Iceberg is home (Fiat Grande Punto) Update: 9000 kms in 4 months

kailashnj · 30th December 2009, 23:49

Hi,

Till now I was driving a Maruti Baleno which was purchased second hand in Feb 2008. The car gave me lot of pleasure and is one of the best cars to drive, but only one thing bothered me a lot was the monthly petrol bills.

My dad drives a Vista Quadrajet which we purchased in Jan 2009 and even after his daily drive of 80 kms, the maximum that he has paid in a month over his diesel bill was Rs 3500 to Rs 4000, whereas compared to that my monthly bill with a daily drive of 50kms was anything upto Rs 6000 to Rs 6800. Now this was one of the reasons why I always tried to avoid driving the car over long distance.

The national engine of our country - Fiat multijet is a pleasure to drive. For all our outstation trips, I would prefer the vista over baleno due to its pocket friendly nature. This is very refined and powerful engine with nothing much to complain about the FE that is provides and hence I became a very big fan of this piece of art from Fiat stable.

Now I was thinking of selling my Baleno for long and the only reason being I wanted a diesel car which will help me in my long distance travelling. As luck would have it - in the month of Nov 09, I got a decent price for my old car - 2.75 lac for 2006 model done 55k kms and hence sold it off. Now starts a hunt for a new car - has to be a diesel - with decent FE.

Hunt begins

My budget for a new car was upto 7 lacs. Hence I had shortlisted few cars - Fiat Palio (Multijet), Fiat Punto (multijet), Tata Manza (quadrajet), Ford Ikon TDCi, Ford Fiesta TDCi, Renault Logan Diesel and finally the beast Tata Safari (Heart always wanted one and still longs for one)

Fiat Palio

Nice car to drive, but the interiors feel a lot older and hence it was a straight out of the list. My 6 year old daughter even denied sitting in the car as it was too old. Her quote "Papa, dadu's car is better from inside than this one and I don't like it." Even I had a similar kind of reactions to the car.

Tata Manza
New launch by Tata with a waiting period of 4 to 6 weeks. This is a very spacious car and with lot of features in Aura +. This car was certainly in my short list.

Ford Ikon :- Josh machine
Most frugal diesel engine with decent pickup and power even though it has only 68 bhp engine. This is a driver's car for sure. Ford have surely come a long way from being a high maintenance and low efficient engines to highly efficient engines and low maintenance and peace of mind with their Total maintenance plan where in the car will not cost anything for service in the upto 3 yrs. (a-la-a chevy way). The pricing of the car is also very sweet and you get a lambi gaadi at a price of a hatchback. The reason why it did not come in my short list was the absence of any safety features like abs, airbags.

Ford Fiesta
Again the most frugal engine with a very good drivers car. This surely was in my shortlist and with the year end discount of Rs 75000 on the diesel car bought it almost in my budget. This was one car that I surely would have bought. The only reason why I did not buy this car was that the white colour was not available and would be available only in mid January. Hence did not want to wait.

Logan

Again a very decent car with lots and lots of space but looks not upto the mark. I was interested in this car only for the engine but the home minister declined it straight away. The play version though was very good to watch and provide all that I needed sans the airbags and abs. But again cannot go against our home minister.

Beast Safari

I always wanted to own a safari and still want it, but in my budget I could only fit the LX version which has nothing that I want. I know it would have been a little stretch had I tried it but then again at this point of time I did not want to stretch myself. Hence the thought of the beast was out of the window. Then too I took a test ride in this car and I should say I loved every minute that I spent in this car. Beautiful driving experience - all I can say and with heavy heart I returned the keys back to the sales person.

Fiat Grande Punto

Now this car had always been on my radar due to its chick looks. This has already been discussed in many other threads and hence I am not discussing any thing further on its looks. Now I was looking for a car with all the security features and with decent FE. Kept on reading reviews of all others on Punto in Tbhp and finally decided to take the plunge.

Punto won my vote because of many factors

Chick looks
Decent or I should say above expected kit included
huge tyres
decent FE of the national engine
trunk capacity
blue and me
huge discounts for the first time
climate control (after all baleno had spoiled me with its climate control)
and above all - no waiting time for the Bosa Nova white as it was available in stock.

