should I buy fiat punto evo ???

As many have pointed out if it is between Punto Evo and Swift, then its Punto Evo and look no further. As you might be aware the Punto Evo scores in following ( if they are on your priority )

- Strong Build Quality and Safer than rest in class
- Excellent road manners for drive and handling , high speed stability -- only polo comes close
- Highest Ground clearance a boon to have
- 280 Ltr boot space
- New updated cabin looks more premium and neat design
- And Yes , Surely a looker

You will never regret with Punto . Safe to drive and enjoy the highway cruising like no other!

 

Yes,if its less then 10000 for a service its well and good ,and yes,if the quality of car is way ahead of swift,then why go for a maruti,name itself sometimes doesn't sound good to hear,see i joined this community just to gain more confidence on the decision I have made,it was that I didn't wanted to regret it ,as of now I feel more confident by the thoughts of people out here,one more thing I will never be remapping my car,once I buy my car,I will be with her,whatsoever ,commitment.,but she should be good,that's what I care.

 

@Aviral singh Since I own both Swift and Grande Punto 90 HP(nothing has changed mechanically in EVO) here are my observations

Swift Pros:
Nimble and Sprightly. One always feels its more powerful than its actually is. Maruti has done a great job with the MJD tuning. It beats 90 HP in 0-100 timings.
Sorted chassis and suspension system when compared to competition.
Steering feedback though not in leagues of Fiat and Fords but still better than competitors.
Fun to drive
MASS - The availability rather than outright quality. You can peacefully drive a Maruti anywhere in India knowing that a MASS is just a stone throw away

Cons:
Feather weight hatchback. I thought that the body shell for Indian Swicth is same as European one. But rerecent NCAP findings point to a very unstable chassis. Teh Z version have all safety features but may be experts can add if even the Z versions have unstable chassis
Tiny boot space with high loading lip. Cant even fit a kids stroller properly
The black interiors makes it feels more claustrophobic than it actually is. Try the Swift Dzire with beige interiors and you can understand the difference a brighter color can make.
Tiny rear windows.
Rear seat is best for two. Three will be a difficult fit.
Knee room in rear i a joke. I found the Nano to be more spacious.
Brakes aren't anything to rave about especially in panic braking or @ speeds above 120

Punto Pros
Built like a tank. The way all the things are screwed together gives the feeling of being in a safe coocon.NCAP 5 star rated. The chassis is same as Europen Punto. One of the passive safety features of Fiats. Even the lower variants gives you chance of getting out of an accident unhurt.
Steering. I plan to take out my Punto steering and put it in a showcase after I scrap the car. Yes I plan to drive the Punto till I scrap it.
The steering is a joy to hold and the feedback is second to none.
Ride and Handling Best in segment and comparable to cars twice the price
High speed stability One word Amazing
Brakes Confidence inspiring. Gives a lot of confidence to push the car to limits. Its not the 0-100 but the 100-0 which makes the difference between life and death.
5 years/1.5 lacs warranty. Most in its category
15 K service itervals. Most spares on par with competion and service bills lesser than Swifts in long run.
Last but not the least the connect Fiats have with owners. My Swift is 8 years old and Punto just 6 months old and I take the same care for both. But the drive in Punto feels telepathic as if the car understands what you want it to do. I cant say the same about Swift.
Punto will make you feel you are a better driver than you actually are. It urges you to push the car to its limits. In Swift by the time you touch 140 you will feel like you are flying not so in Punto. Its rock solid even @ 170-180.

Cons:
FASS. Owning a Fiat is like owing a Bullet. You have to learn to dirty your hands. You need to be patient and be friendly with the staff and get things sorted out. I found this to be the best way to deal with issues. Be courteous and friendly with all. Its helps resolving issues faster. Quality wise no complaints but planning and execution can be a bit iffy .
Fit and finish not in league of Hyundai/VW etc
Spares availability Its much improved now but still depends on the location/city. South India its mostly good not sure of North India.
Small niggles can crop up anytime. Quality check not that great. Two Puntos may have completely different issues. Can get annoying. A small example I am having alingnment problems since I got my car and its seems the issue is with one of the tyres. Now this is a clear case of QC not upto mark. How can a faulty tyre make its way to a car.
FASS network is very thin. Even though the cars are very reliable I keep praying that there should not be any break down when I am on long trip with family. Though things are improving this needs to be taken into account depending on where you are buying the car.
Poor resale depending on how long you plan to keep the car. If you change cars every 3 years Faits may not be the ones for you.
If you are one who believes in the soceital norms then stay away from Fiats. 90% of you family and friends are going to pull you down for buying a Fiat. and our Kitna Deti Hai jaanta hardly knows Ferrari and Michael Schumacher.

