[PrasannaDhana]

Dear friends,

Welcome to my ownership review!



Need :

A tertiary car to be chauffeur driven for dad. He might drive it occasionally.

Requirements :

The car should be Safe, Compact, Comfortable, Value for Money & with easy ingress/egress

Usage : 10,000 km annually

Budget : INR 10 lakhs (+/-) 1 lakh

Which car is the Punch replacing?

The erstwhile 2016 Renault Kwid 1.0L MT



Ownership thread link : https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-...ml#post5153110 (5 Years & 50,000 km with my Renault Kwid 1.0 RXT(O) | EDIT: Sold)

Options considered : Nothing but the Punch. No other small tallboy hatchback under 10L was as safe and comfy

Variant : Adventure Rhythm

Transmission : Manual

Colour : Atomic Orange

OTR Cost : INR 9.1 lakhs, Discounts of 43k, Effective OTR was INR 8.67 lakhs

[PrasannaDhana]

Booking & Delivery

I booked the Punch on 12th December 2023. I visited the yard to check if there were any available stocks of Orange Punch in Adventure Rhythm variant. 3 were available of which 2 were AMT and 1 was MT. The MT was already allotted to someone else.

So I had to wait for a fresh factory dispatch. The car arrived on 29th December. VIN number was sent to me as soon as the car was invoiced from the factory. It was manufactured on 1st December and billed to me on 24th December.

I did a small pdi on 2nd January.

After PDI


There was a very small paint chip near driver door, which I asked them to touch up before delivery. I didn't happen as they didn't have the exact atomic Orange shade paint. I didn't mind, given it was a very small chip.

I decided to get RTO done in first week of Jan. I also decided to get a number of my choice. Delivery was taken on 4th January 2024.

Delivery was a pleasant experience, as always with Kaveri Tata. Everyone from sales team including the AGM and GM joined the occasion. Kaveri Tata CEO Mr. Sibi wished me over the phone. I have had very good service from Kaveri Tata on both my 2 previous purchases - Safari Storme Varicor 400 in 2018 and Altroz diesel in 2021. I have also received excellent after sales and service from them

Pics during delivery









With the baap of the garage - Storme




Family tradition - Church visit right after delivery

2018 - Safari Storme Varicor 400



2021 - Altroz 1.5 diesel



I couldn't find the pic of 2021 celerio. Somehow that car never appealed to me.

2024 - Punch 1.2 N/A



Hope I replace my beloved Safari Storme in 2027 with the last batch of diesel SUV to be sold in the country .

I got the car with 29 km on odo. It was 9 km on odo when I did the PDI. RTO trip clocked another 20km.



Car was bought for dad. But it's another tradition at my home, that any new car will be with me until run in is complete (till 1000 km).

At my place, with another 5 ⭐️ alfa arc car - The Altroz 1.5 turbo diesel

[PrasannaDhana]

Likes & Dislikes

Likes

● Solid build quality, 5 ⭐️ Global NCAP test score

This played a major role in choosing the Punch. The car is solid inside and out.

● Ride quality
Comfortable at slow speeds over bad roads and stays flat at triple digit speeds over road undulations. One advantage in lower variants is the 15 inch 185/70 section wheels which have bigger sidewall and hence plusher ride than the 16in wheels in the top variants.

● Easy ingress/egress & seat height
Senior citizens and people woth back issues will find this very likeable. You don't have to sit down, instead slide in. 90 degree opening doors are a plus too.


● Compact Size



The car is just 3.6x meters long with just about 5m turbing radius. It is perfect for the urban commute. My cars are driven mostly with driver + 1.

Small dimensions means drivers/ dad will find it very easy to drive and park. Our usage is 50% on well paved highways, 20% in cramped rural roads and 30% inside city.

The car looks cute too. Though it doesn't get alloy wheels in lower variants, the black wheel covers suit the orange shade giving a blacked out look at the bottom because of the cladding and black wheel covers.

