HI Guys,
Thanks for your reviews on MS , It Really helped. Got my PUNTO MULTIJET 1.3 EMOTION last week. I have initially booked a Ford Figo zx diesel but changed my mind. Still waiting for refund from Harpreet Ford.
Why have I changed my mind ? I was looking for a diesel car since daily running is about 60 KMs. I travel daily to my office from Indirapuram , Ghaziabad to Saket, New Delhi. My job profile requires visit to my company clients for meeting etc.
My Monthly average touches 2000-2500 KMs. I was an owner of Maruti Alto LX for past 8 years. It has already completed 117000 KMs. Car was very reliable and never let me down during entire years of it’s service. When I have exchanged it , My wife literally wept. I was also turned sad . It was asking for costly repairs so it is wise not to put more money into it. I was looking for a car between 5 to 5.5 Lac with decent features.
I have not opted SUZUKI SWIFT because I have personally not liked space inside. Boot is too small and not of much use. Plus there is 3 month wait period. There was no loyalty/exchange bonus, no discounts offered. In 5.5 Lac they were offering LDI.
Every third person in my Office have this car. There were no feeling of buying a new car if I would have bought a swift. I sit into my colleagues car every second day.
I had taken test Drive of FABIA , I was very impressed with built quality and interiors. I immediately got turned off by sluggishness of FABIA. It felt like a tank. I am 5.6” tall. I could not see the road because of height of dashboard.
Then I heard about costly After Sales Service of SKODA. Dropped the plan. 3 Cylinder diesel engine does not compliment its heavy design chassis.
I had taken test ride of POLO . Paint job and interiors are classy . Ride quality was good but not exceptional , just like every other car. Also , its not cheaper to maintain this German Beast. Also it offers a 3 cylinder engine.
I have not opted Indica Vista , because it is been used by my brother. Car is also good.
I could not test NISSAN MICRA. Whenever I visited for test drive, car was not free.
I have taken the test drive of PUNTO at HIM Motors, Patpargan, New Delhi. Boy, I like the way it handled the roads. Though it is not very quick in lower gears, it was too smooth. It required less gear shifts, which is required for a bumper to bumper traffic to reduce driving fatigue.
It even pulls in 2nd gear from stand still position. It handles the potholes and humps very smoothly and vibration of road does not reaches to driver much, a must for comfortable driving. This car is not jumpy as SUZUKI’S. The feel of the car was not like a Hatch, it felt like Sedan.
I was offered a test drive in Emotion Pack, whose interiors was very neat. In my budget, I would have only afford active. The staff named Akhtar was very friendly and knowledgeable. He had answered my queries at ease.
I have taken test Drive of FORD FIGO at Harpreet ford, Dilshad Garden. Car has everything one can ask in this price slot .
When I weighed PUNTO active against FORD FIGO ZX , It lacks features and 20 K costlier also. I was looking for a diesel in 5.5 Lac Slot. FIGO ZX was priced at 5.34 on road with Delhi registration. PUNTO Active was touching 5.60 . Also PUNTO Dynamic is not available and there is a wait time.
Cost of the Dynamic variant touches 6 Lacks. i have liked the looks and make of PUNTO and the way it handles rough roads. I admit that FORD had priced its car very well and it suits the pocket and has loads of features . Ride quality is also impressive.
Turbo also kicks well. Pay Rs. 20 K and they will provide you Alloys and seat covers in even Basic model which is a very intelligent and good option. I have not much liked the design of the car, it looks like tailored FORD FUSION. Car’s weight is not comparable to PUNTO which is almost 150-200 Kg. Heavier than FIGO.
My Mind Said to go with FIGO and I have booked the same. Wait has started for Red colour.
But heart has always said PUNTO. I got an offer from TATA motors. They are offering a 42 K discount on Emotion. Insurance worth 17 K + 10 K cash Discount + 15 K Exchange bonus. They have also offered a 70 K exchange price for my old ALTO.
Me and my wife had a discussion over this offer. My Wife was always in favour of PUNTO as she was flattered over its stunning looks. Now the problem was to arrange a Down payment of 2.21 lac for this Italian Beauty because our financials was set for down payment of FIGO ZX which was coming 1.43 Lac.
We have listened to our heart and decided to go for it and arranged 80 K extra . Since I was an existing customer of TATA MOTOR FINANCE, I have got a rebate on car loan interest rate also.
We are loving this car. Done 1000 KM and it is giving a decent mileage of 17-18 KM. I drive through combination of bad roads , traffic jams and free highway . I am not using A/C since its very cold in Delhi. On board computer is very intelligent gives very useful information like KMPL, Drive time etc.
My driving fatigue is now very less. For those who bullshit this car over Swift /Desire, I only have to say that it’s tough to get out of Maruti mindset, Jut drive this car and give an honest opinion. And please stop producing ugly looking cars like RITZ.
There is a clear Advantage of riding a heavy car. Your ride quality will be better and fatigue will be less since vibrations of the wheels will reach to you in less proportions.
This car has enough torque to pull, do not go by the bullsh!t by some people over PUNTO being under-powered. I had pulled this beast on 40 degree ramp in a mall with 5 persons in cabin. PUNTO ‘s ride quality is of a sedan.
Car is really a pleasure to drive even in traffic condition. You have to shift less. There is no knocking even in ultra low RPM’s. It has decent torque in lower RPM.The feature I dreamt off.
It has moderate ground clearance, still better than an Alto. Slow down the car over humps and you will not face any problem. I have not faced such a problem yet but I know that these cars have slightly less ground clearance. I live in Ghaziabad, full of potholes and humps. I have no problems so far. It is same road on which I used to drive Alto.
Only dissatisfying thing is its music system. Blaupunkt system sound output is below average and does not deliver low freq well. FM reception is also poor and I hear noise in background (Kirr- Kirr). Thank God, There is an option of changing system with a Sony and a JVC.
I am planning to change it very soon. I miss my JVC with JBL speakers in my old car. God Know why FIAT have chosen such a junk for this car. Blue to me was not present in this variant but my old Bluetooth headset works very well so I do not really miss this feature.
Rear water jet was not working which was fixed by service in 5 minutes. My first inspection is due at 3000 KM and first service at 15000 KM , so still I have not faced service centre yet so cannot comment .
I know that FIAT service levels cannot meet as of a SUZUKI , still feel through TATA network they can provide better service.
Sometimes availability of part may take longer, once I have to wait for 5 days do get distributor replaced in my Alto. This problem is with every manufacturer more or less.
Guys, It’s a good car to own and drive.
