[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by ashutoshb

It was all great, till we sat in the rear seat. The seat is so upright, that wifey rejected it, right away.

A lot of people actually prefer a straight back. It is much better for your neck and spine, posture wise. Anyone with lumbar or cervical issues will always prefer a relatively straight back. This is one of the things people appreciate only when they have such issues or when age starts catching up with them.

For what it’s worth, my mum finds the Punch’s back seat to be the only one in the budget segment today in which her neck doesn’t start paining. I find is very comfortable myself.

Ideally, they should provide adjustable recline angle, so that people can have the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, those days of the old Jazz and Ecosport are now behind us.

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

A lot of people actually prefer a straight back. It is much better for your neck and spine, posture wise.

I completely agree. I found the backseat VERY comfortable for the 30 odd KMs ride. It is for sure better for senior citizens both ingress/egress and seating posture. Just for comparison, my mom found it difficult to get from the i20 backseat.

[theAutomaniac]

Originally Posted by 4by4

I don't think this is correct. Punch is 90 percentage of the concept originally shown in 2020 auto expo, whereas Citroen was first launched in October 21.

Also most of new Tata cars are very uniquely styled and to call them rip off would be a disservice to designers.

Off-Topic post-

Wouldn't want to take this thread off-topic, but for the sake of letting you know, I'll let you know that the Citroen I am talking is not the India-spec C5 Aircross launched last year but the Global C3 Aircross which has been on sale since 2017 in different countries.

Hence yes, I won't rule out the case that the Tata Punch displayed as a concept in "2020" could be nothing but a pure cut paste job of the "2017" C3 Aircross except for the curves and the quarter glass. The fact that Tata has taken heavy inspirations from many other cars in the past makes my case stronger!

P.S.- If you want to discuss this topic further, please take it to a Tata Punch thread. Wouldn't want to dilute this thread with off-topic discussion of the Punch!

[4by4]

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

Off-Topic post-

Wouldn't want to take this thread off-topic, but for the sake of letting you know, I'll let you know that the Citroen I am talking is not the India-spec C5 Aircross launched last year but the Global C3 Aircross which has been on sale since 2017 in different countries.

P.S.- If you want to discuss this topic further, please take it to a Tata Punch thread. Wouldn't want to dilute this thread with off-topic discussion of the Punch!

Agree , we should not take this off topic. Could be difference of opinion but don't think Punch looks anything like global C3 aircross.(image download from link you have provided)

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by ajay_satpute

We booked the Punch in Creative persona with IRA pack, by paying the booking amount of 10,000/-.

We canceled the booking of Punch. The Punch creative variant was nearing 11 lakhs INR on-road, and I did not think its worth that much price. I would have probably given it a thought if Tata had given the option of the iTurbo engine in the top end.

We ended up buying another Scross for my wife, at 10.5 lakhs on-road and we are very happy with the decision.

[Tamarind]

The door lock placements don't bother anybody here with kids at home ?

I find it extremely disturbing that even after locking it centrally on the drivers side, the front passenger can just pull the lever in one single action to open the door (instead of a two step process which gives the driver a caution and reaction time). The same for back seats passengers as well, but atleast the back seat gets child lock which will stop the door opening

Or am i missing some feature here which prevents this ?

Source:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gobTYPWwsl0

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by Tamarind

The door lock placements don't bother anybody here with kids at home ?

I find it extremely disturbing that even after locking it centrally on the drivers side, the front passenger can just pull the lever in one single action to open the door (instead of a two step process which gives the driver a caution and reaction time).

Whats disturbing? Thats how the door locks are supposed to behave in a 'safe' car.

If anyone really cares about safety of the kids, he/she would not allow kids to sit at the front seats in first place. First risk is airbags which are deadly for the low height passengers like kids or pets. (read the warning message written on the visor or at other usual location depending on the car model, also read the safety chapter in the user manual instead of watching such dumb Youtube videos).