● Handling
For a small tall boy hatch, the punch handles very impressively. High speed stability is impressive, thanks to that alfa arc platform. Around curves, there is bodyroll, but nothing that bothers. The steering is above average by segment standards. It's light at slow speeds and does weigh up with speed. But I find the feedback, heft and feel at speeds to be lower than my altroz diesel. Punch steering doesn't weigh up as much nor is as consistent. May be the squat stance, extra width and heavier weight of the diesel engine in altroz makes the difference.



Steering is identical to the one in my altroz, sans CC and MId toggle buttons, leather wrap and brushed silver accent at the bottom. It's nicely contoured and is nice to hold.



● Harman 6 speaker ICE & DriveNext
Punch comes with a 7 inch infotainment with 6 speaker HK system (4 speakers + 2 tweeters). Its an enjoyable setup, same as in my altroz. Even the 2 din 4 speaker OE HK ICE in my Storme is above average. The 6 speaker setup in Punch is pretty impressive.



The infotainment also displays DriveNext data, which shows all info about driving score, efficiency and safety scores. I am experiencing this first time as my Altroz has IRA instead of Drivenext. I dont drivenext to be pretty handy in assessing how drivers drive.

FM radio needs a special mention. The ones in my Storme and Altroz have crappy FM reception which makes me to almost avoid using FM. Punch in that regard has great FM reception.

● 1.2 N/A engine - Driveability & NVH (for intended usage)



The BS6.2 1.2L naturally aspirated 3 cylinder petrol offers impressive driveability. Within city speeds, you can easily amble around in 3rd gear for the most part.

Performance is very decent till 90 kmph. I will say it is adequate to 90% of the population.

I know many will feel surprised when I mentioned NVH in Likes. There is one major improvement from BS6.1 & BS6.2 engine of the Punch, which is, improved NVH.

I have a BS6.1 1.2L petrol N/A Altroz in the extended family and know how below average it was in NVH. Punch BS6.2 was a pleasant surprise when it comes to engine NVH.

It is pretty refined for my Intended usage , which is sedate driving, max 85-95 kmph highway cruising and other times, not exceeding 2500 rpm. You upshift at 2200 rpm and maintain <90 kmph, you will realise the NVH is very impressive. Infact, my Celerio 1.0 N/A petrol is more noisy at the said Rev ranges.

At 5th gear, the engine runs at 2500 rpm at 95 kmph, 2000 rpm at 80 kmph. 85 to 90 kmph driving at 5th gear is the sweet spot. You hear more of the tyre noise while engine noise isn't audible at all.

● Space and Seats





Punch is a small car, but it can comfortably accommodate 4 healthy people. 2 Six footers can sit back to back, but the legroom will be tight with just about 1 inch space left at the rear. Underthigh support is average, but much better than celerio and altroz at the rear. Front seats are supportive, side bolstering could have been better.

● Interiors



The cabin is full of hard plastics. Not a single soft touch plastic can be found. No complaints as even premium hatchbacks costing 3L more don't get any soft touch plastics today. That being said, I like the cabin layout. Plastics, though hard, don't feel cheap. There are 4 different textures of plastics in the cabin, 2 of which feel pretty scratchy, unlike altroz where all plastics have better texture.




I specially love the orange accents around the ac vents and all black interiors. It gives a funky and sporty feel. Other colours of Punch get a dual tone layout with white central area, which I didn't like.

● Decent set of features fo mid variant & a chiller of an AC
Adventure Rhythm gets almost all necessary features - Steering mounted controls, 6 speaker ICE with 7 inch infotainment, Rear park assist with camera & adaptive guidelines, all door power windows. I use Cruise control & armrests extensively. Since my time in the Punch isn't going to be much, I was okay with the Adv rhythm variant.

Rear camera is better than the one in my altroz diesel.
I guess Tata has a better vendor now.

AC, as in all tatas, is very impressive. It cools down the cabin in minutes and I haven't had to keep the blower in any setting over level 1. There is no rear ac vent, but for such a small car, you don't need one. Front vents do the job more than enough.

