[S2!!!]

Since the Fiat Grande Punto has already been reviewed by Team-BHP, this report will only focus on changes made to the 2014 car. For easy reference, here is a direct link to the complete road-test: Official Review.

The Fiat Grande Punto, as launched in 2009:


As early as 2011, there have been rumours about Fiat bringing the European-spec Punto Evo to India, with more mature styling, 'Linea 2014-like' interiors and newer engine options to match its looks. That didn't happen. Instead, what Fiat offered was a 90 hp variant and then, increased the ground clearance. Till date, those were the only substantial changes made to the Punto in India.



Finally, 5 years after its launch in India, Fiat has given the Punto a much awaited makeover:


Thanks to Moderator Aditya for accompanying me on this drive and sharing his expert observations!

[S2!!!]

Exteriors:

'Evo' is an abbreviation for Evolution and yes, the Punto's styling has evolved. Gone is the Maserati-like face which gave the Punto a distinct identity. The new front end is more mature and contemporary:


Those gorgeous tear-drop headlamps have been replaced by a sweptback design, inspired by the Avventura concept (Fiat's urban crossover):


The exteriors of the 2014 Linea include some chrome additions and the new Punto is no different. The redesigned bumpers now sport a larger front grill with 2 slats, and a chunky chrome border. The front air-dam is redesigned too, with a chrome strip running across:


The Fiat logo moves up:


Chrome treatment continues around the foglamp cluster:


The bonnet now has a center bulge:


Wiper washers are placed on the bonnet, gone is the plastic housing below the wipers:


The front bears some similarity to the Fluidic Verna. Mod Aditya liked the new look, I still prefer the older one's timeless beauty:


Side profile remains unchanged. Notice the massive wheel wells. The 1.2L Punto gets an SUV-like 195 mm of ground clearance, while the other variants get 185 mm:


New 14-spoke rims shod with 195/60 R15 rubber (sport variant gets 16" wheels):


ORVMs get integrated blinkers which give an upmarket feel:


Same '90s style pull-up door handle, albeit in chrome:


Rear has more subtle changes than the front:


Those LED tail-lamps look awesome. A lot of existing Punto owners might swap their lights with these:


The redesigned bumper sports chrome surrounding the reflectors (on either side of the bumper), and a single chrome slat running across:


Only a single reverse light; the 2014 Linea has 2!


Right one is a fog light:


Restyled Punto badge with 'EVO' written underneath:


Variant name not mentioned. Only the 90hp spec wears the '90hp' badge:

[S2!!!]

Interiors:

The interiors are much improved. The two-tone beige & black theme is welcoming. It brightens up the cabin significantly (all black theme available on the 'Sport' variant). The dashboard is a straight lift from the 2014 Linea and looks superior to that of the older Punto. Aluminium inserts and piano black touches enhance cabin feel:


Soft touch material on the dashboard feels premium. Superb orange ambient lighting too!


Leather-wrapped steering wheel is meaty and feels lovely to hold. It has tilt adjustment, but the range is too limited:


Classy dials:


Among other things on the MID, there is a 'Passenger Airbag Deactivation' option:


Gear throws are vague & rubbery. It's not a gearbox that allows you to shift aggressively:


The music system has a glossy black finish but surprisingly, it didn't seem to be a finger-print magnet. Comes with Aux-in, USB, CD player, Blue & Me Sync with 4 speakers and tweeters. Sound quality is typical OEM stuff. Climate control below:


Each air-con vent has individual air flow control:




Storage area above the central air-con vents is useful. 'Click' sound while opening / closing sounds cheap and plasticky:


Storage areas aren't generous. 1 shallow cup-holder in front of the gear lever. Notice the aux-in slot here:


Small storage bin for the driver (RHS of the dashboard):


Cubby area under the handbrake. 12v socket too:


Front door can squeeze in a 1L bottle, but only horizontally!


All windows are equipped with one-touch down functionality. The driver-side comes with one-touch up as well. Door handles feel flimsy to operate:


The seats are broad and offer good lateral support. Fabric feels upmarket. The only grouse being that they are on the softer side, and you tend to sink into them:


Driver's seat comes with height adjustment. However, the lever broke off during the media drives. In this image, notice the uneven gap around the horn pad. Fit & finish still not up to the mark:


Wiper & indicator stalks feel solid to use. Smart feature - when the wipers are on and you engage reverse gear, the rear wipers come on automatically:


Front seatbelts are height adjustable. All headrests too are adjustable:


3 grab handles, rear ones come with coat hooks. They have a springy action, but the finish is poor:


Emotion variant gets an air-con vent at the rear...