Certain things I did not like about the car

Rear seat space is at premium when I am driving as I drive with my seat completely pushed back.
plastic quality

Booking and delivery

After visiting many Tata Fiat dealership in and around Mumbai - I finally booked my GP on 22nd December with Balaji Motors in Thane, ghodbhunder road as they had ready stock available for the Bosa Nova white that too with the production month being 11-09.

The on road price for the GP is Rs 682973 - and on this I got a discount for Rs 30k which is for the insurance for the first year, extended warranty, road side assistance. Hence the final price was Rs 652973. I made a downpayment of Rs 2lacs and the remaining was on finance from HDFC bank. The delivery date promised to me was 30th dec if all the papers were cleared from the bank. I should comment - bank is prompt in providing loans and the disbursement happened in record time.

Got the delivery of the car yesterday, and till date I have done 56 kms on board. Hence I will keep on updating my driving experience.

For now let the pictures do the talking.

PS:- We did the puja of the car on a paper as I did not want to put any marks on my car

and also for the reason being I laminated the paper and placed in my car for a permanent remembrance. Will keep on updating the thread from time to time and apologies for the long post.

ph03n!x · 30th December 2009, 23:57

Congrats!! Time to change your signature now

kailashnj · 31st December 2009, 00:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

Congrats!! Time to change your signature now

Thanks for your wishes and also pointing out about my signature - changed it

shantyrocks · 31st December 2009, 00:38

kailash..congratz on your acquisition man..!
But the pics do not do do justice to the beauty of this car.

The TATA showroom on ghodbunder road was bull dozed by the TMC last month.Where have they shifted to?

kailashnj · 31st December 2009, 00:46

It still operates from the same place - albeit a little inside. Balaji motors is very much at the same location.

You are right that the pictures do not do justice to the beauty of the car as these pictures were captured in the night when we were conducting puja - expect more and more pictures asap, some that I will click in broad daylight. Additional picture that I clicked yesterday.

abhayshanu · 31st December 2009, 02:39

The car looks amazing, congratulations

Amartya · 31st December 2009, 06:59

Congratulations on your purchase. It's a lovely car and the Bossa Nova white is one of the best (yet possibly underrated) colours on the Punto. Wishing you miles of happiness and do keep us posted as you use the car more.

n.devdath · 31st December 2009, 08:53

Congrats on your purchase of that chic hatch. Puja on a paper, thats a new idea Smart Thinking I must say.

Enjoy your drive to the fullest.

cool.aquarian · 31st December 2009, 11:17

Congrats on the nice purchase.
Please post some pictures of interiors also.
And Drive Safe.

theragingbull · 31st December 2009, 11:38

Congrats on the purchase of the most beautiful hatch! White looks great!
Do post more pictures and a review.

nairanupg · 31st December 2009, 11:51

Congrats Kailashnj for a lovely purchase. Its an aboslute Gem to drive.
The only issue you might face with the beauty is rear seat leg room for a tall person but the overall experiece outweighs the negatives.
Enjoy the experience and Drive safe.

McLaren Rulez · 31st December 2009, 13:11

Congrats! Looks great in white

arnabchak · 31st December 2009, 13:22

Wow....
The Punters club seems to be increasing more rapidly than India's polulation!!!

Congrats....
Your daughters look reaaly cute...Touchwood!!!

arishi1 · 31st December 2009, 15:16

Congratulations!!! on the GP and welcome to Punters club. I got my GP from Balaji Motors in Sept. Its a great ride. Enjoy your ownership and happy motoring.

mnhegde · 31st December 2009, 15:55

Congratulations kailashji. Nice purchase. Punto looks great in white. Can you post pics taken in day and some of interiors please.

Enjoy, Drive Safe

.

