Fiat Grande Punto : 1.3 Multijet : Emotion Pack : 4000 km report

kuttapan · 24th July 2009, 15:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by sridharp77

Thanks guys, I will start a separate thread after i come back to Bangalore from Kerala. There is no color difference, it could be the light effect.

Why do you attempt to "blue" out your number plate from one pic, when it is plain visible in another pic?

amoghchaphalkar · 26th July 2009, 19:16

Vijay, Harry : Here I am

Attaching some pics.

Apologise for the average quality. The weather has been horrible.

The clouds just refuse to go away.

BTW : This car just "owns" the rough roads .. it really does !! The ride quality is absolutely outstanding.

Hope all of you like the pics.

Harry : go ahead with the blue. You won't be disappointed.

P.S : The car is still making heads turn. And my guess is it is because of the blue colour. I think silver, grey, white shades just get lost in the "mob". I was just looking in my office car park the other day, mine is the only blue car amongst close to 50 cars. Silver, Golden, White and Grey are so common that sometimes people just fail to notice a "new member" amongst those colours.

parimal_g · 26th July 2009, 19:32

Its Brilliant Blue,really nice snaps..

NutsNBolts · 26th July 2009, 21:25

Pointed electricity is what they should've called this color. Hope your ownership experience turns out to be better than your showroom experience amogh. All the best.

comfortablynumb · 26th July 2009, 22:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by amoghchaphalkar

The car is still making heads turn. And my guess is it is because of the blue colour. I think silver, grey, white shades just get lost in the "mob".

+1 to that, Amogh! Saw a Blue GP on Tilak Road near the SP College intersection twice today evening; I guess that was you. The car really stands out from the crowd!

Enjoy the Punto experience!

Cheers,
Vikram

.anshuman · 26th July 2009, 23:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by amoghchaphalkar

P.S : The car is still making heads turn. And my guess is it is because of the blue colour.

Nope its not the blue color,Even with my red GP i am enjoying attention from anybody and everybody in traffic,people stare at the car till lights turn green.

smilenow · 26th July 2009, 23:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Nope its not the blue color,Even with my red GP i am enjoying attention from anybody and everybody in traffic,people stare at the car till lights turn green.

True.

Amogh,the car looks brilliant in blue.
+1 for the color choice.

shantyrocks · 27th July 2009, 00:29

amzzzing amogh...!
car just looks beautiful in blue..

amoghchaphalkar · 27th July 2009, 07:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

+1 to that, Amogh! Saw a Blue GP on Tilak Road near the SP College intersection twice today evening; I guess that was you. The car really stands out from the crowd!

Enjoy the Punto experience!

Cheers,
Vikram

Thanks Vikram !! Yeah .. it was me !!

I stay very close to Tilak Road

Quote:

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Nope its not the blue color,Even with my red GP i am enjoying attention from anybody and everybody in traffic,people stare at the car till lights turn green.

Hey anshuman !! Sorry mate .. I conveniently forgot to give due credit to the red colour.

In fact, my choice was between red and blue and I went for blue. Red looks equally amazing.
I think Pune is yet to see a Red Punto. But looking at the pace at which bookings have been happening, it won't be long before we see one !!

harry10 · 27th July 2009, 16:32

@Amogh- Thanks for the pics.
Precisely why i am choosing blue(and its my fax color as well).
In fact you forgot to credit black as well along with red.

Black Punto looks smashing and if it wasn't for keeping it clean all the time prob i would have taken black.

Called up local dealer and he said blue has a 3 week waiting so gonna try another dealer now.

Red is available in 2 days though.

Crimson · 27th July 2009, 17:46

Awesome. The blue looks just fabulous.

arun1100 · 27th July 2009, 21:51

Amogh.. Your purchase has given me all the confidence to go ahead with the BOLD CAR..!! Your car looks awesome. I have decided to buy a white one to match my Fiat 1100.

