they appreciate what value it offers with respect to its sibling the Punto from the same showroow. Here I am not talking about a class of people who buy what they see and fall in love with, which is another fair and substantial category of people in India. To such people, the Avventura is definitely going to appeal due to its looks.

To the first question, reading the review suggests that though the engine is better tuned than the Punto, the car is far more comfortable on the highway than city traffic. The rattle of the spare wheel on the highway may be addressed in due course by Fiat, or by people who buy the vehicle by putting the wheel back in the wheel well, which is hardly utilized in the Avventura. I am sure that a practical technical solution exists, though the customer who pays approximately million bucks should not necessarily be the person who is made to think about it.

To the second question, the answer is slightly more apparent/tangible: For 1 lakh above the 90 HP Punto Evo, one gets even more better looks, higher GC, 16" alloys, spare wheel as alloy instead of the cast, roof rails, back mounted spare wheel, body cladding, seemingly better ride, bigger/wider tires, the dials (cool but hardly useful on a daily basis). I made this point earlier in the forum, all this can be easily accommodated as another variant on the Punto called the Punto Evo Avventura sitting on top of the emotion. But this would imply every Avventura customer having to pay the highest price, with no flexibility of choice of variants.

Comparing it to the Toyota Etios Cross and the VW Polo Cross, though in the same segment class, will tend to mostly go in the favour of the Avventura given its looks and ride quality, and only its engine will be the weak link, apart from Fiat ASS.

Feel that the DRLs and projectors would have made the competition nervous even more, and would have created a distinction from the Punto Evo as well. Besides, the projectors are top of the line features today, and would have put Fiat incrementally more in the limelight for bringing the newest stuff to the market for less than a million bucks. Look at the Zest as an example.

For prospective buyers who recognize build quality and safety from the car shell, all these aspects would make the Avventura even more promising. All in all, if I would personally enter the Fiat showroom, I could be tempted by the Avventura, and if my budget does not allow me, would consider the Punto Evo instead. Good for Fiat in either case.

[nik_kapur]

Great looking car indeed ! Excellent review as always Team BHP !
Whats sad to know is that this car will fail like all other FIATs and thats a shame. (fact: FIAT has attempted a zillion times in our market, herd mentality people just don't want to buy them)
If people are going mad buying the Ecosport, i cannot understand why this is not a good option. The Ecosport in fact looks like a confused proposition.