30th December 2009, 23:49	#1
kailashnj BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 967 Thanked: 384 Times	Iceberg is home (Fiat Grande Punto) Update: 9000 kms in 4 months Hi, Till now I was driving a Maruti Baleno which was purchased second hand in Feb 2008. The car gave me lot of pleasure and is one of the best cars to drive, but only one thing bothered me a lot was the monthly petrol bills. My dad drives a Vista Quadrajet which we purchased in Jan 2009 and even after his daily drive of 80 kms, the maximum that he has paid in a month over his diesel bill was Rs 3500 to Rs 4000, whereas compared to that my monthly bill with a daily drive of 50kms was anything upto Rs 6000 to Rs 6800. Now this was one of the reasons why I always tried to avoid driving the car over long distance. The national engine of our country - Fiat multijet is a pleasure to drive. For all our outstation trips, I would prefer the vista over baleno due to its pocket friendly nature. This is very refined and powerful engine with nothing much to complain about the FE that is provides and hence I became a very big fan of this piece of art from Fiat stable. Now I was thinking of selling my Baleno for long and the only reason being I wanted a diesel car which will help me in my long distance travelling. As luck would have it - in the month of Nov 09, I got a decent price for my old car - 2.75 lac for 2006 model done 55k kms and hence sold it off. Now starts a hunt for a new car - has to be a diesel - with decent FE. Hunt begins My budget for a new car was upto 7 lacs. Hence I had shortlisted few cars - Fiat Palio (Multijet), Fiat Punto (multijet), Tata Manza (quadrajet), Ford Ikon TDCi, Ford Fiesta TDCi, Renault Logan Diesel and finally the beast Tata Safari (Heart always wanted one and still longs for one) Fiat Palio Nice car to drive, but the interiors feel a lot older and hence it was a straight out of the list. My 6 year old daughter even denied sitting in the car as it was too old. Her quote "Papa, dadu's car is better from inside than this one and I don't like it." Even I had a similar kind of reactions to the car. Tata Manza New launch by Tata with a waiting period of 4 to 6 weeks. This is a very spacious car and with lot of features in Aura +. This car was certainly in my short list. Ford Ikon :- Josh machine Most frugal diesel engine with decent pickup and power even though it has only 68 bhp engine. This is a driver's car for sure. Ford have surely come a long way from being a high maintenance and low efficient engines to highly efficient engines and low maintenance and peace of mind with their Total maintenance plan where in the car will not cost anything for service in the upto 3 yrs. (a-la-a chevy way). The pricing of the car is also very sweet and you get a lambi gaadi at a price of a hatchback. The reason why it did not come in my short list was the absence of any safety features like abs, airbags. Ford Fiesta Again the most frugal engine with a very good drivers car. This surely was in my shortlist and with the year end discount of Rs 75000 on the diesel car bought it almost in my budget. This was one car that I surely would have bought. The only reason why I did not buy this car was that the white colour was not available and would be available only in mid January. Hence did not want to wait. Logan Again a very decent car with lots and lots of space but looks not upto the mark. I was interested in this car only for the engine but the home minister declined it straight away. The play version though was very good to watch and provide all that I needed sans the airbags and abs. But again cannot go against our home minister. Beast Safari I always wanted to own a safari and still want it, but in my budget I could only fit the LX version which has nothing that I want. I know it would have been a little stretch had I tried it but then again at this point of time I did not want to stretch myself. Hence the thought of the beast was out of the window. Then too I took a test ride in this car and I should say I loved every minute that I spent in this car. Beautiful driving experience - all I can say and with heavy heart I returned the keys back to the sales person. Fiat Grande Punto Now this car had always been on my radar due to its chick looks. This has already been discussed in many other threads and hence I am not discussing any thing further on its looks. Now I was looking for a car with all the security features and with decent FE. Kept on reading reviews of all others on Punto in Tbhp and finally decided to take the plunge. Punto won my vote because of many factors Chick looks Decent or I should say above expected kit included huge tyres decent FE of the national engine trunk capacity blue and me huge discounts for the first time climate control (after all baleno had spoiled me with its climate control) and above all - no waiting time for the Bosa Nova white as it was available in stock. Certain things I did not like about the car Rear seat space is at premium when I am driving as I drive with my seat completely pushed back. plastic quality Booking and delivery After visiting many Tata Fiat dealership in and around Mumbai - I finally booked my GP on 22nd December with Balaji Motors in Thane, ghodbhunder road as they had ready stock available for the Bosa Nova white that too with the production month being 11-09. The on road price for the GP is Rs 682973 - and on this I got a discount for Rs 30k which is for the insurance for the first year, extended warranty, road side assistance. Hence the final price was Rs 652973. I made a downpayment of Rs 2lacs and the remaining was on finance from HDFC bank. The delivery date promised to me was 30th dec if all the papers were cleared from the bank. I should comment - bank is prompt in providing loans and the disbursement happened in record time. Got the delivery of the car yesterday, and till date I have done 56 kms on board. Hence I will keep on updating my driving experience. For now let the pictures do the talking. PS:- We did the puja of the car on a paper as I did not want to put any marks on my car and also for the reason being I laminated the paper and placed in my car for a permanent remembrance. Will keep on updating the thread from time to time and apologies for the long post. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

