The Definitive comparision: Punto 1.3 MJD VS I 20 1.4 CRDi VS Ritz 1.3 DDiS

shantyrocks · 21st July 2009, 01:23

great comprehensive review sid.
you have taken great pains to put this down.
A big thanx to you

d3mon · 21st July 2009, 01:26

Great effort. I agree with most of your views presented here.

Don't take it the wrong way, but I think that your ratings scale is a bit skewed. What I mean is that while the punto is a great car (IMO the best of the bunch), but it certainly does NOT deserve a 9/10 rating.

I know I'm being an a** here, but 9/10 == Almost perfect car with no shortcomings whatsoever, let alone anything serious.

I'm not here to point out the merits or demerits of any car(enough has already been said), but IMO none of these deserves a 9/10 or even 8/10 rating. All of them have their own shortcomings (serious ones, at that).

And we all know what we really want.

Punto's looks + i20 engine + ritz practicality + punto gadgets + i20 safety + ritz pricing + great A.S.S

None of the cars comes even close to offering that kind of a deal. Hence, my views.

phamilyman · 21st July 2009, 01:29

You should've compared Punto EP+P

ie EPack + Pete's.

THAT would've won it comfortably

Jokes apart. Simply awesome

srishiva · 21st July 2009, 01:33

Good review. But your disclaimer bag of inconsistencies.

(Disclaimer: this comparison is done keeping in mind the typical Indian car buyer's perception-conservatism rather than from an enthusiasts perspective.
Individual perceptions may vary. Be sure to judge your requirements and take a thorough test drives of any car that you intend to purchase because different people have different requirements.)

vikas44 · 21st July 2009, 02:08

i just don't seem to agree with verdict though i might be wrong. I calculated the total scores for each car and the standings are

Fiat GP 150.5/190
Hyundai i20 160.5/190
Maruti Ritz 131.5/190

So according to these numbers i20 is the clear winner. It was mentioned in the beginning that the price is given secondary importance so will the overpricing of i20 weigh more than those extra 10 points ?

Please i mean no offense or disgrace to the author, its just that i am applying simple calculations to reach my result.

deepakhon · 21st July 2009, 06:11

Sid,

excellent review! As you have rightly pointed out in your disclaimer, perceptions of the winner might vary on the requirements of the customer, but, what is more important is that you have captured the attributes of the cars well. Thanks for that. In my opinion, this is the most comprehensive comparison on Tbhp ever.

muni · 21st July 2009, 07:07

@Sid:
Excellent pictorial and exhaustive review there. Appreciate the effort and time spent on it. Agree with the overall winner as I am pretty sure Fiat guys had no other choice but to price it very competitive and in the process dilute on some quality control/ design of some parts also while retaining th eoverall character.

Few points.

1) As D3mon says, the highest rating for many parameters should not have exceeded 8 as i feel we should have that 2 or 3 points for scope for improvement. The overall rating for the highest rated car also should not have gone beyond 8. It only takes away the scope for improvement for another car if it were to be launched later.That's my opinion though.

2) The fuel effciency part might not be entirely true for the i20 going by the certified rating. i20 maybe less or equal to punto.

3) Ride and handling from a common man's perspective might not mean so much as what you have mentioned and it would be more like how it rides in city than how it handles in highways.

Good job once again.

tortoiseNhare · 21st July 2009, 07:30

OT here, but Sid do you have any scoop regarding a Vista Quadrajet with ABS-EBD?

muralisk · 21st July 2009, 07:54

Awesome and comprehensive review sid!! Am sure that this would be one stop thread for people looking at hatch diesels.

gemithomas · 21st July 2009, 08:47

Thats some real good work done. I think i20 would have been the winner if only they could price it right. Probably thats the reason behind the quality of plastics in GP and i20. But will that make that huge a difference? I'm wondering on what aspects did Hyundai send more and loose on the pricing and how did GP manage to reduce the cost and price!!!

AbhiJ · 21st July 2009, 09:53

Great review. Very neutral and non biased. Thanks for the same.

Gandhi · 21st July 2009, 10:18

Awesome work there man. The amount of pain you've taken shows in your posts. Hats off to you

.

