Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/)

-   -   An Italian Summer with the Grande Punto :) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/80193-italian-summer-grande-punto.html)

After a long and thoroughly enjoyable process of Test driving every car this side of 10 lakh rs (Cataloged HERE i finally got engaged with my Italian beauty 3 days ago :)



The last 3 days have been awesome with long drives from Pune to Sinhagadh and Pune to Lavasa.
Now off on a trip to Dapoli tomorrow. Can't stop driving


My Punto is an April 2010, Euro IV MJD Model.
Most of the comparisons here will be drawn from my previous long term experience with the i10 & whatever time i have spent in the test drive cars.


The plastic dont seem to have improved too much as my bonnet handle keeps falling off :P
But other than these small whinies, the Punto hasn't failed to impress.

Pros so far:-
1. Nice build feels so much more solid than my i10. An idiot Indica driver cracked against my RHS mirror and the mirror dint break. There isnt even a scratch on the paint. Quite astounding how i escaped that one !

2. Ride & Handling is fun. Potholes which broke my back over a bike & over which the I10 used to bounce around like a pogo stick are rudely dismissed by the Punto with no wallowing and no noise.

I have driven the car to Sinhagadh & Lavassa, both of which are routes full of uphill twisty mountain corners. And it was a pleasure driving the car.The hydraulic steering tells you exactly how your tires are interacting with the tarmac, and as you rush into a corner with mild understeer and power out of it with a floor of the accelerator, the Punto just inspires confidence. I got the tires screaming a couple of times but the car dint lose its line

3. The cabin is quite quiet :D. Slot the car into 5th and cruise along at 100. The diesel engine is quieter than the i10 petrol inside the cabin. Road & Wind noise is also well insulated.

4. Love the way the cabin lights up in Orange at night !

Dislikes:

1. My spirited driving (even though i try to keep it below 2500 RPM ) has resulted in my overall fuel efficiency being a pathtic 13.5 kmpl !

2. The plastics !!

3. When i try switching radio stations using the steering mounted controls, everything goes haywire and i lose all my preset stations and all channels get tuned to All India Radio ! ( SERIOUSLY )

4. The music on my phone doesnt stream over blue and me !

5. The pathetic 5th wheel painted in black !

6. The fact that everyone asks me "Why did you buy a Fiat"


Here are some pics.
Will update more experiences after my Dapoli trip :)






The beauty of Lavasa



After my 1st puncture ! Bloody screws on the road !

That's not a problem to me.It's an opportunity to start Korea-Japo bashing.
In the end, Fiatcars feeeel like CAR. ;)

Some how I always liked Fiats, esp Punto, in black Steel wheels.
best one to look at was the Palio Adventure with plastic claddings.

Nice pics silverfire!

At first I took 13.5 FE to be good, and then backtracked to check that it was a MJD! I guess it is due to the hill climbs and all that.

Congrats on getting the baby maserati.

Yet another Punto thread I see this morning.:thumbs up

Congrats buddy on your Bold new drive!

Why do i feel so bad when i see a Punto in RED!

Probably Coz FIAT made me settle with a Ford in RED!!!

congrats dude, i got a march 2010 white mjd and i absolutely cannot stop driving her around yet!! waiting for the magical 1000 on the ODO, my feet is itching to rev her beyond 2500 rpm!! ;)

wondering, why did you have to change to the spare wheel already??

Congrats silverfire. Nice pics. Your mileage will settle down slowly as has been reported by other owners. You can't stream music from phone to B&M as it doesn't support A2DP protocol. I have not tried the radio settings, but I guess you can preset the stations after tuning them.

Hey,

Congrats on you new Punto - and welcome to the Punters club..

Although the plastic will look horrible initially, you will get a hang of its styling, and will fall in love with it.

The FIAT is certainly well built than its competition. The car oozes confidence at high speeds, and believe me, I did a consistent 130 on the highway on my Punto, but never dared to do that speed on my earlier drives (WagonR, Qualis and Innova).

But beware of the glass - the glass inside the ORVM assembly tends to fall loose (the fitting is a bit flimsy) when it hits something hard. I had this once, and thankfully the mirror did not fall down. I could fix it back in place.

Chill - the initial mileage (till the first service) remains pathetic - below 15kmpl most of the time. My car returns around 17kmpl now - spirited driving, about 68kms each day, on a typical Kerala highway. (One and a half lane, with lots of traffic).

These days, even open-market alloys come in sets of 4. The spare is always unique :(

Just give them a ride on you car, and ask them if they still have this question!

The initial mileage on the MJD is pathetically low.

Oh boy! You just reminded me of my initial days on the Punto. I still get that ecstasy when the car revs past 2500rpm, and the speedo moves past the 100 mark!

BTW, how much has your car covered? (Just to know how long will you have to suffer the itch). I am waiting for the day my car turns 10000! She's already 9500kms young (in just 4 months).

He had mentioned it - a puncture.

Congrats Silverfire

The Punto in red looks very nice. Very eventful 3 days for you, a trip around the town, a hit by the indica, bonnet lever falling off, a puncture and loads of joy driving the car.

Enjoy many more miles with the Punto. Do give it a thorough wash and wax, to make it shine ;)

Congrats on the red punto! Its for sure, one of the most beautiful cars available in India, specially black, white and red IMO. :thumbs up

Gets tints ASAP! Spare wheel painted black (and sometimes of a different size) is the norm nowadays. The idea is to use it only as a spare.
Fall in love with the plastics falling off? :eek:

Heartiest Congratulations Silverfire,

Looks like the Punto has already been through a good workout on the fantastic roads of Lavasa. The black steel spare wheel do look like an eyesore. Its the same as in the Palio. Also, have you noticed any significant difference in the BS4 tuned MJD motor? Here is my beauty at the same spot at Ekaant, Lavasa. Great view indeed.

Congratulation on your purchase.
You have got THE BEST CAR.
Treat her well.

Hey bro congrats on the Italian beauty. I recently bought Black Punto and clocked 1300 in 1.5 months. Update us once you return from Dapoli.

My heart still beats for my first love Palio :). If only parking would not have been a problem, I would not have sold my Palio.

13.5 Kmpl isnt what I call pathetic with a bit of spirited driving on a brand new engine... infact its pretty impressive. Congrats!

And to all the naysayers who say why did you buy a Fiat.... tell them "Cant you "SEE"!"

Congratulations and best wishes, silverfire, on your coveted possession.