[Coplay]

Congrats on the wonderful acquisition. The car looks fabulous and is always a hot hatch.
Enjoy your miles on this amazing piece of machinery.

and Maybe I stumbled upon this thread - For A Reason

[srivatsahg]

Congratulations Sid on your latest acquisition. As always your Frosty too looks Flawless. Wishing you a Long and Safe miles ahead !!

[The Observer]

Congratulations Sid. You and you're car are a rare breed.Still one of the most good looking hatches in India, even though the design is years old - that's what we call a "timeless design". Wishing you and Frosty many many safe and memorable miles.

[Sudeep_Kimster]

Congratulations on your Fantastic new ride. Welcome to back to the Punto Club.

Happy New Year and Happy mile munching in New Ride.

Some questions :
1. Mods to engine will affect warranty. How are you going to deal with it?
2. Ride being stiff at slow speeds, those low profile tires are not going to be easy also. what is your take on that?
3. My car has a 5 year extended warranty. Should I go for the engine mod?

[Waspune]

Congrats on your latest Italian acquisition

A very good write up that deserved full 5 stars. The interior pic looked brilliant with the ambient lighting and those Momos' do look the part. I also drive the Punto Evo VGT that came with all black interiors and now its remapped (by Viezu) as well.

Regarding the brake pads, I got my Evo's brake pad changed for Rs 2770/- after running 28k kms. Even at that time the brake pads had some life left but I went ahead as I was making my Punto ready for a remap so wanted my brakes to be sharp to take the additional power. Also, I feel that by default the Punto brakes have more than enough bite, so if one is using them judiciously one can increase the change intervals for the same. In my 31k+ ODO I have used the ABS only 7-8 times till date.

What makes you feel that the Punto has a big turning radius? Even the Kwid measures the same 5 mm and the i20 stands at 5.1 mm.

I wonder why couldnt you wait till the first free check up (@5k) for remap . Did you change the oil before the remap?

[blackwasp]

Congrats for the awesome car! Had seen pics of your car just a few days ago and was going to ask you to post a review. But your writing has done justice to the car.

As rightly said, the fiat experience is what counts - superb steering, handling, suspension and braking. Some negatives like lack of storage spaces inside the car, or the big wheel well gaps are definitely overcome by the positives.

The cost of the VGT comes as a shocker ! I think I should start saving up for some spares just in case.

Wish you a many happy miles with the car.

[cunnuvila]

The (fruitful) leap of faith. Beautiful write-up. Congratulations on owning an Italian beauty

[Highh5]

Hey Sid,

After watching the first pic of your red Beluga, i rushed back to the TAI forum and looked for your thread just to ensure you are the same person who owned that.
Your love for FIAT is just overwhelming and the way you keep them is an inspiration to many. The way you have summarized this over all ownership shows the amount of love you had for your machine.

I envy your possession, your Frosty Reindeer is still a dream for many. Would love to see regular updates to this ownership going forward.

I wish FIAT will come forward with some other good machines they had in brazil/european markets coupled with a range of engine and gearbox options which still seems a distant dream. Infact as much i have observed they are on a spree to reduce standard features (Dual Airbags is one of the serious omissions) from their cars what they used to offer when they entered the market. I don't know what their management and product planning group is upto.

But amidst of all when i see an ownership review like this with so much compassion for the machine, i just can't help but grin ear to ear.

[Waspune]

Originally Posted by Sudeep_Kimster

Congratulations on your Fantastic new ride. Welcome to back to the Punto Club.

Happy New Year and Happy mile munching in New Ride.

Some questions :
1. Mods to engine will affect warranty. How are you going to deal with it?
2. Ride being stiff at slow speeds, those low profile tires are not going to be easy also. what is your take on that?
3. My car has a 5 year extended warranty. Should I go for the engine mod?

If I may interject here I drive the same car so thought that I could offer my 2 cents.

1. The warranty will get void only if the FASS gets to know, but this probability is quite less, so its a calculated risk IMO.

2) The now-discontinued Punto Evo Sports came with the same low profile sections (195/55/R16) and there isnt a major difference in the ride quality in the low speeds because of the stiffer suspension on 2012 onwards Puntos. But this updated profile does provide you better handling around the bends owing to a lower aspect ratio. The only major deterrent is that there arent many tyres available in this tyre spec. Most of them are available in the 205/60/R16 spec.

3) Again, its a calculated risk. BTW how old is your Evo?

[Enobarbus]

Hearty Congratulations Sidindica. That was great to read and superb pictures too. Your ride is looking absolutely gorgeous.
Without the romantics like you the world will be a drab and poor place.
Here's wishing you many miles of merry motoring.

[v12]

Congrats Sid! Love the color and tbe Momo revenge in gun metal really compliment the look. All the modification that you have carried out - has rendered the warranty void, right?

