Oct 19, 2009 07:03 PM
11144 Views
(Updated Nov 25, 2009 10:37 PM)
Do you think its real worth spending six lakhs plus for another hatch back? That was my friend’s question. I too was confused. Now we can get a decent hatchback for two or three lakhs less. Well I may go for a sedan, but which one?
I wanted a diesel car for I commute to work. Like many, I too had some hesitancy on Indigos. (Actually I was waiting for the Vista Sedan, but never expected the Manza to come out so soon.) Dezire? Well I don’t like it. I loved Linea, but it was too beyond my budget. So I decided to remain in hatchback class, but a level high.
Now I came to two choices. Hyundai i20 and Fiat Grande Punto. I was driving a Hyundai car- Santro, for the last six years. So I have no doubts on the reliability of that brand. i20 looked good, its design is deliberate and it tries to imitate the older American muscle cars. But for me Punto looked great, its design so spontaneous and reminiscent of the great European GTs of sixties. No doubt I fell for GP. (Moreover the pricing of i20 was a little irrational.)
Concorde motors Kochi, gave me the test drive. I was impressed with the features, handling and ride comfort but not much about the engine performance. I was driving petrol cars all these years, so I felt the car too sluggish and lethargic.
The sales rep explains, that’s the turbo lag and once you cross a certain point the engine starts to amuse you. That was true. I took it to a straight road and the Punto simply flew off. (Later I test drove the much hyped Ford Fiesta Duratorque - Punto’s 1.3 Multijet is quicker.) So I made my final decision, it’s a Grande Punto DI Emotion.
Now its two months I got the car and done 2500km. Almost everything about the car is good and perfect. Sure you get the feeling of driving a big car. If you have just promoted from an ordinary hatchback, as like in my case, be a little careful about the cars dimensions and the jutting out side mirrors.
In reviews I frequently had seen mentions about the poor quality interior plastics. The paddle switches could have been of better quality, but otherwise I feel it ok. Surprisingly, the indicator and the wiper switches have changed sides. So for the first few kilometers you are going to wipe your windshield at every turn! For Emotion its duel tone, black being the background. Wish they offered it beige. Another complaint was about the cramped rear seats. Its not so, it’s roomier than most other hatchbacks. Please don’t compare with bigger cars.
For Emotion, one key is foldable ( they call it desmodronic) and have the remote switches on it. The other one is the usual type, but have the smart chip embedded in it. So every time you put in the key and turn it, the computer checks the keys digital code and then only permit to start the engine. Simple mechanical matching wont work.
I wonder if an extra rev is required to start the engine. (May be because I am too accustomed with petrol engines.) No time is spared for the heater. The engine is quite silent to the cabin, and in noisy situations you may even think it didn’t start. But don’t worry; you can’t double crank the engine. To activate the starter again you need to turn the key back to off and then come back.
The steering is hydraulic power assisted and quite smooth and precise. The switches are not straight forward mechanical, but have certain digital backing, that is some kind of logic control everywhere. For example, when you open the door, the cabin lamp slowly brightens up and when you close it, it won’t go off immediately. It waits for a while then dims off.
Features so far available only in premium segment. But just think of the situation where you need to change the entire electronic control rather than a single switch in case of a malfunction. I hopefully believe Fiat have made them all so durable. (After all you have 4 year warranty.) The headlamp beam control is not position specific; you have to flip the paddle switch to alternate between. The play is quite much and I felt it uncomfortable.
Another noticeable glitch is with the clutch pedal. There is just enough room for that. You have to be much disciplined to operate it. Your foot a little rotated, you get stuck by the foot rest and the pedal stops halfway. A serious design fault.
The gear is precise but not very smooth to shift. Not a big thing, just I mentioned it, that’s all. From fifth, you can’t come to fourth in a single throw, need to give a pause in between. Can be annoying at times of quick shift, like, while climbing up hill.
As I mentioned earlier, the engine is bit lethargic in lower rpms. May not feel very comfortable in city driving. If you intent to use your car more in the city limits, the Diesel version may not be the right choice. But in highways it’s a marvel.
The handling, maneuverability and road grip are excellent. Breaking should given a special mention. I don’t know how much the EBD contributes to the splendid breaking, but the car simply clutches to the road when you press the pedal. Never experienced this efficiency before.
My model has a manual air conditioning. Good performance. There isn’t any extra lag when you put on a/c. The music system is from Blaupunkt. It’s just good for a decent person. Do not have USB connector, no VCD, DVD support and not much menu option for MP3 playback. MP3 playback is random by default and this random play is not efficient.
The system plays a few songs again and again. I browsed through the available menu many times but could not find a solution. Beyond a certain volume level there is noticeable distortion too. So when you decide on the version, better not consider the availability of music system on higher models. But don’t forget, its electronics are unique for this car (that’s, the car computer and the music system works in unison) and its design goes so well with the fascia. Can’t get that with another system.These are minor hitches I noticed, again I say minor. My overall impression about the car is excellent.
Ha! I forgot to mention the mileage. The trip computer shows it between 18 to 22kmpl depending on the road and traffic and always with a/c on. Decent, isn’t it? . One thing to note: FIAT WARNS AGAINST USING PREMIUM DIESEL. Use only the standard type.