And second thing, be it any type of door lock, if placed at any accessible location then kids can open it while car is moving. Thats why the CHILD LOCKS are provided at inaccessible locations at the rear seats where the kids are supposed to sit. DO USE THE CHILD LOCKs.

Problem is not the lock system shown in the Punch, problem is people are grown with the locking system of Maruti/Mahindra and old Tata cars. And chances are higher for getting trapped inside the car in case of panic situation like flood or fire. Our hands automatically tend to reach at the door opening lever in case of such panic situation instead of searching the lock first then opening the door.

People don't have much time to react in most of the panic situations, you may have read many news headlines where people charred to death in a burning car or drowned in a sinking car. Those people did not do it deliberately, rather many of them could not open the doors in time. Getting it?

If there are electrically controlled locks then they are also prone to fail if there is short circuit or battery/electric failure in case of any accident, fire or flood.

German cars, which are known for their safety also come with such door locking system where doors can always be opened using the single lever and front doors never get locked permanently.

Since New gen Tata cars also have European DNA, they are safer, sturdier and following some European norms while implementing some features.

Indian Youtube scene is very pathetic and disappointing with so many dumb people spreading so much misconception just for the 'views, likes and subscribes'.

I have set a rule for myself and always tell people that DO NOT WATCH ANY YOUTUBE VIDEO MADE BY INDIANs. There are chances that 99 out of 100 videos made on same topic will be spreading misconception in the name of information and review. Even if you watch then take them with pinch of salt, take some info like knowing about some specs or features, but do not take the opinion. For example this guy in this Youtube video shows the locks and tells his negative opinion, If I watch this video then my reaction will be like - 'nice, this car one more intelligent safety feature' and I will will ignore the opinion of that guy.

[docted]

My wife decided to finally get behind the wheel last year, being a gynecologist and the whole COVID situation restricting cab services and unforseen lockdownds etc. She even got her LL and we were scouting cars.
But Delta raised its head and sideshow went sideways, on off on off, LL has expired and the whole cycle started again.
Finally this time around she is started her driving classes and we just booked the Tropical Blue Accomplished MT, and now we wait, apparently 30 weeks. ��

Our car needed the following

A) Cheap, but 1st hand looking for maximum financing
B) Need to go from point A to B, school run, and God forbid any emergency, we have a Compass 2.0D 4x4 MT for all other runs.
C) Safety with ISOFIX, we have a 2 year old and this was where I put my foot down.

The cars in consideration were
Maruti
Ignis / Swift / Wagon R. All come with ISOFIX and a good engine, after sales, but safety was iffy.

Renault /Nissan
Kwid was out of contention
Kiger twins were costing 1.5 lakhs more and the 1.0 turbo was nearly 11 otr

Hyundai
Never owned one nor spent long term with one, chose a known devil in Maruti over this.

TATA
Tigor, we nearly booked this last year, and was on top of the list, but Punch punched through in terms of space and more upright sitting.
Plus the price difference was down to 40k odd.

I usually advise people for top end variant and save the headache of running around garage to add features ( that's because I can't squeeze time with my work)

But in this case to keep price down we settled for a lower variant, must have were - Safety, Isofix, Driver height adjustment, all door power window and central lock, reverse camera with guideline, fog lamps with cornering.

Things missing - better lights and auto fold irvm ( will get this from outside.)
Decided to stick with R15 for better sidewall and the Hypwrsegmented steel wheel look good.

Cruise control is a wasted feature for me but did not have a choice.

The 1.2 engine is lackluster (coming from the 2.0D of.compass) but should suffice for someone learning to go from A to B, till we swap cars.

[blitz_nomad]

I find this disturbing too.

If it is going to open in a single action - why bother with the lock at all then? Not just with kids, even with adults. Don't want anyone accidentally opening the door - say someone brushing against while moving and something getting hooked to it.

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

Our hands automatically tend to reach at the door opening lever in case of such panic situation instead of searching the lock first then opening the door.

