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-   -   Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/60626-fiat-grande-punto-test-drive-review-421.html)

@Mods, sorry for the back to back posts. Please merge.

Just saw this post after I had replied.

Ease of driving within the city, it is i20 hands down. Light steering, creature comforts, plush interiors etc make it a great car within the city. Even on longer drives, unless you are too bothered about handling and steering feedback etc it is difficult to trump the i20, so it is basically based on individual needs.

However on your specific questions;

Acceleration it's i20 that is superior and by a big margin I believe. I don't know the exact numbers, but it surely feels fast.

Speed, both cars can achieve quite good speeds. Out on the highway the 90 Hp has sufficient wings to give i20 a run. However some people might want to argue that Punto would be much safer at higher speeds due to mature ride and handling.

Handling and stability, Punto hands down.

Many people consider Punto to be much more fun to drive than i20. But 'fun' is defined in different ways by different people.

Yes, a test drive is compulsory. But don't base your impression of the Punto purely on a in-city drive. Take it out on a highway and try to gauge where it actually shines.

All the best!

You have three dealers in Mumbai/Navi Mumbai area and no one has the 90HP TD car. In that case do request for a TD in the fiat site and insist on having a TD of the 90HP only. I hope your problem will be solved.

In the meantime you can go through this thread to have an idea of the 90HP : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...n-leather.html

@vibbs

Thanks for your inputs, appreciate them. Need a proper TD on the highway to conclude.

So that's 3 parameters out of 4 that the Punto wins hands down. :D

@sommos

I posted a message on Fiat India's Facebook page and got a prompt reply from their side. They said they'll revert back at the earliest.

Also wrt to Mr. Kartik's thread, I've thoroughly read his as well as Sidindica's ownership threads and found them to be immensely helpful. :)

Today I once again checked almost all the fiats in my company and none have it

The cars (pretty much covers all the variants) I have seen are:

• 2009 1.3 Punto 75HP Emotion (current Dynamic spec)
• 2010 1.2 Punto Emotion (current Dynamic spec)
• 2010 1.4 Punto Emotion Pack (current Emotion spec)
• 2011 1.4 Linea Emotion Pack (current Emotion Spec)
• 2011 1.3 Linea Emotion Pack (current Emotion Spec)
• 2012 1.3 Punto 75HP Emotion
• 2013 1.3 Linea Emotion
• 2013 1.3 Punto Emotion
• 2013 1.3 Punto Dynamic

Can you please post the photo of the hook/hook screw on your car.
Because I had read somewhere that only random Lineas have it (yes "Random")

On the bottom, black portion of the rear bumper there is a flap on the right hand side for the tow hook. All new 2014 Linea-s have it. Let me check our 2010 Linea and get back to you.

The tow hook on rear bumper is something which has not been consistent since 2009, my march 2009 Emotion pack Linea has it while my friend owns a Emotion Linea from the same year and it is missing in it.

Could be that Fiat was sourcing its rear bumpers from different vendors.

Can someone please throw some light on the After sales Service in Mumbai/Navi Mumbai of Fiat?

From what I've read, the dealer is vital when it comes to Fiat with some providing great ASS and some providing equally horrid ones.

A heads up would be really helpful before I book the car. :)

Punto 75 vs 2013 Punto 90







Once the engine crosses 20,000, it opens up fully. The 90 has better NVH and better top end on highway. In city, the 75 is easy to drive since torque delivery is more linear and turbo lag is less. 90 requires downshifts, but over the years, the 90 has become more refined and accelerates much better compared to the first lot of 90 HPs. Buy the 90HP with your eyes closed if you want the ultimate highway diesel hatch, but be prepared to get smoked from the GT TDI and i20 for outright acceleration. Driveability, though, the punto is far better with its better torque curve than the hyundai, though the GT TDI always brings a wide grin on my face. Body roll is prominent due to raised suspension but better tyres will make a long difference in its handling. Change to a good grade fully synthetic oil and the difference is prominent like I have seen after putting liqui moly, but it comes at the cost of warranty on engine parts, which will be void if selenia is not used or billed.
Fiat has always been liberal with warranty claims, but ultimately, its the ground work at the dealer level that can make or break the ownership experience.

The 90 HP comes in red and white (each with black roof) called "sports" and you can opt for a set of decals, spoiler, floor mats, pedals, exhaust tip and door sills for 22k extra, though you can also buy the car without it. In case you opt to go for dark blue, silver, tuscan wine or black the car will come with dark grey alloys and "emotion" badging. Similar model shown above in pic.

Inside you will get chrome dash lining, inside door handles and red stitching on seats, steering wheel (2013 MY onwards) and gear knob.

My only grouse is getting the linea's front armrest would cost Rs. 8,000. Is it worth it?

