In Love - Punto 1.3 MJD Emotion

ashwinks · 27th December 2009, 18:22

After my move back to India, I started my search for a hatchback. Like all roads lead to Rome, all the good reviews were on TBHP (Google links). A friend of mine has a Getz, and he was pressuring me to look at the Hyundai i20. I test drove the car and felt it as good. Meanwhile, a friend lent me his old Maruti 800 to commute. One on such drive around town, I saw a few Puntos rolling out of Concorde motors (there was a Red and Blue) for test drives, and it was love at first sight. Though me and my wife did not like the red or blue, we liked the design of the car, and it was time to research more about it. Thanks to the in-depth reviews and on-the-road performance write-ups by GTO, amogh, Klub Class, and others, I had almost made up my mind to go for the Punto.

The Test Drive:
I called up Concorde Motors and asked them for a test drive, they responded back in two days and said they would come by my office the next day. I waited all day long, but no sign of the test drive vehicle. Another call to the sales people resulted in the same dilly-dallying, and I began to lose my patience. Next, I contacted Prerana Motors, and they were quick to respond. They arranged for a vehicle in two days, and a Red MJD came by for a test drive. The first 10 min of the drive was scary, as I had never driven a car with ABS/EBD, the brakes were too sensitive for me. But, I liked how the car handled, and I sped off along outer ring road to test the vehicle. Overall, I was impressed, but was unsure of the colors of the car. I really liked the Linea Red, and I wanted that shade on the Punto. Next was the mandatory approval from the person who had to ride in the car with me.

The final nod for me was that the car was designed by the same person who also modeled the Nikon F5 SLR (one of my all time favorite cameras).

The Wait:
We decided to go for the Minimal Grey model as we both liked the colour, and the dealer had it in stock as well. I re-read each of the review threads on TBHP to check if I had missed anything. The car was additionally getting 3M CS35 sunscreens and Neo Alloys (98 PCD/Venom BM). The dealer put in a nice deal, and reduced prices on the items. Plus, I got the insurance waiver and extended warranty for free. The entire process from booking to delivery was done in 20 days.

Owning a Punto:
The drive quality is wonderful. I have previously driven my dad's Indica, but this is leagues ahead in terms of driving pleasure. I went for a short trip with the family today (fully loaded with 5 people) and the car did not squeak on a single pothole.

Annoyances:
The first gear is a bit short.
I hit my leg on the dead pedal when I press the clutch.
The bonnet open plastic handle just fell off during the drive. I did manage to fit it back, and it hasn't cased any problems since.

Pluses:
The suspensions and the steering is heavenly
The drive on a fifth gear feels like I am floating in air
The FE is very good for Indian conditions [city and at times horrendous village roads]
The looks - one Linea driver flashed [his lights

] as he went past. And, one biker shouted out "Wow! a Punto".

But, with all the minuses, she is mine, my very own Lupo d'Argento [Silverwolf]. And, whenever I am in the car, and on the street, I reminded of the old Onida ad - "Neighbour's Envy, Owner's Pride".

NutsNBolts · 27th December 2009, 20:22

Congrats on your acquisition ashwin. Good choice of color. You got a good deal with all those discounts. Do post some pics with neo alloys. Drive safe.

mkh · 27th December 2009, 20:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by NutsNBolts

Congrats on your acquisition ashwin. Good choice of color. You got a good deal with all those discounts. Do post some pics with neo alloys. Drive safe.

what are the discounts? did not see any info on the post...are they giving only for the year end...do post the discounts on offer please...

NutsNBolts · 27th December 2009, 20:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashwinks

The car was additionally getting 3M CS35 sunscreens and Neo Alloys (98 PCD/Venom BM). The dealer put in a nice deal, and reduced prices on the items. Plus, I got the insurance waiver and extended warranty for free. The entire process from booking to delivery was done in 20 days.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkh

what are the discounts? did not see any info on the post...are they giving only for the year end...do post the discounts on offer please...

The ones in BOLD mkh.

ashwinks · 27th December 2009, 21:05

Thanks Kapil. I am still learning the art of driving in the city traffic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkh

what are the discounts? did not see any info on the post...are they giving only for the year end...do post the discounts on offer please...

I think the free insurance and extended warranty as been going on for a while. In addition to the regular freebies like mats+mudflaps+perfume+idol, the dealer gave me a discount on the sunscreen+neo alloys.

sdp1975 · 27th December 2009, 21:06

Congrats , and welcome to the Punto club !

Do post some pics when you get the opportunity.