...with a bottle holder. Direct air-flow at the bottle for cool water


Knee room for a 5'10" passenger, sitting behind a tall driver, is inexistent:


Rear seats split in a 60:40 ratio and can also fold away entirely, generating a lot of cargo space:


280 liter boot space is good:


Boot lamp as well as smart straps to hold smaller luggage items (such as shopping bags) in place:


Steel rim spare is a smaller 165/80 R14 size. Don't go over 80 kph on the spare:

[S2!!!]

Engine:



Fiat will continue to offer the same engine options with the new Punto: 1.2L & 1.4L petrol motors, alongside the 1.3L diesel in 2 states of tune. Fiat claims that they have tweaked the final drive ratio of the 75 BHP diesel for better economy. ARAI fuel efficiency is rated at 21.2 kpl (earlier was 20.3).

Full driving impressions here.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene. Thanks for sharing!

[avingodb]

Thanks for the pictorial. There is much talk about the changed gear ratios and subsequent changes in drivability. Some input on that would have been valuable. Or does it remain identical to its earlier avatar?

[extreme_torque]

Love the interiors and those rims are gorgeous. Possibly the best looking OEM rims on an affordable car. The ambient lighting is sweet too.
What I do not like is the overdose of chrome especially fog lamp housings and at the rear and some cheap quality plastics around. But then again, Punto never had a problem with interior rattling. A much better car overall if you ask me.

[Thebat]

Wow! Was waiting for this one. Altought the Evo looks mature, somehow I still fancy the old design and I thought the front resembles the Grand i10 . Overall, a good job, but so many quality issues in a media car is dampening .

[finneyp]

Awesome pics there! Thanks S2 and Aditya.

Fiat has done a decent job, considering current Punto was already a looker!
Front looks trendy, though I preferred the clean pointed looks of the existing Punto.
Thankfully, no major changes in the rear except for the LED tail lamp, they messed up the rear of New Linea :(
Interior is lift & shift from New Linea!

S2, did you manage to test drive the 1.3 MJD?
Since there is some change in gearing ratio, wanted to know the drivebility in lower gears?

[Biraj]

Nice crisp review The interior design suits the Punto much better than it did on Linea.

Another driving impression might have been useful. GTO's official review was on the 165/170 mm GC model. With the increase in ground clearance, there has been a lot of subjectivity/debate on its impact on ride quality. Perhaps, an official version would have been useful.

PS: Wish Fiat took the media drives and promotions more seriously than it did. The least they could have done is to check the car thoroughly before sending it for media drive. A broken lever and faulty seat-belt buckle/housing is the last thing one would want to see in a report.

[theMAG]

A very meaningful upgrade. If I were in the market today for a premium hatch, and not too concerned about resale, this is the car I would go for. Objectively, it is much more car-per-car than the competition.

[vineshpikale]

Suzuki has captured people's hearts and minds with their use of the Fiat MJD and yet Fiat themselves arent able to tune to acheive what Suzuki did!

It is however an incredibly good looking car. Loved their earlier look too.

Fiat's cars in India are turning out to be the definition of the Mind vs Heart battle. Here's a car that tugs at heartstrings and warrants more than a prolonged glance and yet on those quintessential area such as space utilisation within the car it's fails miserably.

Come on Fiat. If you need to crack this market you need to give us no reason absolutely no reason to complain.. atleast for the first few years.

[funkykar]

This is really a welcome change. Looks surely are stunning!!

Fiat fans are expecting the make over to boost sales for Fiat. But, were people really short listing Fiat (Linea or Punto) and then dropping it off for it looks or how interiors were. Problem always has been that people don't even short list a Fiat. Come the Avventura or a 1.5/1.6MJD, it will only give temporary boost in sales.

Service and spare woes and people perception on FASS isn't resolved. Its just very slowly improving which isn't good enough in a fast paced market.

[Zigor]

I believe two of the much awaited upgrades are out in open now (Polo and Punto). I think somehow Fiat is lacking as far as overall quality is concerned, as compared to Polo. Punto screams for a better gear box and definitely an engine upgrade. I really respect VW for an upgrade on engine and exteriors as well. I love Punto, I always have but I believe round 1 goes to VW Polo (Just my personal opinion !)

[san2]

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