[blinder]

I have a quick question. Does the glass windows go up automatically when the car is locked in Punto Emotion Pack? Dealership says this feature is not there. If not, can something be done about it?

Also, the current batch of Emotion Pack comes with Appolo tyres. Any idea on its quality in terms of road noise and comfort? Is a replacement advised?

Became a happy owner of Punto MJD Em Pk today.

[v.anand]

@shashank.nk, I haven't lived with a Punto but a similar Fiat, Palio. The steering, clutch travel, gears, ergonomics are all similar in Palio too with Punto offering slightly better front seats campared to the two (Palio interior plastics were better IMO). Palio was one heck of a lovely drive on the highways but pain in the city with an overall heavy feel of controls and small turning radius.

If the drive is primarily city, its better to avoid Punto IMO. Swift, Figo and Polo are much better bet during urban cycles and Punto is the best among them at highways. How do I know? Polo is a big relief and easy after the Palio.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by muni

Dont be so hard on yourself man. Your avatar pic has the Punto and why are you allowing so much of confusion.

Originally Posted by theexperthand

@shashank.nk:

As @hemanth.anand have pointed out, turning radius is not that big issue, unless you have to take U turns in tight spots. I do drive around in bangalore city often, and many a times, i travel through narrow by-lanes of bommanahalli and other places, but the turning radius have not been a major hindrance, unless I am taking U turns.

The A pillar can hide traffic, but luckily I have not caught surprised till now.

The steering is not that heavy - I love the feel of it in traffic also.

Yup. Most probably i'll settle for the Punto only i guess. The main cause of the confusion was:

a. How easy it is to drive in city?
b. How soon will the Punto Evo hit the markets

First confusion is gone, 2nd one remains but i dont think its earlier than mid 2012 thought ACI is optimistic and says Early 2012. No point waiting so long.

Originally Posted by ra'ul M

I have never been so confused in life before! I have booked a test drive of the 90HP this Sunday. Will be taking a call after that to decide whether to wait for the Swift or buy the Punto. It's not a head vs heart case as I find both equally good overall. It's more like present irritation vs potential irritation.

P.S.- Has anyone got a Pete's box in a 90HP? Could be a killer!

True! Swift ZDI v/s Punto 90 is one TOUGH choice to make! Btw, why do you describe it as an irritation ? Wrt waiting periods ?

One member has modded his Punto 75HP with remus exhaust and a pete's box. Not sure of his name though, but his thread is a MUST read before anyone buys a Punto! He's clocked in 90k already!!

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

One member has modded his Punto 75HP with remus exhaust and a pete's box. Not sure of his name though, but his thread is a MUST read before anyone buys a Punto! He's clocked in 90k already!!

Here you go:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ms-review.html

[ra'ul M]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Btw, why do you describe it as an irritation ? Wrt waiting periods ?

Yes. The waiting period and the extreme inefficiency in which the situation is being handled by the dealers. They are of the opinion that a person who has booked a Swift is not going anywhere no matter what! I dont mind waiting if I am given complete information by the dealer. How hard is it to call every customer and inform them about the situation and likely delays? So much for best service. Blah!

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

One member has modded his Punto 75HP with remus exhaust and a pete's box. Not sure of his name though, but his thread is a MUST read before anyone buys a Punto! He's clocked in 90k already!!

I'll try and find that thread. Thanks. I have not come across anyone doing that on the 90HP though.

[Arkin evoisrevo]

Swift ZDi vs. GP90. IMHO you can't even compare the former to the latter. Swift for the City only GP as an all-rounder + unbeatable highway handling, ride and safety. GP is not at all tough to drive in town. Once you know how to go about driving it, it is a breeze. And it doesn't take too long to get used to it. Remember, I've said it before. You don't drive a GP like a Swift or i10. That would be like eating Roti with chopsticks.