[nibedk]

Originally Posted by Waspune

Congrats on your latest Italian acquisition

A very good write up that deserved full 5 stars. The interior pic looked brilliant with the ambient lighting and those Momos' do look the part. I also drive the Punto Evo VGT that came with all black interiors and now its remapped (by Viezu) as well.

Regarding the brake pads, I got my Evo's brake pad changed for Rs 2770/- after running 28k kms. Even at that time the brake pads had some life left but I went ahead as I was making my Punto ready for a remap so wanted my brakes to be sharp to take the additional power. Also, I feel that by default the Punto brakes have more than enough bite, so if one is using them judiciously one can increase the change intervals for the same. In my 31k+ ODO I have used the ABS only 7-8 times till date.

What makes you feel that the Punto has a big turning radius? Even the Kwid measures the same 5 mm and the i20 stands at 5.1 mm.

I wonder why couldnt you wait till the first free check up (@5k) for remap . Did you change the oil before the remap?

Well mate. My brake pads lasted for 39 K kms and when I changed it still had enough juice for another 2-3 K kms. Since we were starting for 4 K kms trip didn't want to compromise on the braking power as well as risk damaging the disk itself and hence decided to go for the change. Service guys have been repeating the same old story of another 5 K before you change since 20 K kms. I guess if there is no difference in the braking capability of the car or any peculiar noise from the brakes a visual inspection should help the owner judge when to change brakes. My tires @ 49 K are still going strong and will change it either @ 60 K or 3 years whichever comes earlier. I am still running on stock Apollo Accelares. The chances of hitting 60 K is more probable and I may go for a change earlier if I see any degradation in the grip or braking. I do follow 5 tire rotation every 10 K religiously and tire guys say it should last another 20 K.

I will decide @ 60 K if I need a change or can run a few more thousand kms especially if there are no planned road trips. With the right kind of care one can increase the life of every component of the car. A little bit of preventive maintenance always helps. I go for a checkup @ every 5 K kms which costs not more than 500 bucks. I usually try and club it with the FIAT camps saving some more money.

Originally Posted by sidindica

The final story, narrated for a reason.

Stories, by the people, of the people, for the people, for whom, the steering isn't just for holding, its for holding on.
Because, in this world, "everything happens for a reason".

--CURTAINS--

Congrats mate! on your new Fiat. I too own a 90 HP GP and absolutely love it for it strengths. Dislike a few things as well but still the ownership has been blissful till now. Already munched 50 K kms and looks good for a few more. This car is a keeper and will last you more than a decade if once takes good care.

What I am worried about though is there is no clear upgrade path for us Fiat owners. Waiting to see what Fiat/Jeep unleashes come 2018-19. If Fiat cannot satisfy my needs then I will have to look elsewhere. May be Ford as nothing else will satisfy my needs as a driver

[kilireddy0]

Congratulations on the epic purchase. Around, couple of years ago when I was working in B'lore was days away from purchasing this guy, had to move out of the country due to work immediately. Long story short, two years later sitting somewhere half way across the world reading your story reminded me of what I missed and still miss. Happy for you. Till the day I move back can only dream.

[dark.knight]

As someone who's also brand-loyal, I get it. If I were a Fiat owner, I'd without doubt buy Fiat again, getting used to certain virtues of the Punto takes some time - i.e the steering position and gearbox, but once that is done and once you are also used to the best-in-class-and-two-levels-above suspension, the honest quality inside out, the best in class human-interface system and the safety, it wont take much time to realize no other car has it this good and no, a Polo doesn't come close by a mile overall.

My sole experience with the Punto remains a test-drive of the 1.2 many years ago. I had heard fans sing praises about the car so I decided to get cheeky and test it a bit hard.. I saw a big patch of potholes 4-6 inches deep and sent the car in the direction at 40 kmph, all I heard inside were a couple of muted thuds and the cabin didn't even tilt in any direction. As someone who was slightly biased against Punto yet with an open mind, I instantly understood why it is loved the way it is loved and I had bias no more. I was also more than satisfied with the puny 1.2 engine for some reason, maybe because it was tuned really well to tackle city speeds.. much more so than the 1.2 engines of VW, Honda or Hyundai. The steering was a bit light for a hydraulic setup but feedback was great nonetheless.

I quite like the update to Punto Evo, the previous gen Punto was a bit plain and this one has a bit of character in the front profile and silver gives it sophistication and class. Great buy. The car is rustic in many areas, and that is its biggest charm.. it has its rough edges but that's what gives it that uniqueness, the affordable Maserati/Ferrari as fans call it. Reviews of the newer Tipo hatch+sedan seem to be saying that Fiat has no longer the same character with lighter build and not so tight dynamics, thus I hope Fiat continues to sell this niche car for as long as possible in India.

[Sabrish]

That's an excellently emoted experience. I strongly feel that the promotion of Fiat needs to be in hands of such hardcore Fiaitians rather than a bunch of adverts who hardly convey the feel or the satisfaction of owning one! by the way....Any plans on to get the roof rails of the urban cross on your ride? How was the remap done? Did you use a tuning box?