Easy to find a good driving position in the Sonet, compared to the Punto which was always a struggle.

BHPian Sudhindra recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello Guys,

I took the delivery of my car (HTX AE 7DCT) on the 3rd Aug and the entire process went smooth. I have driven around 1,900 km so far with around 70% of them on the highway(including 200 km in the ghat section) and the rest are city drives. I even completed the first service. These are my observations so far in comparison with Fiat Punto Evo I sold to the dealer in an exchange.

1. Good Ergonomics and comfort- I could instantly find a comfortable driving position. Can reach all the controls easily. In Punto, it was always a struggle to find a good driving position.
2. Smooth performance and fast gear shifts- The engine doesn't seem stressed out while doing high speeds. Gear shifts are fast and I got the right gears all the time. The paddle shifters were such a breeze to use in ghat sections. Did not struggle a bit on both highway and City nor felt tiredness after continuous driving. In Punto, I used to feel tired.
3. Good Visibility- Good all-around view. Didn't feel any discomfort due to the dashboard display unit. In Punto, the thick A-pillar is used to create blind spots.
4. Good NVH and silent cabin. With Punto, there were various noises creeping inside the cabin.
5. Good space and roomy cabin. Never felt the interior space is cramped, enough for 4 adults. Folded the rear seat and laid a mattress so that my wife and my pet can relax comfortably( would have loved it if it had a flat floor). In Punto, this is not possible.
6. Good storage- Options to keep mobiles, wallets, handbags, water bottles, umbrellas etc.
7. Good Brakes - Does stop without any drama.
8. Good ground clearance- Never felt any issues while driving on broken roads.
9. Good AC- Cools the cabin pretty quickly.
10. Good Infotainment system. Didn`t find any issues with Apple car play.

Some discomfort I felt in comparison with Punto are:

1. Average Ride & Handling - While the top performance and pickup are good in Sonet, once I crossed the 100 km/h mark the drive doesn't seem to be confidence-inspiring. I felt the steering was not weighing up as much as expected and required frequent adjustments. Above 120Kmph, I felt that the car responds abruptly to any minor steering inputs and needs a firm hand. I felt that this car is comfortable to drive near 100Kmph and not beyond that. In Punto, one will not even realize that it's doing above 120Kmph unless he sees the speedo meter and can comfortably make high-speed turns on highways.
2. Average straight line stability - At high speeds above 100kmph, felt that drive can be a bit unnerving and needs some effort to keep the car in a straight line. In Punto, I used to have good confidence and the car never lost composure even while facing heavy cross winds, and rains.
3. Average LED headlights - They are decent for the straight lines but are really bad on winding roads and I found difficulty in cutting corners. The fog lights provided are pretty useless as well. The throw is not evenly spread.
4. The centre armrest is not positioned comfortably.
5. Front Seats should have had a bit more width.

Here's what BHPian ashvek3141 had to say on the matter:

Congrats on your ride!!

I 100% concur with all your above observations. I have a month & a half old HTX D AT & just did a 500 km road trip. Your observations #1 & #2 are absolutely spot on. I did mention this in my post too. This car is best-driven sub 100-110 km/h, anything above that feels a bit unnerving. The OEM MRF Wanderers make matters even worse.

Somehow the steering isn’t helping the case and like you mentioned needs continuous correction. When I had TD’d this during the launch, I found it pretty compliant at high speeds. I fail to comprehend what is missing here!

And thank you for mentioning this, felt a bit relieved that it’s not just me who feels this about the car.

Another point if I may add, is when picking up speed between 30-40 km/h, you can feel a slight wobble in the car. If one notices carefully there’s a bit of sideways ‘giggle’ if I could call it. Not sure if anybody else has experienced the same.

Here's what BHPian AbidIqbalShaik had to say on the matter:

It’s not just you who is experiencing the sideways vibrations. I have noticed it too. I have the Kia Sonet 1.5 CRDi VGT 6AT GTX Plus.

When I accelerate the car slightly harder than usual at a lower speed, there is a vibration in the car which makes you feel like something is vibrating sideways. Like, from the left to right and then right to left. The intensity of the vibration is not too low or too high.

Although I don’t know exactly what’s causing this issue, I think that the vibration is coming from the gearbox. The vibration almost feels like the oil is rotating (or going through fine holes) at high pressure. Sometimes it feels like the vibration when the clutch is slipping.

That being said, this vibration never made me worry if there is something wrong with the gearbox. I didn’t even bother to bring this to the attention of the service centre the last time I took the car for servicing. This vibration just didn’t seem like the one that could be a result of some problem. As funny as it sounds, I guess this is a “don’t worry, this is normal” kind of vibration. LOL.