Ground Clearance
It has nearly 190 mm ground clearance which will be a big sigh of relief to people who are wary of gigantic speed bumps. Personally, I have driven 1.35 lakh km in a long wheel base ciaz with 170 mm and 60,000 km in a Altroz diesel with 165 mm GC. Not once have I scraped even on those huge speed breakers. It's anyways a positive to have a good GC if you have to tackle bad roads regularly. Bad roads and that comfortable ride quality of Punch will prove to be a nice combination.


Dislikes


● Engine - from an enthusiast's POV

The Weakest link of an otherwise well-rounded car, is that weak 1.2L engine. Punch is a heavy car, weighing at 1.05 tonnes. The engine as I said earlier, is pretty good for sedate driving.

<2500 rpm, ie. <95 kmph, you will have no complaints.

If you are an enthusiastic driver with a heavy right foot like me, the 1.2L engine will leave you wanting.

It does 105 kmph at 3000 rpm and 120 kmph at 3500 rpm. But I don't think anyone would want to take the 1.2L n/a over 3000 rpm. The engine becomes very vocal and there is more progression in noise than in acceleration.

Let's focus about in gear acceleration too, the same story continues. When one wants to upshift above 3000 rpm at every gear enthusiastically, the Punch 1.2L N/A reminds you it lacks the Punch where it is needed. The engine gets loud and the power delivery isn't something one would enjoy.

In comparison, the K10C three cylinder 1L engine in my celerio is more Rev happy and revs easily to 5000 rpm without much reluctance and drama. While the Punch 1.2L is faster than Celerio, the latter is enjoyable if you are a petrol head who likes to Rev it near the red line.

So, if you are looking at Punch as your only car and you like driving enthusiastically, you will be disappointed. In my case, I would rarely drive the Punch, as I happily floor both 200Nm and 400Nm turbodiesels on a daily basis. Dad is a sedate driver and drivers are not allowed to hit over 85 kmph. So, for a tertiary car with our Intended usage, Punch fits perfectly.

● Braking

Punch has one of the below average brakes I have experienced recently. It is spongy and one has to get used to it. The biting point is vague too. Tata should improve braking of Punch with the 2025 facelift.

● Fit & Finish

We all know panel gaps are large in Tata cars. But what I find odd is the inconsistency in panel gaps in the same panel. For example, the panel gap in the tailgate is wider on the top and smaller at the bottom. Bonnet has a wide panel gap, which looks like the bonnet is not secured. But then it is how it is. There is a large gap even when the bonnet is shut properly.



The rear parcel tray has a mind of its own and rattles over those overly large painted rumble strips around toll plazas. I did fit double side adhesive tapes on the contact points of parcel tray, which has reduced the rattle.

The tailgate cladding has inconsistent fit at some places too.


● Roof liner, fixed rear headrests, lack of passenger grab handle at the front

The roof liner is budget grade and feels cheap. My altroz gets a much better knitted roof liner which feels premium. But then, altroz was top of the line XZ+ variant.

I wish all manufacturers get inspired by VAG, when it comes to equipping all models from base model with one necessary safety equipment- adjustable rear head rests, which will be crucial during whiplash.

If you wanted rear head rests, you will have to pay close to 1.5L more and get creative variant, which seemed too much.

And Tata has cut costs in BS6.2 Punch Adventure Rhythm variant by removing front passenger grab handle.

Even the rear grabhandles are fixed ones and not spring loaded collapsible ones. Honestly, the fixed grab handles look cheap.

Now the Likes & Dislikes are done with. Let's see the -

The Average Stuff

● Gearbox & Clutch
The 5 speed MT is the same unit from Tiago. While the gates are well defined and the shifts are precise, they aren't slick by any means. The clutch, though light, has a long throw (longer than the TA5260 Gearbox in my altroz diesel).

● Fuel Efficiency
Weak small capacity petrol N/A engine + heavy car. No surprise that the fuel efficiency isn't any impressive. I have been getting 15 kmpl tankful to tankful. While it is a very decent figure, 1.2 n/a from Maruti and even 1.0 n/A from Renault Nissan give much better FE.

