[hothatchaway]

Originally Posted by schakravarthy

My friend who visited the Fiat dealership at Mysore, was informed that the new Punto Evo comes with a 3 year AMC. There won't be any maintenance costs incurred by the owner during this period. Everything, including the engine oil, brake pads, clutch replacement costs etc., are borne by the company. If this news is indeed true, I'm more shocked than surprised that Fiat hasn't publicised this major selling point!

Does one have to pay an additional amount to avail this? Or is it included in the on road price?

[schakravarthy]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Does one have to pay an additional amount to avail this? Or is it included in the on road price?

IIRC, the OTR price already includes this and if one doesn't want to opt for this, an additional Rs.25k or thereabouts can be claimed as discount.
Do check with the nearest Fiat dealership for better clarity.

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by sriramr9

Yes, It is Evo on stilts, but it has been claimed as a properly built CUV and has increased Kerb Weight compared to regular Evo, not sure what causes that additional weight. Was told even the Avventura will sport only the 89HP 1.4L FIRE Petrol motor, we need to wait and watch.

The chassis is stiffer than the outgoing Punto EVO, new suspension, and added ARB at the rear all contribute to the additional weight.

And no, the Avventura would come with the 90HP MJD too.

[pannags]

Originally Posted by sriramr9

Had a Test drive in the Punto Evo 1.4 Petrol today and the experience was positive, Clutch though having the typical long play being brand new felt easy on feet, the gear shift seemed definite and not vague at all.

16 inch alloys did make the difference in the drive and handling. Overall it s a radical departure from it's out going model. Stereo and Aircon illumination looked upmarket.

One downside was the older gen motor, which was quite audible upon revving. The mileage from the age old mill will also be a cause of concern for some in this segment, owing to it's weight and tuning.

Yes, It is Evo on stilts, but it has been claimed as a properly built CUV and has increased Kerb Weight compared to regular Evo, not sure what causes that additional weight. Was told even the Avventura will sport only the 89HP 1.4L FIRE Petrol motor, we need to wait and watch.

I test drove the new 1.3L MJD Evo last week and the turbo lag of the New Linea was expectedly missing. Once the mill gets revving, it feels really nice to drive and as you rightly pointed out, the handling was indeed fantastic.

I'm not sure if you had the same problem with the gap, or the lack of it, between the clutch pedal and the wall. My foot was constantly getting stuck and I had to withdraw it to be able to use the dead pedal. The executive mentioned that the dead pedal could be removed, but I'm note sure if that'll make any difference. He acknowledged, however, that a few other customers had reported this problem.

I hope FIAT provides a fix for this in the Avventura. That combined with decent pricing will have me giving the EcoSport, serious second thoughts

[nim_peter]

Funny, 15-16 years back people were driving Maruti 800s, Ambassadors, Fiat Padminis and nobody was complaining about power. Now we have a 90BHP hatch and it's still not enough. How things have changed!

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by nim_peter

Funny, 15-16 years back people were driving Maruti 800s, Ambassadors, Fiat Padminis and nobody was complaining about power. Now we have a 90BHP hatch and it's still not enough. How things have changed!

Well nim_peter I am no expert but here are my thoughts:

- 15-16yrs back, life was peaceful and probably not as fast paced as it is today. Getting from Place A to Place B was important and doing it in a car was probably considered luxury.

- 15-16yrs back there was no cut throat competition between automobile manufacturers in India and sure as hell not many options for buyers to go around. Today, Indian market and the buyer have matured to such an extent that manifacturers from all over the world are considering India quite seriously as a consumer market.

- Lastly and probably I think the most important bit is that 90HP Punto does not sound under powered by any means, but it just does not even "Feel" as quick as say a 75HP Swift & 89HP I20 both of which come with much better sales support and at the same (or lesser) cost.


P.S - Looking at your signature, you seem to have remapped a 100bhp 'True Hot Hatch' of India !! So you should not be claiming the 90HP Punto is good enough.

[ant_vas]

IIRC, the OTR price already includes this and if one doesn't want to opt for this, an additional Rs.25k or thereabouts can be claimed as discount.
Do check with the nearest Fiat dealership for better clarity.

I brought a Punto Evo Active 1.2 last week. there was no mention of the 3 year AMC. when asked about this, i was told that it will cost around 18K for my car extra and is not part of the OTR! I also didn't find it mentioned anywhere in the price sheet they give to the prospective customers.

Since for the first 3 years there is warranty from Fiat (+2 with extended warranty up to 1.5L KMs), and there are 3 free services up to 45k KM's, does this AMC package really make a good proposition with respect to a petrol car?

[SR71-Blackbird]

I did a test drive of the 75HP Punto emotion last week.

Originally Posted by schakravarthy

My friend who visited the Fiat dealership at Mysore, was informed that the new Punto Evo comes with a 3 year AMC. There won't be any maintenance costs incurred by the owner during this period. Everything, including the engine oil, brake pads, clutch replacement costs etc., are borne by the company.

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Does one have to pay an additional amount to avail this? Or is it included in the on road price?

Originally Posted by schakravarthy

IIRC, the OTR price already includes this and if one doesn't want to opt for this, an additional Rs.25k or thereabouts can be claimed as discount.

I checked with the SA (who I have been talking to for the last 1 year) about this and he said the AMC will definitely not be included in the
OTR price and that Fiat still hasn't finalized/confirmed the AMC details.

Originally Posted by pannags

I test drove the new 1.3L MJD Evo last week and the turbo lag of the New Linea was expectedly missing.

I'm not sure if you had the same problem with the gap, or the lack of it, between the clutch pedal and the wall.

I too had the same issue issue and the SA acknowledged it to be an issue with all fiat cars.

I hope FIAT provides a fix for this in the Avventura.

