[gopikb]

Pri2, Congrats on your new Punto and welcome to the Grande Punto club. Crunch many more happy miles with it.

[SilkDrive]

Hey Pri2,

I know that for you it was love at first sight, but could you please share with us a few lines about your thought process of deciding on this version? Is you monthly running high enough to warrant a diesel? If not, then did you find any shortcomings in the 1.2 petrol?

[EARTHed]

Originally Posted by SilkDrive

us a few lines about your thought process of deciding on this version?

Also I wanted to know as to why not Dynamic? Its just 30k difference I guess.

I know in this way you can keep increasing your budget, but just that this thought came to my mind.

[Newpunter]

Congrats on your new Punto and welcome to the club . You have crossed the 3 month mileage on my Punto in 3 days. Way to go .

[Pri2]

Originally Posted by gopikb

Pri2, Congrats on your new Punto and welcome to the Grande Punto club. Crunch many more happy miles with it.

Originally Posted by Newpunter

Congrats on your new Punto and welcome to the club . You have crossed the 3 month mileage on my Punto in 3 days. Way to go .

Thank you guys!!

Originally Posted by SilkDrive

Hey Pri2,

I know that for you it was love at first sight, but could you please share with us a few lines about your thought process of deciding on this version? Is you monthly running high enough to warrant a diesel? If not, then did you find any shortcomings in the 1.2 petrol?

Originally Posted by EARTHed

Also I wanted to know as to why not Dynamic? Its just 30k difference I guess.

I know in this way you can keep increasing your budget, but just that this thought came to my mind.

Why Diesel? :
I have been a big fan of the Multijet engine since I drove the Swift diesel. I love the torque that it offers. You don't have to shift gears in slow moving traffic more often. The 3rd gear is adequate for speeds ranging from 30 to 80. Plus the fuel economy is phenomenal. (I am already getting 17.5 to 18 kmpl in 100% city driving with AC on all the time. The 1.2 petrol is good but it lacks the punch and I would have to spend more money on expensive fuel.
Even if my usage isn't that high, I don't mind paying a little more for peace of mind due to lower running costs. The fuel price in Bangalore is as follows : Rs 42.5 for Diesel (regular) and Rs 59.5 for Petrol (regular). Even if the price of Diesel is hiked to match the price of petrol, I still have better fuel economy.

Why the Active variant? :
I had fixed my budget to Rs 6 lakhs and had almost decided on buying the Swift Ldi. But after test driving the Punto there was no looking else where. Yes the Dynamic version would be 30k more but I didn't find the features worth paying Rs 30k (Rear power windows and manual central locking) I wish I could buy the Emotion pack for just the safety features. But I could no way stretch my budget further because of other financial commitments.

[SilkDrive]

Thanks for sharing ! I had planned to get myself a car since a long time, now. Off late, I have decided to upgrade my Palio booking to a Punto.

But because of some financial circumstances, if I want to purchase right now, i can only afford the 1.2 Active. And, if I wait till december I can manage the MJD Active. (I want to avoid loan under all circumstances).

So I was in a dilemma, since firstly my running is low and secondly, I found the 1.2 to be more than adequate in terms of power and drivability.

But, your post has helped me make the decision. I am going to hold my patience for a few more months, and get the MJD.

[GTO]

Congratulations on the car! Please note that Team-BHP does not permit booking / buying experience threads in the Test-Drives section anymore. For the benefit of members & guests alike, it is now imperative to include a complete report on the car (the driving experience / comfort / features, what you like, what you don't like etc.).

This thread is temporarily closed. Please PM me or report this post once you are ready to update with a complete driving report; that's when it shall be re-opened. Thanks for your support.

[Pri2]

It has been almost 3 months since I got the Punto home. I have now crossed 3000 Kms and the car is due for the 1st service. I have loved driving every kilometer of it. City or highway driving, the Punto never disappoints you. Here are some things I love and things I don’t.


Things I love about the Punto:

Excellent drive quality : The suspension absorbs every pothole, hump and bad stretch of road. I have driven almost all cars in this segment and I bet very few cars have this type of ride quality.

