[raj_5004]

I know... I am a very bad photographer!

[raj_5004]

Oh yes, I had to wash the car myself after coming back to mumbai. The road was dirty with mud as it was a truck route & coupled with rain, it was like a dirt track with a white punto (without mudflaps!!!) doing 150 kmph!

My car was no more Bossa Nova White. It was Chikkad Wala Brown! It took me a whole hour to clean the car. And the tyres. And the alloys.

btw, it the first time my car crossed 130 kmph (!!!) & it felt very stable. It reached 150 kmph & I was not pushing the throttle hard. Had I done it, I feel it would have reached 170 kmph with little effort but it was too risky on that road.

Products I use for my car care -

1) Motomax car shampoo
2) Cyclo tyre foam
3) Armor All tyre shine
4) 3 different micro fibre cloths for body, tyre & dashboard

I first spray tyre foam, let it dry for ten minutes, then clean the tyre with micro fibre cloth & then spray tyre shine & again let it dry for 10 minutes.

[raj_5004]

Why would anyone buy a Fiat Punto???

To be fair, the i20 has much more space & richer interiors & the polo is a german car too & both the cars have much better engine performance than the lethargic punto. Even their after sales is said to be better than TATA. Then why a punto?

You buy a punto if -

* you cant ignore the classic & sexy italian lines of this beauty
* for you, driving pleasure not only means 0-100 kmph timings, aspects like steering feel, handling & chassis balance also matters to you
* you like a "big car" feel in a small car
* you like "something different"
* a comfortable ride is important to you
* you like your car to be feature rich
* you like big & heavy cars with that "thud" while closing doors

Coming to my Pintu, I was seriously surprised the way the Polo 1.2 diesel accelerates when revved. It will easily smoke the 90 hp Punto. Even the i20 easily beats Punto, but that was expected. Wish atleast the 90 hp Punto had better performance figures, the chassis demands it!

My car is 7000 kms old. No issues till now. The only minor issue I had was the rear plastic panel coming off which was fitted at the A.S.S. & a slight rattling sound from the dash, which is yet to be taken care of.



By the way, almost everyone in my office has asked me - "Why did you buy a FIAT?". I just give them a ride in my car... They have never asked me again!

[Cyrus43]

I know what you mean about the 0-60 performance and the general acceleration and power delivery of the Punto, however, it does tend to open up really well in the mid and top end. this car feels most comfortable on open highways though, unless of course you are going downhill on a well paved ghat section (Lavasa in particular). there is possibly no other car in its range that comes even close to the Ride and Handling that this offers.

[Akshay1234]

Raj hasn't there been any difference in the 0-100 of the car after 7k kms? I'm sure it must be significantly quicker than when you just bought it?

[Irish]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Why would anyone buy a Fiat Punto???

To be fair, the i20 has much more space & richer interiors & the polo is a german car too & both the cars have much better engine performance than the lethargic punto. Even their after sales is said to be better than TATA. Then why a punto?

You buy a punto if -

* you cant ignore the classic & sexy italian lines of this beauty
* for you, driving pleasure not only means 0-100 kmph timings, aspects like steering feel, handling & chassis balance also matters to you
* you like a "big car" feel in a small car
* you like "something different"
* a comfortable ride is important to you
* you like your car to be feature rich
* you like big & heavy cars with that "thud" while closing doors

Thanks for sharing your views on buying a Punto. Overall, its a nice initial ownership thread of Punto 90 HP.

Now after enjoying 7000 kms in your Pintu, please share your views on:

Why would anyone buy a Fiat Punto 90 HP ?


Cheers!
Irish

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by Cyrus43

I know what you mean about the 0-60 performance and the general acceleration and power delivery of the Punto, however, it does tend to open up really well in the mid and top end. this car feels most comfortable on open highways though, unless of course you are going downhill on a well paved ghat section (Lavasa in particular). there is possibly no other car in its range that comes even close to the Ride and Handling that this offers.

Frankly, I dont rev the car beyond 2000 rpm. I dont like to strain the engine & I prefer a smooth yet quick ride.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Raj hasn't there been any difference in the 0-100 of the car after 7k kms? I'm sure it must be significantly quicker than when you just bought it?