I also sat inside an avventura that they had for staff training and everything inside the avventura is exactly
the same as punto except for the differently coloured interiors and additional gauges in the center console.

Back to the punto evo, I too felt that the gear ratios (gears 1 and 2) have been tweaked compared to the outgoing model as most of the others here.

The interiors have come a long way compared to the outgoing one and were mostly well put together and looked nice.
The gear shift doesn't seem to have seen any improvement and was very notchy in the display model inside the showroom.
It was slightly better on the test drive car as it had run around 2.5k kms.

I am looking at a B+ segment diesel car and I have shortlisted the punto evo and the new polo! Will take the final decision in the next couple of weeks!

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by SR71-Blackbird

I am looking at a B+ segment diesel car and I have shortlisted the punto evo and the new polo!

If there is one thing that will grab your attention the most, it will be the tractability of the new VW 1.5l diesel engine. Its leagues ahead of Fiat's Multijet.

Originally Posted by ant_vas

I brought a Punto Evo Active 1.2 last week. there was no mention of the 3 year AMC.

Was this the case for every variant of the Punto?

Originally Posted by ant_vas

when asked about this, i was told that it will cost around 18K for my car extra and is not part of the OTR

You might want to call up Fiat's customer support helpline and get more clarity on this.

Originally Posted by ant_vas

Since for the first 3 years there is warranty from Fiat, and there are 3 free services up to 45k KM's, does this AMC package really make a good proposition with respect to a petrol car?

The 1.2l is a reliable engine so from a mechanical stand point, the additional two year warranty cover may go to waste. However there are other things that can go wrong. Still; I don't think 18k is worth it. In case something were to go wrong, Fiat parts are affordable too. Take a decision later on. If the car stays reliable for 2-3 years, things generally hold up well on Fiat's. My car completes 3 years this December and nil warranty claims so far which is a miracle for a Fiat. With an odo reading at 25,000km, my running has been low. I take good care of the car too. Matters to keep things reliable long term.

3 free services will not be free as they say. Consumables are charged. It is only labour that comes free. The 1.2l is a very low on maintenance. Comes to about Rs. 2500 tops for service.

[punto_]

Thank you for the crisp review.

Fiat should have bettered the gears, long clutch travel and also upgraded the engine.

The rubbery gears in old model, are slow and not easy to use. Sometimes, they are very annoying.

[ant_vas]

Was this the case for every variant of the Punto?

- yes!

You might want to call up Fiat's customer support helpline and get more clarity on this.

- I did and the guy on the line was as useless as they can be! Had no idea about the AMC!
When taking the delivery the sales guy informed me that the AMC will be charged extra.

The 1.2l is a reliable engine so from a mechanical stand point, the additional two year warranty cover may go to waste. However there are other things that can go wrong. Still; I don't think 18k is worth it. In case something were to go wrong, Fiat parts are affordable too. Take a decision later on. If the car stays reliable for 2-3 years, things generally hold up well on Fiat's. My car completes 3 years this December and nil warranty claims so far which is a miracle for a Fiat. With an odo reading at 25,000km, my running has been low. I take good care of the car too. Matters to keep things reliable long term.

3 free services will not be free as they say. Consumables are charged. It is only labour that comes free. The 1.2l is a very low on maintenance. Comes to about Rs. 2500 tops for service.

Yup i know they will charge for consumables, but my question was is it worth to pay 18K and get AMC for 3 years or just go with the regular charges for the consumables + labour (after free service).

considering your experience of having a service cost of 2500 (in free service period) i think AMC doesn't make sense at least with the low running. (mine is 15KM/day max 25KM)

[Detroit-Dude]

Guys! Spotted an avventura on vashi bridge. It just whizzed past all cars. Really seems that there has been some tweaking of the 90ps motor for better drivability.
Plus ground clearance looked good, the car looks awesome in the flesh like a compact SUV

[sandeepmdas]

It's Diwali time and 491 cars were gifted by a Diamond trader to his employees. A great gesture indeed.

However, what makes the gesture more cool is the fact that the cars were all Puntos.

As a Fiat owner, I salute the diamond billionaire for making the Diwali of Fiat India slightly brighter.

Source:
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/d.../1/396702.html

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by sandeepmdas

It's Diwali time and 491 cars were gifted by a Diamond trader to his employees. A great gesture indeed.

However, what makes the gesture more cool is the fact that the cars were all Puntos.

As a Fiat owner, I salute the diamond billionaire for making the Diwali of Fiat India slightly brighter.

Source:
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/d.../1/396702.html

491 Cars, 200 Flats, 500 Jewellery sets!
Assuming 6 lakhs per car-it is ~30crores
Assuming 25 Lakhs per flat-it is ~50 Crores
Assuming 2 Lakhs per jewellery set-it is ~10 crores
A big 90Crore Diwali Bonus. Wow!

Maybe Fiat should open a Dedicated service centre inside that company campus

On another note, the TBHP October Sales thread should see Fiat in the Month-on-Month gainers list-a rare sight indeed.

[jessie007]

Originally Posted by sandeepmdas

It's Diwali time and 491 cars were gifted by a Diamond trader to his employees. A great gesture indeed.

However, what makes the gesture more cool is the fact that the cars were all Puntos.

As a Fiat owner, I salute the diamond billionaire for making the Diwali of Fiat India slightly brighter.

Source:
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/d.../1/396702.html

Expect stellar sales for FIAT for the month of October - sales of Punto will most likely cross 1200 units (average sales over past 6 months is around 700 units) and overall sales might just eclipse Skoda for the second last position in Indian car market!

FIAT's average sales over past 6 months: Approx 900 units / month
Skoda's average sales over past 6 months: Approx 1300 units / month