Sunilrj · 27th July 2009, 22:41

Amogh, congrats with the Punto!

being an owner of a Linea Myself here are a few pointers.

do not change the stock speakers. instead tweak the EQ settings a little bit in a V format and try using a pen drive for the music. this is because the output from the pen drive gets amplified a little more than CD's and there is a separate option to further increase the volume of the external inputs namely Pen drive and phone. Also the Stock HU Amp wont be able to drive your JBL speakers, requiring you to plonk in an AMP. this would mean modification to the electrical Circuit which Voids warranty.

secondly an AMP plonked in the Linea or Punto has this "always on" problem until the key is removed. if the system is powered off and the key is still in ACC position the amp would be on since the Blue&me system uses the system amplification to route the calls to the speakers which could result in a battery drain. you may also have to put a switch somewhere to switch off the amp manually.

if at all you are still not satisfied with the effect try to source out a Blaupunkt ISO standard Line level Adaptor which gives you two line outs to which you can connect an amp / active subwoofer without disturbing / stripping or cutting off any wire.

maybe you can go in for a tyre upgrade to reduce road noise namely Michellin primacy LC 195/60/15 which improve ride quality to a great extent and a few Punto accessories from ebay or partsworld-uk.com

opendro · 28th July 2009, 10:01

Belated congratulations Amogh. I also wish you that your ownership turns out to be much better than your purchase experience. I have been quite happy with Tata's response whenever I need their help. I have already crossed 9000 Km in my Linea Emotion pack.

A few tips about fuel efficiency. Study when and how the ECU controls the fuel injection in different speeds and gears. For example, in my Linea, at 40 Kmph, without pressing on the throttle, fifth gear rolling would consume more fuel than a fourth gear rolling. ECU tries to sustain the rpm and injects more fuel. Gear should always be in a such a way to maintain above 1100 rpm even though the engine happily rolls in rpms below that in a city traffic driving.

On the highway also, keep the foot away from the throttle when you don't need acceleration. The more often you take your right foot off the pedal, the more fuel efficiency you would get. I can pretty much race from every low speed caused sometimes on highway to 90 Kmph and still get a mileage of 22 Kmpl easily. If I don't race to 90 Kmph, I can easily get 25 Kmpl on highway. The instantaneous consumption is a very good input for us to learn a given engine.

I'm also hoping that Adobe and Fiat would bring out the ecodrive software for the Indian versions of Punto and Linea. They already have for Punto internationally. All we need to do is to download the software in a USB pen drive, plug into the audio USB port. The software can read everything that is required to know from the ECU about how the driver shifts gear, when he presses the pedal, where he could have driven better to get better mileage, etc. The software records all these on the pen drive and once imported into the Adobe software made for this, it will analyze.

All the best. Keep us updated with your experience. And also I would be happy if you could send me private messages when you Pete quietly within warranty period

My wife is not granting me permission to Pete mine until the car turns one year.

manjo · 28th July 2009, 18:10

I got my red punto multijet emotion pk delivered on 2nd July and just got the registration done last week(still running on 1 month temporary registration). Concorde motors failed lots of dates for this registration thing before and after that they are still delaying to get the number plate fixed. When i raised voice he said will come in today to office and fix it but nothing happened till now. Still not even given me the Manual :(

Couple of thing I need to know of this beauty.

I have fitted an accessory to automatically close the windows on locking the car. Will this effect the warranty in anyway?
Which mudflaps to go for, nothing available with dealer now..
What is the right pressure for the tyres...
Which car cover will fit this. The one for the small car doesnt fit this properly..

Here is a snap of it.. This snap is on July 2nd. Now with the sunfilm on it looks more stunner..

Will add more snaps shortly...