Klub Class · 27th December 2009, 21:13

Woww..!! Another Punto in T-bhp...Seems that it's raining Punto's here.Welcome to the Grande Punto Club :-)

Please do upload loads of pictures of your new acquisition.Btw thanks a lot for mentioning my name too.

Happy and Safe Motoring.Driver Her Safe :-)

nkrishnap · 27th December 2009, 21:44

Congrats on the car!. Its definitely raining puntos in bangalore.

Please post the pics.

By the way why emotion and not emotion plus. Its definitely got better features than emotion

kodivasanth · 27th December 2009, 22:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashwinks

The looks - one Linea driver flashed [his lights

] as he went past.

Where did this happen and what was the color of the linea car?

Klub Class · 27th December 2009, 22:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by kodivasanth

Where did this happen and what was the color of the linea car?

Ha Ha..!! It seems that you were the driver of that Linea :-D Lol..!!

kodivasanth · 27th December 2009, 22:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klub Class

Ha Ha..!! It seems that you were the driver of that Linea :-D Lol..!!

could be since whenever I see a punto or a linea, I get so excited and tend to say hi by flashing my headlights

Klub Class · 27th December 2009, 22:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by kodivasanth

could be since whenever I see a punto or a linea, I get so excited and tend to say hi by flashing my headlights

Great brother,then we're in the same boat.I too flash the headlights whenever i spot a Fiat Car :-) Can't resist myself doing it.

GR8NATIVE · 29th December 2009, 12:33

congrats ashwin i have also been looking at the fiat punto since coming back to india last
month ... love the cars looks obviously all T bhp posts only fuelled the flame higher... the only hitch would be all the bad *** people seem to be complaining of... but still cant get the car out of my head am waiting for the purported quality improvements from January (As per Sidindica post) and planning to book in end of Jan Early feb.... but congrats on ur beauty and wish u good luck and happy driving

binaiks · 29th December 2009, 14:54

Congrats on the purchase, dude!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashwinks

The car was additionally getting 3M CS35 sunscreens and Neo Alloys (98 PCD/Venom BM). The dealer put in a nice deal, and reduced prices on the items. Plus, I got the insurance waiver and extended warranty for free. The entire process from booking to delivery was done in 20 days.

Oh! Wow! My dealer offered absolutely no discounts or freebies anywhere...

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashwinks

I hit my leg on the dead pedal when I press the clutch.

Happens to me as well.. Try to keep you feet in an awkward position, with the fingers pointing towards the brake. It works for me. Try finding new (and comfortable) ways of placing your leg to avoid hitting the dead pedal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashwinks

The bonnet open plastic handle just fell off during the drive. I did manage to fit it back, and it hasn't cased any problems since.

Same thing happened to me. Looks like the handle isn't glued on to the lever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashwinks

The looks - one Linea driver flashed [his lights ] as he went past. And, one biker shouted out "Wow! a Punto".

Amazing. On the day I took my car, we went for some shopping. While returning from the shop, we saw atleast three guys standing around the car, admiring her and say "look... a punto".

Punto is such a rare species in Kerala, that it invites attention at each traffic signal

ashwinks · 29th December 2009, 17:01

sdp1975: Thanks. yeah, I need to take to her to those places in one of th threads posted here. I don't have the zoom lenses, but I plan to take some arty B&W shots.

Klub Class: Thanks. I did forget a few names I guess.

kodivasanth: Red Linea, somewhere along the the way to Sarjapur. I reciprocated the call to a white Linea near Sankey Rd.

binaiks: you are right about the position of the foot. It is naturally going into that position. this is such a lovely car everyone stares at it.

nkrishnap: Thanks. I did not go for E+ because I did not need those additional features. That extra 60K I would rather spend on getting a better ICE, seat covers, plus some left over.

