[SumitBahl]

^^
I agree with you. Even I feel that black door handles don't look that bad.
I dont like the look of car that has dipped into a bucket of red color.

About the smoking the headlamps, even I had the same thing in mind about smoking the edges, like in Figo!!

[SumitBahl]

A small observation about Continental CPC2 tyres:

So far, I have been satisfied with my 195/60-R15 CPC2's. Road grip is good and tyres are very silent in dry conditions.

For past couple of days, it has been raining continuously here in Chandigarh.
CPC2 struggles with grip in wet conditions. Yesterday, I was driving in the rain. Took a slightly steep bend (on my daily route, so I am pretty much used to that road) on 80 KMPH and I lost the control of the car. Tyres were struggling for grip. Car swayed all over the road, but somehow I managed to control it and luckily there was not much traffic as well. Scared the hell out of me.

This leaves a big question mark on performance of CPC2's in wet conditions.

A friend of mine also complained about grip of CPC2 (same tyre spec as mine) in wet conditions.

Luckily, where I live, it does not rain that much. For those living in coastal areas can avoid these tyres.

[anachronix]

@Sumit,

I am running CPC2 in my 1.6S for the past 1-2 Months and have covered around 2K+ in these tires. I had enough chances to test these tires on wet tarmac. It did held well & the way it handled aqua planning was awesome. My only gripe about these tires are the noise. But then, its better than the NCT5 which came factory fitted in my car.

I am not sure if something was terribly wrong at that particular stretch on the road that you lost grip!

[planet_rocker]

I guess that "Steep Bend" at 80KPH caused the car to become unstable.

I cannot comment much about CPC2s since i am not using them.

[SumitBahl]

Originally Posted by planet_rocker

I guess that "Steep Bend" at 80KPH caused the car to become unstable.

I cannot comment much about CPC2s since i am not using them.

Originally Posted by anachronix

@Sumit,

I am running CPC2 in my 1.6S for the past 1-2 Months and have covered around 2K+ in these tires. I had enough chances to test these tires on wet tarmac. It did held well & the way it handled aqua planning was awesome. My only gripe about these tires are the noise. But then, its better than the NCT5 which came factory fitted in my car.

I am not sure if something was terribly wrong at that particular stretch on the road that you lost grip!

That particular road is my daily route to work.
This was the first instance (rain) that the car was unstable.

I have already covered more than 4000 kms on CPC2's, this is the first time I felt the tyres were lacking grip. Thats why I felt the drop in performance in wet conditions.

[anachronix]

Did you drive through just wet road or a patch of stagnant water at 80 KM/H through the curve?

If it was through a patch of stagnant water that you drove your car through then the loss of grip could have happened due to severe aquaplaning!

You can read more here!
Hydroplaning (tires) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[SumitBahl]

Originally Posted by anachronix

Did you drive through just wet road or a patch of stagnant water at 80 KM/H through the curve?

If it was through a patch of stagnant water that you drove your car through then the loss of grip could have happened due to severe aquaplaning!

You can read more here!
Hydroplaning (tires) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There was some stagnant water on sides of roads, I dont remember if I touched that part or not.

Overall, the road was wet.

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by SumitBahl

There was some stagnant water on sides of roads, I dont remember if I touched that part or not.

Overall, the road was wet.

stagnant water might be the culprit.

[gopikb]

Sumit, scary one there. Good that you came out unscathed. Thanks for sharing this info which would definitely help other people in this forum.

[SumitBahl]

Originally Posted by akshay4587

stagnant water might be the culprit.

That could be the reason.

Originally Posted by gopikb

Sumit, scary one there. Good that you came out unscathed. Thanks for sharing this info which would definitely help other people in this forum.

Thanks.

[PaddleShifter]

Hi Sumit. I've been following your Punto ownership review for the past 2 months on Team-BHP as well as your blog(I'm that PuntoFan guy). I see your Red Punto parked outside almost everyday on my way back home and always appreciate it's beauty.