The main problem i am getting with this is the turning radius. U-turns in bangalore are not just simple for this one..
I took this one for a Mysore ride and once i pushed it hard to see how much it can climb. Once it touched 130 then it started sounding as if i was driving in 2nd or 3rd gear and accelerating too much. There was enough throttle left but with the sound i felt i would damage the engine if i increase more. I dont know if this is normal but my Innova was not behaving the same though..
The handling and braking is just superb. While i was returning i almost had an accident when a tractor came on wrong side on the highway while i was overtaking a bus from the left at night. i braked hard and rocked it to the right but the car was in absolute control and with zero screeching or skidding; even no-one on board was thrown aside.
The other issue is the ground clearance, no rather the front bumper.. In a bumpy road I didnt slow it much and the front bumper touched down scratching it bad..
I can vote for the build quality as a maruti 800 hit my GP when it was parked and i heard a thud and the plastic bumper on the 800 cracked but mine had nothing but the 800 plastic stuck on my paint..
My Blue and Me works too good except for the messages, it always says no messages. Mine is an N73.
I have clocked 1000km but my per hundred average is showing 11.6(city and highway mixed.)
As lots complained this does give a lag in performance but its just not true and the fact is u need to understand when to change gears..

26th July 2009, 19:16	#317
amoghchaphalkar BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 636 Thanked: 703 Times	Some Pics Vijay, Harry : Here I am Attaching some pics. Apologise for the average quality. The weather has been horrible. The clouds just refuse to go away. BTW : This car just "owns" the rough roads .. it really does !! The ride quality is absolutely outstanding. Hope all of you like the pics. Harry : go ahead with the blue. You won't be disappointed. P.S : The car is still making heads turn. And my guess is it is because of the blue colour. I think silver, grey, white shades just get lost in the "mob". I was just looking in my office car park the other day, mine is the only blue car amongst close to 50 cars. Silver, Golden, White and Grey are so common that sometimes people just fail to notice a "new member" amongst those colours. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

26th July 2009, 19:32	#318
parimal_g BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: MUMBAI Posts: 442 Thanked: 278 Times View My Garage	Its Brilliant Blue,really nice snaps..
	() Thanks

26th July 2009, 21:25	#319
NutsNBolts BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Jammu Posts: 817 Thanked: 41 Times View My Garage	Pointed electricity is what they should've called this color. Hope your ownership experience turns out to be better than your showroom experience amogh. All the best.
	() Thanks

27th July 2009, 00:29	#323
shantyrocks BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: thane Posts: 741 Thanked: 5 Times	amzzzing amogh...! car just looks beautiful in blue..
	() Thanks

27th July 2009, 16:32	#325
harry10 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Faridabad/Delhi Posts: 2,713 Thanked: 3,628 Times View My Garage	@Amogh- Thanks for the pics. Precisely why i am choosing blue(and its my fax color as well). In fact you forgot to credit black as well along with red. Black Punto looks smashing and if it wasn't for keeping it clean all the time prob i would have taken black. Called up local dealer and he said blue has a 3 week waiting so gonna try another dealer now. Red is available in 2 days though.
	() Thanks

27th July 2009, 17:46	#326
Crimson BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 224 Thanked: 0 Times	Awesome. The blue looks just fabulous.
	() Thanks

27th July 2009, 21:51	#327
arun1100 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,087 Thanked: 5,577 Times View My Garage	Amogh.. Your purchase has given me all the confidence to go ahead with the BOLD CAR..!! Your car looks awesome. I have decided to buy a white one to match my Fiat 1100.
	() Thanks

27th July 2009, 22:41	#328
Sunilrj BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Mangalore Posts: 773 Thanked: 590 Times	Amogh, congrats with the Punto! being an owner of a Linea Myself here are a few pointers. do not change the stock speakers. instead tweak the EQ settings a little bit in a V format and try using a pen drive for the music. this is because the output from the pen drive gets amplified a little more than CD's and there is a separate option to further increase the volume of the external inputs namely Pen drive and phone. Also the Stock HU Amp wont be able to drive your JBL speakers, requiring you to plonk in an AMP. this would mean modification to the electrical Circuit which Voids warranty. secondly an AMP plonked in the Linea or Punto has this "always on" problem until the key is removed. if the system is powered off and the key is still in ACC position the amp would be on since the Blue&me system uses the system amplification to route the calls to the speakers which could result in a battery drain. you may also have to put a switch somewhere to switch off the amp manually. if at all you are still not satisfied with the effect try to source out a Blaupunkt ISO standard Line level Adaptor which gives you two line outs to which you can connect an amp / active subwoofer without disturbing / stripping or cutting off any wire. maybe you can go in for a tyre upgrade to reduce road noise namely Michellin primacy LC 195/60/15 which improve ride quality to a great extent and a few Punto accessories from ebay or partsworld-uk.com Last edited by Sunilrj : 27th July 2009 at 22:43.
	() Thanks

