My Pearl White Italian Stallion Comes Home !! (Punto 1.3 MJD 90 HP)

Congratulations for your Evo Neeraj.
How do you compare Verna with Punto in terms of Drive and Handling ?

Day 10 Update:

My lovely lil RAPIDASH is now 600 kms old and is getting better by the day. I haven't really pushed her hard keeping the "running in" in mind but i did take a liberty on quite of a few occasions.

Most of my issues with the car is rectified. The left pulling issue has been rectified. They replaced my USB unit with a new one and works pretty well now. My car doesn't jerk in the 3rd gear anymore between 1500 to 2000 rpm. There seemed to be an error detected in the ECU by the examiner which was responsible for the jerk. So it's been going all good so far. TOUCHWOOD !

I seem to have a problem with the centrol locking on the driver side. I'm sure the very efficient FASS (shocking to be using such appreciative words for a FASS but it's true) will sort this out too.

I'm yet to get my car registered. I hope i get my favourite number. I'm yet to receive a copy of my extended warranty, foldable remote key and a copy of my nil dep insurance. The FASS has been quite responsive but the sales team still has that TATA influence. I emailed FIAT Pune and the sales team responded back in a jiffy. Sometimes you gotta twist the arm to get the work done.

I really don't have any extravagant stories to tell about my highway trips as I haven't really got an opportunity to go out of the city. Just been driving in bumper to bumper traffic and a couple of night time long drives which is where i get to experience the fun.

ODO: 600 kms
Avg Speed: 20 kmph.
Total Fuel filled: 6 + 18 + 18 + 40 = 76 Litres.
Fuel consumed so far = 23 + 16 + 6 = 45 Litres.
Approx. Mileage = 13.33.
Top Speed so far: 95 kmph.

I'm just waiting the ODO to hit a 1000 kms so that i can take her out for a real spin. So, this is it for now. Will be updating more on my RAPIDASH

--- Double Post Merged, Feb 4, 2015 ---

@Ganges: Verna had an amazing engine inspite of being an old 110 bhp vs the new 126 bhp. A Verna's competitor is a Verna (fluidic) itself when it comes to the engine. Yes, it indeed have the turbo lag but once it crosses the 1800 rpm mark, the car pushes you into the seat and it takes off like an airplane. Till here the story is favouring Verna. Now comes the bad part; the Verna's turbo lag was irritating. By the time you get into the turbo zone, you'll need to hit the brakes in the bumper to bumper traffic and the car nose dives due to a heavy front end due to a super soft suspension. Whereas the highway performance is concerned, the Verna won't disappoint you in reaching good 3 digit speeds. I've touched 185kmph many times. Till here it all sounds cool but when it comes to the ride, handling and the steering wheel; this is what steals the Verna's thunder. Verna has a boat like ride and has tremendous body roll. The steering wheel vibrates at high speeds and you'll never seem to be in control. Even in a straight line high speed drive, your co-passengers will feel nervous. In short, the verna has a strong heart in a weak body.

Now let's jump into the Punto...

The engine is lazy. Takes it's sweet own time to wake up and still doesn't scare you with it's turbo kick. It's peppy but not thrilling, still it's quite satisfying. No where near to the Verna. The car seems to tell you "Don't wake me up until you're on the highway". In the city the turbo lag will definitely frustrate you but not so much. You can learn to live with it. Now comes the fun part. Take her on a free way and push the pedal hard and just be patient till you get into the 3rd gear and you cross the 2200 rpm mark. Once you've reached that point, the car will pull like a stallion but will not throw you back in your seat. But it's still quick and fun. The quicker you go; the ride gets better. Thanks to the superb suspension system, a heavy body which will help you in keeping the car close to the ground and a superb steering wheel. You will know where the car will go. The car seems to let you know that you're the pilot unlike the Verna which seems like being on autopilot.

An ideal dream machine would be if a Verna's engine is put into a FIAT. If that happens, then the FIAT will drive like no one's business. It will give the likes of 20L cars a run for their money !

Thanks bud for detailed review.
Whatever you mentioned about punto is truly experienced,once on highway its fun to drive,especially the pull in 3rd gear, after Turbo kick-in.

Verna engine into FIAT that will be double business offer for Hyundai/FIAT. Maruthi will have Verna Engine,list continues TATA,Chevrolet.

Still much better if its other way around. With Fiat's engine under its hood, Verna will have a good ride handling, cornering, greater stability, better steering feedback. The boat like effect will give way to an oil tanker like effect, totally stable. What say???

@ghodlur : Nah!!! Coming from owning three Hyundais earlier, I'm against commercialism now. Hyundai makes car for masses with no driving sense. They fill their vehicles with more of gimmicks and lacks in driving basics. Hyundai seemed logical until the old generation Verna. They prioritised more on performance than gimmicks. Ask any Accent or Getz owners if they were dissatisfied with their vehicles - the answer would be no. The Hyundais of today are over priced due to their fancy gimmicky features. They're capitalising a lot on their demand which results in a good resale value. I wouldn't want a company a like this to ride the market by giving them the amazing driving dynamics of a FIAT. I want the FIAT USP i.e. built quality, ride and handling, super steering to be retained within FIATs only. It's the most underrated over potential brand in the market. I want the masses to burn in envy and for that our FIATs need a Verna's engine.

@Neeraj Bajaj : great write up buddy. truly loved reading ur experience with Punto. Its indeed an amazing car. whenever i see Punto i keep following her just like a mad boy follows his girl . as they say "There are cars and there is Punto"
How ur left pulling issue got solved? did they swap the tyres?

Does this really hold good in today's Car???

@Deepak: Thanks for reading my write up. I'm glad you liked it. They did some alignment adjustment to the camber and caster and they also tried swapping tyres. Eventually all these steps helped in resolving the left pulling issue.

--- Double Post Merged, Feb 11, 2015 ---

@Pramod N: I really dunno if it holds true or not but there's no harm in following it. What say?

--- Double Post Merged, Feb 11, 2015 ---

Latest Update:

I got my RAPIDASH registered today and got the number "TS xx xx 5757" for Rs. 5000/-. My verna had a fancier number "AP xx xx 9993" but nevertheless i tried my best to get a fancy enough number for my RAPIDASH. How is the number guys?

I'm also getting my car treated for underbody anti rust coat and paint sealant from 3M. The annual package which includes both interior and exterior treatment is Rs 16000/-. Is it worth it going for the annual package or should i just get the sealant job and the underbody done?

I think you should get the underbody anti rust coating done and paint sealant (if at all required). 3M costs actually are a huge rip off. Try sourcing a lesser cost effective vendor.

@ghodlur: I would prefer 3M only. I believe in quality and that's why we all have a FIAT, isn't it?

--- Double Post Merged, Feb 13, 2015 ---

Latest Update:

My car has clocked 982 kms and i didn't wait for it to hit a 1000 kms to take her for a real spin. I took my RAPIDASH to the nearby highway and put the pedal to metal. The car feels scarily fast at 110 kmph and definitely felt like it was definitely more than a 110. The car's sweet spot is between 2000 rpm and 3000 rpm. And the car feels most happy between 70 kmph and 90 kmph. I tried varying my pace to see the difference in instant consumption and i found out that your pocket will be really happy if you drive her around the 70 kmph mark and keep her revving around 1800 to 2200 rpm mark.