I need your help in making my decision as you are familiar with Fiat-TATA After Sales Service here in Chd-Pkl-Mohali region(Joshi & Hind).
Other Punto owners in this thread are also kindly requested to pour in their suggestions/views.

The main concern with Punto/Linea is the inconsistent A.S.S. in various parts of the country. Whats your take on Joshi & Hind Motors?

Met Mr. Negi(Hind) and Mr. Manoj(Joshi). I know you didn't have good experience with Joshi at the time of buying but you seem to bve satisfied with the A.S.S. of Joshi.
Yesterday i visited Charisma Hyundai(i20) & Joshi again. A different Sales executive said that car is available with them without any waiting period. I asked him that I've heard about old Fiat cars being sold so I'd like to look at the VIN No. and Form 22 before buying.
This is what he said- "Do you want a Euro-4 model?"
I couldn't understand his meaning and when he repeated the same i was shocked.
They have Euro-3 cars in stock. On asking for VIN no. he says that there is a waiting time of 2 weeks as they'll have to order Euro-4 from Rajangaon factory.
This has created some doubts in my mind. Are they still selling E-III to not so informed customers?

Both Punto 1.4FIRE and i20 kappa cost the same or i20 with the same equipment/features is cheaper these days.

As a neutral, what would you suggest me? i20 or Punto?

[SumitBahl]

Hi

You should have stopped by while passing.

I am very satisfied with Joshi's A.S.S.
They are actually much better than HIND in after sales.
The salesperson who handled me at Joshi was probably the culprit. On the other hand, Negi is quite a cooperative guy.

You are right. I was recently at Joshi, and there was this blue punto there (which has been discontinued) which was a EURO-III model. They were offering 20k off on that particular car + the regular FIAT package.

But they do try to sell off Euro-III models to uninformed customers, actually everyone does.

FIAT's (Joshi's) service is pretty good. So far, I haven't any problem in either availability of parts or their technical know-how.
That being said, Maruti is the benchmark in terms of aftersales, Hyundai comes pretty close to maruti (I own a Verna as well).
FIAT is not as good as maruti or hyundai, but I am satisfied.

I will lay down a few points for you regarding i20 KAPPA and Punto 1.4 FIRE.

i20 Kappa

Positives:
1. Hyundai A.S.S
2. Good resale
3. Very nice Interiors
4. Good quality plastics all around
5. Bigger boot than Punto
6. Good gearbox

Negatives:
1. Poor handling
2. Same engine as i10, sluggish performance
3. Interior color scheme (personal choice)
4. Punto looks much better (again, personal choice)
5. Punto has better suspension

Punto:

Positives:
1. Best handling in a hatch
2. 90 BHP, great for highways. City performance would be at par with i20.
3. Best looking hatch in the country
4. Awesome suspension, the car just glides over bad roads
5. More features/gadgets than i20 (e-Pack vs Asta)
6. Solid built (metal parts; doors etc)

Negatives:
1. Long clutch.
2. A little rubbery gearshift.
3. FIAT/TATA A.S.S
4. Resale would not be that good
5. Bad plastic quality
6. Interiors not as good as i20, but I like the color scheme better than i20

FIAT's engines open up quite a bit after 5-10k kms (I know its true in every car's case, but FIAT engines open up more when compared). My punto has covered more than 5k kms now. It feels a completely different car now.

Being neutral, if I were to buy a car today, I would still pick Punto.

It all depends on your priorities, weigh in the points I have mentioned and decide whats more important for you, and go with your choice.

Both are good cars!!!

[abhibh]

Originally Posted by SumitBahl

Hi

You should have stopped by while passing.

I am very satisfied with Joshi's A.S.S.
They are actually much better than HIND in after sales.
The salesperson who handled me at Joshi was probably the culprit. On the other hand, Negi is quite a cooperative guy.