28th July 2009, 10:01	#329
opendro BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: NA Posts: 824 Thanked: 108 Times	Belated congratulations Amogh. I also wish you that your ownership turns out to be much better than your purchase experience. I have been quite happy with Tata's response whenever I need their help. I have already crossed 9000 Km in my Linea Emotion pack. A few tips about fuel efficiency. Study when and how the ECU controls the fuel injection in different speeds and gears. For example, in my Linea, at 40 Kmph, without pressing on the throttle, fifth gear rolling would consume more fuel than a fourth gear rolling. ECU tries to sustain the rpm and injects more fuel. Gear should always be in a such a way to maintain above 1100 rpm even though the engine happily rolls in rpms below that in a city traffic driving. On the highway also, keep the foot away from the throttle when you don't need acceleration. The more often you take your right foot off the pedal, the more fuel efficiency you would get. I can pretty much race from every low speed caused sometimes on highway to 90 Kmph and still get a mileage of 22 Kmpl easily. If I don't race to 90 Kmph, I can easily get 25 Kmpl on highway. The instantaneous consumption is a very good input for us to learn a given engine. I'm also hoping that Adobe and Fiat would bring out the ecodrive software for the Indian versions of Punto and Linea. They already have for Punto internationally. All we need to do is to download the software in a USB pen drive, plug into the audio USB port. The software can read everything that is required to know from the ECU about how the driver shifts gear, when he presses the pedal, where he could have driven better to get better mileage, etc. The software records all these on the pen drive and once imported into the Adobe software made for this, it will analyze. All the best. Keep us updated with your experience. And also I would be happy if you could send me private messages when you Pete quietly within warranty period My wife is not granting me permission to Pete mine until the car turns one year.
	() Thanks

28th July 2009, 18:10	#330
manjo BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 62 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	I got my red punto multijet emotion pk delivered on 2nd July and just got the registration done last week(still running on 1 month temporary registration). Concorde motors failed lots of dates for this registration thing before and after that they are still delaying to get the number plate fixed. When i raised voice he said will come in today to office and fix it but nothing happened till now. Still not even given me the Manual :( Couple of thing I need to know of this beauty. I have fitted an accessory to automatically close the windows on locking the car. Will this effect the warranty in anyway? Which mudflaps to go for, nothing available with dealer now.. What is the right pressure for the tyres... Which car cover will fit this. The one for the small car doesnt fit this properly.. Here is a snap of it.. This snap is on July 2nd. Now with the sunfilm on it looks more stunner.. Will add more snaps shortly... The main problem i am getting with this is the turning radius. U-turns in bangalore are not just simple for this one.. I took this one for a Mysore ride and once i pushed it hard to see how much it can climb. Once it touched 130 then it started sounding as if i was driving in 2nd or 3rd gear and accelerating too much. There was enough throttle left but with the sound i felt i would damage the engine if i increase more. I dont know if this is normal but my Innova was not behaving the same though.. The handling and braking is just superb. While i was returning i almost had an accident when a tractor came on wrong side on the highway while i was overtaking a bus from the left at night. i braked hard and rocked it to the right but the car was in absolute control and with zero screeching or skidding; even no-one on board was thrown aside. The other issue is the ground clearance, no rather the front bumper.. In a bumpy road I didnt slow it much and the front bumper touched down scratching it bad.. I can vote for the build quality as a maruti 800 hit my GP when it was parked and i heard a thud and the plastic bumper on the 800 cracked but mine had nothing but the 800 plastic stuck on my paint.. My Blue and Me works too good except for the messages, it always says no messages. Mine is an N73. I have clocked 1000km but my per hundred average is showing 11.6(city and highway mixed.) As lots complained this does give a lag in performance but its just not true and the fact is u need to understand when to change gears..
	() Thanks