Build quality: This car is built like a tank. The doors close with a sweet thud. You can feel the weight of the door and the quality of steel used while opening and closing them . This always makes you feel safe inside the Punto. Even though the interior finishing is not up to the mark, I found the quality of plastics good enough.

The Multijet 1.3 Engine: Not sure if this is because I upgraded from a underpowered car, but this engine simply rocks! It's got power, torque and refinement. Driving in the city isn’t a pain anymore, I have to switch gears less frequently and usually stay on the 2nd or 3rd gear in slow moving traffic. I also found it to be relatively quieter compared to other diesels out there.

Fuel economy: I am currently getting around 16 to 18 kmpl -City and 18 to 21 kmpl - Highway. This is way better than what I was getting on my 800cc Alto. And as this is a diesel, it brings a smile on my face whenever I fill it up.

Steering feedback: Excellent. You need to drive it to know what I am talking about.

Information display: A premium feature on a base model. I always keep the current mileage mode displayed.

Rear AC vents: Even though my rear seats are hardly occupied, I find this feature to be very good in maintaining the temperature inside the car. Again a premium feature on a base model.

Quiet cabin: The cabin is pretty quiet and manages to block the engine and exterior noise.

Dead pedal: A must on highways.

Air conditioning: The AC is powerful and I always need increase the temperature as it gets too cold at the 1st level.

Braking: Even though mine does not have ABS, braking at high speeds isn't scary.

Looks: She looks HOT and I can't stop looking at her. Even though she has been around for more than a year, she still makes heads turn.


Things I don’t like:

Interior quality: I didn’t find the quality of the plastics to be bad. The problem is with the quality of finishing and fitment of the plastics. The C pillar cover fell off after just 10 minutes of the delivery. Believe it or not, it was fixed using glue. The same story goes with the mirror adjustment knobs as well.

Indicator levers: The indicator levers are not ergonomically placed. I headlights sometimes turn off while switching between high and low beam as the headlight knob is situated in the edge.
Another issue about the indicator and the wiper lever is: It is positioned on the opposite side. Even though I am used to it right now, I like driving with my right hand on the steering and left hand on the gear knob. As the indicator lever is placed on the left side, I always have to lift my left hand and turn the indicators on. I feel it is much convenient the other way around.

Gear and gear lever: The 1st and 2nd gears are too short. The Gear lever again is not ergonomically positioned. It is placed towards the back and a tall person may find it a little irritating shifting gears. It also isn’t as smooth as a Swift or i20.

Door locks / lever (inside): This locking system isn’t safe if you have kids, my nephew who is a year and a half, manages to open the door while the car is running. I need to keep the child lock always turned on when he is in the car. Another problem with this lock design, it is very difficult to install after market central locking systems.


Exterior plastics: the piece of plastic used between the bonnet and the windscreen feels and looks very cheap. It has already started fading and it attracts a lot of dirt.

Wheel caps: The Punto active wheel caps are a joke and look stupid, they do not fit properly and wobble.

Service: Fiat / Tata provide the worst service any company can provide to their customers. I have had the one of the most horrible experiences dealing with the Tata service center folks. (I will post about this incident later). I really don’t blame Tata for the bad service. It is Fiat that needs to be blamed. They shouldn’t have outsourced the service to Tata. It is like giving the job of a surgeon to a butcher.

Accessories and spares (OEM and Aftermarket): Fiat spares are and accessories are rare as diamonds. It took me more than a month to get a proper aftermarket antenna that is designed for the Punto. (BTW, the OEM antenna is too expensive)


Even though there are these above negative points, I feel driving and owning the Punto is a complete different experience which makes you fall in love with it. If given a chance to change my decision on buying the Punto, I would still opt for the Punto. And I bet each and every Punto owner would agree to this.


Here are some pictures of my Punto.

[nkrishnap]

Superb panning shots there. The BNW Punto with the white grill is just drool maal.

Enjoy the car mate.

[vidyasagar]

Punto in BNW looks best. Excellent pictures as well. Congrats once again.
I have also booked my Punto Active and awaiting delivery.
Can you please let me know about your ICE set up with prices if possible.?
Further, where did you get the door handles and mirrors painted in body color, how much was quoted for the same..?