You are right. I was recently at Joshi, and there was this blue punto there (which has been discontinued) which was a EURO-III model. They were offering 20k off on that particular car + the regular FIAT package.

But they do try to sell off Euro-III models to uninformed customers, actually everyone does.

FIAT's (Joshi's) service is pretty good. So far, I haven't any problem in either availability of parts or their technical know-how.
That being said, Maruti is the benchmark in terms of aftersales, Hyundai comes pretty close to maruti (I own a Verna as well).
FIAT is not as good as maruti or hyundai, but I am satisfied.

I will lay down a few points for you regarding i20 KAPPA and Punto 1.4 FIRE.

i20 Kappa

Positives:
1. Hyundai A.S.S
2. Good resale
3. Very nice Interiors
4. Good quality plastics all around
5. Bigger boot than Punto
6. Good gearbox
Add good build too it and not falling parts like FIAT Punto

Negatives:
1. Poor handling
- Actually only steering feedback is off in the car. It handles well but ofcourse not on those puny 175 tyres.

2. Same engine as i10, sluggish performance
Not at all true. The car does 0-100 in almost same time as 1.4 FIRE
3. Interior color scheme (personal choice)
4. Punto looks much better (again, personal choice)
5. Punto has better suspension

Punto:

Positives:
1. Best handling in a hatch
2. 90 BHP, great for highways. City performance would be at par with i20.
3. Best looking hatch in the country
4. Awesome suspension, the car just glides over bad roads
5. More features/gadgets than i20 (e-Pack vs Asta)
6. Solid built (metal parts; doors etc)

Negatives:
1. Long clutch.
2. A little rubbery gearshift.
3. FIAT/TATA A.S.S
4. Resale would not be that good
5. Bad plastic quality
6. Interiors not as good as i20, but I like the color scheme better than i20

FIAT's engines open up quite a bit after 5-10k kms (I know its true in every car's case, but FIAT engines open up more when compared). My punto has covered more than 5k kms now. It feels a completely different car now.

Being neutral, if I were to buy a car today, I would still pick Punto.

It all depends on your priorities, weigh in the points I have mentioned and decide whats more important for you, and go with your choice.

Both are good cars!!!

I hope you don't mind me tinkering here. My views are in bold.

[SumitBahl]

Originally Posted by abhibh

I hope you don't mind me tinkering here. My views are in bold.

Ofcourse I dont mind.

Add good build too it and not falling parts like FIAT Punto
i20 has a better build quality (plastics wise) than Punto. I agree on that part. But till date nothing fell in my Punto

Actually only steering feedback is off in the car. It handles well but ofcourse not on those puny 175 tyres.
When you compare i20 and Punto, Punto is definitely a better handler amongst them.

Not at all true. The car does 0-100 in almost same time as 1.4 FIRE
As I said in my post, both cars are good for city driving. But, I am pretty sure that Punto will beat i20 on highway sprints. Although, I have not driven either i20 or Punto (Petrol) on highways, so I cannot say this with surety.

[abhibh]

Originally Posted by SumitBahl

Ofcourse I dont mind.

Add good build too it and not falling parts like FIAT Punto
i20 has a better build quality (plastics wise) than Punto. I agree on that part. But till date nothing fell in my Punto

Actually only steering feedback is off in the car. It handles well but ofcourse not on those puny 175 tyres.
When you compare i20 and Punto, Punto is definitely a better handler amongst them.

Not at all true. The car does 0-100 in almost same time as 1.4 FIRE
As I said in my post, both cars are good for city driving. But, I am pretty sure that Punto will beat i20 on highway sprints. Although, I have not driven either i20 or Punto (Petrol) on highways, so I cannot say this with surety.

- Even otherwise i20 build is good.

- PUNTO IMHO is the best handling hatch under 10 lacs. Are there any hatches above 10 lacs ?? (Show pieces like FIAT 500 and VW Beetle not to be included)