It took ~5km for my middle-aged dad to get used to it. And he loves it. The turbo-lag actually makes the car really fun to drive. He says this after spiritedly driving my i10 1.2 in peak traffic & highways for 1+ year. Period.

Look no further than Pete's for city drive-ability and others like Racechip for overall improvement.
For those who want to Pete / Chip their GP90 (I'll do it after the warranty expires), check this out:
Petes Tuned Fiat Grande Punto Review | MotorBeam - Indian Car Bike News & Reviews

I got mine yesterday, and I can say, we took the RIGHT decision by buying it over the ANHC (and i20 Crdi).


(You can see my lil' i10 in the backdrop )
Cheers to the Punto!

EDIT: Shashank, buy what is set in your heart. If it is the Swift, go ahead. If it is the GP, don't wait! I think a Pete'd Punto SGT would be best for you.

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

b. How soon will the Punto Evo hit the markets

Regarding Punto Evo, mostly the changes will be cosmetic. The major point of concern about Punto Evo is an upgraded interiors.

About the exterior, it depends on what you like. If you like the lines of current Punto, go for it.

A refreshed interior may be worth the wait, but then again, we have no concrete info that the interiors will be refreshed. Either way, the current cockpit is not that a bad place to be in.

If you like the looks of current Punto, go ahead and get one now itself

[gopikb]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Yup. Most probably i'll settle for the Punto only i guess. The main cause of the confusion was:

a. How easy it is to drive in city?
b. How soon will the Punto Evo hit the markets

First confusion is gone, 2nd one remains but i dont think its earlier than mid 2012 thought ACI is optimistic and says Early 2012. No point waiting so long.

shashank.nk, I saw that you are now convinced about the city drivability of Punto. Let me tell you my experience. I migrated from Santro Xing to Punto two years ago. For purely City driving, the Santro was a hoot to drive. It was an excellent city car. Very easily chuckable into small spaces in bumper to bumper traffic and being a Petrol, the engine was very responsive to the press of pedal. I absolutely loved Santro for the way it drove inside city.

When I first took delivery of my 1.3 MJD Punto and rode to office, the main difference you will notice is that it gives a big car feel once you sit inside. Similarly you will have to treat it as a big car while driving. You can no longer chuck it into small spaces in heavy traffic. This is because you will end up stopping the car in a slanted position in traffic if you try to do so. You will get used to driving in a straight line and stop correctly.

When you first take delivery of your car, you will definitely feel as if the engine is sluggish compared to petrol. In the first week, I was trying to cross the Minerva circle signal after it turned yellow and tried to accelerate the car. The car just did not respond the way I expected and it was crawling. I almost got stuck in the middle with the traffic from other starting to flow. I really thought what kind of car is this and did I make a big mistake. But this will improve drastically with time and mileage and subconscious changes to your style of driving. At 23K kms now, I feel the acceleration is as good as any petrol car.

Turning radius is higher compared to Santro and I have got used to it and plan my U-turns properly. Taking U-turn in a single lane road can be tricky and you will need to space car away from median in center to take the U-turn. Taking U-turn in double lane roads is not an issue at all.

As of now, city driving with the Punto is as enjoyable as Santro with minor changes to driving pattern and patience. The meaty steering feel is what I enjoy the most while driving both in city and in highways.

Enough is said about the highway drivability of Punto. I have tested the ABS and EBD on a couple of panic braking situations during highway drives. The first time it was a cyclist who cut across NH7 from a median when I was driving at 120km/hr and I saw him coming from a blind spot just 10 feet ahead when I was at 120. I had to brake hard and swerve the car to the left at that speed to avoid hitting him. The way the car handled completely in control and ABS kicked in was awesome. Luckily there was no other car coming in the left lane at that time. With the non ABS Santro, the cyclist would have definitely been a goner.

Rest your fears and go for the Punto. I am sure you will not regret it.

[HammerHead]

Originally Posted by blinder

I have a quick question. Does the glass windows go up automatically when the car is locked in Punto Emotion Pack?