[Newpunter]

Originally Posted by Pri2

Indicator levers: The indicator levers are not ergonomically placed. I headlights sometimes turn off while switching between high and low beam as the headlight knob is situated in the edge.
Another issue about the indicator and the wiper lever is: It is positioned on the opposite side. Even though I am used to it right now, I like driving with my right hand on the steering and left hand on the gear knob. As the indicator lever is placed on the left side, I always have to lift my left hand and turn the indicators on. I feel it is much convenient the other way around.

Great Pics. I agree about the indicator levers. When i try to switch between high and low beams, I sometimes switch off the lights in the process. I have tried holding the lever in the middle instead of at the edge which works but I think it is bad ergonomics.

I don't have a problem with the inverted positions of the indicator and wiper levers though. It's only a problem when i have to drive a Maruti or a Tata car .

[Pri2]

Originally Posted by vidyasagar

Punto in BNW looks best. Excellent pictures as well. Congrats once again.
I have also booked my Punto Active and awaiting delivery.
Can you please let me know about your ICE set up with prices if possible.?
Further, where did you get the door handles and mirrors painted in body color, how much was quoted for the same..?

I got my ICE installed by Satya - Evo Cambridge layout (Will PM you his phone number). He recommended me the following ICE for my budget. The total price including installation came around Rs 18K. If you are not into very loud music but enjoy quality this is the setup for you.

Head Unit: Pioneer DEH -7250 SD (It reads CDs, mp3, USB, SD and iPod/ iPhone)
Speakers: Front: Boston 260W 6.5" components, rear: Boston 470W 6X9" Coaxials.
I actually wanted all 4 components and a Sub with an Amp but it was out of my budget. My current setup sounds great and I have no plans upgrading it.

Regarding the painting of the door handles and mirrors, I wouldn't recommend you to do it from Prerana. First of all the price is too high and 2nd, the quality of work they do is pathetic. If possible check and see if you can get it done outside. Shouldn't cost you more than Rs 1 to 1.5K. I unfortunately had got it done at Prerana and I regret it.

[Schoudhury]

Boy !!! those are super hot pictures
Sumitbhal also had a similar kind of photoshot with his punto babe and those were also super hot ,grt stuff man .
And i doubt if there is any punto owner who is not enjoying the bold new drive.
Cheers

[hemanth.anand]

Great pics Pri2.your italian babe is super hot
even the team bhp sticker and its location are same as mine. except that mine is a petrol one. next weekend is my plan for nandi hills.

I'm looking forward to your first service report...Mine has completed 2600 kms in 2 months and next week might be the first service.

[Klub Class]

You've great talent in photography brother! Keep up the good job

We have a Fiat GP 1.3 MJD E+ at home and I do agree with most of the points that you've mentioned.

Originally Posted by Pri2

Door locks / lever (inside): This locking system isn’t safe if you have kids, my nephew who is a year and a half, manages to open the door while the car is running. I need to keep the child lock always turned on when he is in the car. Another problem with this lock design, it is very difficult to install after market central locking systems.

IIRC, most of the cars in the market have similar door lock design.Fiat Palio has similar door lock design and we were successful in installing Xenos central locking system in our car. So, I don't think that is the reason why there are hardly no after market central locking systems for Fiat Punto.

Any day, I'll recommend you to buy the central locking system provided by Fiat since the other after market central locking system voids the warranty.

Wheel caps: The Punto active wheel caps are a joke and look stupid, they do not fit properly and wobble.

But it looks good when contrasted to the cheap looking, small wheel caps provided by Maruti in the lowest trim(read LXi trim).

So, will you be going for alloys in the near future?

Even though there are these above negative points, I feel driving and owning the Punto is a complete different experience which makes you fall in love with it. If given a chance to change my decision on buying the Punto, I would still opt for the Punto. And I bet each and every Punto owner would agree to this.

Can't agree more with you on this. If I'm given a chance, I would buy a Fiat GP powered by a 1.6 MJD or 1.4 T-Jet engine.

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

The BNW Punto with the white grill is just drool maal.

White grill eh? I know, it's a typo