Coming to the Fiat engine, all the linea owners here have observed that the engine frees up pretty much after run-in is complete (2000-3000 kms). If that's the case with Punto as well, there won't be concerns about Punto being underpowered (to some extent at least).

d_payne · 21st July 2009, 10:25

Wonderfully written review.

I expected other members to point out the overall difference in points between the Punto and the i20, but I agree with Sid in the fact that the final price difference is high enough to offset whatever qualitative differences exist between the Punto and i20. In any purchase, no matter what you do, you cannot ignore the price difference. Sure you get what you pay for - with the Punto, lower interior quality and with the i20, far better interiors - but at the end of the day, you have to shell out the extra monies to buy the i20. If price was not a consideration, then the Jazz would win most battles easily.

Great review Sid, very very thorough and much more to-the-point than most car reviews I read today. The important part is that you took ONE stand - that of the typical Indian car-buyer - and not dilly-dally around with both an enthusiast and routine car buyers. Very nice.

Cheers!
Payne

RX135 · 21st July 2009, 10:35

Nice review covering almost all aspects of these cars.

However, I am not sure if the analysis about front and rear leg space is correct. In fact, i20 is supposed to have most cramped rear space (going by the measurements). There is lengthy and heated discussion on this topic in another thread.

Again, very good thread with lots of facts and figures! Individual users will have more weight for some points and less for some others. So the verdict may vary between individuals but nevertheless, very attempt to summarize the pros and cons of all three cars.

Ram_NP · 21st July 2009, 10:42

Very good Report Sid! Unbaised and presented the facts really well in defined sections.

This will definitely help the members intending to buy one of these three cars.

I am tempted to know, which one of these you will choose personally, if price is not a factor.

21st July 2009, 01:23	#16
shantyrocks BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: thane Posts: 741 Thanked: 5 Times	great comprehensive review sid. you have taken great pains to put this down. A big thanx to you
	() Thanks

21st July 2009, 01:26	#17
d3mon BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 914 Thanked: 4,076 Times	Great effort. I agree with most of your views presented here. Don't take it the wrong way, but I think that your ratings scale is a bit skewed. What I mean is that while the punto is a great car (IMO the best of the bunch), but it certainly does NOT deserve a 9/10 rating. I know I'm being an a** here, but 9/10 == Almost perfect car with no shortcomings whatsoever, let alone anything serious. I'm not here to point out the merits or demerits of any car(enough has already been said), but IMO none of these deserves a 9/10 or even 8/10 rating. All of them have their own shortcomings (serious ones, at that). And we all know what we really want. Punto's looks + i20 engine + ritz practicality + punto gadgets + i20 safety + ritz pricing + great A.S.S None of the cars comes even close to offering that kind of a deal. Hence, my views.
	() Thanks

21st July 2009, 01:29	#18
phamilyman Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 5,968 Thanked: 4,641 Times	You should've compared Punto EP+P ie EPack + Pete's. THAT would've won it comfortably Jokes apart. Simply awesome
	() Thanks

21st July 2009, 01:33	#19
srishiva Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 4,375 Thanked: 2,256 Times	Good review. But your disclaimer bag of inconsistencies. (Disclaimer: this comparison is done keeping in mind the typical Indian car buyer's perception-conservatism rather than from an enthusiasts perspective. Individual perceptions may vary. Be sure to judge your requirements and take a thorough test drives of any car that you intend to purchase because different people have different requirements.)
	() Thanks

21st July 2009, 02:08	#20
vikas44 Newbie Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: delhi Posts: 22 Thanked: 0 Times	i just don't seem to agree with verdict though i might be wrong. I calculated the total scores for each car and the standings are Fiat GP 150.5/190 Hyundai i20 160.5/190 Maruti Ritz 131.5/190 So according to these numbers i20 is the clear winner. It was mentioned in the beginning that the price is given secondary importance so will the overpricing of i20 weigh more than those extra 10 points ? Please i mean no offense or disgrace to the author, its just that i am applying simple calculations to reach my result.
	() Thanks

21st July 2009, 06:11	#21
deepakhon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,441 Thanked: 65 Times	Sid, excellent review! As you have rightly pointed out in your disclaimer, perceptions of the winner might vary on the requirements of the customer, but, what is more important is that you have captured the attributes of the cars well. Thanks for that. In my opinion, this is the most comprehensive comparison on Tbhp ever.
	() Thanks