Oh, just for your reference, my car has completed more than 5,700 kilometres so far.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Fiat has launched a new entry-level petrol variant in the Punto EVO line-up. Called the Punto EVO Pure, this variant has been introduced at a price of Rs. 4.92 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and is a replacement of the Punto Pure.

The Punto EVO Pure is only available with a 1.2-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine that develops 67 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and 96 Nm @ 2,500 rpm. Transmission duties are handled by a 5-speed manual gearbox.

The Punto EVO Pure can be opted for in 6 colour options - Exotica Red, Bossonova White, Hip Hop Black, Minimal Grey, Bronzo Tan and Magnesio Grey. It is available with a 3 years standard warranty and has a service interval of 15,000 km.

FCA India has slashed prices of the Punto EVO and Linea range. The new prices have been made applicable from January 2nd, 2017.

The Linea range has got a price reduction of up to 7.3%. The smallest price cut has been made on the Active Diesel trim, which now costs Rs. 8.70 lakh after receiving a price drop of Rs. 23,570. On the other hand, the largest price cut of Rs. 77, 121 has been made on the top-end Emotion Diesel variant that now costs Rs. 9.99 lakh.

Meanwhile, prices of the Punto EVO have been reduced by up to 7%. The price cut made on various variants is in the Range of Rs. 37,263 and Rs. 47,365.
Revised ex-showroom Delhi prices of the two carlines are:

Fiat Linea

• 1.4 (P) Active - Rs. 7,25,000

• 1.4 T-Jet (P) Emotion - Rs. 9,90,000

• 1.3 Multijet (D) Active - Rs. 8,70,000

• 1.3 Multijet (D) Dynamic - Rs. 9,40,000

• 1.3 Multijet (D) Emotion - Rs. 9,99,000

Fiat Punto EVO

• 1.2 (P) Dynamic - Rs. 5,45,000

• 1.3 Multijet (D) Active - Rs. 6,40,000

• 1.3 Multijet (D) Dynamic - Rs. 7,00,000

• 1.3 Multijet (D) Emotion - Rs. 7,55,000

The Fiat Punto Evo and Avventura will now come with a new PowerTech branding that indicates the introduction of a retuned version of the existing diesel engine. The unit now develops 93 PS (91.7 BHP). The Punto Evo PowerTech is priced from Rs. 6.81 lakh, while the Avventura PowerTech costs Rs. 7.87 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Interestingly, the Avventura used to come with the same output, while the Punto Evo generated 75 BHP earlier.

With the PowerTech branding, both these cars will now be equipped with a 1.3-litre MultiJet engine with a Variable Geometry Turbo (VGT) that develops 91.7 BHP and 200 Nm of torque. This power is transmitted to the front two wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox. Meanwhile, the 1.2-litre and 1.4-litre petrol engines haven't been fiddled with.

Fiat has also added a new 5-inch touchscreen infotainment system in the Punto Evo and the Avventura. It supports navigation (powered by MapMyIndia). The Punto Evo and Avventura PowerTech range will be offered in three variants: Active, Dynamic, and Emotion.

Fiat has launched a limited edition variant of the Punto Evo. Called the Punto Sportivo, it is priced at Rs. 7,10,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The Sportivo is based on the Active trim level of the Punto Evo diesel and comes with cosmetic enhancements and more features. These include a dual tone colour scheme (red body and white roof), Sportivo decals, rear spoiler, chrome inserts on the ORVMs, new 15-inch alloy wheels and rear parking sensors.

On the inside, the Sportivo gets door sills with Fiat branding, seat covers and floor mats with Fiat branding. The car also gets a 6.5-inch touchscreen Infotainment system.

There are no mechanical changes to the Sportivo. It is powered by the same 1.3-litre MultiJet diesel engine that puts out 74 BHP. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox.

Fiat is rumoured to be readying a limited edition variant of the Punto Evo for launch. This new variant is expected to be based on the Active trim level and will be called the Sportivo.

The Sportivo will come with cosmetic enhancements to the exteriors. These include a body kit, 15-inch alloy wheels, white roof, Sportivo decals, a rear spoiler and chrome inserts on the door mirrors.

On the inside, the Sportivo will get door sill plates, seat covers and floor mats with Fiat branding. The vehicle is also expected to be equipped with features such as a 6.5-inch touchscreen Infotainment system with Bluetooth streaming, GPS with 3D Navigation, and reverse parking sensors.

With the Sportivo, Fiat will hope to increase the number of footfalls in its dealerships during the festive season.