The choice is yours. I am not going back to Marutis again unless thay provide the same chassis as the Europeans. Any way it will be difficult for me to drive anything other than Fiats and Fords now. I am planning to keep the Punto till I can manage it and when ever I upgrade it will either be a Fiat or Ford. For me safety, ride and handling and driver connect is much more important than any other creature comforts. Heck I do not even put on the radio when I am driving alone.

 

Very well said @nibedk, very good POVs and passionately mentioned about what feels right and wrong in comparisons. Nice to read the steering in showcase idea. Not bad idea at all Really deserves all the praise also for the feedback it provides. The chassis and wheel geometry control in Fiat and other such well engineered/designed cars (their chassis/suspension) is still lacking in Maruti and such. I think that makes a whole lot of difference in the way the car acts and feels. It often times makes one feel how a real car should drive or feel to drive. Even me don't care for radio when driving alone, esp. so when there is least traffic.

 

As @nibedk said, Fiat is very responsive even if you have any issues vis-a-vis service quality. Being firm yet friendly is the way to go. The relatively small size of ASS operations will allow you/your dad to build some sort of 'equation'/'relationship' with the service personnel and their managers. i.e., don't be paranoid.

The car itself is excellently built and is very reliable/durable, and its ASS is decent and only getting continuously better. Class-best warranty policy, in practice and not just theory, too. We can only speak from our own experiences.

btw, Fiat has, I believe, tied up with Mahindra First Choice for spares and service, which is good, since it increases servicing options/convenience.

But also don't expect TOTAL UTTER perfection in product and its ASS: such a thing does NOT exist anywhere, let alone in (North)India. It is a different matter that 2 or 3 dominant car companies in India get to fleece customers in the name of a purported, promised service/product perfection/excellence that is NEVER delivered, despite premium prices and charges.

 

Okey,but I think ,with such a minimal driving say around 500 km a month,no wear and tear ,so according to my perception I must be happy.

 

Ah but you will be, unless you have accidents on a regular basis! ;-) Easy enough in Lucknow, UP eh? ;-)

 

No,its not that common to be hit Or to hit,I ride my fz at any possible maximum speed,never touched anything,it has a single disc,and two disks can do wonders I think ,

--- Double Post Merged, Nov 28, 2014, Original Post Date: Nov 28, 2014 ---

As you said @nibedk,that I have to be courteous with the service staff for things getting done on my car,but I think everybody remains calm unless and until provoked ,so in your opinion what such incident happened that you needed to be gentle,cause I dont think there should be any issues till the initial 50,000 km ,cause I think this alone in my case would take around 3 years ,so??

--- Double Post Merged, Nov 28, 2014 ---

And as @prabjot said about the warranty,the sales guy said something like clutch plates and slave cylinder will also be covered under warranty so no need to worry,I don't know if I should believe him or not,and also tell something about the run in period,is there any??,cause it was a pain to restrict oneself from revving.when I had it done with my. Fz .

--- Double Post Merged, Nov 28, 2014 ---

The on road price which carwale.com shows is 7,81,000 including everything,dealer is ready to give the insurance free,that means deduct 25,000 ,then I should get it at 7,56,000,still have to sit and talk about this issue ,when I go for booking on sunday.

 

Aviral,please talk with the FIAT CUSTOMER CARE--18002095556--regarding the latest offer.Yesterday,there was an ad regarding FIAT offer in the KOLKATA edition of TOI.According to the ad, FIAT is offering upto 100,000 benefit on diff models(except AVVENTURA). Offer valid up to 30th NOVEMBER.

 

Okey,I will do so.

--- Double Post Merged, Nov 28, 2014 ---

@sandipan_r15,I contacted them ,they said no offer for Lucknowand not even Kolkata

--- Double Post Merged, Nov 28, 2014 ---

I was going for magnesio grey,as I have seen it in the showroom,it appeared a kind of dull inside the showroom,but I don't know how it looks in direct sunlight,if you all could give some feedback on which colour to go for,will It look nice?,the magnesio grey.