Sadly, I have not felt any major difference.

Originally Posted by Irish

Thanks for sharing your views on buying a Punto. Overall, its a nice initial ownership thread of Punto 90 HP.

Now after enjoying 7000 kms in your Pintu, please share your views on:

Why would anyone buy a Fiat Punto 90 HP ?


Cheers!
Irish

Reasons to buy 90 hp:

1) You think the 90 hp would be a significant leap over the 75 hp in terms of engine performance
2) Budget is not a constraint & you like to buy the top of the line variant


Frankly, for city driving, I feel the 75 hp is more than enough. The 90 hp's extra horses come into play only after 2500 rpm. you will rarely rev that much in city! Yes, the 90 hp is quieter & more refined than the 75 hp though.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Frankly, I dont rev the car beyond 2000 rpm. I dont like to strain the engine & I prefer a smooth yet quick ride.

Sadly, I have not felt any major difference.

Well the reason why you have not felt a difference is answered by you above . Rev it a bit and enjoy it, I mean I cannot shift under 2.5-3k rpm in the Punto, it seems to slow otherwise. And also the difference after running in will be felt at higher rpms.

[raj_5004]

Fitted Roots Windtone 90 horns today. It sounds like the Skoda/BMW. I am a big fan of this horn. So much that I had to reject Minda & Hella umpteen times while searching for Roots.

It costed me Rs. 550. Installation dint require removing the bumper. They just had to remove the front grille.

I sometimes feel the horn is sounding a bit coarse inside. Is it because it maybe touching some metal part? From outside, it sound perfectly loud & clear...

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Well the reason why you have not felt a difference is answered by you above . Rev it a bit and enjoy it, I mean I cannot shift under 2.5-3k rpm in the Punto, it seems to slow otherwise. And also the difference after running in will be felt at higher rpms.

Even after revving it till 4k rpm, all I could hear was noise & all i could see was black smoke behind. It was all show & no go. That is the reason I have accepted that Punto is a slow coach & dont rev it unnecessarily.

[theragingbull]

Raj, any plans of getting your Pintu pete'd? You'll stop complaining about the low-end power after that

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Even after revving it till 4k rpm, all I could hear was noise & all i could see was black smoke behind. It was all show & no go. That is the reason I have accepted that Punto is a slow coach & dont rev it unnecessarily.

But if its revved after a while you will see black smoke. Rev it 2-3 times to 4k rpm, and after that there will be no black smoke at all.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by theragingbull

Raj, any plans of getting your Pintu pete'd? You'll stop complaining about the low-end power after that

No buddy, I will never do any "keeda-kandi" with the powertrain of my car. no engine or suspension mods are planned.

The only mods planned as of now is painting the roof black & brake calipers red. I am still contemplating on that.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

But if its revved after a while you will see black smoke. Rev it 2-3 times to 4k rpm, and after that there will be no black smoke at all.

Hmmm, okay. Any particular reason for the black smoke? Is this with all Puntos? I guess its the carbon soot.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Hmmm, okay. Any particular reason for the black smoke? Is this with all Puntos? I guess its the carbon soot.

Its with all diesels. The carbon build up. When you don't rev it for a while the carbon builds up in the system, and the first time you rev it sees a lot of smoke. Rev it a few times after that and there wont be any smoke.

[raj_5004]

Guys, I need to fix the rear bumper. Also there is some rattling noise from the dash. Also, I need to get the alignment checked.

Which A.S.S. in mumbai should I go to? I stay in hiranandani, powai. Last time I gave my car to Fortune (Powai), it was a very unpleasant experience. The next closest to my place is Wasan, Chembur. My friend has an influence in there but I have heard a LOT OF NEGATIVE REVIEWS about them, so I am skeptical.

Any inputs from mumbaikars?

[raj_5004]

Finally, took time & got the rear bumper repaired from Fortune Cars, Powai (Andheri).

They did a very good job & the fitting is perfect.

Cost of repair - Rs. 850/-. They also removed some scratches on the side by buffing.