People don't have much time to react in most of the panic situations,

But you are ok with a child lock in such situations?

In cases like fire where this is an issue that reaction time needs to be so less that you can not flip another lock knob, I'd be very skeptical about the actions that follow after you've opened the door - getting out of the car. I'd imagine this to be more of a lifesaver in situations where a passenger needs to say jump off the car.

A concern that a lock may not release in an accident say get jammed - is more valid a cause. But then here, they have not gotten rid of the door lock. Its just that the way you lock and unlock is different. If providing a separate knob for the lock increases the chances of a lock jam than this mechanism, may be it justifies this locking mechanism.

At any rate, You need to weigh the benefits in terms of the chances of that event happening vs the chances that somebody opens the door accidentally.
Somehow I feel the later is a higher chance event with this locking mechanism. In general you spend much more time in a car than an incident that involves such an hazard (fire, drowning, accidents etc). The more time you spend, the more likely you may brush into the handle in some odd way. I might well be wrong since I'm new to driving, but fact remains, I find the door lock disturbing.

All this not withstanding, I'm a happy Tata Punch owner.

[tbppjpr]

If it is going to open in a single action - why bother with the lock at all then?

You would not like your stuffs or your whole car getting robbed while its parked, neither you would like to be get thrashed by some random crazy mob in odd situation, would you?

Originally Posted by blitz_nomad

At any rate, You need to weigh the benefits in terms of the chances of that event happening vs the chances that somebody opens the door accidentally.
Somehow I feel the later is a higher chance event with this locking mechanism. In general you spend much more time in a car than an incident that involves such an hazard (fire, drowning, accidents etc). The more time you spend, the more likely you may brush into the handle in some odd way. I might well be wrong since I'm new to driving, but fact remains, I find the door lock disturbing.

I am driving a car with same type of lock with full appreciation and confidence since last 11 years and nobody did it accidentally or intentionally in the moving car. And the design of the door opening latch is such that there is no way someone can open it just by brushing it, neither some cloth or something else can get stuck in such door latches. Punch also got the same design latch, try to observe it closely when you get in your Punch next time.

Some playful kid defiantly can open the door latch though, be it two way or one way locking system. I have heard such incidents taking place in old school cars with two way locking systems. Thats why its advised to make them sit at rear seats with inaccessible child locks on and I have been following this advise strictly in my car.

My son always traveled with seat belts on with the child seat when he was infant. And now after he has grown enough to be seated at front seats, he searches for the seatbelts whenever he enters in the car, be it at rear or front seats.

But you are ok with a child lock in such situations?

Yes, absolutely, child locks are must with the kids if you care little bit about their safety. You can't control the situation with your hands on the steering wheel in a fast moving car when some playful kid ended up opening the door.

Going by your logic, seatbelts are also hindrance and have been alien things for majority of Indians so they also should not be used, right?

People consider something as ultimate truth which they have seen at first. And people in India have grown with the flawed two way locking systems in tin can cars so its hard for them to digest the much safer and convenient single latch door locks in better built safer cars.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

I am driving a car with same type of lock with full appreciation and confidence since last 11 years and nobody did it accidentally or intentionally in the moving car.

Child locks are there to prevent intentional opening of the rear doors , normal two stage door latch is to prevent unintended opening of the door by pulling the handle alone. I think the two stage unlock is a better design, it is also more common , my Nano had it.

[docted]

“There is no plan to bring the turbo engine to the Punch as of now” , from a source at TATA Motors

[blitz_nomad]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

You would not like your stuffs or your whole car getting robbed while its parked, neither you would like to be get thrashed by some random crazy mob in odd situation, would you?

Sure. The risk of a random crazy mob thrashing oneself or a thief stealing increases as your speed increases and therefore they decided to put in an auto-lock mechanism when the car speeds up.

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

Going by your logic, seatbelts are also hindrance and have been alien things for majority of Indians so they also should not be used, right?