No they don't! Even I was looking for that feature or at least a button on the key to roll up all windows in one go.

Became a happy owner of Punto MJD Em Pk today.

Congrats and enjoy your drive.

[ms001]

Originally Posted by Arkin evoisrevo

Swift ZDi vs. GP90. IMHO you can't even compare the former to the latter. Swift for the City only GP as an all-rounder + unbeatable highway handling, ride and safety. GP is not at all tough to drive in town. Once you know how to go about driving it, it is a breeze. And it doesn't take too long to get used to it. Remember, I've said it before. You don't drive a GP like a Swift or i10. That would be like eating Roti with chopsticks.

It took ~5km for my middle-aged dad to get used to it. And he loves it. The turbo-lag actually makes the car really fun to drive. He says this after spiritedly driving my i10 1.2 in peak traffic & highways for 1+ year. Period.

Look no further than Pete's for city drive-ability and others like Racechip for overall improvement.
For those who want to Pete / Chip their GP90 (I'll do it after the warranty expires), check this out:
Petes Tuned Fiat Grande Punto Review | MotorBeam - Indian Car Bike News & Reviews

I got mine yesterday, and I can say, we took the RIGHT decision by buying it over the ANHC (and i20 Crdi).

Attachment 826550
(You can see my lil' i10 in the backdrop )
Cheers to the Punto!

EDIT: Shashank, buy what is set in your heart. If it is the Swift, go ahead. If it is the GP, don't wait! I think a Pete'd Punto SGT would be best for you.

Congratulations eagerly waiting for you to start an ownership review .
Hope the car serves you well for many lakhs to Kms to come

[Arkin evoisrevo]

Originally Posted by ms001

Congratulations eagerly waiting for you to start an ownership review .
Hope the car serves you well for many lakhs to Kms to come

Thanks!
Taking the car on a long trip tomorrow; ownership review when I'm back
I'm sure it will!

[gopikb]

Originally Posted by Arkin evoisrevo

I got mine yesterday, and I can say, we took the RIGHT decision by buying it over the ANHC (and i20 Crdi).

Attachment 826550
(You can see my lil' i10 in the backdrop )
Cheers to the Punto!

Arkin, Congrats on your new buy and welcome to Grande Punto Club. Please put Team BHP stickers on your car and hopefully we can bump into each other some time.

[muni]

Originally Posted by Arkin evoisrevo

Thanks!
Taking the car on a long trip tomorrow; ownership review when I'm back
I'm sure it will!

Please share any info on the ICE upgrade if you have planned or already got it done.

[Arkin evoisrevo]

Originally Posted by gopikb

Arkin, Congrats on your new buy and welcome to Grande Punto Club. Please put Team BHP stickers on your car and hopefully we can bump into each other some time.

Sure! Do you have one to share ?

Originally Posted by muni

Please share any info on the ICE upgrade if you have planned or already got it done.

I'm used to the decent Pioneer HU + Boston comps that I have on my i10. So I'll be getting better speakers (fitment during the 1st service) probably from blueraven316 along with an OE type rear spoiler. I'll let you all know on the ownership thread. Car is at EVO right now for Gareware Icecool Shield and a chrome exhaust tip.Any suggestions regarding mats? I was thinking of Packy poda. The dealer gave me some really cheap rubber/plastic mats that I actually like, but they keep shifting around as they're too light.

[clevermax]

I have a steering wobbling issue in my Punto, even at very low speeds - very apparent even when the car is slowly rolling. As I turn the steering, I can experience a cyclic heaviness and lightness in it. The steering feels alright at speeds above say 50 kmph.

Since it is evident at very low speeds, I don't think it is a balancing issue. A wheel balancing and alignment didn't solve that either. It could be a bad wheel, or something wrong in the steering box itself?

Anyone over here experiencing this issue? Appreciate any inputs.

Punto MJD, 23000 Kms