I have completed 1000 km on my Punch. The T2T Fuel efficiency so far :



You can expect better FE on long highway journeys maintaining 80-90 kmph. At that speeds, you can get 20 kmpl easily. Once you get into slow speed city driving, Punch isn't efficient.

B2B traffic, one can expect 8-10 kmpl, moderate city traffic, one can expect 12-14 kmpl. For reference, Maruti counterparts give easy 3-5 kmpl more in city/highway. I think the extra cost is well justified, given the safety the Tata offers. I am getting used to mediocre FE, so that TSI ownership doesn't bother me sometime down the line

[PrasannaDhana]

Let pics do the talking

Lower variants don't get height adjustable driver's seat



Legroom at the rear with driver seat set to 6ft driver. I have about an inch space. I am 6'2 for reference



Max and minimum leg room



A very useful proper dead pedal



Gloss black door lever. The tweeter is a dummy



Door pad - elbow pad doesn't get fabric inserts. Notice the tri-arrow pattern, which can be seen in multiple places of the interiors as well as exterior



Same pattern on the middle part of dash



& On the grille



Also near the reflectors at the rear



Power windows console



Ample in-cabin storage -

here shown are the full size bottle holder & umbrella holder.



Fuel cap



90° opening, solid doors. Irritating thing is that it takes effort to close. Much more effort than it is needed for altroz





Cheap roofliner and cheaper fixed grab handles







Rhino art on the rear windshield



And it distinctly shows in the IRVm



Talking of poor fit n finish, notice the area of the roofliner around the mic



Driver sun visor & ticket holder



Gear lever - 5 Speed MT. Not bad to use. Orange accents near the lever base looks cool. Also notice the storage space ahead of the gear lever. It also has provision for 12V socket and an USB port. No Aux though.



Bonnet insulation



Lower variants don't get DRLs. This is how it looks with parking lamp ON



15 inch Apollo Alnac 4G wheels - 185/70 section was one of the main reasons to get this variant over higher ones which get 16 inch wheels and lose on ride quality a bit

[PrasannaDhana]

Decent 330L boot space



The parcel tray is an irritating source of rattles over painted rumble strips



That handle on the inside of tailgate has absolutely no use. The hatch needs to be shut with good amount of force to close properly



Clearer pic of storage space under the ICE



Nice large ORVMs



25 years of Tata & 50 lakh cars sold. From a commercial vehicles manufacturer to 2nd/3rd spot in passenger car manufacturing. Yet to master fit n finish, QC and consistency in after sales & service.



This 1.2L N/A petrol does NOT need an eco mode. I find eco mode useful only in B2B crawling traffic. Auto Start Stop is another irritating feature. There is a storage space underneath for coins and knick knacks



No scuff plates



AC vent in the side is angled towards the passenger



Glove box is decent sized. Gets a tablet tray too. Altroz's glove box is large in comparison.



No front armrest. But that helps liberate more storage space near the parking brake. Seen Herr are the cup holders and the dummy 12V socket



Very ordinary, yet clear Speedo console. RPM meter is hard to read as it shows only increments of 500 rpm. For example car will be at 80 kmph in 5th gear at 2000 rpm, and will keep showing 2000 rpm till 94 kmph, and only at 95kmph it will show 2500 rpm. Analogue meter would have been much better and easy to read.



Love the compact size. Fits nicely in the small car park of my dad's house



Love the atomic Orange shade





With the bigger siblings

[PrasannaDhana]

Conclusion

If you are looking at a second car, which has to be safe, comfortable, nice to drive (enjoyable handling) under 10L budget, Punch makes a very strong case for itself.

You can have fun in this car. It's always fun to drive a slow car fast. Punch has a nice suspension set up, an excellent platform and a very decent steering. It feels solid both inside and out. Ergonomics, road visibility and space are good too. I must mention the segment best audio quality from the Harman system too.