Source: Team Fiat Moto Club

Fiat has launched the Abarth Punto and Avventura powered by Abarth in India. Both vehicles are priced at Rs. 9.95 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The Abarth Punto is powered by a 1.4-litre, 4-cylinder, T-Jet petrol engine that puts out 145 BHP @ 5,500 rpm and 212 Nm of torque @ 2,000-4,000 rpm. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. Fiat claims that the car is capable of touching 100 kph from a standstill in 8.8 seconds and its top speed is estimated to be 190 kph.

The Abarth Punto gets disc brakes all round with ABS and EBD, lowered suspension and 16-inch Scorpion Sting design alloy wheels. The ground clearance of the car is now 155 mm. The vehicle is available two colours -Hip-hop Black and Pearl White with red highlights and Abarth decals and badges.

The interiors of the Abarth Punto feature automatic air-conditioning, soft touch front dashboard, ambient lighting, rear AC vents and black seats with red and yellow stitching. The steering wheel of the car has an Abarth logo.

The Avventura powered by Abarth is also powered by a 1.4-litre, 4-cylinder T-Jet petrol engine. The unit produces 140 BHP and 210 Nm of torque. Fiat claims that the car can sprint from 0-100 kph in 9.9 seconds.

The Avventura powered by Abarth comes with Abarth badges and disc brakes all round.

Fiat has announced that it will launch the Punto Abarth in India on October 19, 2015.

The Punto Abarth is based on the Punto Evo. To distinguish it from the Evo, the car gets Abarth badges at the front and rear, Abarth decals, 16-inch scorpion alloy wheels, a chrome-tipped exhaust, ORVMs, grille and air dam with horizontal slats in a contrasting colour, side skirts and a roof-mounted rear spoiler. The vehicle is likely to be available in white and black shades with Abarth branding on the sides and a scorpion decal on the roof.

On the inside, the car gets a black dashboard, tweaked instrument cluster, a steering wheel with an Abarth badge, black seats with red and yellow stitching and aluminium sports pedals.

The Punto Abarth is powered by a 1.4-litre T-Jet petrol engine that puts out 145 BHP and 212 Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The car comes with disc brakes at the rear and a lowered and stiffer suspension. The ground clearance of the car is 155 mm.

Earlier this month, Fiat announced that it had started accepting bookings for the Punto Abarth. The car is expected to be introduced in the market next month. Now, details of car have surfaced on the internet.

According to the information, the Abarth Punto is powered by a 1.4-litre, T-Jet petrol engine that puts out 145 BHP and 212 Nm of torque. It is capable of touching 100 kph from a standstill in 8.8 seconds and does a standing kilometre in 30.4 seconds. The fuel efficiency of the car is rated at 16.3 kpl.

The Abarth Punto gets disc brakes all round, lowered suspension and 16-inch Scorpion Sting design alloy wheels. The ground clearance of the car is now 155 mm. The vehicle is available in white and black shades with Abarth branding on the sides and a scorpion decal on the roof.

On the inside, the Abarth Punto gets an Abarth instrument cluster, black seats with red and yellow stitching and aluminium sports pedals.

Details of the Abarth-powered Avventura have also been leaked. The car will also use a 1.4-litre, T-Jet petrol engine. The powerplant will produce 140 BHP and 210 Nm of torque. The Abarth-powered Avventura can sprint from 0-100 kph in 9.9 seconds and go from 0-1000 metres in 31.8 seconds. The fuel efficiency of the car is rated at 17.1 kpl.

Like the Abarth Punto, the Avventura gets 16-inch Scorpion Sting design alloy wheels and disc brakes all round. It has Abarth branding on the sides and will be available in white and red colours.

Source: Team Fiat Moto Club

Fiat has announced that it has started accepting bookings for the Punto Abarth. The booking amount has been set at Rs. 50,000.

The Punto Abarth is powered by a 1.4-litre T-Jet petrol engine that puts out 145 BHP and is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. To cope with the additional power, the car gets disc brakes at the rear and a stiffer suspension.

While the Abarth shares its body with the regular Punto Evo, it has certain features that distinguish it from the regular car. There are Abarth badges at the front and rear, Abarth decals, scorpion alloy wheels, a chrome-tipped exhaust, ORVMs, grille and air dam with horizontal slats in a contrasting colour, side skirts and a roof-mounted rear spoiler.

The interiors of the car feature a black dashboard, tweaked instrument cluster, a steering wheel with an Abarth badge, black seats with red and yellow stitching and sports pedals.

The Punto Abarth is expected to be launched in October 2015.