Wrong. A recap: My logic is that a separate knob for locking is worth the safety. So in my view, the child lock, the seat belts, all of it also makes sense. They are all worth the safety even though they may get in your way in cases where you need to get out quickly.

It is your logic that highlights that two stage locks aren't safe because they get in the way of getting out during an emergency situation. So it is by this logic that the seat belt and the child lock become a hindrance too. Not the other way round.

Anyway, to each his own. May be I will get used to these locks as you say and may be there is no possibility of the latch getting hooked to anything. Nevertheless, I still think many will be weary of this and I wouldn't say their fears are unwarranted either. There was at least one such incident reported here (Which type of car door lock do you prefer?). In the end it boils down to ones own preference and perception of safety.

[mbudhraja]

For quite sometime, we had been looking for a worthy replacement for our 19 year old Wagon R which had done 6 digit kms. The vehicle was dear to my father in law and we wanted the new car to be something modern, refreshing and as practical as his first gen wagonR. He lives in Bhubaneshwar and the car is used for city driving as well as trips to his village in the Puri district - for the uninitiated, the roads even in villages of this part of the country can give any highway a run for its money.

Shortlisting

1. Brand - The old man's preference for Japanese cars - he clearly wanted to buy a Honda or Toyota after the Suzuki
2. Size - The garage space was a major constraint, restricting our search to sub 4m cars only
3. Gearbox - No automatics, I learnt that the joy of manual transmission over the comfort of automatics prevails even at the age of 60+
4. Safety - My wife wanted a safe car for her father, no compromise on that front
With Etios Liva being discontinued, based on the above and the fact that I already own a Jazz, we right away requested a Honda Jazz test drive. Unfortunately, we realized that even a full size 4m car could not properly fit in the garage. This meant that we would have to narrow the search down to smaller hatches only.
This was August 2021 and the choices were limited and simple - (1) New WagonR, Ignis or Celerio (Japanese touch, though no safety), (2) Tiago, (3) Santro or Nios. We did not give much consideration to DatsunGo or the KUV 100.

Options Considered
TBH, all these cars did not seem like an upgrade from the Wagon R
1. The Santro was not in consideration even back in 2003, so it made no sense now. Eliminating Hyundai altogether was simple, it's neither Japanese nor safe
2. We had been reading about the new Celerio for a while but the launch was delayed. Going for a new WagonR ticked most of the boxes, but it did not feel right to go for the same car again. After all, this was a new car after 19years.

The choices left were Ignis and Tiago. One was clearly safer while the other was clearly more refined. It was clearly a compromise and no one was happy. We had even considered parking the car outside of the garage in the street - after all, he deserved to buy a better car (Jazz or Urban Cruiser). After a lot of deliberation, we half heartedly booked the Ignis around mid of October 2021.

The road gets bumpier
Make no mistake, we did know the punch was launching within a week and were ok to consider it. Plus the pressure to make my father in law get a new car was mounting on me. My trip to Bhubaneshwar was about to end and if we didn't book it this time, the old man would get his WagonR's registration extended for another 5 years. My gut said - how small an SUV can it be ? If a 3.99m car cannot fit in the garage, how comfortable would it be to park a 3.8xx m inside each day.

Fasten your seatbelts
3 days after booking the Ignis, we went to the TATA Motors showroom. I personally was very excited to check the Punch - I knew TATA Motors had been rolling out great products lately, but all of them seemed to be packed with small glitches. Hence I knew the punch would not be a gamechanger either. An year ago, I was left heaart broken when I wanted to buy an Altroz for myself but went ahead with the Jazz because of the poor refinement and interior finishing in the Altroz.

BOOM - if looks could kill and all that moment... None of us were expecting the Punch to be such a looker. It looked heavy, it looked futuristic, it looked compact. It had pleasantly good interiors for a TATA car, and hardly any panel gaps whatsover. This was hard to believe.