But as an only car, if you are used to fast driving regularly, Punch may not be the car for you. Same applies if you want a proper automatic. But to take care of these two issues, there is this beauty in the market



The Punch EV- it takes all the positives of Punch and absolutely thrashes the 2 main negatives of IC punch - Performance and AT. Though at a premium, which I feel is absolutely worth it if you have high daily running and need a fast, seamless AT car. I came with a plastered on my face after test driving the Punch EV.

Back to my Punch 1.2L, I would strongly recommend Punch 1.2L BS6.2 MT to any newbie/ someone who wants to upgrade to a bigger small car from Alto/ someone with a tight budget of 7.5 to 9 lakhs.


Some more pics with my friend and BHPian VW2010's brand new Jimny I had a ball driving the Jimny. It reminded me of my 2010 Safari Dicor the way it handled. Jimny was surprisingly spacious inside and comfortable over bad stretches of roads. The 1.5L made my punch 1.2L feel peppier though.



Both cute little cars coincidentally matching the colours of the roadside sapling enclosures








I will update this thread regularly as the odo climbs. I have already completed the first service at 1000 km, which is nothing but a general check up.


Cheers!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[VW2010]

Thats a quick neat review. I drove your car and it is after many years I am driving a stick shift. It was definitely fun but I have an elephant and a crippled cute little mule, so it is easy to convince me what is fun in a slightly better car.

Having said that the car is build like a tank, feels like a tank and definitely does not give you a small car experience.

The transmission is lethargic at lower rpm but is definitely better as rpm picks up.

Suspension is stiff and let's you have fun in the highways. Sweet spot is 100 to 110 kmph.

The manual transmissions have come a far way now. This felt similar to my experience with a diesel car which allows you to play with clutch and drive around and not worry about stalling. I just don't know how to explain but you do not feel like you will stall this car like you used to with old petrol cars.

Overall a great package with that 5 star rating. Ingress and getting out are actually friendly unlike a low hung sedan. This is a great car in that price segment and I love its unique tail light.

The negatives from you are probably after driving an altroz. In this segment this car should be an easy choice for build, drivability and comfort in general.

Driving this back to back with Jimny made it even more comparable on why if you don't want a cute car you can get a more practical punch at almost half the price.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by VW2010

Suspension is stiff and let's you have fun in the highways. Sweet spot is 100 to 110 kmph.

The negatives from you are probably after driving an altroz. In this segment this car should be an easy choice for build, drivability and comfort in general.

Driving this back to back with Jimny made it even more comparable on why if you don't want a cute car you can get a more practical punch at almost half the price.

Thanks Brother!

Suspension is beautifully balanced between ride and handling in Punch IMO.

Before penning down the review, I made one thing very clear to myself, - to not compare performance of the 2 turbodiesels and nitpick the Punch 1.2 N/A. As much as I love my altroz diesel, I have reduced using the altroz when compared to Punch and Storme. Last time I drove over a bad stretch of road, altroz felt stiffer than it used to be. I guess regular usage of Punch and storme shows its effect.

It took me 3 months to clock 1000 km in my celerio. I loathe driving it. In comparison, I completed first 1000 km in Punch in 10 days. I love driving it inspite of the 1.2 N/A engine. This little car puts a smile on your face.



If you liked pushing the corners in the Punch, you will absolutely love the altroz diesel around corners. It has a tangibly better steering feel and feedback.


Coming to Jimny, you just can't compare it to other mass market cars. It's a niche product catering to a very specific group of buyers. It is a very capable car and it turns head everywhere. God knows how many times I checked out your Jimny in my IRVM during that 15 km drive I also loved the space management and that comfortable suspension setup of jimny. It felt right at home at 100 kmph cruising on the highways.

[Amrit@wheels]

Congratulations on the new car. Punch is quite under-appreciated in my opinion. My friend who recently (a few months) got a job in a rural place in Uttarakhand, bought the Punch on my recommendation. For 8L INR on the road, the Adventure MT variant was the unbeatable choice. Swapped the below-average stock tyres for Yoko Earth-1 right out of the showroom and the tyre noise went down and improving the overall driving experience. Another pointer, if you are not satisfied with the stock lights, just upgrade the bulbs to a better set. We went with Philips X-treme vision plus and the difference is appreciable. The stock reflector is good, the bulbs are not. The only major issue is that the engine lacks punch (pun(ch) intended)
Wishing you lakhs of happy miles

[SuperGirl_Dad]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

A tertiary car to be chauffeur driven for dad. He might drive it occasionally.