As far as audio goes, I am facing no rattle whatsoever, it also depends on the way the dash panel and HU is installed. Will be getting the new HU soon (pioneer 8650) and the 6590 will go into the alto. Rest any queries, feel free to put it up here.

Hi.
Listen, don't fret too much about this. You'll hear diametrically opposite feedback, often thirdhand hearsay, about the same dealer of any brand. I believe the Internet may actually be perpetuating mis- and dis-information.

As an owner of five fiats over fifteen years: I have learnt that they and their dealers/ ASS are not the great 'risk' they are made out to be. At least not in the major cities.

For what it is worth, I have heard good things about Esskay motors, Prabhadevi, and recent reports of good work by Torrid Motors too. But then I am not based in Mumbai.

Absolutely. Mostly, they are blown out of proportion, and these days, information on the Internet cannot be called 100% reliable.
FIAT dealers are as good or as bad as any others, be it VW, Skoda, Maruti, or any other. We have read about horror stories or bad customer experiences from all the above automakers on this forum itself.

Pune Fiatians a small help here.

My Punto 7 months and 11 K Kms old has developed a few rattles in the past couple of weeks. Today I drove to Mumbai from Pune for work and could hear quite a lot coming from the rear. Maybe the rear parcel tray or somewhere on the hatch door. Tried figuring out from where the rattles are coming but couldn't. Now Where to take the car to trouble shoot this. I am not really sure if my Service center guys (Pandit Auto Pashan) will have the patience and the willingness to zero in and assist in sorting out the issue. What options do I have to try and get this thing sorted out from aftermarket?

I also plan to install a driver armrest. The Linea arm rest costs 8K. I am not too sure I want to spend that kind of money on this. I saw a few aftermarket ones in ebay. But looking at the pics one cant guess the plastic quality. Are there any shops where I can get this in Pune?

PS. I moved to Pune only last year, so am not really acquainted with the best centers for automobile modifications.

Alternatively, I am open to shops in Mumbai too. Since I frequently travel to Mumbai, I can get it done here too.

Thanks in advance.

So I finally got an extensive TD of the Punto(not 90HP, but the 76HP. No response from Fiat in spite of repeated requests on their FB page, Call Center and Showrooms)

I know most Punto owners will be laughing that I'm actually comparing a Korean car maker to this Italian Legend but I'll go ahead anyway.

I will be making a direct comparison between the Punto 76HP and i20 CRDi as that's a dilemma that quite a lot of people have before buying.


1. Driving

Pickup: The i20 trumps with ease. The Punto 76HP struggled here but I suppose the 90HP should be marginally better.

Top Speed: No idea as I didn't have enough tarmac to max both cars.

Handling: Needless to say, the Punto easily wins this

Stability: Again, the Punto

Suspension: Punto again.

Steering Feel: The Italian Beauty triumphs here too.

Braking: This actually proved to be a major plus point for Punto. The i20 gave me no confidence in hard braking while the Punto was just AMAZING and composed. The brakes wear out early but like someone mentioned, I'll be more than happy to get a new pair earlier than i20 considering the confidence it provides.

2. Interiors

Colour Scheme: I prefer the Punto's darker interiors over the i20's lighter ones. This is subjective though.

Quality of Plastics: i20's was better anyday.

Gizmos: The i20 is loaded with stuff, a lot of which is impractical. The Punto contains the stuff that we actually want(service reminder, FE, DTE etc which are clearly missing in the i20). The i20 though has a very very helpful reverse parking camera.

For some weird reason, the guys at Fiat's showroom seem completely disinterested in selling their cars. I expected better from them considering the fact that Fiat barely managed to sell 1000 cars in April. Of all the showrooms I visited over the past couple of months, Fiat was the most disappointing.


@sidindica

Sorry for replying so late, and thanks a lot for your incredibly helpful inputs. I thought I'd wait till I get a Test Drive of the Punto before I post.

I had an aftermarket HU installed in my current car and that's the only thing that rattles in my 5 year old car so that's a real bummer.

@desdemona

Agreed. That's not a point I'm considering anymore courtesy you guys. The better car wins, simple. :)

Anyone faced the niggle with the bonnet not opening after pulling the lever ? I've faced this a few times, and usually it starts working inexplicably after a few hours.

Has anyone got this diagnosed at the ASC and got it resolved ?

City drive, 76 is peppier than 90. 90 is real hero in highways. So in bumper to bumper traffic in cities, you will feel i20 will move faster, but do you have any space left on city roads to take advantage of peppier start? stupid:

agree: Rest of the points 100 per cent agree with you, handling, stability, suspension, steering and braking and above all Safety.

I am not from Pune but I strongly recommend that you get the arm rest from the dealer , there is a thread in the forum about the same and I have put a picture there of the arm rest after adding leather upholstery. It's worth the money and adds a useful storage space too. The fake options will eventually lead to more rattles.