27th December 2009, 18:22	#1
ashwinks Newbie Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 10 Thanked: 0 Times	In Love - Punto 1.3 MJD Emotion After my move back to India, I started my search for a hatchback. Like all roads lead to Rome, all the good reviews were on TBHP (Google links). A friend of mine has a Getz, and he was pressuring me to look at the Hyundai i20. I test drove the car and felt it as good. Meanwhile, a friend lent me his old Maruti 800 to commute. One on such drive around town, I saw a few Puntos rolling out of Concorde motors (there was a Red and Blue) for test drives, and it was love at first sight. Though me and my wife did not like the red or blue, we liked the design of the car, and it was time to research more about it. Thanks to the in-depth reviews and on-the-road performance write-ups by GTO, amogh, Klub Class, and others, I had almost made up my mind to go for the Punto. The Test Drive: I called up Concorde Motors and asked them for a test drive, they responded back in two days and said they would come by my office the next day. I waited all day long, but no sign of the test drive vehicle. Another call to the sales people resulted in the same dilly-dallying, and I began to lose my patience. Next, I contacted Prerana Motors, and they were quick to respond. They arranged for a vehicle in two days, and a Red MJD came by for a test drive. The first 10 min of the drive was scary, as I had never driven a car with ABS/EBD, the brakes were too sensitive for me. But, I liked how the car handled, and I sped off along outer ring road to test the vehicle. Overall, I was impressed, but was unsure of the colors of the car. I really liked the Linea Red, and I wanted that shade on the Punto. Next was the mandatory approval from the person who had to ride in the car with me. The final nod for me was that the car was designed by the same person who also modeled the Nikon F5 SLR (one of my all time favorite cameras). The Wait: We decided to go for the Minimal Grey model as we both liked the colour, and the dealer had it in stock as well. I re-read each of the review threads on TBHP to check if I had missed anything. The car was additionally getting 3M CS35 sunscreens and Neo Alloys (98 PCD/Venom BM). The dealer put in a nice deal, and reduced prices on the items. Plus, I got the insurance waiver and extended warranty for free. The entire process from booking to delivery was done in 20 days. Owning a Punto: The drive quality is wonderful. I have previously driven my dad's Indica, but this is leagues ahead in terms of driving pleasure. I went for a short trip with the family today (fully loaded with 5 people) and the car did not squeak on a single pothole. Annoyances: The first gear is a bit short. I hit my leg on the dead pedal when I press the clutch. The bonnet open plastic handle just fell off during the drive. I did manage to fit it back, and it hasn't cased any problems since. Pluses: The suspensions and the steering is heavenly The drive on a fifth gear feels like I am floating in air The FE is very good for Indian conditions [city and at times horrendous village roads] The looks - one Linea driver flashed [his lights ] as he went past. And, one biker shouted out "Wow! a Punto". But, with all the minuses, she is mine, my very own Lupo d'Argento [Silverwolf]. And, whenever I am in the car, and on the street, I reminded of the old Onida ad - "Neighbour's Envy, Owner's Pride".
	() Thanks

27th December 2009, 20:22	#2
NutsNBolts BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Jammu Posts: 817 Thanked: 41 Times View My Garage	Congrats on your acquisition ashwin. Good choice of color. You got a good deal with all those discounts. Do post some pics with neo alloys. Drive safe.
	() Thanks

27th December 2009, 21:06	#6
sdp1975 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,700 Thanked: 1,273 Times View My Garage	Congrats , and welcome to the Punto club ! Do post some pics when you get the opportunity.
	() Thanks

27th December 2009, 21:13	#7
Klub Class Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: KA17\|KL65\|KL41 Posts: 4,867 Thanked: 1,935 Times	Woww..!! Another Punto in T-bhp...Seems that it's raining Punto's here.Welcome to the Grande Punto Club :-) Please do upload loads of pictures of your new acquisition.Btw thanks a lot for mentioning my name too. Happy and Safe Motoring.Driver Her Safe :-)
	() Thanks

27th December 2009, 21:44	#8
nkrishnap Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 3,983 Thanked: 7,407 Times View My Garage	Congrats on the car!. Its definitely raining puntos in bangalore. Please post the pics. By the way why emotion and not emotion plus. Its definitely got better features than emotion
	() Thanks

29th December 2009, 12:33	#13
GR8NATIVE BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Manglore Posts: 47 Thanked: 0 Times	congrats ashwin i have also been looking at the fiat punto since coming back to india last month ... love the cars looks obviously all T bhp posts only fuelled the flame higher... the only hitch would be all the bad *** people seem to be complaining of... but still cant get the car out of my head am waiting for the purported quality improvements from January (As per Sidindica post) and planning to book in end of Jan Early feb.... but congrats on ur beauty and wish u good luck and happy driving
	() Thanks

29th December 2009, 17:01	#15
ashwinks Newbie Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 10 Thanked: 0 Times	sdp1975: Thanks. yeah, I need to take to her to those places in one of th threads posted here. I don't have the zoom lenses, but I plan to take some arty B&W shots. Klub Class: Thanks. I did forget a few names I guess. kodivasanth: Red Linea, somewhere along the the way to Sarjapur. I reciprocated the call to a white Linea near Sankey Rd. binaiks: you are right about the position of the foot. It is naturally going into that position. this is such a lovely car everyone stares at it. nkrishnap: Thanks. I did not go for E+ because I did not need those additional features. That extra 60K I would rather spend on getting a better ICE, seat covers, plus some left over.
	() Thanks