The car should be Safe, Compact, Comfortable, Value for Money & with easy ingress/egress

The erstwhile 2016 Renault Kwid 1.0L MT

Prasanna annachi vanakam. Did you consider the EV version of Tiago, Punch for your requirements. You running seems a lot more than most. Your views on them would be welcome since you have had good experience owing TATA cars.

[subie_socal]

What a great read to start a sunday with . Its raining Punches on TBHP, I guess .

Quick question, why didn't you try for the same number as your erstwhile Kwid, since it shares the same series (Kwid being TN 48 AF and Punch being TN 48 BF)?

[Huzi]

Hi Brother,
Quite a crisp review from a seasoned Tata owner.
With these recommendations I have shortlisted your exact same variant with an AMT, for my wife. Unlike your running, ours would be much lower, within city only. With 2 new family members set to start their driving journey in the next 2 years, Punch feels a safe and VFM option.
Loved the pics, esp the head on one with both facing one another.
Safe motoring to you and your Dad.

[Aarhot]

Nicely summarized with pictures. Any idea if AMT version of the same model doesn't have Start/stop button?
I too own Adventure Rhythm with same color but don't find it. Start stop feature in a way helps in unnecessary running of engine at long stops when lights r on red...

I bought AMT just to avoid keeping the foot on clutch pedal all the time in the traffic, happy with this option but not with the way it responds to switch gears smoothly....
Have to live with this.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by Amrit@wheels

Another pointer, if you are not satisfied with the stock lights, just upgrade the bulbs to a better set. We went with Philips X-treme vision plus and the difference is appreciable. The stock reflector is good, the bulbs are not.

Thank you Amrit! I find the headlamps adequate. Tyres too, I always let the OE wear out before getting better ones.

Originally Posted by SuperGirl_Dad

Prasanna annachi vanakam. Did you consider the EV version of Tiago, Punch for your requirements. You running seems a lot more than most. Your views on them would be welcome since you have had good experience owing TATA cars.

Vanakkam! I did consider Tiago EV a few months ago. But the car has to be used by drivers and dad. They aren't used to driving ATs. Also EV reliability isn't something I am convinced yet.

My usage is high, and will be taken care of Altroz and Storme. Punch will be doing 10k a year at most. I am looking for an altroz replacement though. Fingers crossed.

Originally Posted by subie_socal

What a great read to start a sunday with . Its raining Punches on TBHP, I guess .

Quick question, why didn't you try for the same number as your erstwhile Kwid, since it shares the same series (Kwid being TN 48 AF and Punch being TN 48 BF)?

Thank you!

I have never tried getting fancy numbers. All my cars till Punch have been random numbers assigned by RTO. I had to choose from 1000 numbers from the running series which was from TN 48 BF 6300 to 7300. My lucky number is 7. I was aiming for 7272, but it was booked directly from Minister's office here. So I chose 6677. 7000, 7171,7007, 7070 were all reserved for government vehicles. I just noticed AF/BF continuity after you have pointed out. I have decided to get xx77 ending numbers for my future cars too.

Originally Posted by Huzi

Hi Brother,
Quite a crisp review from a seasoned Tata owner.
With these recommendations I have shortlisted your exact same variant with an AMT, for my wife. Unlike your running, ours would be much lower, within city only. With 2 new family members set to start their driving journey in the next 2 years, Punch feels a safe and VFM option.
Loved the pics, esp the head on one with both facing one another.
Safe motoring to you and your Dad.

Thank you Huzefa ji!

I recommended Amaze CVT to you earlier. But now, I can confidently recommend Punch AMT for your family use. It is safe, comfortable and will be easier to drive than the amaze.

The AMT is jerky and will make the Punch feel slower. But for your needs, it's perfect.