Tata Punch: My thoughts and first driving impressions

The car might look like the Ignis in size, but it is clearly more spacious than it. I am 6'2 and I could still sit in the rear seat with the driver's seat set to my driving position.

BHPian PrasannaDhana recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

With its elder brother, the Nexon:

Positives

• Ground clearance.
• Looks cute from certain angles.
• View from driver's seat: Bonnet is visible and there is a large greenhouse area.
• Ample space: Tata aces it in space management. The car might look like the Ignis in size, but it is clearly more spacious than it. I am 6'2 and I could still sit in the rear seat with the driver's seat set to my driving position.
• 5 star crash rating.

Negatives

• Looks ugly from some angles, resembling the KUV100 and S Presso silhouette.

• Absolutely dull to drive. It felt even more sluggish than the Tiago. The Kiger 1.0 turbo felt superb in comparison.
• Mediocre fuel efficiency: The MID showed 12 kmpl even after driving pretty sedate for a long time.
• Interior plastics surely feel a downgrade to the Altroz/Nexon. There are very hard plastics everywhere and some feel outright cheap. Again, the Kiger felt better.

Example: The elbow rest at the rear (who decided to use white there):

And the grab handle above the front passenger door. Trust me, even the Zest's grab handles feel much nicer:

And in a typical old bad habit of Tata, the wiper blade is exposed to the cabin:

What's with the open slots on the front grille? The horn shows through it:

• Front doors felt heavier than the rear doors.
• Pricing: Less said the better. If you want ground clearance and AMT, increase your budget and get the Nexon, even if it is the base variant. If you want a family car and don't care about ground clearance, get the Altroz.

Tata, when you demand 10 lakhs for the top trims, why not give a proper armrest, at-least for the driver?

This is what I saw in the service area:

There were so many Altroz and Nexons in the service center. I had gone to rectify a minor issue with my Safari Storme V400. I am sure the sales people will try and convince many prospective Altroz/ Nexon buyers to buy the Punch instead.

When you have a lot of footfall, why not use it to sell all products? They clearly do it.

One of the sales people even gave me the "SUV Sir" justification when I asked about the high prices of the Punch. I showed him my Storme and told him that I am done driving SUVs. Lol.

But yes, there will be many people who will fall for the SUV tag.

PS : A red Tiago is such a looker:

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