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Old 18th June 2009, 23:20   #31
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Yummy looking car offering some good features. Wish Fiat brings out a 'hot hatch' version soon.

That was a great review, precise and objective. Keep up the good work Sid.

Cheers,
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Old 18th June 2009, 23:37   #32
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From the 5th photo i thought it was porsche cayenne just for a second. Sure this has to be the best looking small car, not van not mpv not tall boy. Atlast.
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Old 18th June 2009, 23:40   #33
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Punto pricelist OTR Bangalore

Superb Review Sid,

Quote:
Originally Posted by snaronikar View Post
BTW whatz the price?

Fiat Grande punto

1.2L petrol active — Rs4.74 lakhs
1.4L Petrol Dynamic – Rs5.57 lakhs
1.4l petrol emotion – Rs 5.99 lakhs
1.4L emotion pack – Rs 6.64 lakhs
1.3L diesel active -Rs5.73 lakhs
1.3L diesel dynamic – Rs6.11 lakhs
1.3L diesel emotion – Rs6.58 lakhs
1.3L diesel emotion pack – Rs7.22 lakhs

all the prices here are OTR Bangalore
Rs 5000/- Extra on all the variants for extended warranty (2+2 years)

Last edited by nithinnarayanan : 18th June 2009 at 23:44.
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Old 18th June 2009, 23:47   #34
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Good review

Has anyone tried the 1.4 petrol yet?
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Old 19th June 2009, 00:12   #35
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Good detailed review.

1) Did anyone notice the temperature gauge slightly above half mark ? This is IMHO not good. Can anybody throw some light on this as this is normally not seen on modern cars.

2) I am yet to see the properly in flesh, but the car is not a good looking car for me. Looks are subjective, so no offense meant to anybody. I felt the front was mix of frog and crocodile. The front overhang is the reason for me to believe like this. That front overhang is necessary for the European pedestrians safety norms I think.

3) Space review all over is not good. Everyone ( well almost all who have seen the car themselves ) complain that with the seats fully pulled back, the rear legroom is compromised. But then when does one have to pull the seat back, i.e. how is the space up front for a normal Indian that rarely is above 5'6" ? Anybody above 5'7" might need adjustments IMHO.
May be the reason for the long travel clutch is that people will have to pull the seat front for ease of clutch operation.

4) I have a feeling that the car is not as good performing as Swift diesel. Maruti has mastered the calibration for this good little diesel mill.

5) The real competition will come from Vista with similar engine. And I am sure Tata will manage to sell more Vista now. Also Vista has more space so definitely they have one more product from Fiat that will make Vista look better as far as space and A.S & S. goes.
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Old 19th June 2009, 02:16   #36
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Comprehensive and detailed review. Thanks Sid. The blue Punto is looking hot!!
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Old 19th June 2009, 06:57   #37
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Nice review Sid. good photos too.It'd be good if Sid (or any other member) put up some photos taken from back seat focusing front.


Quote:
Originally Posted by krish82 View Post
From the 5th photo i thought it was porsche cayenne just for a second. Sure this has to be the best looking small car, not van not mpv not tall boy. Atlast.
+100 krish. (No offence meant) Car designer tried to do the good job but didn't realize "Copycat" could be his nomenclature. Personally front car looks failed to impress me. If I want a big-bull looking car, I'd go for a big-bull car.
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Old 19th June 2009, 08:57   #38
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great review sid!
you beat GTO to it

yeah this is the best lookng hatch amongst all the hatches that have been launched in recent time (worst being ritz) .
the blue looks just out of this world but i feel that youngsters ( unmarried /just married) will be the ones going for this car and most of them will prefer red/black.
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Old 19th June 2009, 09:08   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sidindica View Post

On the other hand, buying a product is one thing, getting it properly serviced and maintaining is another thing altogether and fiat still has to do a lot of work in improving the ownership experiance.
Though the company claims to be improving on this, it still has a long way to go to match the standards of Maruti and Hyundai.


Moreover, the company has to make sure that parts are available at all times, the fiat customers are not treated like Tata/indica customers and most important, dealer attitude in all needs to improve drastically along with ensuring quality control in manufacturing processes so that small niggling and electric faults that fiats are notoriously infamous for, do not happen again.

I hope that punto is not an opportunity gone lost. Wake up Fiat!

Overall:****

Yes, I am very happy with Fiat's latest attempt to bring back the lost magic of the brand Fiat in India. This is a car which does all things right and very few things wrong. It is not the fastest, yet it feels like a cruiser than an autobahn burner.
Coupled with a solid crash-tested chassis and great blend of ride, handling, looks, interior space/comfort and features for the asking price, it takes the best ingredients from all cars and blends it into a wonderful solution of optimality, and that what counts in our country. Value.
You ask, it delivers as a workhorse. Do not expect too much out of it.

This car is perfect for an average Indian household which has money to spend and can have an every day car which withstands to all the rigors of the demanding Indian families.

Now its upto fiat to get its act together and sell and service it well.
I want this car to succeed in our country. Are you listening, fiat?
WoW is all I can say. Fantastic review. Now eagerly waiting for GTO's.. I almost feel that I should stop buying the Auto Mag's

I think sidindica has done the absolute right. He has set the expectations of the potential buyers on what should be expected so that the potential buyer isn't disappointed just because he had very high expectations.

The car looks stunning in Electric Blue and Flaming red..I wish I could get my hands on one of this for a test drive soon.

Cheers
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Old 19th June 2009, 09:29   #40
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Great review, excellent pictures and amazing details, Hats off Sidindica!! Now we expect a all terrain review from GTO.
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Old 19th June 2009, 10:05   #41
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Nice review Sid - you are a brand in yourself. TDs posts by others are one-off lucky chances, or official invites for GTO etc - but you single handedly post awesome information every single time. Lovely stuff!
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Old 19th June 2009, 10:09   #42
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Super review there Sid.

The car is a stunner. I am currently in Warsaw and the GP stands out even here amongst VWs, Audis and Mercs and Skodas.

The initial sluggishness could have been addressed by VGT, but then there is always Pete's
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Old 19th June 2009, 10:13   #43
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Great Review Sid ! I pray Punto will be a hit in the market. I guess everybody must have noticed, Punto has created more ripples than Ritz and Jazz (Though from different categories, just an e.g. as both are recently launched). I hope people will appreciate FIAT's efforts and will give it a thought at least !
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Old 19th June 2009, 10:14   #44
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Good work buddy. Thank you!
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Old 19th June 2009, 10:21   #45
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That's an excellent and a very detailed review! Sid, your signature reads that a Punto is coming soon to your garage too! When is that gonna happen?
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