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Old 23rd July 2009, 11:09   #76
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Ratings in each area are given very nicely, but as many pointed out, the final verdict seems to have been given by giving different weightage to different areas. For instance, Punto to be the final winner, sid would have given less weightage to performance, interior, etc. where Punto fared badly. Sid rightly gave the disclaimer, which indirectly means Indian mass don't care for performance, but mileage

BTW, When I first test drove, I too felt that Punto's interior was a bit bad. But in my second and third test drives, I just changed my mind and felt that it was good. However, rear leg space is still not great, but at almost the same level as other hatches. Performance was still an issue.
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Old 23rd July 2009, 11:21   #77
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Those have been probably taken on the fiat UK site
You too can try your own config! Fiat.co.uk | Fiat Showroom : Latest Offers, Book a Test Drive, Fiat Car Range and more
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Old 23rd July 2009, 13:46   #78
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isnt that picture shown by sid of bolt coming out of GP a cause of worry, i mean how many cars have we seen doing that, sorry to GP owners nothing personal but that is not acceptable.
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Old 23rd July 2009, 14:11   #79
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Fantastic work, very objective, practical and without any chest thumping or bruhaha. Very useful for a prospective buyer, thanks for the time spent on it. Couple of points

1. Pray what stopped you from putting all these three cars together and clicking snaps of the front/back and side profiles. Would have given everyone a great and quick comparison of looks on one page. I know you would have done the drives on seperate days, just thinking loud here.

2. Cant really agree on the front/rear seat space observations from you. I own a ritz vxi and thought that the Punto was the worst when it came to both the front seat legroom and the back seat legroom. Punto cannot take 3 people at the back.

3. The best thing you did was to bring the price into equation. I liked your conclusion that for a person with limited budget the Ritz makes sense. I think the Punto and the i10 are great cars but it pinches the purse a bit harder.Which actullay is a decent marketing strategy from the manufacturers (fiat and hyundai) considering the fact thet they know they wont be selling as many units as Maruti would in the current scenario. Not suggesting that i10 and Punto arent VFM, as value is a relative term and VFM depends on the individual and cannot be generalised.

Overall, terrific work from you, looking forward to such posts in the future.
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Old 23rd July 2009, 14:51   #80
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Fantastic comparison Sid, Hats off to you for the patience you have shown to type such a looooooooooooooooooong review and for the patience you had to look in to each and every aspect of not one but for all the three cars. It takes enormous amount of time and patience to come out with such a comprehensive review and report.

I agree with Renjith on one point, you could taken pictures with all three cars side by side and could have given us a visual treat and let the reader decide which looks better for their eyes.

The choice of words you have used and the flow of the report glued me to the thread without looking at anyother thing. Thanks again, please come up with such reports in future.
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Old 23rd July 2009, 17:01   #81
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A brilliant write-up,by jotting down all the points without missing any.
No offense meant totally from my personal view:
Punto : masses
I 20 : Classy
Ritz : middle-class.
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Old 23rd July 2009, 17:10   #82
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramsagar View Post
No offense meant totally from my personal view:
Punto : masses
I 20 : Classy
Ritz : middle-class.
This is exactly what Hyundai wants us to believe.... congrats Hyundai!
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Old 23rd July 2009, 17:17   #83
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Post deleted by the Team-BHP Support : Please do NOT SPAM the forum. One-liners that add absolutely no value to the thread are strictly prohibited on Team-BHP.

We advise you to visit our board rules section before proceeding any further.

Last edited by GTO : 24th July 2009 at 18:35.
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Old 23rd July 2009, 17:30   #84
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Hey SID, man! You rock!
Thanks again,
and again,
and again!!!


Quote:
Originally Posted by architect View Post
I was a little foxed with the final verdict marks, but I think individuals should take the ratings for every parameter and should give weightage to each as per their personal requirements to get a correct statistical verdict. (not too sure how to do that, I am not as good at statistics as Duckworth-Lewis)
There's a one way which can be followed.

If you think particular parameter is most important for you, then multiply the ratings for that parameter by "3" (like "BUDGET" for me). If you are not too picky about particular parameter, use "2" as multiplier. And if particular parameter, you can totally live without or it doesn't make much difference for you (like "Fuel Efficiency" for an enthusiastic driver), the use multiplier "1" ( I mean use the ratings as they are).

Now total of all those recalculated ratings should answer which car is for you.

Last edited by xPK : 23rd July 2009 at 17:35. Reason: Adding more comments
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Old 23rd July 2009, 22:16   #85
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A clear and detailed review!

Reading the review felt like the same when i test drove the cars.Even though you have given the Ritz the third place i very happy with the experience with my Ritz LDI which has done 1800km.And yes your description of the Ritz is exactly what i am feeling after 2 months of ownership.Just one thing the rear looks cramped but because of the high seating and good underthigh support the passengers who were driven around felt comfortable after say a 2-3 hour long journey.
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Old 23rd July 2009, 22:51   #86
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In defence of Ritz (am prepared to get lynched)

A very excellent and a very painstaking comparison of all the three hatches. It seems GTO has serious competition. Can I request a similar comparison of the Petrol versions?