30th December 2009, 23:57	#2
ph03n!x Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Coimbatore Posts: 2,604 Thanked: 6,165 Times	Congrats!! Time to change your signature now
	() Thanks

31st December 2009, 00:38	#4
shantyrocks BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: thane Posts: 741 Thanked: 6 Times	kailash..congratz on your acquisition man..! But the pics do not do do justice to the beauty of this car. The TATA showroom on ghodbunder road was bull dozed by the TMC last month.Where have they shifted to?
	() Thanks

31st December 2009, 00:46	#5
kailashnj BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 967 Thanked: 384 Times	Thanks It still operates from the same place - albeit a little inside. Balaji motors is very much at the same location. You are right that the pictures do not do justice to the beauty of the car as these pictures were captured in the night when we were conducting puja - expect more and more pictures asap, some that I will click in broad daylight. Additional picture that I clicked yesterday. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

31st December 2009, 02:39	#6
abhayshanu BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 707 Thanked: 326 Times View My Garage	The car looks amazing, congratulations
	() Thanks

31st December 2009, 06:59	#7
Amartya Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Evanston Posts: 1,748 Thanked: 738 Times	Congratulations Congratulations on your purchase. It's a lovely car and the Bossa Nova white is one of the best (yet possibly underrated) colours on the Punto. Wishing you miles of happiness and do keep us posted as you use the car more.
	() Thanks

31st December 2009, 08:53	#8
n.devdath BANNED Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,287 Thanked: 2,816 Times	Congrats on your purchase of that chic hatch. Puja on a paper, thats a new idea Smart Thinking I must say. Enjoy your drive to the fullest.
	() Thanks

31st December 2009, 11:17	#9
cool.aquarian BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Delhi Posts: 60 Thanked: 6 Times View My Garage	Congrats on the nice purchase. Please post some pictures of interiors also. And Drive Safe.
	() Thanks

31st December 2009, 11:38	#10
theragingbull Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 2,601 Thanked: 651 Times View My Garage	Congrats on the purchase of the most beautiful hatch! White looks great! Do post more pictures and a review.
	() Thanks

31st December 2009, 11:51	#11
nairanupg BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Asia Africa GCC Posts: 188 Thanked: 127 Times	Congrats Kailashnj for a lovely purchase. Its an aboslute Gem to drive. The only issue you might face with the beauty is rear seat leg room for a tall person but the overall experiece outweighs the negatives. Enjoy the experience and Drive safe.
	() Thanks

31st December 2009, 13:11	#12
McLaren Rulez Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Mysore Posts: 3,465 Thanked: 5,535 Times	Congrats! Looks great in white
	() Thanks

31st December 2009, 13:22	#13
arnabchak Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: MH-04 Posts: 1,346 Thanked: 1,165 Times	Wow.... The Punters club seems to be increasing more rapidly than India's polulation!!! Congrats.... Your daughters look reaaly cute...Touchwood!!!
	() Thanks

31st December 2009, 15:16	#14
arishi1 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Thane - Mumbai Posts: 305 Thanked: 23 Times View My Garage	Congratulations!!! on the GP and welcome to Punters club. I got my GP from Balaji Motors in Sept. Its a great ride. Enjoy your ownership and happy motoring.
	() Thanks

31st December 2009, 15:55	#15
mnhegde BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: B E N G A L U R U Posts: 473 Thanked: 2 Times	Congratulations kailashji. Nice purchase. Punto looks great in white. Can you post pics taken in day and some of interiors please. Enjoy, Drive Safe . Last edited by mnhegde : 31st December 2009 at 15:57.
	() Thanks