Grande Punto Emotion....Proud owner after first 10,000 km

Hi Friends,

I live in a small city named Rohtak in Haryana...just 75 km from Delhi. Though we have a TATA showroom in Rohtak but they do not have FIAT dealership so I had to buy my Punto from Delhi. After lot of online research and few reviews from first users I bought my dream car Grande Punto 1.4 Emotion on 25th Sept 2009. Last week while driving from Chandigarh to Rohtak I completed first 10,000 kms with my hatchback and I must say that I am a happy and proud Punto owner.

The best scoring point of this vehicle is it looks. Wherever I have gone with my car In last 10 months I've never been short of admiration...its truely a head turner. I myself can't stop admiring it when I look it from a distance. From front it gives a feel of big car and from sides and back it's sporty looks are worth a look. While sitting inside, we are never short of space and comfort. Adjustable driver seat and steering offers that extra driving comfort that one doesn't feel tired even after driving long hours. I never felt so comfortable with 3 people on back seat in a small car. And its inbuilt music system with 6 speakers is good enough for soft music.

Driving Grande Punto on a highway is a real pleasure though city drive is also equally good. Such a firm road grip, very smooth handling, superior ride quality and the speed which always feels 10-20 km less than the actual...all this makes Punto a good solid hatchback sailing on the road. I got a speed of 160-165 on G T Road several times and it was rock solid. The quality of ride is equally good on even not so good roads. This has been tested by me and proved by punto time and again as I had 3 long trips to hills with this car . It was Dharamshala last December, Rishikesh and Gangotri (yes!!!) in March and Kullu-Manali last month..each time with family and lots of luggage. No problems whatsoever.

Before buying Punto I was sceptical about its mileage and mentally prepared for a mileage of 10-11km/l. But after 10,000 km Punto has given an overall average of 14.2 km/l which I feel is decent enough. In city it gives a mileage of 13-14 km and on highway 18-20 km with a/c on.(Punto has digital mileage meter which tells you instant, trip and long term averages). Also service is not an issue as service intervals are large like 5,000...15,000....30,000 km.

But as you say - nothing is perfect in this world so is this car. Once you brake the speed its little pain to get that speed again as its very sluggish in lower gears. In 1st and 2nd gears it feels like it doesn't want to move and its going to sleep. 2nd gear sometime gives unusual jerks. But once you are into 3rd gear it feels like it has broken all shackels and its raring to go. Another problem I faced was with air conditioning system which failed to start at several occasions. But later it got rectified with change of blower. Joshi Auto Zone in Chandigarh were very prompt and gave my vehicle back in one and half hour after repairing.

Overall, I am highly satisfied with the car and I really feel proud that I own a Grande Punto. If you don't want to get lost in crowd and you are young and sporty at heart, Punto is right choice for you.

Best looks, style, space, safety, handlingSlow start, A/c