The family went crazy that finally there is an option worthy of replacing the 1st gen WagonR. However I had my reservations. After all, this was a Tata car which in a way meant that you could be trading your peace of mind for good road presence. Plus the neck to neck parking space each day was going to be a challenge. In fact the sales agent refused to make a parking attempt in our garage. But taking measurements with a ruler in his hand, my father in law was confident that he could make it work.

We booked the Punch Pure variant (to avoid all the tech shenanigans) on October 26, 2021. We were committed a delivery within 3 months, but it took 4. The delivery was done on February 28, 2022.

9 months after making the booking, I am back in Bhubaneshwar and have been trying my hands on this beauty for the last few days. Here's my observations and honest views about the car -

2000KM / 4 month ownership review of my Tata Punch

Looks and Road Presence
Like I said, Punch is a looker (just like other TATA cars). While the front of the car has a Harrier/Nexon like presence, there is a futuristic touch to the rear like an EV concept car. The claddings in the side and across the body add the muscle. It doesn’t look like a sub 10L car and no other cars at this price point come close in terms of road presence.

Space and Comfort
The seating position is nice and high and gives a proper SUV feel. The headroom and front legroom is extremely good while the rear space is sufficient to fit two adults and a kid. The boot can carry 2 large suitcases.

Interiors
Not an area of strength for Tata Motors, but they have done quite a neat job in the Punch. The dash is made of hard plastic but the quality is very good and there is no unnecessary rattle. The black and white schemed digital meters look classy. However some of the buttons seem to be delicate.

Drive Quality
The high ground clearance and the SUV nature of the vehicle ensures that this easily glides through any bumpy breakers or holes that a city has to offer. We have not tried off-roading but this certainly seems capable for the challenge. There are YouTube videos of punch doing extremely well in off roads. We went past some of the roads that were water and mud laden because of construction work, and we couldn’t feel anything. This is a big plus over any of the hatches or compact sedans. Punch clearly beats my jazz when it comes to this department. High speed stability seems exceptionally well - I constantly did 100-120kmph speeds on the Bhubaneshwar-Puri highway and the car added a lot of confidence.

Engine Refinement and Power
The 1.2L Revetron Engine of Tata continues to be an Achilles heel. The power is sufficient for city driving and the pull in lower gears is very good. The ability to glide at triple digits in the highways is as good as any other 1.2L NA engine (other than Ford’s dragon engines, I miss Ford ). I struggled to push the car beyond 120kmph though. However it is the refinement and the NVH levels where the rivals have a big upper hand. My FIL too agreed that his Wagon R was way more refined. Having said that, I personally enjoyed the slight vibrations and cabin noise. It complements the high seating position and the SUV feel.

CONS of Tata Punch:
1. Engine refinement – like any other 3 cylinder TATA car.
2. Gear Shifts – While the gear shifting is smooth, it is not crisp. I would have preferred the gears to be more sharp and distinct.
3. Door Lock – The door locks seem to be integrated to the door lever. There is no separate physical button or knob in the doors for lock / unlock. Strangely, this seems to be a compromise in safety. The door gets unlocked once you pull the door leaver even from the passenger or rear side while driving. A single accidental pull of the lever even when the car is at high speed can open the door.

Lastly, the biggest positive of this vehicle in my view is the Value For Money that it brings to the table. Tata Punch is the most comprehensive value for money package that one can ask for. There is a price difference of 4L on road between the base variant (Pure) and the top variant (Kaziranga / AMT / iRA). This is too much for the same engine and an AMT gear box. Hence the lower variants become very value for money.

We booked Pure variant + Rhythm pack at <7L on road and this seemed like a steal to me. Eventually we did change our booking to just the Pure variant. The car has almost everything that an ordinary household requires. This should be an easy pick over the Ignis, Swift, Nios or even some of the compact sedans and premium hatches.

[Piyush Kanthak]

Hello everyone
Tata Punch Creative AMT is costing me 10.83 lakhs otr Bangalore.
-Is it worth at that price?
-How is the AMT?
It's full filling our requirements.