21st July 2009, 07:07	#22
muni BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 607 Thanked: 214 Times View My Garage	@Sid: Excellent pictorial and exhaustive review there. Appreciate the effort and time spent on it. Agree with the overall winner as I am pretty sure Fiat guys had no other choice but to price it very competitive and in the process dilute on some quality control/ design of some parts also while retaining th eoverall character. Few points. 1) As D3mon says, the highest rating for many parameters should not have exceeded 8 as i feel we should have that 2 or 3 points for scope for improvement. The overall rating for the highest rated car also should not have gone beyond 8. It only takes away the scope for improvement for another car if it were to be launched later.That's my opinion though. 2) The fuel effciency part might not be entirely true for the i20 going by the certified rating. i20 maybe less or equal to punto. 3) Ride and handling from a common man's perspective might not mean so much as what you have mentioned and it would be more like how it rides in city than how it handles in highways. Good job once again.
	() Thanks

21st July 2009, 07:30	#23
tortoiseNhare BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Guwahati Posts: 536 Thanked: 90 Times	OT here, but Sid do you have any scoop regarding a Vista Quadrajet with ABS-EBD?
	() Thanks

21st July 2009, 07:54	#24
muralisk BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Hyderabad, Bangalore Posts: 711 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	Awesome and comprehensive review sid!! Am sure that this would be one stop thread for people looking at hatch diesels.
	() Thanks

21st July 2009, 08:47	#25
gemithomas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 2,366 Thanked: 143 Times View My Garage	Thats some real good work done. I think i20 would have been the winner if only they could price it right. Probably thats the reason behind the quality of plastics in GP and i20. But will that make that huge a difference? I'm wondering on what aspects did Hyundai send more and loose on the pricing and how did GP manage to reduce the cost and price!!!
	() Thanks

21st July 2009, 09:53	#26
AbhiJ Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Kolkata Posts: 1,476 Thanked: 1,207 Times	Great review. Very neutral and non biased. Thanks for the same.
	() Thanks

21st July 2009, 10:18	#27
Gandhi BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 958 Thanked: 206 Times View My Garage	Awesome work there man. The amount of pain you've taken shows in your posts. Hats off to you . Coming to the Fiat engine, all the linea owners here have observed that the engine frees up pretty much after run-in is complete (2000-3000 kms). If that's the case with Punto as well, there won't be concerns about Punto being underpowered (to some extent at least).
	() Thanks

21st July 2009, 10:25	#28
d_payne BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 179 Thanked: 210 Times	Wonderfully written review. I expected other members to point out the overall difference in points between the Punto and the i20, but I agree with Sid in the fact that the final price difference is high enough to offset whatever qualitative differences exist between the Punto and i20. In any purchase, no matter what you do, you cannot ignore the price difference. Sure you get what you pay for - with the Punto, lower interior quality and with the i20, far better interiors - but at the end of the day, you have to shell out the extra monies to buy the i20. If price was not a consideration, then the Jazz would win most battles easily. Great review Sid, very very thorough and much more to-the-point than most car reviews I read today. The important part is that you took ONE stand - that of the typical Indian car-buyer - and not dilly-dally around with both an enthusiast and routine car buyers. Very nice. Cheers! Payne
	() Thanks

21st July 2009, 10:35	#29
RX135 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: pune Posts: 2,106 Thanked: 75 Times	Nice review covering almost all aspects of these cars. However, I am not sure if the analysis about front and rear leg space is correct. In fact, i20 is supposed to have most cramped rear space (going by the measurements). There is lengthy and heated discussion on this topic in another thread. Again, very good thread with lots of facts and figures! Individual users will have more weight for some points and less for some others. So the verdict may vary between individuals but nevertheless, very attempt to summarize the pros and cons of all three cars.
	() Thanks

21st July 2009, 10:42	#30
Ram_NP BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Kolkata Posts: 354 Thanked: 23 Times	Very good Report Sid! Unbaised and presented the facts really well in defined sections. This will definitely help the members intending to buy one of these three cars. I am tempted to know, which one of these you will choose personally, if price is not a factor.
	() Thanks