This is a forum for car owners and by definition of car enthusiasts, and as you can see from the posts and threads that abound here, there are a lot of Punto fans around. Reading this forums any newcomer would think that the best car is Punto and no car even comes close to it. In the 6 pages of this thread nobody even talks of Ritz. Is it so bad a car? The sales should certainly reflect the ratings. The fact is that the car buying "general" person is not an enthusiast. That said Indians are very clever buyers, IMHO. He immidiately senses VFM deals, is not a perfectionist, and is willing to sacrifice a little here and there, like boot space (Ritz boot though small is still more then swift, and who wants to lug an elephant in town), a little ride quality (after all he does not sit in the back), he will certainly not compromise FE (money here), neither poor and unreputed A. S. S (time is money), expensive spares (more money here).
So would it be a surprise to anybody that the sales figures would exactly be the reverse of these ratings?
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Old 23rd July 2009, 23:06   #87
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ada View Post
A very excellent and a very painstaking comparison of all the three hatches. It seems GTO has serious competition. Can I request a similar comparison of the Petrol versions?

This is a forum for car owners and by definition of car enthusiasts, and as you can see from the posts and threads that abound here, there are a lot of Punto fans around. Reading this forums any newcomer would think that the best car is Punto and no car even comes close to it. In the 6 pages of this thread nobody even talks of Ritz. Is it so bad a car? The sales should certainly reflect the ratings. The fact is that the car buying "general" person is not an enthusiast.
So would it be a surprise to anybody that the sales figures would exactly be the reverse of these ratings?
Absolutely. Ritz will outsell by a huge margin. No doubt. leaders dont boast a lot. They just do
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Old 23rd July 2009, 23:21   #88
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Let some doubts get cleared

Actually I did not even consider ritz in the first place due to its dimensions and class, which is below the punto and I20 but these 2 factors have tempted me to do so:
  • Price difference of ritz LDI and punto active of only 20,000
  • both have same engine with similar calibration.
As a product, I have mentioned that all have their merits and demerits. The ritz is good-no doubt, and very competitively priced and well rounded product for its dimensions and foot print but still in our country, diesel buyers look for more practical nature and ritz falls a bit short as compared to punto.
So, the punto at Rs. 20,000 more than ritz LDi wins this all important comparision.
But, Fiats still do not enjoy solid reputation for electrical reliability, after sales service and resale value, which the ritz does.
For those people, the ritz makes sense. The swift and vista was not included because of my restrictions were kept to only Euro 4 cars launched this year. Moreover, these cars will have engines upgraded which can make a difference to their refinement levels and improve their driveability. hopefully another comparo will be here next year.

Skoda Fabia-despite being Euro 4 was not included because how many people really will buy it, going by high sticker price and skoda's pathetic post sales service?

Now the numbers part:

the ratings are simple, not involving any statistical tool. (I am poor at stats, sorry) but all parameters have their own independent ratings, including the final, which was not a total of the above points (I had written somewhere-tallying up all the points, which should read as-tallying up all the pros and cons) but was rated on the basis of the comments written about it.

Now-the I20 was the winner, So, why the punto all of a sudden?

earlier I have written that price was given a secondary consideration, but forgot to write-that OVERALL VALUE still is primary concern while this test was conducted, so if you look at price to features ratio, and the permutations and combinations that an aam aadmi looks while purchasing the premium diesel hatch, it has to be the punto which wins. Otherwise, why had getz CRDi flopped at the first place despite the price being cut to 4,99,000 and still Hyundai did not manage to get decent bookings?

The I20 is a fabulous car, no doubt, it may have won the newest comparision conducted by a magazine, but it is grossly overpriced and Hyundai needs to price its CRDi cars competitively, otherwise, the I20 would end up being another getz crdi and again, the company would resort to discounts after a couple of years on the I20 CRDi.

Last edited by sidindica : 23rd July 2009 at 23:31.
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Old 23rd July 2009, 23:45   #89
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That was a great review Sid.

I would still buy the i20 by paying Rs 1 L extra, that is to buy peace of mind. Tata A.S.S is quite pathetic, in general.
Even in the showrooms they(showroom salesman) think they are doing a favor by showing us the Fiat cars.

Ritz do not stand a chance here for sure I agree. Its has a very bad looking back.
But by Indian mentality, Punto woundn't sell much and Ritz would be the the winner, as someone said.
The average Indian car buyers looks at, in general, two aspects, cost of the car and the mileage. Nothing else really matter. They can sit in cramped seats, keep the luggage on their laps, do not mind the squiks and grunts of the car and the odd shapes. Hope they grow up soon.

Thanks again, one of the better reviews I had read on TBHP. kudos!!!!!

Last edited by shuvadips : 23rd July 2009 at 23:51.
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Old 23rd July 2009, 23:58   #90
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Shuvaji, I think it is not Indian mentality, I think Indian buyer is a very clever animal (as enthusiasts fail to recognize that fact). Personally I love the way Punto looks, and its driveability is something surreal, but that single photo of a screw held up does say a lot doesnt it. If Ritz VDI was replaced with ZXI, then Ritz would have gained a lot of points.
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