Fiat it is

I have been having a palio and have been thinking of a new car since quite sometime(over a year) but was not really impressed with anything in the market within my range.
infact have researched carwale and mostly tbhp.
i do need to share my experience with  all and hope it helps.
i have seen the below cars:
Maruti (Swift, Dzire)
Chevrolet Aveo
Ford Ikon(diesel)
Ford Fiesta(Diesel & Petrol)
Hyundai(i10, i20, accent)
Tata(vista, Indigo CS, Manza)
Mahindra Renault(Logan)
Fiat(Punto, Linea)
Honda(City 2nd user)

my take on all the cars that i have seen as listed above:
Maruti - good cars and you can sleep peacefully as tried and tested.
GM - fantastic interiors(infact the best) but am not convinced about the value for money part and somehow missed the driving pleasure that i get out of my palio.
Ford - the diesel fiesta is really good and has good reports also but the diesel was way over my budget though the ikon diesel fits but somehow it feels that ford gives a very basic car compared to its peers and on the top of it they are probably a bit expensive to maintain.
Hyundai - good cars but nothing to really stands out for me to put my money.
Logan - good car but then the furture of mahindra - renault patnership is anyones guess.
Tata - good VFM cars but will really take time to get used to the interiors. also, i am not too convinced after 3-4 years the car will not be creaking at every turn, bump.
Fiat - being criving a palio so understandably i am a bit biased towards the fiats. really loved the linea but outside my budget and i really think this is the best car below 10 lacs.
i liked the punto and was happy fiat bought something which looks good but was extremely disappointed with the backseat space as the palio used to be the king in that category.
i had dismissed the punto idea completely purely for the matter of the backseat space. to cut a really long story short - i think this is the best car in the category it is in and the driving is really great. i for one have bought a 1.3 active and in blue colour. i can vouch for the fact that this car grows on you and this has kind of become an extension to me.



Exterior
excellent looks and expected fiat quality of paint and body. but they should have given more colours.


Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)
disappointing backseat space and commented as much by the people who normally sit in the back as they were used to a palio. glaring panel gaps. interiors give the feeling of too much plastic. fiat has given a large side to the windows where you can put your arm though this has reduced the interior space.


Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox
have got an FE of 14 in the city and a lot of it was bumper to bumper traffic. got 17 on highway+city drive of around 100kms. still to get my first service done. me happy !
a good weighted steering wheel.

Ride Quality & Handling
believe you me this car excels but then you expect that of a fiat.


Final Words
i would have loved to see the car in more colours(the linea red, the linea fox azzure). Overall this is a beauty to drive around and looks. Fiat have given the sides of the windows larger then usual to the point that i can comfortable put my elbow on that and drive though this has reduced the interior space. I personally like the long dashboard and the feeling of sitting in the cockpit. an extremely good car to drive and always a feeling of safety in fiats.


Areas of improvement  
two things - they need to increase the backseat space by a couple of inches and steal colours from the linea.

ride quality, driving pleasure and its bl00dy good lookingspace less then the palio